Self sabotage

I am trying to change the behavior that sabotages my effort. Any ideas that have helped you?

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Having realistic goals and prelogging my days really made me accountable and helped me stay on track. What are you doing to sabotage your goals?
  • alittlelife14
    alittlelife14 Posts: 339 Member
    I am trying to do the same by letting go of my fixation to overly restrict and create too less of an intake and then lead myself into a binge.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Try to find any triggers for said behavior and plan other strategies for dealing with them.
  • jessicarobinson00
    jessicarobinson00 Posts: 414 Member
    Plan ahead and meal prep. If I have my meals/snacks set up ahead of time, I rarely find a quick meal when I'm hungry and over do it
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    If snacking in front of the TV is an issue, either cut down on the TV time (easier said than done, but having two young kids accomplished it for me) or take up a hobby that uses your hands while you're watching - knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, colouring, whittling, etc.
  • Raptor2763
    Raptor2763 Posts: 387 Member
    Change one thing at at time -- starting with the biggest offenses first. For example, you might want to start eating clean by eliminating processed sugar from your diet. Once that becomes a lifestyle attribute, move to eliminate extra salt, and so on. Before you know it....voila !
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    Making sure I have food at work and planned dinner.
    Making sure I sleep well otherwise I will spend the entire next day feeding my tired vs hunger.
    Measuring wine and making sure Ive allowed calories for it.
    Pre-Logging.
    Planning grocery shopping.
  • RandiNoelle
    RandiNoelle Posts: 374 Member
    I agree with @sarsather Making sure I'm getting adequate nutrition throughout the day and setting realistic goals made a MASSIVE difference in stopping the cycle of overeating.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I started journaling for this very reason. Through rereading my journal I found that over-restricting, not having a small breakfast around 9 am and trying to make too many changes all at once were causing me to binge and fail. Although I've never liked to journal and view it as a chore, it has been a real eye-opener and really helped me to help myself.
  • annbutler560
    annbutler560 Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks, when creating a journal, are you keeping track of details besides eating?
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I use MFP to log my foods. I write in a journal about my feelings regarding food. Like if I have a headache and am having the urge to eat bad foods and I note the time and whether or not I had anything healthy to eat prior to the headache. Or if I exercised and it made me feel empowered and how that affected the rest of my day. Or if I binged, what time of day, when I had last eaten, how I was feeling. Etc... It's mostly about writing about the good and poor choices I made and the circumstances surrounding those choices. I really discovered some definite patterns which I could use to help me change my behaviors.
  • Cbestinme
    Cbestinme Posts: 397 Member
    Thanks for sharing, very helpful
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    yayamom3 wrote: »
    I started journaling for this very reason. Through rereading my journal I found that over-restricting, not having a small breakfast around 9 am and trying to make too many changes all at once were causing me to binge and fail. Although I've never liked to journal and view it as a chore, it has been a real eye-opener and really helped me to help myself.

    I dont have a separate journal but I take full advantage of the notes section at the bottom of my diary. It is very helpful when looking back!
  • sy_19440
    sy_19440 Posts: 55 Member
    Meal planning - that way I'm not worrying about what I'm eating next. I found that I needed to up the calories that MFP allotted in the beginning because it wasn't enough for what I was burning.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Yes lots of things - but what specific things are you struggling with? It helps to know what you are doing to better help.
  • applesandtapeline
    applesandtapeline Posts: 58 Member
    I don't keep any snacks while dieting. Meal prep is the key as well as self motivation and discipline.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    Be accountable to yourself.. accept that no one can "make you" feel, say, do, eat, drink, think... your world is designed by you. Empower yourself by accepting that responsibility. Set realistic goals...if you have never been athletic perhaps entering an Iron man is out of the question for a couple of years... and set goals that do NOT involve the scale... a certain hole in a belt, a hill or mountain that you would like to climb... being more informed about diet as a way of providing nutrition rather than a way of restriction... THIS is your life... no one can make you... what you do, and how you got to this point is on your shoulders no one elses... lastly be brave and take chances...bein gher... and asking questions is a great start!!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    This book on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for overeating was available in my library system, so perhaps yours as well.

    The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

    Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)
  • annbutler560
    annbutler560 Posts: 15 Member
    The lights are coming get on.
    I thank you for taking the time to inspire me.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Meal planning, prelogging, and food prep are key for me. It kind of takes the choice and effort out of eating if you know what is slotted for the day and how much.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    sarsather wrote: »
    I am trying to do the same by letting go of my fixation to overly restrict and create too less of an intake and then lead myself into a binge.

    Me too. For more than a year now I have been purposely slowing down the weight loss process to no more than .5lbs a week. It's made a huge difference.

    Strangely, just yesterday I contemplated a rapid weight loss program to lose the last 5 lbs and "be done with it". Not sure where this thinking came from after all this time. Luckily I researched the comments from people who followed this rapid weight loss program and realized how fruitless those efforts would be. All reviewers said it was miserable, most said it led to a binge at the end and a weight regain.

    Slow weight loss for the win!
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    For me , I have to get my rest ,,,if I'm tired I don't eat as well
    Good luck
  • annbutler560
    annbutler560 Posts: 15 Member
    My goal in this is to relearn my entire way of thinking. And, finally relinquish the fixation of weight being my main thiught. I've spent a lifetime of judging myself based on weight. What a waste of time and heart. I just really want to be healthy. The bonus can be new clothes.