sabotage! does this happen to you?

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aphoenixbay
aphoenixbay Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Am I alone? I am on the cusp of breaking into unfamiliar weight territory and I am excited to make headway but I find myself reaching for cookies and cupcakes to stay in my comfort zone. What the heck?!? Tips and advice please!!!!

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  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Is there any reason you feel you should not be reaching for cookies and cupcakes?

    Comfort zone is good, it's comfortable, you're more likely to sustain a lifelong change in a comfort zone.

    Remain in a calorie deficit, you'll drop fat, remain in a calorie deficit whilst in a happy place, you'll drop fat and be happy.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    This is not sabotage. Stop placing blame on your lack of sticking to your caloric needs on something like cookies and cupcakes. If you want to eat a cupcake, then log it and only eat what fits into your calories. That's the whole point of calorie counting: to be able to control how much you are eating and be aware of what eating x and y will do for your caloric intake needs.

    There is no such thing as sabotage in weight loss, only poor choices... or more specifically, choices that do not align with your weight loss goal but may align with other goals (e.g. enjoy a night off, have a sugar spike, get some extra carbs, whatever).
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited March 2015
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    cityruss wrote: »
    Is there any reason you feel you should not be reaching for cookies and cupcakes?

    Comfort zone is good, it's comfortable, you're more likely to sustain a lifelong change in a comfort zone.

    Remain in a calorie deficit, you'll drop fat, remain in a calorie deficit whilst in a happy place, you'll drop fat and be happy.
    This x100. Learning to reach for treats while hitting your calorie and nutrient goals seems to me one of the keys to life change and long-term success (vs. "diets" you "fall off of").

    PS - I just ate a Thin Mint. Girl Scout Cookies are the bomb! :)
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,573 Member
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    Yesterday I had a delightful day of "fun" foods (I am no longer calling them junk foods.) I ate a bunch of Thin Mints. I worked them in to my day, because I had logged at a deficit all week and had the calories to spare. I ate a LOT of Thin Mints. And had wine, too. The good news is: I have Thin Mints out of my system for at least a couple weeks, I had a really nice day yesterday, and it didn't derail me - even if I went over my allowance for the day, I probably still ended up with a deficit for the week or only a slight "overage." The thing is, I knew what I was doing, I consciously made the decision, and I also knew that I would be back on track today.

    In the past I would have called yesterday a "binge" and I would have "fallen off the wagon" and been defeated and then mad at myself, then disgusted, then get all self defeating and throw a big ol' pity party and then today I might have said "Screw it, it will never work, I just can't do it..." (I know this because that's my past MO.)

    Instead of yesterday being a "fall off the wagon" - it was a temporary stop off the train to better health and fitness - and this morning I was back at the station to climb aboard the train, determined to meet my macros and stay within my calorie deficit. I am going to be diligent all week because Friday night I have an awards banquet to attend for work, and I know there will be cheesecake and alcohol. I will probably share the cheesecake with my husband (but he has more self control so he probably won't eat my half.) I will not skimp on the alcohol however. ;)

    If you want cookies, eat the freaking cookies. Eat them within reason. The minute you take that power away from them, the stronger you become. :) Just get back on board the train, ASAP.

    Yesterday and today have been major victories for me - in the past this was the point where I would give up.
  • af_wife2004
    af_wife2004 Posts: 149 Member
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    Are you reaching for 2 or 20 cookies? Are you wanting the cookies because you truly enjoy them or are you snacking out of fear or boredom?

    I plan foods I enjoy into my daily meals. I'm not on a diet. I'm making lifestyle changes I can stick with which include eating my favorite foods. Last night I have pumpkin pie with whipped cream, the day before cream cheese mints, the day before that oil popped popcorn. I try to sit down every morning and log/plan my meals and treats so I stay on track while enjoying food I love.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited March 2015
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    wizzybeth wrote: »
    In the past I would have called yesterday a "binge" and I would have "fallen off the wagon" and been defeated and then mad at myself, then disgusted, then get all self defeating and throw a big ol' pity party and then today I might have said "Screw it, it will never work, I just can't do it..." (I know this because that's my past MO.)

    I love this--it totally rings true of what I would've done in the past!
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    ummmm yeah it happens to all of us. Move on, stop blaming and stop the behavior.

    Practicing moderation is easy to say but tough to actually do sometimes. Make good choices 80% of the time, and make sure those 20% snacks are not way over the top (say 3 or 4 cookies not 20) and good things will happen.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    Ditto to all the above posters. Though I would add that if you're trying to minimize your temptations to eat too many cookies or cupcakes, don't keep a lot of them around.

    Years ago, I would have a whole cupboard filled with things that would tempt me. Now, I keep just a few favorites on hand and those are my go-to's when I've earned a them. For example, right now I have Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches in the freezer, Costco chocolate covered almonds and Nonni's cioccolati biscotti in the house. One serving of each of those is 170 calories or less and I can have one every day :) maybe two if I put in a good workout. Have a plan for each day and you'll be successful.
  • melodyesch
    melodyesch Posts: 49 Member
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    Any kind of cake would not be safe at my house and if I kept cupcakes at my house, I would be sabotaging myself. My willpower or discipline or whatever it's called would not be enough to overcome having it within reach. So I don't keep those things within reach.

    But I budgeted my calories one day for a doughnut. That was 350 calories of powdered sugary goodness that I planned for and thoroughly enjoyed (buying and eating just the ONE). The next week, I budgeted for a cakepop from Starbucks. In the end, though, I decided it wasn't worth it that day and didn't have it.

    Congrats for making progress and stay the course by surrounding yourself with food that won't blow your calorie budget if you need to munch.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP you need to learn that there are no "bad" foods and if you want to have a cupcake, cookie, etc that you can, but you just need to make sure that it is in the context of hitting your calorie/micro/macro target for the day ..

    so if you have 200 calories left over at end of day and want to fill it in with whatever treat you like then feel free to ...

    the problem comes in when the treats combine with regular intake make you go over on a regular basis...
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I had a cinnamon roll yesterday. There were two in our house and I ate one and logged it. Nothing bad happened because I ate something sweet.

    Plan to a reasonable portion of a sweet food every single day if that is what you like. you really can fit it in your day. Put your measured portion on a small plate or small bowl. Eat it slowly and really savor it. Let a bite sit on your tongue for a second of two so you really taste it. Drink a glass of water with your cookie or cupcake to draw out the experience. It is enjoyable to savor 2 cookies vs. shoving a dozen cookies in your body so fast you don't notice what you are doing.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Last month I got complacent - I lost loads more than I expected to in Jan and then ended up bingeing in Feb, and totally missed my goal. Not doing that again.....

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