Diary of the Food I Didn't Eat

thegeans
thegeans Posts: 42 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's a thing I do that might help others: I work in one of those offices that had food everywhere, all the time. I don't need it, don't even like it most of the time.

I keep a little notepad on my desk, and write down the things each week I didn't eat. Today, so far, it's mini Reese's cups and goldfish crackers.

It's great motivation for me to see a tangible record of things I for sure would have eaten all of earlier in the year.

Replies

  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    Honestly i get it but thatd depress me more thn motivate me lol. I totally get the point behind it but having reminders of what i didnt get to eat would just extend cravings for me :D

    I totally did something more depressing when i started though, Instead of saying i have to do -random amount of exercise- I told self i only have -insert an amount of days- in my week to not get my butt up and moving atleast an hour walk a day. So i kept track of times i didnt exercise lol. Worked for me because some days i just dont want to move and id normally have my days left still. Most the time i never even used my days off, Id always be like welll i can use the day off tomorow what if i want it more then... Which is exactly where my diary of foods i didnt eat would steer me wrong i suppose. Id see all the food i didnt eat, And want it tomorow since i was good ;D
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Something along these lines occurred to me yesterday. I had snacking get a little out of control for a few weeks and drawing attention to the issue works for me.
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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    When I was on a two week medically supervised VLCD diet (to shrink my liver), I took pictures of all the temptations I came across on my phone. There were so many! The checkout aisle. Random ads in the newspaper. Commercials. Food is everywhere! I also kept a list of foods I would have when the VLCD liquid diet was over.
  • thegeans
    thegeans Posts: 42 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Honestly i get it but thatd depress me more thn motivate me lol. I totally get the point behind it but having reminders of what i didnt get to eat would just extend cravings for me :D

    I totally get that. For me, these aren't even things I'm really craving (I do listen to real cravings, in moderation). At my office it's like "oh, someone brought in [random thing]!" and it's just what everyone eats out of habit.

  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
    That's an interesting idea. I had bariatric surgery in September, and it amazes me how I can eat one mini candy bar and be satisfied whereas before I would have eaten like 5. I think it's an interesting way to look at your progress!
  • timtam163
    timtam163 Posts: 500 Member
    Interesting, and I hope it works for you. I think it would probably make me want to binge rather than enjoy those things in moderation. Whatever works!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    thegeans wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    Honestly i get it but thatd depress me more thn motivate me lol. I totally get the point behind it but having reminders of what i didnt get to eat would just extend cravings for me :D

    I totally get that. For me, these aren't even things I'm really craving (I do listen to real cravings, in moderation). At my office it's like "oh, someone brought in [random thing]!" and it's just what everyone eats out of habit.

    I get it. Yesterday there was a birthday cake in the kitchen. I almost took a piece and I don't even like that type of cake. It was just there. I like your idea and may give it a try.
  • sssgilbe
    sssgilbe Posts: 89 Member
    Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »
    I started on the first of October and have been logging my foods faithfully. I put an entry in the Sept 30th date of what a typical day was for me before I started dieting. It was an eye opener. It's something I'm not proud of, but whenever I feel like slipping, I just go to the 30th and look at the caloric total of what I used to eat. Keeps me from going out of control.

    Inspired by your idea, I chose a pre-tracking blank diary day and entered a typical pre-MFP day when I said yes to every temptation. 3200+ calories!!! Almost 2000 more a day than I'm eating now. No wonder I ate Tums all day too.

  • GoodnightJulia
    GoodnightJulia Posts: 22 Member
    Oh wow now that's a good idea! I love it and I'm totally going to do it.
  • Jigglypuff00
    Jigglypuff00 Posts: 267 Member
    sssgilbe wrote: »
    Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »
    I started on the first of October and have been logging my foods faithfully. I put an entry in the Sept 30th date of what a typical day was for me before I started dieting. It was an eye opener. It's something I'm not proud of, but whenever I feel like slipping, I just go to the 30th and look at the caloric total of what I used to eat. Keeps me from going out of control.

    Inspired by your idea, I chose a pre-tracking blank diary day and entered a typical pre-MFP day when I said yes to every temptation. 3200+ calories!!! Almost 2000 more a day than I'm eating now. No wonder I ate Tums all day too.

    Exactly! I typically ate around 3800 calories, 500 grams of fat and 261 grams of sugar! But my fat was still high and my protein was a bit higher than what I eat now. And yes, Tums was part of my daily routine if I wanted to sleep at night.
  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
    Ooh I love that idea. It would motivate me totally. And I love the idea of a pre-tracking blank diary to find out how many calories that food would have been. Not sure how to do it but will give it a go.

    Jiggly and sssgilbe - yes, it makes youy realise what you were quietly tucking away over the years. I think I was eating as much as my growing teenage sons and my 6'2" husband. Not necessary when I'm 5'4" with a very sedentary job!

    Yesterday I didn't eat:
    My husband's homemade ginger cake;
    a bowl of cereal late at night
    crisps at lunchtime
    and I didn't drink two glasses of wine - one before dinner and one after an evening class I teach :)

    Can we keep this going? I love it!
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
    edited November 2017
    I love this idea, I myself used to do something similar, when I first started any cravings I had in the week I would write down and make a tally so to speak of the most thing I craved and come Saturday I would have one or two off that list, I know a lot don't believe in cheat days and some even despise them but for me and my partner we need to have a cheat day, its what's kept use going for so long now, being good all week and that one day off such a blessing, I rarely go over my calories on my cheat day though as I walk a lot around town that day but the thought of it being that makes it easier to get by all week, my partner does go over that day but still loses because he usually has about 400 calories spare every day except Saturday and Sunday hehe Anyway I'm rambling haha love your idea, I may try it and the exercise one once I am recovered from my surgery, wishing you good health :smiley:
    Edit: forgot to add my own:
    Yesterday I didn't eat:
    The jam on toast I was craving about 8pm,
    The packet of crisps my partner brought back from work,
    and I didn't even have the bottle of coke that's in the fridge
  • sgtx81
    sgtx81 Posts: 466 Member
    Putting a list of all kinds of tasty junk food in front of a food junkie is likely to make 'em say to hell with it and use that list of foods they didn't eat as a shopping list instead.

    Maybe just jotting down the calories in each of those foods would offer motivation without so much temptation coming from images of pastries and parfaits dancing through their heads. Whenever they hit 3500 calories they can say that's one pound they didn't gain because they had self-control.

    That's a variation I may use myself... thanks for the idea topic writer. :)
  • unrelentingminx
    unrelentingminx Posts: 231 Member
    Love this idea. Yesterday I didn't eat:
    - Any chocolate/crisps from the vending machine I was going to visit after a work meeting
    - A four-finger kitkat while I waited for the OH to get home for dinner
    - 2,3,4....double chocolate digestive biscuits while watching TV in the evening
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
    If I was close to Reece's peanut butter cups they wouldn't be around me long enough to write it down. My partner bought me Reece's lip balm the other day..THAT'S how much I love them
    Good on you though for resisting .
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 600 Member
    Donut in the kitchen at work. Pizza for dinner. I just said NO

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