Two steps forward, one step back :((((

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rachelsmum10
rachelsmum10 Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have had food issues for years, and got myself to the point of weighing 17stone 2lbs (have lost 19lbs since then). I wondered whether anyone out there has the experience of being good on your diet for a couple of weeks and then ending up having a 'blow out' because you cannot cope anymore without sugar??? I'm feeling very unhappy with myself right now as I've had 4 days of eating randomly again and I am so scared I will not be able to get back on the wagon!! If anyone has a similar story to mine I would like to hear about it :) Thanks x

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  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    Two steps forward and one step back still puts you one step in the direction you want to go.......

    Try not to deprive....that is when I had big blowouts. Try to incorporate small things you enjoy into your plan either daily or weekly. A little sugar won't derail your progress. 19lbs is great progress. If you are scared, take control and make a plan. Don't let fear decide your fate. You can do it....you have been doing it. It is just time to pick your self up and take another two steps forward!
  • Cupcakesb8
    Cupcakesb8 Posts: 9
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    Heya, firstly well done for losing 19lbs and for even getting on the wagon on the first place. I totally know where you are coming from though. Before christmas I lost 6lbs then christmas happened and I gained it all back again. Only just lost it but I've been having a hard couple of weeks. I've been staying within my calories but still eating the bad stuff. It was my birthday a week ago so this week my downfall has been cakes. I just keep telling myself do better today. I'm not superwoman, I have zero willpower but I still have my determination to reach my long term goal. Don't worry about not getting back on the wagon just stay positive and think well today wasn't good but I'll do better tomorrow. Always keep a positive mindset and remember why you wanted to lose weight in the first place and you'll find its all going smooth again =)
  • booklvr81
    booklvr81 Posts: 30 Member
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    Completely cutting out a food group is a recipe for disaster, IMO. I've never been able to do it... when I try, I end up binging after a while. If you have any of the "by the pound" candy sellers around, I'd recommend just picking of a couple of pieces, if you can't keep it around without eating it.

    I'm learning to control it, enough that I can keep a small bag of Jelly Bellys in the house, and just eat 4 a night. It's a struggle still... I want to eat them all, but I look forward to that little sweetness at the end of the day.
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Two steps forward and one step back still puts you one step in the direction you want to go.......


    This is exactly what I was going to say!! It may take twice as long to get there but the point is to get there. Just try not to beat yourself up and most importantly I agree not to deprive yourself. Keep going, you got this!!! :flowerforyou:
  • mapnerd2005
    mapnerd2005 Posts: 363
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    When I say certain foods are "off limits", it makes me want them more. So a few years ago, I made a new rule, and said "no banned foods." I started viewing my daily caloric intake as a budget, not a diet. If I wanted to eat something that is less healthy, I had to budget for it, even if it meant leaving a hundred extra calories for five days so that on the 6th I could spend them on a "cheat" meal. That being said, I don't have "cheat" meals, I log EVERYTHING. Even the onion rings and chicken fried steak I had on my recent vacation. I have found that if I'm going to stick to the plan, I have to plan in advance. I plan out my meals for the day, including snacks, the morning of or the evening before. If it's on the plan to eat it that day, I eat it. Whether I'm hungry or not. Very rarely do I take foods OFF my plan. If something comes up, like a last-minute lunch invitation, I'll rearrange my diary for the day to budget in the calories. Another way to earn more calories is through exercise.

    This plan helped me lose over 100 pounds (which was a first goal, not the final goal). I got off it for a couple years, but I am back now and have reset my ticker to my FINAL goal, and am making steady progress again. There are pictures in my blog, feel free to look (I think my original (heaviest weight) before pic was in January).

    I hope my experience is helpful to you.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
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    Well done on your weight loss first of all!
    Two steps forward, one step back is still one step ahead of where you started. For some reason it's always easier to focus on the negatives than the positives. Weeks of great eating and exercise can go ignored in the face of a couple of days that weren't great.
    Don't throw away your hard work - just start again.

    I personally dont believe in restricting myself on anything other than calories. If I have enough calories for a bacon sandwich I'll have it, chocolate bar I'll have it, pint of beer ill have it. If you restrict stuff it leads to cravings and cavings can lead to bingeing.
    Just my two cents.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
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    it's still one step in the right direction!
  • poptastic
    poptastic Posts: 151 Member
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    You are still a long way in the right direction from where you started, so slowly and surely you will get there!

    If I was you I would take some time to actually think about your eating habits and why you want to eat the bad things. Is it really because your body needs more sugar? or are there habits you have got into, 'rewards' that you feel you're denying etc etc?

    I found that actually, most of my bad food habits came from being overtired, which made me cranky and moer likely to "cheer myself up" with chocolate/wine/etc. If I get enough sleep I can be quite happy with health food, plus I have more energy for exercising. That's just me, but spend some time working out the things that make you trip up, and try to think about how you can avoid that.
  • rachelsmum10
    rachelsmum10 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thank you all for your extremely good advice! I have thought about why I am doing the self sabotaging behaviour and the pattern I have noticed is that it is either when I'm stressed (i.e. kids screaming, too much to do and not enough time) or when i hear from my Mum. Unfortunately my mum has this affect on me that I just want to rebel whenever she stresses me out, and the only way I could do that as a kid was to eat (becos I knew it p**sed her off something chronic as she was so obsessive about food). Food was always used to punish or to reward in my family. Love was witheld if you didn't eat your dinner, and equally, love was witheld if you ate too much! Couldn't flaming win. I am trying to be so mindful of NOT doing this to my girls. However, I am not going to give up - as you all say - I have come this far!! I will also try to incorporate everyday stuff into my diet so that I am not depriving myself. I just have to get out of the mindset that a chocolate bar is 'naughty' and eat it if I have the calories available!! Will report back in a week or so to let you all know how its going.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
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    Good on you rachelsmum - half of the problem is identifying it. The next part is doing something about it. So you're 50% of the way there!!
    I totally agree with not banning foods or food groups. Deprivation is the quickest way to having a binge on either whatever it is that you've banned or on something else to try and make up for what you've banned.
    Best of luck, and cant wait to hear how you get on :-D
  • TessaMaddox
    TessaMaddox Posts: 12 Member
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    When I say certain foods are "off limits", it makes me want them more. So a few years ago, I made a new rule, and said "no banned foods." I started viewing my daily caloric intake as a budget, not a diet. If I wanted to eat something that is less healthy, I had to budget for it, even if it meant leaving a hundred extra calories for five days so that on the 6th I could spend them on a "cheat" meal. That being said, I don't have "cheat" meals, I log EVERYTHING. Even the onion rings and chicken fried steak I had on my recent vacation. I have found that if I'm going to stick to the plan, I have to plan in advance. I plan out my meals for the day, including snacks, the morning of or the evening before. If it's on the plan to eat it that day, I eat it. Whether I'm hungry or not. Very rarely do I take foods OFF my plan. If something comes up, like a last-minute lunch invitation, I'll rearrange my diary for the day to budget in the calories. Another way to earn more calories is through exercise.

    This plan helped me lose over 100 pounds (which was a first goal, not the final goal). I got off it for a couple years, but I am back now and have reset my ticker to my FINAL goal, and am making steady progress again. There are pictures in my blog, feel free to look (I think my original (heaviest weight) before pic was in January).

    I hope my experience is helpful to you.


    LOVE THIS! This is my philosophy this time around. I always ended up binging and then feeling guilty for binging, which made me give up completely. Now, I have this attitude and never "cheat." I just sometimes use my calories for less healthy foods, but no guilt puts less pressure on me and makes it so much easier to start back the next day. :-)
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    just get back on it. NBD. Everyone falls off every once in awhile.
  • phynyxfyre
    phynyxfyre Posts: 145 Member
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    I think everyone gets this way sometimes. I know I have lately for sure. I have started making myself notes about why I am doing the weight loss journey. I want into a bikini by swim season. I want to have more energy to play with my kids. I want to set a good example for them. I want to avoid the diseases that run in my family (obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.). I want to be healthy. I want to be more confident. I want a wardrobe that fits! I want to be able to do more than I can now. The more reminders and encouragement I have around, the more I can kick myself out of a slump period. I don't know if this will help you as much as it does me, but it's worth a shot. My before pictures are so awful I keep reminding myself I never want to be back there and feel that way again.

    Chin up, you can do this!

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