Now v. Then Challenge... EYE OPENING!

mama_mia3
mama_mia3 Posts: 66
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
I've never started a "Challenge" thread before, so I hope this works!! Today marks my 41st day on my diet and my 41st day on MFP. I've lost 15lbs. I feel good. I'm not as tired (during the day) as I used to be, I sleep better at night (when the baby decides to let me, that is) and I know it's because of the changes I've made.

So, today I had taken some time to look up and log what a typical day was like for me BEFORE changing the way I ate, BEFORE I even gave a *kitten* about what I put in my mouth. What was meant to be "just for fun" turned into a real eye opening thing to do. My diary is public, and I'd like to invite you to see what I was doing to myself just ONE day before I started my diet...ONE day before I found this site and thought to myself, "give it a go and see what happens...nothing else has worked." I can see why now nothing ever worked. I was killing myself and didn't even realize it.

January 24th, in my diary, is logged as truthfully as it can get as to what I had been doing to myself over the last 12 years. It's not EXACTLY what I ate that day because, like I said...I found this site a day later and trying to remember just what you ate exactly 41 days ago is impossible.... but it is typical of what I had been eating like, everyday ...all in one day.

I'd like to challenge you all to do this for yourselves. Go to your diaries and find the first day you started logging your food and go just one day before that to a blank food log page. Think back to what you would have stocked your cupboards with, what you would have bought at the store, the junk food staples that was your "go to" snack...how many servings of that you would eat? how many time would you snack out of boredom? out of hunger? out of depression, sadness? Whatever drove you to that bag of chips, the bag of M&M's or prompted you to visit the refrigerator time after time incase a pie decided to magically appear in there. Did you eat alot of fast foods? What did you normally order? LOG it!!! Just for one day...think back to how you ate before you changed everything you did. It's a day of reflection and appreciation. I am more thankful now to be on this diet than I ever, EVER have been in my entire life. I am not afraid to call this a life changing journey anymore. I can't go back to the way I was eating. It's scary to think I was doing that to myself. It's scary to wonder just how much more time I had on my life card if I hadn't changed that style of eating. Own it and appreciate what you're doing for yourselves now. I did... and I do.

Replies

  • karo224
    karo224 Posts: 292
    i am definately going to do it tonight. i am a little apprehensive to see the results! fast food joints were my grocery store!
  • ashleighk2010
    ashleighk2010 Posts: 135
    Doing it! =]

    Update: I did it... GROSS. I mean, I know it all tasted awesome but I was almost at 3000 calories a day, and that's without snacks I know I would have eaten... I don't know how I ever did it. And I know why I was always sick and felt lethargic all the time. Glad that so many of the processed foods I ate are now out of my life; I no longer crave them!!

    Thanks for this creative idea.
  • Truhvn
    Truhvn Posts: 107 Member
    Eww..okay I'm gonna give it a shot....let ya know what I think!
  • tcatdog63
    tcatdog63 Posts: 6 Member
    I have actually done that, just on paper and added the calories up,if I remember right it was near 3200 calories of junk per day!! I can't believe all the mindless eating I was doing!!! I was going to mcdonals almost every day due to my job and eating things like double quarterpounders with cheesen large fries, lg drink and at least 1 apple pie sometimes too, I would load a dinner plate full at home of the evening meal and it was heaping ful!!! Ice cream almost every night or some other fabulous dessert with a millin calories.
    This is my 40th day and I have lost 12 pounds, I now eat my dinner on a sandwhich plate, I measure almost everything and I am holding myself accountable with my doctor and my family. I love exercising now and actually look forward to it. I feel so much better that I did before I started. before I would take frequent naps and have what I call "food hangovers". I don't feel the need to take them any more, I am investing in me.
    Keep up the good work, I know that I am on the right track and love MFP:bigsmile:
  • brenda_71
    brenda_71 Posts: 151
    Such a good idea. I use to snack after dinner while watching tv and never even really paid attention to how much I was eating. Now I don't eat passed dinner and I exercise instead of watching tv. This site has been a life change for me as well. God Bless You!!
  • Truhvn
    Truhvn Posts: 107 Member
    Thanks for that...I'm actually sitting here crying because, well I don't know I guess that I can't believe I was doing that to myself. I knew my eating habits were horrible but it was like putting all the food on a table in front of me to see it all at once. Disgusting:( I'm eating around 1200 cals now for my weight loss which is just enough for me (and there are some days I can't even muster eating back all my exercise calories!) and I totaled up around 2500cals for my pre MFP eating. What's worse is "in 5 weeks" of eating like that I'd have put on over 10 lbs when it's taken me 6-8 months to get 25 lbs off. By now I could've been weighing in over 220 lbs on my 5'0 frame. I'm at 157 now. I have been watching my calorie number but not so much it's content and slacking on my exercise for the past month... I think this was just the challenge to get me going again because I don't ever want to look at a diary list like that again.

    What an eye opener!:noway:
  • RocketsGirl75
    RocketsGirl75 Posts: 648
    I've never started a "Challenge" thread before, so I hope this works!! Today marks my 41st day on my diet and my 41st day on MFP. I've lost 15lbs. I feel good. I'm not as tired (during the day) as I used to be, I sleep better at night (when the baby decides to let me, that is) and I know it's because of the changes I've made.

    So, today I had taken some time to look up and log what a typical day was like for me BEFORE changing the way I ate, BEFORE I even gave a *kitten* about what I put in my mouth. What was meant to be "just for fun" turned into a real eye opening thing to do. My diary is public, and I'd like to invite you to see what I was doing to myself just ONE day before I started my diet...ONE day before I found this site and thought to myself, "give it a go and see what happens...nothing else has worked." I can see why now nothing ever worked. I was killing myself and didn't even realize it.

    January 24th, in my diary, is logged as truthfully as it can get as to what I had been doing to myself over the last 12 years. It's not EXACTLY what I ate that day because, like I said...I found this site a day later and trying to remember just what you ate exactly 41 days ago is impossible.... but it is typical of what I had been eating like, everyday ...all in one day.

    I'd like to challenge you all to do this for yourselves. Go to your diaries and find the first day you started logging your food and go just one day before that to a blank food log page. Think back to what you would have stocked your cupboards with, what you would have bought at the store, the junk food staples that was your "go to" snack...how many servings of that you would eat? how many time would you snack out of boredom? out of hunger? out of depression, sadness? Whatever drove you to that bag of chips, the bag of M&M's or prompted you to visit the refrigerator time after time incase a pie decided to magically appear in there. Did you eat alot of fast foods? What did you normally order? LOG it!!! Just for one day...think back to how you ate before you changed everything you did. It's a day of reflection and appreciation. I am more thankful now to be on this diet than I ever, EVER have been in my entire life. I am not afraid to call this a life changing journey anymore. I can't go back to the way I was eating. It's scary to think I was doing that to myself. It's scary to wonder just how much more time I had on my life card if I hadn't changed that style of eating. Own it and appreciate what you're doing for yourselves now. I did... and I do.

    Ok so I did this and I just picked Feb1 as the day I logged and what I logged is not what I ate for sure that day but it is a pretty accurate representation of what I would eat on a typical day. It was definately an eye opening experience!! The thing that has been such a struggle for me is the sodas. I never drank water and I drank tons of soda!! It has been really hard moving away from them especially because I know that diet sodas are not great for you and beside I really don't like the taste of them.
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
    Wow! That really was an eye opener. I was at 3500 calories plus a day, and now I am at 1400 and cannot believe that I ate that much! I feel so much better on less calories and on better food choices! Exercising every day helps. Thanks for this.
  • BrattyLori
    BrattyLori Posts: 101 Member
    First of all, Mama - you are the BEST! Love you so much! YOu own this process!

    I did this before as well, and my conclusion for what I was doing is this: WHAT a spoiled, obnoxious little baby I was!

    Gimme gimme gimme!

    Typical day for Chunky Lori was:
    2 sausage Mc Muffins for breakfast
    pot pie and 2 slices of buttery toast for lunch,
    cookies cookies cookies for snacks,
    and then giant pasta or whatever for dinner (as much as my 6' 4" husband)
    and THEN crackers, cheese, cereal for bedtime snack
    many many cans of diet orange soda throughout the day

    Talk about a completely overindulged little brat!

    The best way to describe what I did for myself was to take charge and become MY OWN LOVING , CARING MOTHER.

    I never ever took such terrible care of my own beloved children - they are all slim and healthy and eating fruit and veggies, etc. So why did it take so long to do that for myself? What a waste!
  • mama_mia3
    mama_mia3 Posts: 66
    Mine was like this (pre MFP):
    My Daily Goal:
    Calories - 1290
    Carbs - 161
    Fat - 43
    Protein - 65
    Sodium - 2500
    Cholesterol- 300

    Typical Calories Consumed (mock day)
    Calories - 7,549
    Carbs - 1,100
    Fat - 287
    Protein - 103
    Sodium - 6,918
    Cholesterol - 270

    I was eating 6,259 OVER my healthy recommended calorie goal!!!!

    I weighed in at 250 on January 24th (41 days ago). If I had continued to virtually abuse myself like this "example" day I would weigh 288.2 in a projected 5 weeks. 38 lbs heavier than my beginning weight. Sweet Baby Jesus.
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