Day 2 - Dying

ErikaWhitten
ErikaWhitten Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all, my name is Erika and i'm a 26 year old mother of two little boys (6 and 1.5) as well as a wife. I am currently at 164 and at my height of 5'6 figure I need to get back down to 130ish.

So yesterday morning I started working out (just paid for an entire year at the gym) and dieting. I got up early, drank water all day and no pop until I caved and drank a can of Barq's rootbeer last night. Got up today and exercised and i've been drinking water all day today too. I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch (not the healthiest but what i had) and the ladies at work all ordered chinese for lunch! Ugh!

I absolutely love chinese food and have no self control for food. They are out there enjoying it and i have shut myself in my office to not hear about it or smell it. How on earth am I going to make it through this?

Water is just not as appealing as chinese food and barq's rootbeer. :(
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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It doesn't need to be torture and root beer.

    Read this. Follow this.
    Set reasonable goals.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    tweak as needed.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    Why can't you eat chinese? Steamed veggies, one protein dish, pack the rest to take home....
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Why can't you eat chinese? Steamed veggies, one protein dish, pack the rest to take home....
    Assuming that's the kind of chinese they ordered...yes, very doable.
  • zip_girl
    zip_girl Posts: 29
    Getting started is the hardest part, it will get easier once you get in a routine.
  • frangrann
    frangrann Posts: 219 Member
    Getting started is the hardest part, it will get easier once you get in a routine.


    Agreed! Take a walk at lunch time.
  • alienbabyjen
    alienbabyjen Posts: 36 Member
    An all or nothing mentality doesn't work for everyone. Maybe you should start by setting more realistic goals. If you usually drank 3 sodas a day, cut down to 2 a day for a week then 1 a day until you can stop completely, if you want to. You can eat whatever you want, in moderation. A complete lock down of all things you love sounds like a recipe for failure. Start small. Try little changes that have big impact over time.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    Why can't you eat chinese? Steamed veggies, one protein dish, pack the rest to take home....
    Assuming that's the kind of chinese they ordered...yes, very doable.

    Yeah I hear you. I invest in what I want now that my health is my priority. I would order my own, or initiate the idea to offer other people a healthy alternative. I love beef terriaki, so I would order that with steamed broccoli. There's ALWAYS a healthy choice in every situation. You just have to set your mind to be a conscious eater.
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    Is there a reason you feel you need to abstain? I know some people who abstain from certain foods because it's a trigger.

    I thought that was me until I started logging. I eat what I want, I'm just mindful of portions. You don't have to sacrifice to fit your goals. So I guess your reasoning makes a difference on this one.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    Moderation is the key to surviving a lifestyle change. If you go in all or nothing you're going to fail. If you like root beer plan for it in your day. Log it enjoy it. If you can't see yourself living without something for the rest of your life don't give it up now. Learn how to control your portions and hold yourself accountable for EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. Take this one meal at a time. If you mess up, do better the next meal. Don't scrap the day and have a free for all. If you enjoy Chinese, plan for it enjoy it. If you go over a little so what. Just don't do it every day. Hang in there.
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
    You are 2 days closer to your future slimmer self. Congratulations!

    You are at, in my opinion, the hardest stage of weight loss, because you are so close in time to your old ways. Tomorrow will be easier. And each day here on in will get easier as you get closer to the new you, and further away from the old you.

    All you have to do today is make yourself a promise to not give up trying. Even if you succumb it isn't the end.
    In time you will find a way to treat yourself to Chinese and root beer, but for now a huge well done on resisting them.
  • swoldiergirl
    swoldiergirl Posts: 15 Member
    Remember that every day is a new day to start over. No one said it was going to be easy, so don't beat yourself up. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet so if you want to eat a little bit of something, do it. Denying yourself something will make you crave and want it that much more.
    You can do whatever you put your mind to! ;-)
  • lalepro80
    lalepro80 Posts: 2 Member
    Chinese takeout is high in sodium. Like really high. So all your office friends will wake up with puffy eyes and hands in the morning. You won't.
  • Ryandecheney314
    Ryandecheney314 Posts: 139 Member
    I am always looking for new friends to give and get support! Feel free to add me :D
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    A couple things I don't think I've seen addressed. As everyone says, you don't need to suddenly go all in. How about trying to substitute Diet Root Beer for Root Beer? I know a lot of people just can't handle the taste if it's not real sugar. But, 0 calories.... And jumping in with full on exercise on day 1.... isn't totally necessary. You don't have to do that. Since you've bought the gym membership, rather than waste it, I'd suggest that you do go. But, don't knock yourself out on day 2. Give yourself license to get used to it slowly. Do a bit, do a bit the next day, and slowly ramp up the time and intensity. Or weight or whatever you are doing.

    It sounds like going full bore on day 1 isn't going to work for you.
  • ErikaWhitten
    ErikaWhitten Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks for all of the comments all!

    I have tried moderation and cutting down and it just DOES NOT WORK for me. It seems that these never last at all and I just go with the "just one more" or "just a little more" type thing and I just end up giving up. So i'm trying to just abstain from drinking pop and eating terribly unhealthy food for right now.
  • ErikaWhitten
    ErikaWhitten Posts: 10 Member
    A couple things I don't think I've seen addressed. As everyone says, you don't need to suddenly go all in. How about trying to substitute Diet Root Beer for Root Beer? I know a lot of people just can't handle the taste if it's not real sugar. But, 0 calories.... And jumping in with full on exercise on day 1.... isn't totally necessary. You don't have to do that. Since you've bought the gym membership, rather than waste it, I'd suggest that you do go. But, don't knock yourself out on day 2. Give yourself license to get used to it slowly. Do a bit, do a bit the next day, and slowly ramp up the time and intensity. Or weight or whatever you are doing.

    It sounds like going full bore on day 1 isn't going to work for you.


    I have tried diet root beer and didn't like it at all. Had a horrible after taste too lol I have been taking it slow at the gym these first few days too. Going to get a routine in place and then build up to more of this and that.
  • bane0317
    bane0317 Posts: 60 Member
    almost any decent chinese place will let you order sauce on the side which equates to a steamed entree. I did this recently with chicken and mixed veggies and asked them to hold the rice. I ended up barely adding any sauce - and it was GREAT! It also allows you to add some seasonings of your own (like some of the great McCormick Perfect Pinch blends out there)!
  • ToughMudderAddict
    ToughMudderAddict Posts: 290 Member
    Thanks for all of the comments all!

    I have tried moderation and cutting down and it just DOES NOT WORK for me. It seems that these never last at all and I just go with the "just one more" or "just a little more" type thing and I just end up giving up. So i'm trying to just abstain from drinking pop and eating terribly unhealthy food for right now.

    Perhaps next time you could ask a friend to split a meal with you. Order something relatively healthy and then split it. This way you are not eating the whole thing and if you do eat it all you know it could have been WAY worse. I do this frequently when I go out to eat with other people.

    Plain water for me is just.. not tasty. I like to do the gatorade powder mix ins or even some of the crystal light flavors.. I also make iced tea every once in a while. Keep at it!
  • jsissom86
    jsissom86 Posts: 47 Member
    That's why you have to remind yourself to take cheat days -- so you don't indulge and overeat. So even though you can't have that chinese necessarily today...you remind yourself you WILL have it for your cheat day this week (i usually pick one thing a week to just NOT CARE ABOUT) and you'll be fine! Just don't go and eat 12 servings of it on your cheat day. HAHA But seriously -- if it's too hard take a couple cheat days or find a chinese restaurant where there's a buffet and then you can pick the healthiest out (salad bars/sushi) maybe a couple unhealthy things and you'll be ok!

    I think you're thinking you're never going to be able to have anything good anymore and that is just NOT TRUE.

    Keep your head up because "nothing tastes as good as healthy feels"
  • the_texreb
    the_texreb Posts: 138 Member
    I eat Chinese food pretty regularly. The trick is to keep the deep fried, heavy sauce foods in moderation. No problem there. As for the root beer, it's really not that good for you, but a Barq's every now and then won't kill you. (By every now and then I mean once or twice a week, not every few hours)
  • WhyLime113
    WhyLime113 Posts: 104 Member
    Thanks for all of the comments all!

    I have tried moderation and cutting down and it just DOES NOT WORK for me. It seems that these never last at all and I just go with the "just one more" or "just a little more" type thing and I just end up giving up. So i'm trying to just abstain from drinking pop and eating terribly unhealthy food for right now.
    The "just one more" mentality was and still sometimes is a big thing for me. But it's usually along the lines of "Well, I did one 'bad' thing, so another bad thing won't be that much worse." Is that how it is for you?
    If so, you pretty much just need to see moderation as the most important thing. It's a process, and it takes a while, but over time you figure it out. It's much easier in the long run to make small changes rather than big changes. Big changes lead to quick failure and personal torture. Small changes are easier to maintain. So don't fret over drinking that Root Beer, just drink it more slowly through the day, or save it as a personal treat for after work or just agree that one is enough, and you can have another tomorrow. That's what worked for me, anyways
  • MrsJoeProGolfer
    MrsJoeProGolfer Posts: 4
    It can definitely be difficult to stop when something tastes good, or it's a "trigger" of yours. I, too, had been an all or nothing (and am still fighting that mentality) type person. I have recently decided that if I want this change, weight loss, fitness thing to stick, I need to relearn how to eat and exercise.

    I used to exercise to burn calories so I could eat more. I used to view foods as though I CANNOT have them. I ended up feeling guilty if I missed a workout, and if I ate something I "shouldn't", I ended up eating more because "If I blew the diet already, I midaswell eat what I want".

    I've started walking and exercising because I enjoy it, not because I get extra calories. I've started eating whatever I want (while tracking it) and after a couple of weeks, I have absolutely no problem leaving food on the plate, even when we go out.

    To me, part of this change is learning how to enjoy life, while still making healthier choices. And heck...sometimes you're going to want and eat the General Tso's chicken, or the huge cupcake, etc. The goal is to track, and move on the the next meal and forgive yourself.
  • debski2323
    debski2323 Posts: 3
    You can buy flavored Stevia by SweetLeaf. It has many flavors. I was a soda drinker/addict and realized last year I was slowly killing myself drinking all that crap. I noticed adding the watermelon flavored stevia to my water made it much more desirable. it's a bit pricey but one bottle lasted me 6 months. I am now weaning myself off of the stevia as well. It's hard but just take it minute by minute and count the little victories. Eventually little ones turn into big ones and if you backslide, just start fresh. I beat myself up early spring this year because I lost 30+ pounds last year and I put a bunch of that weight back on over the winter. Where I am it got very cold, below zero many days and not much higher than that others. I cannot afford a gym here, local gyms are too expensive and more affordable ones are too far and I know I won't go. You have to motivate yourself and let your coworkers know. I started alone in January of last year, by May all of my coworkers were trying to lose a little weight. I just didn't hop on their bandwagon because I know when one slips, they all take that as an opportunity to slip themselves. You have to do it for you. I have a long way to go, but know I have to take it slow and pray that I have the diligence/perseverance and desire to keep it up. Also, stay away from diet foods that have Splenda, Nutrisweet, etc. They will kill you if you learn to like them and they actually make you gain weight because the ingredients make you hungrier in the long run.
  • CarolinaIga
    CarolinaIga Posts: 1
    I used to say the same, that I have no self control for food but I have been following a healthier routine for two weeks now and realized that statement was just an excuse for me to eat uncontrollably. I'm right there with you, 5'5, 164 lbs, need to loose 30ish pounds. I have tried losing weight many many times before, but just now I fully embraced the fact that I need to adopt a healthier life style. I am against radical changes. I will continue to drink wine, eat Chinese food, spend a lazy afternoon on the couch. Moderation is the key. In addition to improve my eating habits and become more active, I started reading a book called The Compound Effect. It is helping me focus on my goals and become more aware of my bad habits. Clean body, clean mind.
    You have a long journey ahead, enjoy every moment!
  • The_Hungry_Atheist
    The_Hungry_Atheist Posts: 55
    Can you take your lunch into work and set it in the fridge? You could take left overs or make homemade chinese and take it.
    Also...sow your row. I went full throttle like you are doing about half a year ago and I lost 20 lbs in like 1 month and stopped from being overwhelmed and starvation, gained 30 back. I am getting my eating set in stone this time and slowly...SLOWLY...incorporating exercise. As long as you are having these feelings that you are getting the short end of the stick you are pretty much setting yourself up for failure.
  • jms1739
    jms1739 Posts: 80 Member
    Any type of change is rough in the beginning. Give yourself credit for starting the change, to a healthier person. This should be a life change, and not a change for a few months. So give yourself time, it won't happen overnight. When I started, I stopped and started over and over many times. But I kept going, taking one day at a time and only focusing on that day. For me, and everyone is different, I couldn't look at tomorrow and I couldn't focus on any mistakes I did yesterday. We are human we make mistakes and we like what we like. Give yourself the option to have the regular Root Beer, or the Chinese food. Just do it in moderation, and tell yourself this is for my future self.

    I do a lot of self talk and have to keep reminding myself, how bad do I want that ice cream bar, am I willing to put up with the possible bad feelings that I will feel if I eat it? Or am I going to treat myself and cut back later in the day. And if I choose the treat, I eat it and tell myself to be ok with the choice.

    I try and give myself one meal, one day a week to have what I want. I don't count it, but I am careful the rest of the day. And I have found that I can't eat it all or don't want to, just because if I do eat the whole thing I feel sick afterwards.

    Keep up the good work, stay positive. You made the step a lot of people don't, the choice to improve yourself. It is your journey and it doesn't matter how long it takes to get there, or how you do it. The point is you took the first step.
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
    One Day at a time. Can you print out a motivational a visual for your inside office door :)
  • mundaycarroll
    mundaycarroll Posts: 64 Member
    I know exactly how you feel when you first start on this journey and see everyone eating all the good stuff, when you've completely cut it out. It'll make you feel like it's not fair that they can have it and you can't. I am also 5'6" and I started this journey a little over 2 months ago at 155 lbs. Now I am at 145 lbs and still feel like I'm struggling.. I have the same GW as you according to your post. A thing that has worked best for me these past 2 months is to NOT cut everything out of your diet. Eat things in moderation and if you feel you're going over board then obviously change it some. I have worked myself down to only having a treat on Fridays. I will usually get an A&W Root Beer and a cookie. My weakness are cookies. I think you would have been perfectly fine if you would have ordered chinese with your co-workers but make healthy decisions when picking stuff off the menu. I know that can be hard some times. I hope this helps you some! I sent you a friend request too! :)
  • judipatootie
    judipatootie Posts: 51 Member
    Hey, Im Judi. I seem to be a habitual dieter, and gainer these days. But im jumping back on the bandwagon (last week) and somehow I managed to lose 2 lbs this past week.
    Anyway- if you deny yourself all the time, then you set yourself up for failure. Having a can of soda- yeah sure isnt the best choice on the first day of your diet, but if you deny it- the cravings will eventually catch up with you and you will blow it. It sounds like you did really well with all aspects of your diet through the rest of the day. Try having half of the can, in a glass with ice. Pour the rest for someone else or dump it down the drain. The ice makes it look like you are getting more than you really are. And sip it slowly- savour it. Tomorrow, drink lots of water and try not to think about that pop. I find that once something is out of my system for a week i stop craving it.

    As for the Chinese food. Well- the chinese vegies are probably more healthy than a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Have a little bit- but remember moderation. Eat slowly to enjoy it.
  • kaandersonw
    kaandersonw Posts: 9 Member
    Moderation is the key to surviving a lifestyle change. If you go in all or nothing you're going to fail. If you like root beer plan for it in your day. Log it enjoy it. If you can't see yourself living without something for the rest of your life don't give it up now. Learn how to control your portions and hold yourself accountable for EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. Take this one meal at a time. If you mess up, do better the next meal. Don't scrap the day and have a free for all. If you enjoy Chinese, plan for it enjoy it. If you go over a little so what. Just don't do it every day. Hang in there.

    new to MFP forums. this is a wonderful post. thank you!

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