Getting off track

I struggle with this a lot too - of course finding things to beat the boredom other than eating and tackling the root emotional causes are a start, but it can be overwhelming to try and "fix" it all at once.

Be patient with yourself and your journey. The second I accepted the fact that weight loss IS linear and off tracking meals WILL happen the more I learned to embrace the process. All you can do is learn from it and move on. Meaning if you indulged on too many cookies, try and see if next time you can take out a moderate portion and before going back to get more - take that time to see if there's something else you can do instead of eating.

There will be meals you indulge in that shouldn't have to have an underlying reason - you know, like it's your birthday or a big celebration - because in the grand scheme of things that won't meal won't wreak havoc on your progress. But if those sleeves of cookies are a weekly struggle, it's something to look more closely at in terms of how to get a better handle on it.

The pursuit of perfection will lead you to beating yourself up when you go off track - it's not to say you can be so forgiving you completely derail. It's a balance and once you decide why and how important your goals are, your actions will follow and the realization that slip ups may and will occur will become a basic understanding - it's just part of your journey.

You'll have weeks where you kick *kitten* and you'll have a day you have an extra slice of cake. Making sure your calories are set at a comfortable deficit will help make you feel that you're still feeling properly fueled while still progressing in the direction you want.

I ended up changing my deficit from 1 to .5 lbs pound/week loss just because I simply couldn't make it through the week on the lower calories and remain on track/not food focused.

Listening to your body is the best thing you can do - if you need a diet break because you've been going hard for 3 months, take a week at maintenance and pick back up where you started.

There are a lot of tools like this that you can implement to help keep your head and heart in a good place.

Sorry for the novel - it's just a topic I'm passionate about since I have a hard time with it too. It's not easy, but it's possible to get over this kind of thought process.

Kind words to OP have helped me today.

I thought I had hit the jackpot with sugar free/fat free pudding mix in my milk allowance (Dr. prescribed plan). Never checked the carbs, logged one serving per day, but I’ve been eating four servings per day (the whole envelope) for a month.

I was devastated. I have changed my eating to enjoy health for a year, lost 140, and look how I messed up.

Fortunately I was still losing because I have just hit 10000 steps a day for two weeks. But I have a lot to lose, so I mourn for the opportunity to lose more that I let go by unknowingly.

@madisonelenaa, even when we think we’re on track we might not be. Look and learn and follow your plan again. ❤️ And I will try to do the same. Because, human.