What causes you to relapse when you are dieting

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Replies

  • laurabadams
    laurabadams Posts: 201 Member
    rmgnow wrote: »
    I just found it funny because the relapse is on food.
    And I just think that food in general isn't bad for you, or dangerous, but the word can be appropriate in certain settings.

    What I do to stay on a healthy track is to remind myself that this is not a Sprint. It's a marathon and if I do somethings right and I don't see a physical gain. I try to concentrate on the mental gains

    I interpreted the OP to mean a relapse into a perceived undesired behavior (binging), not a substance (food).
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    rmgnow wrote: »
    I just found it funny because the relapse is on food.
    And I just think that food in general isn't bad for you, or dangerous, but the word can be appropriate in certain settings.

    What I do to stay on a healthy track is to remind myself that this is not a Sprint. It's a marathon and if I do somethings right and I don't see a physical gain. I try to concentrate on the mental gains

    I dont think it has a bad connotation and appropriate word. Guess its subjective you tied it to "food"
    Food sure- but also habit, cravings, lifestyle changes, etc.....

    Relapse is simply to suffer deterioration after a period of improvement.



  • kristikitter
    kristikitter Posts: 602 Member
    Buying binge trigger foods (there are a lot of these for me), boredom, frustration, impromptu meetings with friends - there are pitfalls all over. All you have to do is remember that it's not a 'diet' in the traditional sense of the word; your diet is just what you eat. And you have to achieve balance where you can in that diet.
  • bethany4health
    bethany4health Posts: 8 Member
    Grilled cheese.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    If I don't have breakfast, I lose control later that day and eat too much. I only had to do that a few times to learn to eat breakfast.

  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    Depends on what you mean by relapse - a full-blown one or a minor one that I can move past from within a day or two. If it's the latter then pretty much anything can do that; the former, it's usually starting to feel successful in my journey.
  • pacific904
    pacific904 Posts: 92 Member
    Temptations - tv adverts, food shopping, husband bringing treats, going home to Belgium ( the pâtisseries, frites and Leonidas chocolates), food quarters in Marks @ Spencer London, Cadburys chocolates, sausage rolls. Would love to go on a fasting retreat but not ready to pay big money to be deprived.
  • l911jnt
    l911jnt Posts: 164 Member
    for me it is when the scale stops for about 3 weeks. It just drives me crazy. I can deal with it up until that point knowing how my body works but then it gets to me. Im in that spot now. Im losing my motivation. I have about 20 more lbs to drop and I am stalled out for a little bit. One other thing is the prep. I cant do it as well if I dont prep and I get tired of prepping food and packing food to take everywhere .... hate it.
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited July 2017
    If you are the type to stop doing something completely (like "dieting") just because you don't see the results you want right away [instead of fixing the things you are doing wrong and moving forward] then no one here can help you.

    When I read your post, what I heard in my head was "I am not losing weight as fast as want so I start feeling sorry for myself and resume overeating again. What is your excuse for doing that?"

    You don't relapse when it comes to eating habits. Relapse is related to disease and illness.
    You may revert to old habits.
    Your choice of the word "relapse" is interesting. It may point toward you trying to externalize your behaviors.

    Be disciplined and consistently make better choices. Problem solved.
    It comes down to how bad do you want results compared to how bad you want a cookie or whatever.

    You choose to binge eat. No one makes you do it.

    7pn2dec449be.jpg
  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
    besaro wrote: »
    hanging out with friends, booze opportunities, injuries, not having a food plan (meaning meals prepped in advance and snacks at the ready)

    Me dos on the friends/booze opportunities, they usually go hand-in-hand. Also I like to blame my foodie ways in the sense that I will literally eat anything, thus everything looks/sounds good to me, which I feel makes me more easily give into temptations?? Excuses, really LOL Even if I did prep my meals, if I find out my work is catering Tex-Mex, it's all over. And my relatively sad pre-made lunch gets lost into work-fridge oblivion.
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    For me I have to agree on the socializing that involves booze...especially wine and mojitos. I will save calories to have a couple but after a couple I say sure I'll have another one. I find it better to just drink water and not get started but I miss it.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    High stress and temptation at times that have triggered me to eat more in the past. I can usually turn down potato chips these days. But back in my school days, cramming for an exam with a bag/bowl of chips next to me was 'normal'. If I were to go and take courses now, I'm not sure if the pattern wouldn't reassert itself. (I know it derailed me on previous weight-loss attempts. As did the celebratory sundae after I wrote the final/finished the term paper. Because after that... the guilt set in. I was doing WW and I decided to skip the next weigh-in and go when I was back on-track. But without the weigh-in or the meeting, things just snowballed and I didn't go back.)

    If I'm emotionally at loose ends, eating soothes me. Nowadays, I eat moderate lower-calorie treats. But let's suppose that I'm going to a family gathering while in that emotional state. And the message is 'Relax! Here. Have some cake and ice cream.'

    I want to believe that these days, I'm in a better place to stay on-track either because
    • I'm exercising more, which makes it easier for me to deal with stress
    • I've got a medical reason to get down to a healthy weight
    • I think I may have finally recognized that if I fall off the horse, I need to get back on instead of giving in to guilt and self-pity

    All the same, I'm not looking to test myself unnecessarily.
  • scrapperthoke
    scrapperthoke Posts: 12 Member
    Boredom causes munchies. Even if they are healthy options they are still calories and takes away from my deficit. It took me years to figure out my ideal calorie intake and that is all changing AGAIN with pre-menopause. Just don't stop learning and readjust when needed. It is a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself and stay the course. There will be many more obstacles to come so develop the tools that work for you!
  • laurabadams
    laurabadams Posts: 201 Member
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    If you are the type to stop doing something completely (like "dieting") just because you don't see the results you want right away [instead of fixing the things you are doing wrong and moving forward] then no one here can help you.

    When I read your post, what I heard in my head was "I am not losing weight as fast as want so I start feeling sorry for myself and resume overeating again. What is your excuse for doing that?"

    You don't relapse when it comes to eating habits. Relapse is related to disease and illness.
    You may revert to old habits.
    Your choice of the word "relapse" is telling. It points toward you trying to externalize your behaviors.

    7pn2dec449be.jpg

    The word relapse is not exclusive to disease or illness. It can mean a return to a worse state. Relapse, revert, regress...they're synonyms. Perhaps some are choosing to apply more (subjective) meaning than the OP intended.

    I recognize that some people who do not subscribe to the idea of food addictions may also take issue with the choice of the word, but it really is just semantics.
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited July 2017
    jospen83 wrote: »
    The word relapse is not exclusive to disease or illness. It can mean a return to a worse state. Relapse, revert, regress...they're synonyms. Perhaps some are choosing to apply more (subjective) meaning than the OP intended.

    I recognize that some people who do not subscribe to the idea of food addictions may also take issue with the choice of the word, but it really is just semantics.
    OK then what worse state is the OP "relapsing" to?
    Habit <> Illness

    We will have to agree to disagree.
    I have seen no peer-reviewed scientific publications that substantiates the claim of "food addictions."
  • dfeyes3
    dfeyes3 Posts: 20 Member
    l911jnt wrote: »
    for me it is when the scale stops for about 3 weeks. It just drives me crazy. I can deal with it up until that point knowing how my body works but then it gets to me. Im in that spot now. Im losing my motivation. I have about 20 more lbs to drop and I am stalled out for a little bit. One other thing is the prep. I cant do it as well if I dont prep and I get tired of prepping food and packing food to take everywhere .... hate it.

    I can really relate to this! I know food prep especially is key but I will resist at times. When that has happened lately, I acknowledged it as a mental barrier and kind of visualized how if I don't prep it's like building a wall or tripping myself. Sounds silly, I'm sure, but I can also visualize how smooth "the road" is when I prep :)
    It's like what was said earlier, focus on mental growth and achievements too!
  • kellyfeb78
    kellyfeb78 Posts: 65 Member
    With me it was gaining weight due to sunburn! I felt like all my work went down the pan and gave up, put on 5lb as a result and now struggling to do a full week of behaving with food weekends being my worst time for binging
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    I never had a "relapse"...I had other objectives that went beyond the number on the scale...the scale was just one of many things, and actually pretty low on my list considering some of my health issues when I first started. I was focused primarily on getting my health back and my fitness back...when I started focusing on that, everything else fell into place.
  • ltkasmala
    ltkasmala Posts: 109 Member
    Stress.... and having chocolate within 50 feet, any direction!
  • KayHBE
    KayHBE Posts: 906 Member
    A big relapse for me is when the cold weather comes. It's dark and cold and sometimes icy, it's just harder to go outside. I am way less active and bored more. As dinners tend to be more 'comfort cozy foods' and more calorie dense and berries/produce are way more expensive, harder to find and have less taste. I am aware of this now and will start going swimming more at the pool and look into joining a gym and some classes.