Day 2 - Dying

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

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.

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.

One Day at a time. Can you print out a motivational a visual for your inside office door

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.

You can go and have some Chinese food, just make sure it fits into your calories. have a smaller portion and have it with a side of vegetables. you can enjoy it and still be social.

Ps peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are amazing and I would love one right now. ahh the sweet salty goodness.

CONGRATS - you have taken the first steps in change.

A lot of good advice already given here...but I will leave you with one thought - It took you up to this point to get to where you are, so it stands to reason it will take some time to retrain your Body, Mind, and Soul to be who you want to be!

Awww....it will be ok. Hopefully those rotten co-workers of yours don't get Chinese food all the time. That would kill me too. Day 3 and 4 and 5 will get easier....and don't forget, the occasional Chinese food lunch will NOT ruin your progress. If you're in it for the long haul, you have to be able to live your life. This is not an all or nothing kind of lifestyle change.

My personal recommendation is to get several days of good behavior under your belt, then have a generous cheat meal, then get right back up on the horse. The most dangerous mentality IMO for newbies is the idea of a "derail". You can't let one step back turn into a quit. The occasional cheat meal/day/weekend/vacation will actually increase your discipline and your faith in yourself that you will indeed go back to "dieting" tomorrow.

Eat and drink whatever you want - just do so in moderation. Want chinese for lunch? Maybe have a lighter dinner so your calories balance out. Like soda? Maybe switch to skim milk for your morning cereal. Balance and moderation.

I always give up in a day or two, when I go extreme. So much easier to eat whatever I want (I don't eat clean!), and balance my calories. I don't condone eating crapola, but I have had days where dinner was a delicious shake from Cold Stone Creamery, because I WANTED it. I didn't have it in addition to dinner; I had it for dinner. I've done this plenty of times, and it keeps me from eating everything in sight -- which is what happens when I try to avoid that BAD FOR ME thing. Several months of balancing my calories (that is, netting approx. 1200), and I lost from 0.6 to 3.0 lbs. each week. THAT is my success story. I still eat whatever I want. I just have to keep track of calories in and calories out. No need to suffer. (BTW, it is not as easy as it sounds the first couple of weeks, but then becomes quite routine).

Good luck.