SELF CONTROL

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nivea369
nivea369 Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
What does everyone do when you have strong urges to eat a lot of the wrong thing? How do you talk yourself out of it?

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,840 Member
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    What's a "wrong thing".

    It's all good in moderation.

    Except for peanuts. Anything more than the occasional peanut here and there causes a great deal of discomfort.

    And mushrooms. They're just yucky and wrong.
  • jenelle3716
    jenelle3716 Posts: 1 Member
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    I find this hard myself! Last night I managed to pull through by making herbal tea and eating some fruit. I just keep trying to tell myself that I’m not withholding or punishing myself, I am giving myself a gift of great health! That is my mindset right now.
  • Till_Eyelash
    Till_Eyelash Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi! I either get a tall drink in case its just wanting something to go in my stomach.. the sensation of swallowing etc, or I distract myself, move to another room, chat with my daughter. Play Beat Saber cos its extremely difficult (impossible) to eat with a VR headset on. Go in the shower. OR... if I give in and treat myself and really enjoy what I eat and know that it shouldn't have such a big impact if I carry on making good choices in the future.
  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,128 Member
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    For me, I just don't label anything as the wrong thing. Then, nothing feels off limits. I am however extremely diligent about eating within my calorie budget. It takes the emotion out of it. I want something- do I have the calories? Yes - ok, fit it in. No - ok, it's no FOR NOW, but I've taught myself that I can have it when I have the calories. So, I might plan for that thing for the next day and then I know it's coming and I don't have to feel the mentality of "when is that thing going to be available for me to eat again?"
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
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    I listened to a podcast a few years ago interviewing Yoni Freedhoff. It really stuck with me. In his example he was talking about a piece of cake. He recommended that first you ask yourself “is it worth it today to have that piece of cake?”. Sometimes the answer will be yes. But before you proceed, take into consideration “what’s the smallest sized serving I can have and be satisfied.”

    I’ve found that taking the time to think this through really helps me put things in perspective. I personally save enough calories every day for me to have desert after dinner. I use a food scale and measure my light ice cream or frozen yogurt into a coffee cup instead of a bowl. But some days, I’d rather have the piece of cake at a party earlier in the day. Some days it’s important to me to drink a glass of wine with a friend. Some days it’s important enough for me to go over my calorie goal for the day. In all these cases I find it’s important for me to log my calories as accurately as possible and keep myself accountable.

    I try not to demonize and foods, but there are some foods that I have no self control. (Example: I can’t have Reese’s peanut butter cups without eating the entire one pound bag. ). I consider these to be trigger foods. I try to avoid trigger foods. But when I slip up, I try to log the calories and move on. It was really hard for my psychologically to log those calories at first. But I found that consistently doing this helped me more over time.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    I have two higher calorie days per week. During those days I have a meal of whatever I want. If the craving comes on a regular day, it's easier to say "I can have it tomorrow, if I still want it." If the craving is bad enough, I'll move my higher calorie day.

    This works for me. It might or might not help you. You could decrease daily calories by 50 and at the end of the week, you have an extra 300 calories to fit in something you are craving. On the other hand, if you know that giving in to the craving will lead to a binge, then you may need to find a different way.

    As others have said, I also don't label foods as good or bad. There are calorie dense foods I eat less frequently. And there are foods I have little self control around. These are not kept in the house, so that if I really want it, I have to go buy it (single serving only).

    I hope you find what works for you.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited May 2022
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    It's sort of a mental flow chart :smile:

    Am I actually hungry, or is this a craving?

    If its actually hunger, why that specific thing? For me, its usually that it's easy and there. So what else is easy, there and that will provide solid nutrition?

    If its a craving, how strong is the craving? Can I put it off? Have I already put it off or eaten something else and still want it? Can I get a single serving of the thing?

    Basically I'll try eating something else, and I'll delay to be sure I really want it, but if I really do I'll go out and buy the size that isn't meant to be shared by 4 or more people.

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