I'm paying the price...

obdigobin
obdigobin Posts: 7 Member
edited September 19 in Motivation and Support
I've been away for a couple weeks. After kicking off my 1st 2 weeks with a 7 lb. weight loss, you'd think I'd have been smarter. Not so!
So, of course, not logging my food has allowed me to eat more than I should & gain some of that 7 lbs. back. :cry:
I'm back, for obvious reasons & at the encouragement of my sister. I believe I'm going to need BIG support. I was so excited when my sister told me of this site & it was obviously working. So, why did I stop?
I think it's b/c the logging of food became a little tedious for me. It's my own fault. I eat out a LOT. Some restaurants (well, most) have a food guide to tell you what their calories, etc. are. However, I also eat at the work cafeteria a lot (hospital). You'd think a hospital caf would be healthy. HA! Plus, you have to guess at what they've put on things b/c the employees have NO idea. :noway:
So, I suppose my best bet would be to bring my own lunch. I have NEVER been a "make your own lunch" person. Even back in school, my Mom would have to nag me to do it, then do it herself a lot of the time.
I've even bought "Smart Ones" & "Lean Cuisines" to make it easier, but then I hesitate to bring them to work b/c people are immature & will eat other people's food... believe it or not! It's ridiculous!
When will I learn!? Quit making excuses! Aaarrrgggghhhh! :explode:

Replies

  • obdigobin
    obdigobin Posts: 7 Member
    I've been away for a couple weeks. After kicking off my 1st 2 weeks with a 7 lb. weight loss, you'd think I'd have been smarter. Not so!
    So, of course, not logging my food has allowed me to eat more than I should & gain some of that 7 lbs. back. :cry:
    I'm back, for obvious reasons & at the encouragement of my sister. I believe I'm going to need BIG support. I was so excited when my sister told me of this site & it was obviously working. So, why did I stop?
    I think it's b/c the logging of food became a little tedious for me. It's my own fault. I eat out a LOT. Some restaurants (well, most) have a food guide to tell you what their calories, etc. are. However, I also eat at the work cafeteria a lot (hospital). You'd think a hospital caf would be healthy. HA! Plus, you have to guess at what they've put on things b/c the employees have NO idea. :noway:
    So, I suppose my best bet would be to bring my own lunch. I have NEVER been a "make your own lunch" person. Even back in school, my Mom would have to nag me to do it, then do it herself a lot of the time.
    I've even bought "Smart Ones" & "Lean Cuisines" to make it easier, but then I hesitate to bring them to work b/c people are immature & will eat other people's food... believe it or not! It's ridiculous!
    When will I learn!? Quit making excuses! Aaarrrgggghhhh! :explode:
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
    It CAN be a bit of a pain to contantly be putting in everything that you eat. BUT, it's definitely worth it!
    It's quite the eye opener to see those numbers totaling up!
    I guess if you really want this to work, you're going to have to get better about making your own lunches, since like you said, alot of the times you don't know what your work is putting into their stuff.
    I tend to put in several days worth of what I'm going to eat, just so that I know ahead of time. And then I'll change it if something changes. It works for me anyway!
    Good luck, and welcome to the best site on the web!
  • lassgirl
    lassgirl Posts: 22
    I have done the same thing with so many other programs. When it came to physically writing my food intake down in a journal with a pen it became really boring, really fast. For some reason, I find being able to type my food into this webbie much more fun than that and it has yet to become boring. Though it's only been a couple weeks, time will tell. Maybe I just look at things a bit differently now. I have a lot of weight to lose and it is as much like brushing my teeth and taking a bath to enter my food. In other words, it is a habbit. Even good habbits can be formed and become automatic, you just have to push through the boredom!

    I no longer work, but I did for many years and I understand the frustration of getting your food taken that you bring for lunch. Used to happen to me all the time. Sadly, people can be that shady. I don't know what the rules are at your work, or even your exact profession, though I do have a possible suggestion. My husband works driving an armored truck all day and I pack him a small cooler with an ice pack. I partially freeze his water bottles also, just till it's a little crackly around the edges but still drinkable. That keeps his food edible all day in the truck. Of course it limits you to cold foods, but there are plenty of options for healthy and good meals that do not need to be heated. If you can't keep a cooler with you or somewhere safe, the trunk of your car is a good place. As long as an ice pack is used, it should stay decent and would maybe give you a bit of excorsize in going to get it each day.

    Not sure if these idea's can be useful to you where you work, but maybe there is something in there you can use.

    Oh, and welcome back!
  • anewbeginning
    anewbeginning Posts: 53 Member
    I hear you! I've been not logging in every single bite lately and the results showed up today on the scale when I did my weekly weigh in. I gained 2 lbs. Back to logging and bringing my own lunch to work. I have to get out and walk more and stop snacking so much. Let's stick together....we can do this!!
  • obdigobin
    obdigobin Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for your comments, guys!
    Lassgirl... your suggestions are good ones. I really have to get more organized & prepared & make my own lunches. I work in a hospital OR. There's a common fridge, but, as I said, people will poach your food. :angry:
    The idea you stated, about bringing my own cooler of food... at first I thought, a lot of people do that at work & still have their stuff stolen. But then, leaving it in my car & getting the exercise going to get it (rather than walking to the cafeteria) might be a good one. We'll have to see how my cooler & ice packs hold up IN MY CAR in the ridiculous Texas heat. Otherwise, I'm reduced to keeping it in my locker... which would work, except our lockers are ridiculously narrow (can barely fit my purse) & small. The right cooler might work though.
    Thanks again for all of YOU! This site is awesome & I feel if I stick with it, I'll be successful!
    Blessings!
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    Thanks for your comments, guys!
    Lassgirl... your suggestions are good ones. I really have to get more organized & prepared & make my own lunches. I work in a hospital OR. There's a common fridge, but, as I said, people will poach your food. :angry:
    The idea you stated, about bringing my own cooler of food... at first I thought, a lot of people do that at work & still have their stuff stolen. But then, leaving it in my car & getting the exercise going to get it (rather than walking to the cafeteria) might be a good one. We'll have to see how my cooler & ice packs hold up IN MY CAR in the ridiculous Texas heat. Otherwise, I'm reduced to keeping it in my locker... which would work, except our lockers are ridiculously narrow (can barely fit my purse) & small. The right cooler might work though.
    Thanks again for all of YOU! This site is awesome & I feel if I stick with it, I'll be successful!
    Blessings!

    First, I think you MUST bring up with the hospital these issues! A cafeteria that serves questionably healthy foods. Not good. Lockers too small for a purse, let alone a larger lunch box? Not good. Health is their business, you would think they'd try to promote it! I'll jump down from my soapbox now. Large corporations don't care too much nowadays about their employees.... :frown:

    Back to the main point of your post though... I take Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones, and snack on 100 calorie packs of chips and cookies. Luckily my coworkers don't steal food, but plenty of times, I've put frozen water bottles into my lunch cooler and just left it at my desk for the morning, for the sake of it being easy to grab when lunch time comes. Hopefully you can find a squishy, bendable lunch sack to keep your food cool in your locker. If not, the idea of a larger cooler in your car truck might work. Frozen water bottles work amazingly well to keep food cool, as well as to drink once they thaw.

    As far as falling off the wagon -- just hop back on! We all have ups and downs with our eating habits. It takes a long to fully switch over to a healthier lifestyle and even then some of us ( ME!) still fall back to the darkside. :laugh: Don't stress this set back. Pick back up where you left off and get back to it! You can do this!!
  • MomSof4
    MomSof4 Posts: 12 Member
    Bump to it all!!

    R you CAN do this!
    Mercies are new every morning .... Not some mornings -- every day!

    But, how I stay real with me.... I don't weigh in every week anymore. I weigh in to get a gauge, but it can't rule my life. I am a real person - and life happens. Birthdays, events, drinks with the girls. I just can't make every day a party... Lol.

    Each day I choose.....
    XO u Chica !!!
    T
  • tannst
    tannst Posts: 6
    I take my lunch in an insulated lunch kit and put it in the fridge, with my NAME in bright big letters--it discourages thieves. And if you have a good breakroom you can jsut take the ingredients in the lunch kit and prepare it there---such as a salad. or sandwich that way you just throw it in, no preparation til you get to lunch. I am not good at fixing it in the mornings.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I was never a lunch packer either. Now, I pack both breakfast and lunch every weekday. I use an insulated lunch bag to carry my food in to work. I work in a small office, and we have a full kitchen. There are occassional food losses, but I think mostly unintentional. Logging in here daily has been the best thing for me. It has really helped me get to where I am today. It takes commitment, but is working for me. It seems like a lot of work sometimes, but if I can do it, you can too! We are all worth it! We can all make it work!
  • sonjarogers72
    sonjarogers72 Posts: 110 Member
    I pack my lunch and my snacks! I too work at a hospital and I know exactly what you mean- cafeteria's are full of deep fried garbage! It is a lot of work, but trust me, you will reach your goals in no time. Logging food helps me- I use to do it before I lost 64+ lbs, then I stopped. I never stopped working out but noticed that I was not getting enough food. I started using MFP again this month, and I do feel better and it seems like I am not dying halfway through my workouts! Keep at it- you can do it- with the rest of us!
  • GadgetGuy2
    GadgetGuy2 Posts: 291 Member
    [...] the logging of food became a little tedious for me. [...]

    Create "Meals" that you eat a lot using the MFP Meal feature. You can save old meals entered as a "Meal" (i.e. no rekeying).

    That way, it's a couple of clicks to log the list of items from the created "Meal" item into the current days meal. Once logged, you can change the quantities for the current meal without affecting the saved meal quantities.

    Also, get a smartphone, so you can log the "meal" right at the table you are eating at.
  • LikesVeges
    LikesVeges Posts: 42 Member
    I work at a hospital. The Cafeteria can be a high calorie trap. When I am packing my lunch and it comes to my break.... I am SO glad I have my own food and don't have to eat the same old selections. Fellow staff envy my lunches. Make it fun. Buy a insulated lunch box or bag and don't depend on the staff fridge. There are some super cute bags that fellow nurses bring to work. Here's a link to an example:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HO6CUC/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15468074019&hvpos=1o3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=20769174641630764754&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B004HO6CUC

    I highly recommend that you plan your shopping and get your fridge filled with healthy, good choices before your work stretch. Then you won't be as tempted to wait until the next week. It's good to pack fruit, yogurt, etc... for 15 minute breaks... or the temptation to have a breakroom snack or a huge cookie from the "Cafe" could be too great.

    I'm going back to work this weekend after a period off with an injury.... so this is a good reminder to me. You can do it!

    Hey, I sometimes have trouble eating out. I wonder how well the food handlers REALLY wash their hands and care for the food....negative reinforcement.... but, it helps me to steer clear of food out .... except for those few places that feel clean.... yeah, those remain a temptation. Darn.
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