Apocalyptic Dieting

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FitandFab33
FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After years of off and on "dieting" and periods of severe calorie deficit and excessive exercise, I have finally figured out that I'm an apocalyptic dieter. It's all or nothing.. complete "success" or end of the line total "failure". I either eat completely clean, follow the "rules" to the letter, never straying, or I go off the deep end completely, eat nothing but junk (though I still stay within my calorie goals) and want to curl up and do absolutely nothing having to do with exercise.

I know cognitively that there is no getting THERE. "There" does not exist. It is a lifelong decision... or series of decisions made all over again every day. There is no magic number or magic body that will signify the end of my efforts and that encompassing "I did it" feeling. But how do I translate that cerebral realization into daily life and my outlook on healthy eating and exercise?

Have any of you gone through this.. and if so, how did you change that mindset?
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Replies

  • emilydumarce
    emilydumarce Posts: 46 Member
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    i would love answers too!! thanks!
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Have any of you gone through this.. and if so, how did you change that mindset?

    I reassessed the importance of the "rules."
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:
  • GamerGurl729
    GamerGurl729 Posts: 286 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    Me too; I'm disappointed.
  • TabbathaAnne
    TabbathaAnne Posts: 162 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    Lol'ed so hard...
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    It seems like zombies are usually in fairly good shape.. maybe THAT's what I'm doing wrong! Not enough brains! I suppose it is full of protein...
  • blakejohn
    blakejohn Posts: 1,129 Member
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    let me start by saying welcome to life, it's good and bad.

    after about 20 years of working out and TRYING to eat right, the times I've gone more then a month without working out I've felt like *kitten*

    some cycles I woorkout a lot harder and watch everything I eat.

    then I take some time off and eat Ice cream
  • Tracy_03311981
    Tracy_03311981 Posts: 80
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    I believe it's finding that place in between eating all the junk food and eating all the clean food.
    I do it by giving myself one day where I can eat what I want, and I do, and I have lost 26 lbs. and inches.
    You have to find your own balance, it's different for everyone :)
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    I sort of thought it would be about how to lose weight while eating rations/canned food/whatever you can find. I was about to share my secrets for stockpiling! lol!!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:
    Or at least cannibalism.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    It seems like zombies are usually in fairly good shape.. maybe THAT's what I'm doing wrong! Not enough brains! I suppose it is full of protein...

    Actually it's very little protein. Brains are almost pure cholesterol.
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
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    I changed my 'definition' of success.

    I stopped being unrealistic.

    I worked on bettering my relationship with food.

    I stopped comparing myself to everyone else.

    I figured out that it is not all about eating lettuce and refusing myself food.

    I read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I made goals and stuck with them. (Woot! Two half marathon's this year!)

    I focus on things that really matter, not just the number on the scale. Yes, I want it going down, but I also want to be healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.

    I found people on here that are supportive, and inspirational.

    I kept the promise I made to myself.

    I measure and track progress - BEYOND the scale.

    I've learned to be patient.

    Never give up.

    (Edited to add: No, I don't always feel like it. No, not every run/workout/exercise is great. But, I'm plugging along. One day at a time.

    And, also - I feel I can now outrun any zombies - which is step one for surviving the potential zombie apocalypse. Haha... )
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I thought this would be about zombies eating brains. :indifferent:

    It seems like zombies are usually in fairly good shape.. maybe THAT's what I'm doing wrong! Not enough brains! I suppose it is full of protein...

    Lol. There it is. The Brain Diet FTW
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    I believe it's finding that place in between eating all the junk food and eating all the clean food.
    I do it by giving myself one day where I can eat what I want, and I do, and I have lost 26 lbs. and inches.
    You have to find your own balance, it's different for everyone :)

    This is what I have a hard time with- balance. If I have a day "off".. it gets crazy and turns into a week.. and then I want to give up altogether. I know it is one choice at a time, but I'm actually afraid to take a day off working out and taking a day off "clean" eating because I'm scared I will never start again.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I changed my 'definition' of success.

    I stopped being unrealistic.

    I worked on bettering my relationship with food.

    I stopped comparing myself to everyone else.

    I figured out that it is not all about eating lettuce and refusing myself food.

    I read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I made goals and stuck with them. (Woot! Two half marathon's this year!)

    I focus on things that really matter, not just the number on the scale. Yes, I want it going down, but I also want to be healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.

    I found people on here that are supportive, and inspirational.

    I kept the promise I made to myself.

    I measure and track progress - BEYOND the scale.

    I've learned to be patient.

    Never give up.

    (Edited to add: No, I don't always feel like it. No, not every run/workout/exercise is great. But, I'm plugging along. One day at a time.)

    Also, this because I have nothing better to say.

    Except, braaaaiiiiiiiinsssss.
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    What is your new definition of success, if you don't mind sharing? (I know it's an individual thing, but I'm curious to know how you changed it)
    I changed my 'definition' of success.

    I stopped being unrealistic.

    I worked on bettering my relationship with food.

    I stopped comparing myself to everyone else.

    I figured out that it is not all about eating lettuce and refusing myself food.

    I read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I made goals and stuck with them. (Woot! Two half marathon's this year!)

    I focus on things that really matter, not just the number on the scale. Yes, I want it going down, but I also want to be healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.

    I found people on here that are supportive, and inspirational.

    I kept the promise I made to myself.

    I measure and track progress - BEYOND the scale.

    I've learned to be patient.

    Never give up.

    (Edited to add: No, I don't always feel like it. No, not every run/workout/exercise is great. But, I'm plugging along. One day at a time.)
  • DMW914
    DMW914 Posts: 368 Member
    Options
    I changed my 'definition' of success.

    I stopped being unrealistic.

    I worked on bettering my relationship with food.

    I stopped comparing myself to everyone else.

    I figured out that it is not all about eating lettuce and refusing myself food.

    I read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    I made goals and stuck with them. (Woot! Two half marathon's this year!)

    I focus on things that really matter, not just the number on the scale. Yes, I want it going down, but I also want to be healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.

    I found people on here that are supportive, and inspirational.

    I kept the promise I made to myself.

    I measure and track progress - BEYOND the scale.

    I've learned to be patient.

    Never give up.

    (Edited to add: No, I don't always feel like it. No, not every run/workout/exercise is great. But, I'm plugging along. One day at a time.

    And, also - I feel I can now outrun any zombies - which is step one for surviving the potential zombie apocalypse. Haha... )

    LOOOVE IT! Well said :bigsmile: Thankyou cause you've just inspired me!
  • schparks
    schparks Posts: 74 Member
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    After years of off and on "dieting" and periods of severe calorie deficit and excessive exercise, I have finally figured out that I'm an apocalyptic dieter. It's all or nothing.. complete "success" or end of the line total "failure". I either eat completely clean, follow the "rules" to the letter, never straying, or I go off the deep end completely, eat nothing but junk (though I still stay within my calorie goals) and want to curl up and do absolutely nothing having to do with exercise.

    I know cognitively that there is no getting THERE. "There" does not exist. It is a lifelong decision... or series of decisions made all over again every day. There is no magic number or magic body that will signify the end of my efforts and that encompassing "I did it" feeling. But how do I translate that cerebral realization into daily life and my outlook on healthy eating and exercise?

    Have any of you gone through this.. and if so, how did you change that mindset?

    I definitely have gone through this, having several past significant weight losses only to end in more weight gain, I had the same "all or nothing" mindset.

    I too have had your epiphany - I have to do this FOREVER, not just a few weeks, months, or years. So I am taking it slower this time. I have a lot to lose, but I'm doing what I can sustain. I have my MFP set for 1 - 1.5 lb per week (I switch it up week to week), so I am not being as restrictive as I have in the past. I am still enjoying dinner with friends, splurging during vacation, having birthday cake, and relishing holiday treats. If that means I lose an ounce every week, so be it, but I have lost pretty steadily since I restarted in June. There are days that I completely stray, but I track it, and move on. In the past if I had one or two bad days - that was "diet" suicide. This mindset definitely helps me recover more easily from these stumbling blocks. I have heard it my entire dieting career, but I am really coming to the realization that moderation is *key*.
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
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    What is your new definition of success, if you don't mind sharing? (I know it's an individual thing, but I'm curious to know how you changed it)


    I used to think success was eating a very low calorie diet, and seeing the scale reflect it. To me, the only 'success' was seeing that scale go down. I didn't give any consideration to becoming a healthier me, improving my stamina, endurance, overall health and wellness.

    Now, it pains me to think about all of the yo-yo'ing I have done in the past. The mindless focus of eating very little to move the scale - when in reality, you are only setting yourself up for failure. Losing only water-weight and mostly muscle (the very thing that helps you burn calories and lose weight long term!)

    Honestly, it was reading the information in the link that clicked finally for me. I had gotten stuck on a plateau and was sick of where I was. It was finding people like LorinaLynn (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/752778-how-wrong-i-was-600-days-of-mfp-lotsa-pics) who made me realize that I didn't want to be just a number on the scale, I wanted my body to look good.

    So, it was a progression from focus only on eating less - to learning and understanding what my body needs and feeding it appropriately. After all, if I can eat 1800 calories a day, move the scale, and reach other goals, it is a no brainer. Why would you want to train your body to expect less, if you didn't have to?

    So, the short answer is, today success to me is:
    Feeling good about myself
    Improved running speeds
    Bettering my PR, for my half (or training for a full)
    Losing inches from weight training
    Focusing on better choices - not creating a list of MUST NOT's. Moderation is the key.
    Reducing the risks for long-term health issues (diabetes, heart disease, etc.)
    Keeping up with my sons (and hoping to run a mother/son race with them someday!)
  • TheArmadillo
    TheArmadillo Posts: 299 Member
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    I have this 'all or nothing' attitude towards everything, its taken a lot of therapy and hard work to change.

    Essentially I have to be very conscious of it and force myself to drop something (even a small something to start with) however uncomfortable it makes me feel.

    I try to stop and reassess whenever I begin to struggle - what is completely essential? and then everything else in order of priority. As long as I do the essential its fine and everything else is a bonus. But I am not allowed to do 'everything'.

    When I drive myself too hard and start getting exhausted I force myself to have a break. I have a rest from any exercise other than walking and SHORT bike rides. I make sure I am eating an extra 200cal per day on top of the 1500 or so I usually eat. Plenty of sleep and cutting back on any non-essential household chores. I can start adding things back in as I feel better.

    There's no real easy answer, its something you have to force yourself to do unfortunately.

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