I'm frustrated and about to give up.
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I eat my ice cream from a tiny salsa bowl - essentially, it's a ramekin. It's my reward at the end of the day for sticking to my calories.
Also, I find that exercise helps me eat less, reduces cravings, and helps me stick with the food plan.0 -
I love ice cream. I bought an ice cream scoop. I usually get the low fat kind that's 100 or 120 calories a half cup so I feel ok eating a whole cup. Also, I have taken to buying Hershey's chocolate sauce that's 50 calories a TB, and I usually have two TB, so my entire snack is 400 calories.
Also, there is a saying: Every time you fail, you're one step closer to success0 -
After watching a couple episodes of "My 600 pound Life" I decided not to go there. Seeing someone trapped in a stinky couch, having 4 boxes of pizza and a giant family-sized brownie delivered for themselves keeps me mindful of portion control.
If you truly cannot stop yourself at a small bowl of ice cream then you best not have any. I have had those little 6 oz cups of the good stuff and can stop there. One cup, one serving, done.
"So I gave up on working out until I get my eating under control." I don't understand any logic to this at all. First off, you can do both, they are not mutually exclusive. Actually baby steps in both departments is the way to go. A second question is, "What do you define as getting your eating under control?" You are always controlling your own eating unless you're in a coma being fed by a tube. You are choosing to eat big bowls of ice cream. You obviously love big bowls more than you love better health.
Now, I can totally understand wanting to reward yourself after a day of work. I had a bad habit of hitting the drive-thru on the way home from my 12 hour shift at 10:30 at night. At first I had to consciously stay in the right lane so I wouldn't automatically make a left into McD. And I allowed myself a treat when I get home. Been three months since I've eaten anything but a breakfast sandwich at any fast food joint. My thinking is "I just don't do that anymore". Now I don't want to mess up my streak.0 -
I have to portion out and hide my sweets because by the time I get a real craving to eat them, the kids have eaten ALL of them! If my kids find stashed sweets they know "that's mom's" don't touch! HAHAHAHA!
I still have Oreos hidden somewhere... it's been a while though so I'm not sure how good they are now!0 -
If you freeze bananas and then put them in the food processor with some peanut butter, it tastes just like ice cream but healthier. Or consider frozen yogurt, at least it is less calories.
You don't have to quit having things you love to win at this. You may just need to change the amount you have.
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47Jacqueline wrote: »I love ice cream. I bought an ice cream scoop. I usually get the low fat kind that's 100 or 120 calories a half cup so I feel ok eating a whole cup. Also, I have taken to buying Hershey's chocolate sauce that's 50 calories a TB, and I usually have two TB, so my entire snack is 400 calories.
Also, there is a saying: Every time you fail, you're one step closer to success
Have you tried the "light" or "Sugar Free" versions...
They're less calories.
I don't remember what the light is... but the sugar free is 15 calories a serving (serving = 2TBS)
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If you freeze bananas and then put them in the food processor with some peanut butter, it tastes just like ice cream but healthier. Or consider frozen yogurt, at least it is less calories.
You don't have to quit having things you love to win at this. You may just need to change the amount you have.
I do this but w/out PB and it tastes great! w/ PB would probably be "The Greatest Thing EVER"... thanks for mentioning it cuz I'm going to try it now! Yeah for new YUMMY ideas!0 -
I seem to not be handling my sweet tooth well. I do ok while I am at work but then when I get home I can't control it. So I gave up on working out until I get my eating under control. Do anyone have any advice cause I love big bowls of ice cream.
Quit buying ice cream.
I can't control myself with Cheetos and such, so I don't buy them. If I do, it's a single serving bag. Set yourself up for success by either buying smaller portions of ice cream, or keeping it out of the house entirely.
I'm eating Cheetos right now. They're baked, but still delicious!0 -
I'm am totally weird. The sweets if I have then in the house I'm good knowing that if I want it it's right there I can eat just one serving and be okay. But if I have to go to store to buy it I'll buy the bigger package cause its cheaper and then I'll over indulge.0
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I eat my ice cream from a tiny salsa bowl - essentially, it's a ramekin. It's my reward at the end of the day for sticking to my calories.
This is actually a great tip! When I started weighing my food, I started using a smaller bowl because the serving sizes were pretty small, and now that seems generous to me. If I was putting it in a big bowl, I'd probably feel really deprived
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Yes, try a smaller bowl. I went from a heaped cereal bowl of ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and nuts, to a smaller bowl, and now use a custard cup. You get used to it.0
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geneticsteacher wrote: »Yes, try a smaller bowl. I went from a heaped cereal bowl of ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup and nuts, to a smaller bowl, and now use a custard cup. You get used to it.
Not just smaller bowls, but smaller plates really help your brain adjust to smaller portion sizes. We basically only use salad plates for most meals. Oddly enough, we only use dinner plates for salads that are meals because of the volume.0 -
I don't understand why you would quit exercising just because you don't have your eating under control. That makes zero sense to me.
I'm personally in the moderation camp. All foods, in moderation, within my calorie goal. I have dessert nearly every night. I've lost close to 80 lbs (100+ if you count pregnancy weight from inbetween). For me, it's about balance and eating in a way that is sustainable.0 -
For me, starting to work out before I focused on diet, helped to actually motivate me to improve my diet. So it sounds like you are making an excuse not to exercise. You may never feel that you get your diet "under control". That doesn't mean you can't be more physically fit through exercising.0
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Buy the really small containers and only buy one for yourself. Take the time to really enjoy it or buy an ice cream treat at the gas station where they sell them individually, or even a cone at McDonalds (only 170 calories) every now and again. I prefer not to let myself feel deprived.
I have also bought the bags of fun size candy bars and thrown them in the freezer. Take one out in the morning to have at night. I know I can eat it frozen, but I buy a chocolate or caramel bar that I like at room temperature so I don't eat the frozen ones.
It really is about your mindset, think about letting yourself have a treat and enjoying it, not about being deprived and miserable.0 -
Strictly speaking, working out isn't required for weight loss, but I don't understand the correlation you're making here. Why would not working out help you get a sweet tooth under control? If anything, a little movement will help mitigate the excess calories.
I don't know about the OP, but for some reason, I can't undertake an exercise program until I have my food intake under control. It's a mental/emotional energy thing.
Yep, I didn't exercise at all during the weight loss phase and just focused on figuring out food/how calories work. It was just too overwhelming for me to try and figure out everything at once. I lost the extra weight with no problem doing things this way and if I had to do it all over again I'd do the same thing again.0 -
ReaderGirl3 wrote: »
Strictly speaking, working out isn't required for weight loss, but I don't understand the correlation you're making here. Why would not working out help you get a sweet tooth under control? If anything, a little movement will help mitigate the excess calories.
I don't know about the OP, but for some reason, I can't undertake an exercise program until I have my food intake under control. It's a mental/emotional energy thing.
Yep, I didn't exercise at all during the weight loss phase and just focused on figuring out food/how calories work. It was just too overwhelming for me to try and figure out everything at once. I lost the extra weight with no problem doing things this way and if I had to do it all over again I'd do the same thing again.
Eww. Can't imagine how unpleasant my body would be if I hadn't been exercising during the process! However, I actually don't encourage people to try to overhaul their entire lifestyle overnight. I just have this mental image of OP sitting quietly on the couch after dinner trying to "mentally" come to grips with the sugar issue. Why not go take a walk?
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I agree with the OP's that say not to quit exercising. Even if it's just a quick walk to the mailbox or a walk during your lunch break etc.
I am also one of those people that if I eat the sweets I will crave them. I am back here at MFP again (about 15 days in) and while I have had some sweets it's not nearly what I was having 16 days ago.
One thing I do if I am trying to cut down on sweets is - I buy the kind of ice cream/sweet that I don't like but, that the kids/husband does.
15 days in and I don't have the cravings like I did and I have been able to have a sweet one day and not feel like I NEEDED it the next.
You can do this!0 -
I seem to not be handling my sweet tooth well. I do ok while I am at work but then when I get home I can't control it. So I gave up on working out until I get my eating under control. Do anyone have any advice cause I love big bowls of ice cream.
I have a huge sweet tooth as well, I feel you on that. I find that as long as I can fit it into my daily calorie/sugar/fat count, I have a treat. When I'm at the store I know to only buy a small amount and eat it slowly and take breaks after every couple of bites. By no means would I stop exercising just to get my eating "under control" though. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit! You can do it
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You got to want to lose weight more than eat a bowl of ice cream. I'd say, clearly you're not there yet.0
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Try to get more nuts and fresh fruits in to your diet for sure. It's all about mindset. It's also about weighing and measuring. IMHO, if you can't limit yourself to a certain amount of any food then that food needs to GO! It needs to not be in the house. You have to be ready to want to do this. No one can do it for you. Please don't give up! You can do it. If you need a friend please feel free to add me.0
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ReaderGirl3 wrote: »
Strictly speaking, working out isn't required for weight loss, but I don't understand the correlation you're making here. Why would not working out help you get a sweet tooth under control? If anything, a little movement will help mitigate the excess calories.
I don't know about the OP, but for some reason, I can't undertake an exercise program until I have my food intake under control. It's a mental/emotional energy thing.
Yep, I didn't exercise at all during the weight loss phase and just focused on figuring out food/how calories work. It was just too overwhelming for me to try and figure out everything at once. I lost the extra weight with no problem doing things this way and if I had to do it all over again I'd do the same thing again.
Eww. Can't imagine how unpleasant my body would be if I hadn't been exercising during the process! However, I actually don't encourage people to try to overhaul their entire lifestyle overnight. I just have this mental image of OP sitting quietly on the couch after dinner trying to "mentally" come to grips with the sugar issue. Why not go take a walk?
Well, going by my husband's behavior-my body was definitely not ewww
I lost a little over 50lbs and didn't have any stretch marks or saggy skin afterwards. I was actually surprised at how ok things looked after the fact, but it could also be because I had only dieted/lost the weight one time? 0 -
I love big bowls of ice cream too.
I chose to have a smaller bowl of ice cream because I love being at a lower weight and feeling better more.
I keep "junk food" on hand all the time. Right now I have a pile of easter candy, some dark chocolate bars, a bag of sweet potato chips and ice cream on hand. I eat according to what my calorie allowance has room for.
Luckily I am pretty active so my allowance has plenty of room. Even so it is still an exercise in self restraint to have a smaller bowl of ice cream sometimes but I find that I enjoy it a lot more now that there is a limit on how much I can eat.0 -
I have to agree with those that said don't bring it in the house. If I get a "healthy" snack and still find that I devour too much of it, it never comes home again! I don't have kids so it's easier but I've had to get really nasty with my husband at times to stop bringing crap home as he can ignore it for days while it calls to me from the kitchen! My downfall is gummy bears, so I only allow myself the 200 calorie bag of the organic ones made by Yum Earth so I can't do THAT much damage and at least I know I'm not getting all the chemicals and crap in regular gummy bears. Sugar cravings will go away the more you wean them out of your diet. Try fresh banana slices with a very small drizzle of agave or honey sprinkled with cinnamon and truvia - zap in the microwave for 20 seconds - yummy, healthy and should satisfy your sweet tooth. You can do the same with apples slices just microwave longer.
Good luck and don't stop working out - that's never going to help you overcome eating issues in fact the opposite!0 -
Everyone is different. For me, I know what my weaknesses are, so I don't keep them in the house. I avoid those aisles in the grocery store. I've been logging daily for almost two months now, and I've found that my former triggers are no where near as significant anymore. I'm sure in another month or two, I might get to the point where I can keep my weakness foods in the house and actually practice portion control. It just takes time.
I've found one thing that's really helped my weight loss over the last 50+ days (17 lbs so far) is using smaller plates/bowls/glasses for what I'm eating and drinking. A smaller plate will force me to eat less, just because the plate is smaller and I can't fit as much on it. I basically only use salad plates now to eat meals on. I work out occasionally (it depends on my work and school schedule), but I log everything I eat and drink. I don't use a food scale yet, but I do measure everything out based on the serving size. I do indulge in the occasional treat, but make sure to log it so that I keep track of my calories and don't go over my goal.
Take it one step at a time. Focus on one small goal that you know you can achieve. When you do, it'll give your confidence a boost and make that next goal you set that much more achievable. Weight loss should be a life-long marathon, not a sprint.
Good luck!0 -
My eating improves dramatically when I am working out regularly because I want to fuel my workouts properly. Maybe adjust your mindset. I don't see how giving up one good habit and focussing on what you perceive to be bad habits is going to be effective. Focussing on the positive changes that you make, and look at it as moving toward something instead of focussing on what you will be giving up. For example, by working out you are gaining energy and improving your sleep versus by working out, you are losing time that you could be dedicating to learning about nutrition. Perspectives can change. Best of luck!0
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if you can't control yourself around it,don't buy it. i've had a mini malteser on my desk for more than a month now . i think about it every day but i don't touch it
if you don't want to exercise just yet,don't. but eating ice-cream is empty calories,it won't do you any favours.0 -
You could stop thinking about ice cream. Pretend it has gravy poured over it....0
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