Why?

Lucy_6678
Lucy_6678 Posts: 63 Member
in Motivation and Support
I WANT to be skinny and in shape. I like to walk and ride my exercise bike. WHY do I keep self-sabotaging myself? I guess I have no willpower.

Every morning I wake up and tell myself I will do good with food and exercise (I do most days).

By the end of the night I am eating chips, ho hos, and drinking beer on the couch. I hate feeling bad about myself physically. Then I binge and feel even worse.

Help!

Replies

  • thevoice1973
    thevoice1973 Posts: 55 Member
    Maybe because you're making it really hard on yourself by keeping stuff like that available; try getting rid of it when you're in a more positive mood and remember that all you need to concentrate on is your daily goals. You'll arrive at your long term goals faster than you think!

    Read up on Anthony Robbins' thoughts on our motivations for pain/pleasure; very eye-opening and might be useful for you!

    Don't despair, and don't beat yourself up. It's not going to help you achieve anything except feel bad!
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    Don't keep tempting food in your home; make it harder to give into the cravings.

    I tend to snack later in the day as well. What's worked for me is to save some calories for later in the day, so I can snack then and I'm less likely to binge.
  • Watermelon398
    Watermelon398 Posts: 37 Member
    In my experience, I couldn't quit the terrible-yet-delicious foods cold turkey. I started by getting myself exercising everyday. Then I just worked to track calories. THEN I started with the food and I went slowly. I would say "Yes you can have A, but not B." I made it about trade offs instead of just sheer willpower and the slowly change the trade offs. Example: If you work out, you can have a hoho, but then down the road, that hoho becomes a piece of dark chocolate.

    What about cutting yourself some more slack? Or looking at it like bargaining with yourself? Being too strict is an easy way to self-sabotage. Good luck and go easy on yourself. Changing your lifestyle is not easy. We got so used to doing things a certain way.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    Maybe because you're making it really hard on yourself by keeping stuff like that available; try getting rid of it when you're in a more positive mood and remember that all you need to concentrate on is your daily goals. You'll arrive at your long term goals faster than you think!

    Read up on Anthony Robbins' thoughts on our motivations for pain/pleasure; very eye-opening and might be useful for you!

    Don't despair, and don't beat yourself up. It's not going to help you achieve anything except feel bad!

    This--all of this. I was stuck in this spiral, too. I recommend the Beck Diet Solution (no, not a diet plan)--it helped me change my thinking/relationship to food. If you buy it rather than get it from the library, a friend told me the workbook is really helpful (I wish I had bought it, too).
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Are you eating enough during the day?

    Are you getting a proper balance of nutrition during the day?

    Are you getting exercise (and eating back the calories)?

    Are you including foods you like in your new eating habits, or have you labelled certain foods as "bad"?
  • deadyankee
    deadyankee Posts: 74
    Why? Because it is the easy option.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Work for your nightly goodies. How many minutes do you have to spend on the exercise bike for that hoho? Figure it out and make yourself earn your treats. Sometimes thinking "no I can't have it" just makes you want it more. Saying to yourself, "Yes I can but I need to ride my exercise bike for 45 minutes to earn the calories." may make it less tempting.
  • threefancy
    threefancy Posts: 93 Member
    Maybe you just aren't ready. I did the same thing for years before I finally got my head in a place where there is nothing I want more than to get the weight off. Once you are in the game mentally, all the temptations in the world just don't matter anymore.
  • seniorbug2003
    seniorbug2003 Posts: 67 Member
    I find that giving myself a range before I start to be negative is helpfull. So if my daily goal is 1900 I can go to 2100 before I get really upset with myself. I also find ways to punish myself for going over. So I dont get online tonight after work, or only drink water tomorrow things like that. But that is just me.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    You don't want to lose weight bad enough yet.

    When it's time, it's time. Nothing will stop you.

    And I know you're calling me bad words right now, but it is what it is. It happened to me. I thought I wanted this for YEARS. I tried losing for YEARS. My junk food-filled lazy life won, every time.. until I tried again here. I was ready and it's happening.

    When you're ready, it will happen.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    Work for your nightly goodies. How many minutes do you have to spend on the exercise bike for that hoho? Figure it out and make yourself earn your treats. Sometimes thinking "no I can't have it" just makes you want it more. Saying to yourself, "Yes I can but I need to ride my exercise bike for 45 minutes to earn the calories." may make it less tempting.

    I like this.
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
    Log as you go. That way, you'll know if you can afford that 400 calorie serving of chips. It helps me to see the numbers and treat them like money...
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Are you eating enough during the day?

    Are you getting a proper balance of nutrition during the day?

    Are you getting exercise (and eating back the calories)?

    Are you including foods you like in your new eating habits, or have you labelled certain foods as "bad"?
    +1 for all of the above.
  • loconnor466
    loconnor466 Posts: 215 Member
    I just read this article this morning and it might help you. Think small steps, little daily changes. It's what I ahve been doing for the last couple of months and while the weight is not falling off e, everyday I do a little better.
    http://tinybuddha.com/blog/forming-healthy-habits-3-tiny-choices-create-huge-change/
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
    Are you eating stress?

    Take baby steps away from the higher calorie things. Reduce portions first.

    Also, Google the satiety index of foods that keep you fuller for longer.
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
    I WANT to be skinny and in shape. I like to walk and ride my exercise bike. WHY do I keep self-sabotaging myself? I guess I have no willpower.

    Every morning I wake up and tell myself I will do good with food and exercise (I do most days).

    By the end of the night I am eating chips, ho hos, and drinking beer on the couch. I hate feeling bad about myself physically. Then I binge and feel even worse.

    Help!

    Because you're trying to change too much all at once...or you like the abuse. Which one do you think it is?
  • littleandysmom
    littleandysmom Posts: 173 Member
    Been there!! I've been eating either salmon or chicken at night....a late dinner. It really cuts down on my cravings. I've also heard that if you set a timer for 15 minutes and wait to see if the craving goes away. Also chewing gum or maybe eating shelled sunflower seeds that are time consuming, might also help.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Are you eating enough during the day?

    Are you getting a proper balance of nutrition during the day?

    Are you getting exercise (and eating back the calories)?

    Are you including foods you like in your new eating habits, or have you labelled certain foods as "bad"?
    +1 for all of the above.

    +2...

    And I would also add that very often, just wanting to be "skinny" or whatever is a piss poor motivator. For me personally, it had to be about a whole lot more than just that number on the scale. When I really started evaluating my overall health and nutrition (or lack thereof) and fitness (or lack thereof) I knew it was time to change my ways. The path I was going down was a destructive one that would have ultimately ended in spending my retirement year sick at minimum but probably dead.

    Once I started looking at it from a nutritional standpoint and a fitness standpoint and addressing my overall health...the scale thing just kind of took care of itself.

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