Consistency

shlobiwan

I am eventually going to make a post answering all of your standard questions, but I know that my biggest problem has to do with consistency. I eat a certain way for a few days, have a bad day or two of overeating, re-regulate myself, rinse, repeat.

I figure that I need to get this down and see what the ensuing results will be before I present myself to this forum asking for program and diet assistance.

Do you have any advice on
a) maintaining consistency,
b) helping identify issues that lead to inconsistent behaviour, and
c) how long one should maintain that consistent rate to see a difference?

I'm also welcome to any related advice outside of those questions.

Thank you!

Sarauk2sf

How do your weekly averages come out?

Do you have triggers for over-eating?

Chief_Rocka

Generally speaking, you should identify the issues that are throwing you off, and find ways to work around them.

For example, If you have "trigger foods," take better care to avoid them. If you're having trouble with splurging at night, then save a good chunk of your calories for night time and plan your meal before you eat it.

Also, many people have the "all or nothing" mentality, where if they make one "mistake" they rationalize that the entire day was a waste so they may as well blow the rest of the day, which leads to the rest of the weekend, which leads to the rest of the week. The best way to avoid this is to eat foods you enjoy in moderation, and to keep your eye on the big picture.

shlobiwan

I'll get my averages together when I return from the gym, but regarding my triggers and trigger foods -

Triggers:
-PMS and the first day or two of shark week seem to be the days when I have the least control.
-Eating out - I try not to very much, but I find it's always an incredible challenge to find a truly healthy choice while out.

Specific foods:
-Chocolate is my worst and I've removed it from the house. I make a 'skinny' cupcake and keep a batch to satisfy my sweet cravings. I've successfully kept myself to one per day, save a PMS day last week.
-I find myself snacking on rice crackers and hummus often. I'm attempting to control my portions better with this one. If I find that it's just not happening, then I'll remove these from the house too.

shlobiwan

Tracked TDEE with a Body Media Fit

Week of Jan 29-Feb 4 (PMS & Shark Week, plus three food related outings)
Average calories consumed: 2114
Average TDEE: 2435

Week of Jan 22-Jan 28
Average calories consumed: 1703
Average TDEE: 2377

Week of Jan 15-Jan 21
Average calories consumed: 1665
Average TDEE: 2357

Sarauk2sf

It seems as if you are controlling your calories on average for the week - even with PMS and three food related outings you were at a decent deficit. There is nothing wrong with varying calories day to day. Maybe it would help if you had higher days planned so you could satisfy cravings in a controlled way.