Healthy lifestlye..failure?

You need to talk to a professional about this. You have a history with an eating disorder and a messed up relationship with food. 2 cookies does not equal failure for most people.

I don't mean to sound harsh - I'm just seriously advising you to talk to a counselor, because that will do you the most good in your journey to be healthy.

There's no such thing as "bad" food!

I've been living a healthy lifestyle for the last 5 years (and lost 60lbs and got fit as a bonus...) I am going to a friends house tonight to say goodbye to another good friend who is moving halfway accross the country.....

I will have more than two (or three....:drinker: ) glasses of red wine, (and sleep over so I don't drive - driving after drinking will make me a failure!:sad: and I will have some food that is going to be yummy and for which I have NO nutritional info, as I did not make it or buy it....

I am not a failure, and neither am I failing at my healthy lifestyle - I am living life...
I will do my regular workout tomorrow as usual, and life would hopefully go on as usual....
Good luck...

You need to talk to a professional about this. You have a history with an eating disorder and a messed up relationship with food. 2 cookies does not equal failure for most people.

I don't mean to sound harsh - I'm just seriously advising you to talk to a counselor, because that will do you the most good in your journey to be healthy.

^This.

And if you have people in your life that are telling you 2 cookies every 8 days (or something similar) will cause you to never reach a healthy weight, then you need a better (healthier) support system.

If you think two cookies a week are 'bad' and will mess you up, do talk to a professional. You want a healthy relationship with yourself, your body, and with food.

More pragmatically, studies show people who have a normal diet without restrictions but basically healthy and within calorie limits are those who maintain weight loss over time.

Are you making sure your eating enough? Also, a couple cookies, or a treat once a week isn't failure. Its moderation. Some people have dessert everyday as part of their lives. And are still successful at weightloss. So please give yourself a break. Never eating something you might consider "bad" is not an option. You can't go through life like that, its not sustainable...for most people I should say.

I let myself have a sweet or two every day if its within my limit, and I've gone from a size 14 to a 7 in just a few months.

I've been where you are, and you can't beat yourself up over having something a little sweet. It's perfectly normal to indulge every so often, just make sure you aren't eating nothing but junk. I think you should get someone to talk to about this, because it'll really help. It helped me.

So long as it's within my calories - I am 100% guilt free, which is such a refreshing and empowering feeling for me (spent most of my life attaching emotional responses to eating).

If it's not within my calories, so what?! I've made a little indent into my deficit for the day, I'll live. It probably makes up for all the days that I'm way under.

2 cookies are not bad - 2 cookies do not make you feel bad. 2 cookies are just a tasty energy source that you decided to utilise. Disconnect your emotions from what you are eating and see it for what it is - fuel.

Definitely don't beat yourself up over two cookies from time to time. If two cookies is failing, then I have been failing the whole time I've been losing 51 pounds...

My view is that weight loss and healthy eating is not an all-or-nothing proposition. I eat as healthy as I can, as often as I can. When I eat lots of vegetables and use some smoothies, my weight continues to fall. I eat McDonalds once in a great while. I eat fried food once in a while. I drink a glass of wine a few times a week and have beer too.

I believe one cannot enjoy life without enjoying food, all types of food. For me, the key is not only moderation but including as many vegetables in my diet as possible. Water is extremely important, but I have a very difficult time getting enough. So, I try to include as many vegetables as I can that have a high water content.

I make it a goal of mine to eat one large tomato per day, with a few Wheat Thins. Currently, I am eating an ear of corn 3-4 times a week. Cucumbers are in now, so they add lots of water to my diet. And, I love sweet potatoes, so I try to get that into my diet weekly. I use baked fish at least once a week to keep my fat intake lower and my protein higher.

Losing weight works best and easiest for me when I can keep my protein, potassium and water higher, my fat and salt lower, and use moderate exercise. My belief is to keep it simple and keep it fun.

I have become a better cook, as I use allrecipes.com to plan my meals for the week. I can then print out a shopping list to follow, so I don't impulse-buy the bad foods. I shop only at Whole Foods, the Farmers Market, and Trader Joe's, so I never give myself the chance to buy chemical-laden, unhealthy food. I do buy deserts now and then, but I am not a big desert eater.

Now, I don't always follow my meal plan, and I do eat out at least once a week. But, following this course has allowed me to lose weight without feeling deprived. The weight just comes off naturally. So, my belief is to find the best mix for you. Include all the good foods you can and eat the other things but in moderation.