How to stay focused on good eating?!

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hfergie
hfergie Posts: 14 Member
in Motivation and Support
I want to lose 20 lbs and I actually do well with getting exercise. my biggest pitfalls are evening snacking and weekends. I find myself wanting to say “screw it” and just eat whatever I want. I really need some tips to help me get through these times and stay focused on my goals! eating treats is my downfall!!!

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  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Why do you have to stop eating treats? I find that if I try to give up my treats, I fail every time. So, my current approach is to work my treats into my diet. Sometimes that requires more exercise to stay within a deficit, so then I do more exercise OR if I’m feeling lazy, I can opt to skip the treat.
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
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    I honestly think the key is a mind shift adjustment. which takes work and habit building, (and is a constant thing) to believing that no food is out of bounds. If we say “I can’t eat that” to something (unless of course you have a medical reason why) then I seem to want it more. Instead, like Dogmom mentioned work the goodies into your day. Weekends are tough for me too. I try to always have a healthy breakfast and then allow a one ordered in dinner per weekend. I try to eat slow and be aware of what I’m eating. I’ve found the more produce and less processed foods I eat in the week the less I crave junk food. I also have to remove junk food out of the house cause why would I tempt myself? It’s easier to just not buy it. (Lol one time I wanted cookie dough so bad I got creative with an overripe banana).

    Don’t worry about being 100% a perfect eater. Strive for progress not perfection! Try thinking of ONE thing you can do this week and aim for that. Good luck, you’ve got this!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,429 Member
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    This is individual, but I found my evening snack cravings were reduced when I made it a point to get a solid breakfast with pleny of protein, and adequate protein through the day. (This is not universal, but I've seen others say it was also true for them, so might be worth a try, if you haven't.)

    Beyond that, evening snacking was mostly about habits, for me. Usually, it works best to replace an undesired habit with a different but more favorable habit. Things to try could be some light stretching or something when you feel snacky, or an absorbing new/resumed hobby, especially one that requires clean hands (needlework, sketching, musical instrument) or creates dirty ones (painting, gardening, carpentry). If necessary, something like low-cal snacks or a hot herbal tea could be part of that habit-changing process.

    As far as weekends, you could consider calorie banking. I do it, but not specifically for weekends. (I'm retired: We don't have weekends. 😉). I eat a little bit under my calorie goal most days, by a small amount, maybe 100-150 calories, very occasionally 250 (don't want to trigger unplanned cravings/overeating!). Then I "spend" those calories on a more indulgent meal or day. Some people here spread their desired deficit over the 5 weekdays, then eat at maintenance on the weekend, as another similar option.

    Finding what personalized habits work best for *you* is IMO a key part of weight management.

    Best wishes!
  • BahstenB10
    BahstenB10 Posts: 227 Member
    edited September 2020
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    For myself, I allow an occasional treat but most of the times when I *want* to snack, it is because I am sedentary in front of the TV. I usually get up, move around a bit during commercials, and drink 16 oz of water and the desire to snack for me goes away. I also do as the AnnPT77 does with calorie banking to allow me a couple of drinks over the weekend and maybe a cup of ice cream.

    PS - I also put a fat picture of me on the refrigerator as a reminder of who I don't want to be.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    BahstenB10 wrote: »
    For myself, I allow an occasional treat but most of the times when I *want* to snack, it is because I am sedentary in front of the TV. I usually get up, move around a bit during commercials, and drink 16 oz of water and the desire to snack for me goes away. I also do as the AnnPT77 does with calorie banking to allow me a couple of drinks over the weekend and maybe a cup of ice cream.

    PS - I also put a fat picture of me on the refrigerator as a reminder of who I don't want to be.

    I do the opposite of the fat picture and I have a skinny picture of myself that I look at and remind myself that I CAN be that person again
  • BahstenB10
    BahstenB10 Posts: 227 Member
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    Dogmom1978 wrote: »
    BahstenB10 wrote: »
    For myself, I allow an occasional treat but most of the times when I *want* to snack, it is because I am sedentary in front of the TV. I usually get up, move around a bit during commercials, and drink 16 oz of water and the desire to snack for me goes away. I also do as the AnnPT77 does with calorie banking to allow me a couple of drinks over the weekend and maybe a cup of ice cream.

    PS - I also put a fat picture of me on the refrigerator as a reminder of who I don't want to be.

    I do the opposite of the fat picture and I have a skinny picture of myself that I look at and remind myself that I CAN be that person again

    Different but similar approaches. Glad I’m not the only one with a selfie on the fridge.
  • kvaric
    kvaric Posts: 2 Member
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    I just whittled my grocery list way down and quit buying anything I knew I'd be tempted to overindulge in (basically, anything that wracks up high calories even in small quantities). I have cheat days/meals where I allow myself these things (if I'm going out or having dinner at someone else's house) but don't keep them in easy reach. So basically when I feel like mindless snacking I'll go to the kitchen and look around and see my options and be like "meh".

    So my everyday diet is pretty lukewarm for me. It's not that I don't like the stuff I buy, it's just that I go out of my way to make sure I'm not too enticed by any of it. It's hard to wreck diet progress when the only snacks around are Greek yogurt and carrots.

    Also, I think it's really helpful to buy things that are pre-portioned so you know exactly how many calories you're consuming in a go. It'll make you think twice if you realize eating a tiny packet of nuts is going to level you up 200 calories vs. just grabbing a handful from a bigger container and thinking "well, that was just a couple bites, it doesn't count". Just the act of opening a calorie-labeled serving of something feels like more of a commitment.
  • pigsrock137
    pigsrock137 Posts: 22 Member
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    Upping my protein has helped me, i do still binge every once in awhile and after i do i really think about how tired and gross i feel after over eating on treats so the next time i want to eat a lot of junk i think about how poorly my body is going to feel afterwards
  • IronIsMyTherapy
    IronIsMyTherapy Posts: 482 Member
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    Its weird, but I remind myself how every time I choose nutritious food, when I'm done I never wish I'd had a cheeseburger instead but often when I have the cheeseburger, I finish and think it wasn't worth it. You appreciate treats more if you limit them.

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