Attention cheaters!

judylutz
judylutz Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there - I am such a cheater. I start over every morning and do the right thing all day long until I get tired at night and sit in front of the tv. That is my trigger - watching tv makes me eat. Have you identified what your trigger is? I am curious to know...
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Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    see calling it cheating...makes it sound like you are doing a bad thing by eating treats...

    Part of the issue I see is you are 1200 calories??? why? and you don't log very consistently.

    I manage to fit my chocolate fix in every night...

    I eat on average 1700 calories a day, lose 0.66lbs every week and I don't feel deprived...

    This is not a diet, it needs to be a sustainable lifestyle change or you will yo yo...

    Eat the foods you want/crave/love just in smaller portions..and stop looking at food as "bad"
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    My trigger??? I don't need a trigger...if I truly want something...I eat it.

    Last night I thought that I had finished for the day...decided I wanted a peanut butter sandwich before bed...I ate it. This morning when I logged it I was only over my calorie limit by 65 calories. If I can't lose weight because of 65 calories...I need to give up.

    If watching tv at night is a trigger for you then allow yourself enough calories to have it. I try to have a couple hundred calories left over just in case I want something after dinner.

    My calorie limit is 1520...some days I don't use it all...other days I do...some days like yesterday...I go over. It all averages out at the end of the week so I don't worry about it. I have been at this for 7 months now...the only time that I have ever considered throwing in the towel is when I get over obsessed with things.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Hey there - I am such a cheater. I start over every morning and do the right thing all day long until I get tired at night and sit in front of the tv. That is my trigger - watching tv makes me eat. Have you identified what your trigger is? I am curious to know...

    Just plan that into your day and save some calories up to enjoy a snack or two while you watch t.v.
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
    I've been working really hard to get to the place where my only trigger is actual hunger. :flowerforyou:
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    I like to eat when watching television also - plan your snacks - I usually have some yogurt or fresh fruit - if you really need a "snack" have air popped popcorn or popping it in a pot with a bit of coconut oil (healthier option than other oils and good with popcorn) then you can shake a little seasoning on it (you can buy popcorn seasonings that are low sodium - Mom's Pantry popcorn seasonings are great if you can find some)

    Quaker Minis are good too - but I find I have less control with snack foods so I have decided to not buy them for a while

    There are lots of 100 calorie snacks if you can stop at an appropriate amount :wink:
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    I also drink most of my water at night - if I feel the need to flavor it I use a couple squirts of "water flavor enhancer"
  • meggwyn
    meggwyn Posts: 226 Member
    Night time TV eating always gets me, too, so you're in good company! lol I'd like to make myself snack on fruit slices or veggie sticks and hummus or yogurt, etc. I always end up craving crackers/nutella and milk. (especially graham crackers) But like you said, its an awful trap, so I'm trying to change it too. Popcorn is another mindless snacking food, though I'm not a huge fan myself. But the crackers have got to go! lol
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I found that things became a bit easier for me when I started eating all of my food at the table instead of in front of the television. I have always been bad about that. When I was growing up, my family rarely ate meals at the table unless we had company over or on holidays.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    In order to not go over my limit, I try to save calories for the evening. If I am cutting (which I am right now) I will usually save about 280 calories for the evening so I can pop a bag of light kettle corn and I can eat the entire bag while I watch my TV shows.

    That's what's saved me in the past.... keeps me busy, lets me snack, keeps me in my calorie range.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,779 Member
    Triggers are nothing more than the cue for a conditioned response. Pavlov's dog's "trigger" to salivate was a bell. If you can condition response "A" (eating) to a cue/trigger (watching TV), you can also recondition to response "B" (a new healthier behavior).

    My trigger used to be the kitchen. I did most of my grazing in the kitchen, and when I started logging my food and becoming conscious of my eating patterns, I realized that I could be perfectly satiated until I walked into the kitchen. My immediate response was to open the fridge door and eat. Once I recognized that, I made the conscious decision to get a glass of water instead of getting something to eat. It took about 1-2 weeks of doing this before I could walk into the kitchen and not be hit with the impulse to eat. (It is said that it take 14-21 days to develop a new habit). Now the kitchen is just another room in the house, no longer a trigger.

    The key is identifying the trigger/cue and replacing the response with a better, healthier, more productive habit.
  • Littlestandrews
    Littlestandrews Posts: 96 Member
    I agree with the other posters. Save yourself some calories. I always save about 250 calories so I can snack at night.
    Options: Popcorn, candy bar, smoothie, chocolate milk, oatmeal, a small bowl of cereal, yogurt and fruit. The possibilities are endless.

    If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
  • csontos
    csontos Posts: 76 Member
    I used to snack a bunch in front of the TV. Now, I just tried to sip water. If I feel like I am seriously about to drive into the fridge, I go upstairs and use the computer instead. I can just watch Netflix there and not be as tempted!
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
    My only rule for myself is to log it. So if we want popcorn while watching a movie and I don't have any calories left but I still want it, that's cool. I measure it and log it. It happens a lot less frequently than one might think.

    A square of good dark chocolate works to kill my sweet tooth after dinner. I don't know why it works, but it does! Yogurt and fruit are the only other convenience foods I have around, really. So no chips or bags of cookies--I have to prepare my snack if I really want it.

    Some days I'll plan exactly what my treat is going to be and I'll enter it into my diary early in the day.

    Usually I make a cup of tea. Or two. It takes a while to sip.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    My trigger used to be the kitchen. I did most of my grazing in the kitchen, and when I started logging my food and becoming conscious of my eating patterns, I realized that I could be perfectly satiated until I walked into the kitchen. My immediate response was to open the fridge door and eat . . .

    The key is identifying the trigger/cue and replacing the response with a better, healthier, more productive habit.

    ^^^This. When I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner I desperately want to graze. I leave the kitchen as often as possible while dinner is cooking. I'm a binge eater anyway so just about everything triggers my need to graze.

    OP, keeping your hands busy doing something else might help with the evening grazing, unless you are truly hungry, in which case I've found nothing will take the place of food.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I eat lighter through the day and more in the evening too. This is not cheating. It's just how I prefer to eat. I still meet my calorie goal though.

    As for tv making you eat - this is a habit. The best way to change habits is to replace them with something else. Find something else to do every time you sit down in front of the tv, or maybe even find something else to do altogether, instead of watching tv.
  • firelight4321
    firelight4321 Posts: 60 Member
    Eh, I tend to go over when the family decides they wanna eat out that night. But, I typically try to make up for it over the next few days.

    I do like to eat in front of the tv too, but only do so if I can afford the calories. I have pop chips which are low calorie & satiating, as well as pringles.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I finally made myself busy. I go to yoga classes at night after work. I don't have any tv time any more. By the time I get home, I make dinner, eat, and go to bed. It helps a lot to not just sit like a lump.

    ^This. I have noticed that when I am sitting at home with a stocked refrigerator just a few feet away, I definitely tend to eat more. If I am out and about, then I barely even think about it unless I am experiencing legitimate hunger.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    My trigger is reading. One of my favorite things has always been, a good book with some good munchies.
  • sdraper2014
    sdraper2014 Posts: 81 Member
    Eating while watching tv is a trigger for me also. I workout when I watch tv now, my elliptical is where my tv is, this helps me do something healthy rather than just sitting and eating. I also pvr most things, so when I eat dinner my husband and I watch tv, but I measure out my food, or weigh it, and that way I don't mindlessly eat way more than I should.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    I am not a cheater. I have learned to live comfortably in my calorie deficit while eating the foods I enjoy.


    Isagenix? Your diary is FULL of that. Try eating real food and I bet your cravings and cheating will be a thing of the past.

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