Self sabatoging

cleenjones
cleenjones Posts: 21 Member
in Motivation and Support
Well I’ve been at this for about 3 months now and was doing well - a slow and steady drop from 215 to 200 lbs and on my way to 145. The problem: every time the scale reaches 200 ( 3 times now), I start doing what I know I shouldn’t... a glass of wine here a couple of cookies or five, continuing to eat beyond my daily goal. And then BAM! I’m up a couple of pounds. I smarten up and eat like I know I should until the scale reads 200 again, and then I eat and drink outside of the lines again!!! What is wrong with me? Any suggestions on how I get past this road block?

Replies

  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
    Nothing wrong with you. I think when you hit 200 you feel good about reaching that first goal and talk yourself into thinking you can cheat a little and it will be ok. It's fine to have a glass of wine or a few cookies, but keep tracking your food and try to stay within your daily goal. Also, maybe instead of 145 being your goal, set smaller goals to get you there. For now, maybe set your goal to 180, then when you reach that, 160 and so on. Good luck.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    Are your daily calories set really low? I had that problem when I was trying to stick to 1200. When I was at about 180 I set my goals to 1550+Exercise calories. That solved it.
  • CoachAHOP
    CoachAHOP Posts: 4 Member
    There’s nothing wrong with you! You’re human! We all fall short of our goals and I’ve been in the situation you’re in numerous times. I have a few suggestions you could try out!
    1) Log the foods that are less nutritious before you have them! If you know how much you’re able to have before you start to consume, you can be much more aware of the possibility of overeating.
    2) If cookies and/or wine are the items causing you to go over your calorie goal, I suggest making the tough decision to not bring them in the household. When they’re readily available, it’s a lot easier to slip up.
    3) Be mindful when you’re eating. Try your best not to eat while you’re watching TV, on the phone, or driving. When we’re multitasking, it makes it a lot easier to over eat. Instead, whenever you do have time to eat, do so with no distractions! Enjoy your food/drink peacefully and know that you’re staying under your calorie goal and be excited that you’ve made the decision to make an amazing life change!

    Hope these helped :)
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    edited January 2019
    Nothing’s wrong with you. You just haven’t solved this bump in the road problem yet.

    There’s always tension between the things we do to get the downward scale trend and what we do to have enjoyable lives. Tilt too far either way and the process doesn’t work.

    Maybe step back and redo all your numbers and assumptions about your plan. You can likely find some calories for a planned glass of wine here or there. And an occasional treat.

    Cookies- notice I said treat, not cookies. I put cookies in a separate class. When I started tracking I did this fill in the blank- I can do this if______. One answer was to get a treat every day. I did a lot of testing and found I got the most bang for the calories with a frozen treat. My current pick is no sugar added ice cream, 120 calories worth nearly every day, about 7% of my target.

    2 problems with cookies- 120 calories is gone in a flash. And I go at cookies like they’re potato chips. Sounds like you know about that part. So instead of “just say no” to cookies, try to find a replacement you can control. Lots of people cannot have ice cream in the house. Find something else if that’s you.

    Like I said, this is just a problem to solve. Experiment until you find a solution. It’s not about your character. It’s ok to struggle. Keep working.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited January 2019
    ^^^ As to my post above, if someone is using "woo" in the negative sense (the way the button is intended), I'm always interested in hearing what, specifically, they are taking issue with :)
  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    Congrats on almost getting into onederland! Once you get there, it’s a wonderful feeling!

    Fit cookies into your calorie goals. You can still lose weight and have that. Yes, even daily! I find whenever I deprive myself of things I enjoy, I have a tendency to go off my plan. I plan every night for 100-150 calories of ice cream. Wine of course is different for me. I limit my alcohol intact to special occasions. The 150 cals for a glass of wine is delicious but not worth for me.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Something similar happens when I reach a weight goal, or even when I resolve to make a change in my food intake. I describe it as fear. Fear, that is, of something I have not done before. It is objectively ridiculous to be afraid of living. So, don't be. Stay on your plan of eating healthy food in a calorie deficit. There's nothing scary in onederland. Unless you're scared of people telling you that they notice you've lost weight.
  • veggieburger1
    veggieburger1 Posts: 12 Member
    ^^ agree with what she said! Make room for the things you want and try to make healthier choices. like maybe instead of 5 cookies, get a pint of halo top ice cream (only like 250-350 calories per pint) and while I dont recommend eating the entire thing, even if you DO it's still probably lower cal than 5 cookies.

    Or, I like to go out and have fun with friends. Instead of ordering my usual glass of wine or gin and tonic, I've switched to tequilla & soda with a squeeze of lime- all the fun (honestly, possibly more) with only like 65 calories.
    i think to succeed and keep going it's about making healthIER choices so that its sustainable for you!
  • jlbtnc
    jlbtnc Posts: 725 Member
    Like several others have mentioned allow for this in your calories, some people have a cheat day and maybe this would be helpful (I don't because eat everything I like in my eating plan). I have the same issue as you but I tend to get down to about half my weight and start sabotaging myself. I listen to others and then decide to create a cheat day to what ever I want without tracking and then it is a vicious cycle spiraling downward. I really want this to be the year I am truly healthy.
  • aimjolie
    aimjolie Posts: 60 Member
    My ideal weight is 120lbs. At that wright, I feel good, my knees stop hurting, and my clothes look good on me. Even though I know this, I still snack too much and my weigh hovers betteen 136 to 140. I then feel sluggish and my knees (arthritics) hurt. Sometimes I hit even 141 or 142, then I get scare and start seriously dieting and walking more and will get to 130lbs. Instead of being proud and thinking I’m almost there. I start eating a treat and there and getting lax and before I know I’m almost at 140 again. I am sick of being on this yo-yo cycle. Any suggestions how to break this cycle?
  • cleenjones
    cleenjones Posts: 21 Member
    Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions! I’ve got A daily activity goal that I hit most days (1,200 steps) and my daily calories intake is set at 1400. I’m going to try reminding myself that onderland is where I want to be and then stop looking at the scale daily. Time to think about something other than the number in the scale!

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