THIS is why I can't lose weight

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124

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  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I do ok except when I have to drive long distances. No matter how much coffee/diet coke I drink, I have the worst time staying awake. So I snack. I try to snack healthy, but no matter what I eat - it's still way more than I should. Does anyone have any really good stay-awake tips for driving?

    Celery. Lots of celery.
  • BrookeRachelleH
    BrookeRachelleH Posts: 11
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    I find that when I get a craving for something I shouldn't have, I pop a mint in my mouth and it really helps. I like the Icebreakers Frost Peppermints. (I also log every mint that I eat!!!)
    Maybe if you put a mint in your mouth before you start cooking it would keep you from snacking. No one wants to eat anything when their mouth tastes like peppermint!!! :)
    The chocolate issue used to be a big problem for me too. Who can resist a 69 cent candy bar?!?!?! However, I stopped that a long time ago. I have no tricks or advice to give you. I just simply told myself, 'NO!!! You do NOT need that candy bar!!!" Will Power!
    Good luck!
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
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    I have sweet tooth too. I buy Detour hig protein low sugar bars which are very high calorie but a good macro balance and curt them in to quarters - I theeat them one piece at a time and log them...
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
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    I do ok except when I have to drive long distances. No matter how much coffee/diet coke I drink, I have the worst time staying awake. So I snack. I try to snack healthy, but no matter what I eat - it's still way more than I should. Does anyone have any really good stay-awake tips for driving?

    -sing along with the radio and crank it up

    -keep a window open--cold air helps me

    -if you're REALLY struggling, pull over and take a 10 min nap. this has saved me on several occasions. pull off the highway & park in a busy lot, set your cell phone alarm and just take a short nap.
  • quiltergirlar
    quiltergirlar Posts: 35 Member
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    I know I'm going to eat chocolate, that's a given.

    I try for manageable items, like hershey kisses. I can eat just 3 of these and be happy. I love M&M's, they are 4 calories each. So 25 is just fine with me. If it's a candy bar, I will want to each the whole thing and 250 calories or so. I log it and might have to walk an extra mile.

    Chocolate biscotti is good, Weight Watchers has brownie snacks that are yummy.
  • steelyjoe22
    steelyjoe22 Posts: 40 Member
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    I struggle with this too - there are a lot of great deals on candy. But think of it this way - you can spend $0 (100% off), not consume the calories, feel better, and meet your goals if you resist the candy. It's a win-win.

    Out of sight, out of mind - I rarely stand on the scale or look in the mirror and think "man, I really wish I bought all that candy on Tuesday." Try to account for how it will make you feel later, not how delicious it will taste now.

    That said, completely depriving yourself will probably lead to a binge at some point down the road. Buy smaller packages (not as good of a value, but still less overall $$ spent), or just have a piece or two to satisfy the craving. Personally, I love fresh baked cookies. Now, I try to enjoy 1 instead of 5.
  • yowla
    yowla Posts: 127 Member
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    Nothing tasted better than being "THIN". I think of that all the time. I write my current weight on my hand that I eat with so every time I bring something to my mouth it is a slap in the face.
    I also added a B.L.T. in "my foods" It is for Bites, Licks, and Tastes. I just figured one tablespoon of anything is about 70 calories. (could be less) and I log that if I do the BLTs while cooking. Spaghetti sauce is my worse blts.
    Also when every you crave your chocolate brush your teeth. Use stong mouth wash.
    Brush your teeth once and then eat that chocolate. It wont taste good. You will think twice the next time you try it.
    Everyone here is in the same boat. Here to lose weight and be healthy. But you have to want it. If you really don't want it, it will never work for you and you are wasting your time.
  • MrsDrk
    MrsDrk Posts: 153 Member
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    Maybe brush your teeth before cooking? Or just swish toothpaste in your mouth? I don't sample when I cook because I cook with chicken and eggs most of the time. I don't impulse buy at the store anymore, not even for my hubby and kiddos. If I feel the urge to buy something at the store (I love to just.. spend money >.<), I save the cash and buy a black coffee at dunkin donuts- it solves the issue for me and has few cals.

    Good luck.
  • Lyra89
    Lyra89 Posts: 674 Member
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    Stop telling yourself you CANT lose weight, and maybe you'll start to lose some.

    The law of attraction is no joke. It changed my life when I realised that our thoughts and attitudes dramatically influence our reality and behaviour.
  • jenelizmin
    jenelizmin Posts: 47 Member
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    My husband is the cook in our family and used to snack then eat dinner. Now he makes a choice. He can either snack while cooking and then miss out on eating with the family or he can not snack and have the dinner with the rest of us. Not both. Unfortunately for us it is about a 50/50 split, but through this and cutting out all soda he has lost over 30 lbs so far. As for the candy...Do you have kids? If so then every time you eat some candy set the same amount aside for your kids. If you eat 2 candy bars you will know that the kid(s) will each get 2 as well. Nutrition wise, do you want that for them? Hyperness wise, do you really want them to have all that sugar? If not kids then think about some other family member that you would want to keep healthy. Don't sabotage yourself if you wouldn't somebody else. (just so you know, I struggle with compulsive cheesecake and chocolate buying/eating as well LOL)
  • ckwhiz
    ckwhiz Posts: 1
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    Chewing gum while cooking...logging your food....drink a TON of water~! I'm 44 and am just now realizing that the weight was easier to lose in my 20's and 30's :wink: Also, think of how great you will feel and look when you lose your weight. It's what is keeping me going.
  • MaryinBflo
    MaryinBflo Posts: 437 Member
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    Everyone can say it's just willpower that you need but that's easier said than done. To me that's like telling someone who is depressed to just 'get over it'.

    Brush your teeth before you start dinner, then chew Orbit bubblemint gum while fixing dinner.

    Use your crockpot. I don't think I'd be tempted to eat any raw food I was tossing in it.

    Tell yourself you CAN have a treat once a week. Make it on whatever day you're most likely to encounter chocolate. :) Maybe you wont crave it as much if you know you can have it in a few days.

    The next time you eat something that's high in calories and not so good for you, burn the calories. If it's a 250 calorie candy bar, you'd have to walk at least a 2 1/2 miles to burn it off. It's a lot easier to lose weight if you look at the WORK you have to do to not add 250 cals of fat to your tummy, butt, whatever.

    Getting older does make it a little harder to lose weight. I know, I'm 52. But.. we usually burn less because we dont move as much when we get older. Due to my age, and petite size, my maint. cals will be right UNDER 1200. If I don't exercise, I guess I wont be eating. lol

    You can do this, you recognized what you're doing wrong. Make a list of WHY you don't want to eat the extra calories, why you want to be healthier, etc. and put it in your kitchen, car, or wherever you'll see it when you're tempted.

    Good luck!

    Great advice!
  • CincinnatiDEIFan
    CincinnatiDEIFan Posts: 188 Member
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    I do ok except when I have to drive long distances. No matter how much coffee/diet coke I drink, I have the worst time staying awake. So I snack. I try to snack healthy, but no matter what I eat - it's still way more than I should. Does anyone have any really good stay-awake tips for driving?

    -sing along with the radio and crank it up

    -keep a window open--cold air helps me

    -if you're REALLY struggling, pull over and take a 10 min nap. this has saved me on several occasions. pull off the highway & park in a busy lot, set your cell phone alarm and just take a short nap.



    ^^I second this. Please don't drive if your even close to falling asleep. Not only are you putting yourself at risk, but others too.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I've done some soul searching recently too because my progress has slowed. Fortunately it hasn't reversed gears completely, but it is creaping along.

    As far as the snacking - if you're married or co-habitating, get someone else to cook dinner, or put the things you're snacking on in another room. SOMETHING. REcently, my husband bought some sugar cookies that had the bottoms dipped in chocolate. Unfortunately, I ended up being the only one eating them, until two nights ago when I told my husband, "Will you please throw those away so I'll quit eating them!!" I couldn't throw them away myself - don't know why - didn't really want to.

    One thing that helps us is we typically order our grocery items from Peapod - they're an online grocery delivery service. It's really cut down on our impulse buying.

    If wanting to snack is a big thing - make sure you keep things around that are healthy for you to snack on. I have a fridge at my desk at work that is currently stocked with light string cheese, bottles of water, a pint of tomatoes, greek yogurt, grapes, and pineapple. If I want to snack, I'm all set. I also have 2 bananas on my desk.

    Do whatever you can to set yourself up for success - and that's half the battle!
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,926 Member
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    For anyone to be successful at losing weight they first have to figure out why they are fat. Is it stress? Lack of sleep? Emotional eating? Eating the wrong things? Eating too much? Not eating enough? It looks to me like you've won that battle. You know what your pitfalls and handicaps are (and I'm sorry the age thing is BS, my mom is almost 60 and recently lost 35 pounds after years of cancer treatment).

    So, basically want you need to do know is stop buying the candy (or figuring out how to stop eating it). I had a gummy candy addiction before I began my journey, but I realized there was no room for it in my diet, so I didn't buy it or eat it. I said "NO". It's not easy, but you have to do it.

    The snacking while cooking thing? Seriously, just don't eat while you cook. It's easy. Chew gum, drink water...
  • elianama
    elianama Posts: 12 Member
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    Wow, thanks so much you guys. This is exactly what I needed. You've offered some crazy good ideas and I plan to try some of them tonight. That's right; tonight as I'm cooking, I plan to snack on IDEAS, not extra food! It's very motivating and inspiring to hear how so many of you have dealt with the exact issues I'm confronting and are finding ways to overcome them. Among other things you've encouraged me to TRULY ACCEPT that although whatever metabolic slowing I've been experiencing might be a factor in the weight loss difficulties I've been experiencing, it does not mean that I have lost the ability to lose weight; it only means I have to learn to be more patient with the process than I have been in the past. I realized as I was reading your responses that in some place deep down inside I've quit believing I'm biologically capable of losing weight, and that's just insane. Also, I have typically shied away from muscle-building exercises, and as one of you pointed out if this is the underlying factor behind my slowing metabolism, maybe I could be re-thinking my exercise strategy, and that would help even more. :)
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I would say age has not as much to do with it as you think. I think the main 2 culprits are candy and snacking.
  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    I've been doing some soul searching to try to figure out why I've been having such a hard time losing weight the last few years. I only have 10-20 pounds to lose but it's frustrating being "so close yet so far away." My clothes have been fitting a little tighter in the last couple weeks and I can't afford a new wardrobe so I've decided I need to do something about this and the sooner the better. Anyway, I've narrowed down the reasons why I'm having trouble to the following:

    - Getting older (I'm 39)
    - Snacking while cooking dinner. It's truly incessant - by the time I'm done cooking I am usually not that hungry, but I end up eating dinner anyway.
    - Impulse-buying candy - especially chocolate-y candy - that happens to be on sale. The combination of chocolate and a good bargain are extremely hard to resist.

    Getting older is something I'm gonna have to learn to deal with. Anyone have any tips on how to put an end to the other two? One thing I'm trying beginning today is to write down every time I avoid the temptation to engage in these behaviors. The idea is that writing it down is an act of recognition and reward for myself to help make up for the loss of enjoyment of the snack. We'll see how it goes.

    Also, what is stopping YOU from losing weight?

    STOP buying the chocolate(y) items if you cant stay away when they are in the house.

    I LOVE ice cream and I would sit and eat a bowl full every night (prolly about 6-8 good size scoops or servings!)
    My solution. I purchase the skinny cow single serve containers. AND EAT ONLY ONE!

    When I was worried about eating more than one, all I bought was ONE at a time. Now, I have a fridge full and generally eat one every other day. :) You can still have the chocolate, you just have to do major portion control. Just because it is on sale, it doesn't mean you have to buy it!

    Snacking... STOP IT! If you cannot control yourself cooking, have carrot and celery sticks available or fresh grapes or blueberries. SOMETHING that wont be so damaging to your efforts. You got this!

    As far as the age things goes. I am 40 and I am concentration on building more muscle because muscles burn calories! You can control the age issue to an extent. Do it! :)

    I will tell you, I am someone with little self control. In the past four years I have quit smoking, cut almost all alcohol out AND have lost almost 30lbs (in the past few months). YOU can do anything you want to do, the thing is... YOU really, REALLY have to want it! :)
  • thomasxaviersayles
    thomasxaviersayles Posts: 47
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    Simple, don't go down the candy isle, and if you are happy being fat or out of shape, then don't complain about candy. I love chocolate, the expensive kind, I like desserts and I am an excellent cook but I don't like being overweight and out of shape even more. So the decision was to not make desserts.
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    I have found using this site to log what I would really love to eat and what I should have as an alternative works for me. The difference in calories, fat or sodium determines what I should really be shoving in my mouth :)

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