When a Slip becomes a Slide
change_is_healthy
Posts: 7 Member
I need help. I need accountability. I have all the right intentions and then I slip. What’s worse is when the slip becomes a slide. I have the worst addiction to fast food. Hard day? Fast food for dinner. Tired? Fast food for dinner. Happy? Treat myself, fast food for dinner! I want to be a health nut so badly. I want a success story longer than 2 days. I want to mindful of what I put into my body. I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights. I’m going to use this as an accountability thread. Cheer myself (and hopefully others) on when I fight my cravings. Just wondering what everyone does when when you want to slip? And how do you fight the slip that turns into a slide of bad decisions?
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Replies
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@change_is_healthy Rid yourself of dieting. Time to clear the decks. You don't need to suffer through another diet.
As if eating only healthy foods made things better. There is not an inverse relationship between eating only pristine clean foods and how happy we are.
The eat-less-and-exercise-more gerbil wheel is not always a reliable guide to find our bliss. We have to find alternate ways to respond to the inevitable stressors in our lives. Stress is the major driver for all kinds of behaviors that work against us.
Nutrient dense food, exercising to emphasize functional strength, general physical activity, sleeping better are important. What we should eat is very individual. Our food choices can be very polarizing. All foods are connected to some sort of virtue or vice, depending on what we align with. With each serving, we can signal our virtues, values or vices.
As we navigate our way through the nutritional landscape, we can fall into informational overload. We are connected or disconnected to food. Relax. Using food shame as motivation doesn't work. Get back to yourself.
There was a time when all of us were connected to food in a quality way.
Our authentic selves are right here. They were only buried under our conditioning and conclusions that we drew as kids. Finding ourselves is really returning to ourselves. We have to remember who we were before the world got their hands on us.
You'll begin to choose foods that naturally regulate your appetite. I won't tell you what to eat. When we get back to ourselves, we want to maintain our physical, mental and emotional energy. We start caring about our bones, muscles and brain... for the long haul, waaaaay down the road.3 -
That was wonderfully written!!2
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For me fast-food is a reward, but I also walk to the fast food place and back. So it are maybe bad calories but it is not like I have less deficit calories. I am from the EU so fast-food is not really close by. 5km walk for burger with fries isn't that horrible (at 220 pounds that walk cost 360kcal. Just very time consuming. Walk there, 40 minutes. Eat there, let it settle, and walk back 40 minutes. That is 2 hours I been away from all other temptations. Also burger 🍔 is 300kcal, 🍟 350. But a big Mac meal hits a whopping 1120. So you could also try and pick the least evil options, and wash it away with water.3
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Not an addiction but a habitual behavior. Once you learn to change the behavior, then it's not as hard. And if you go to fast food places, then try to choose better. Chicken for beef, no mayo or cheese, no fries with your meal, etc. Fast food can be part of a weight loss plan you just have to account for it.change_is_healthy wrote: »I need help. I need accountability. I have all the right intentions and then I slip. What’s worse is when the slip becomes a slide. I have the worst addiction to fast food. Hard day? Fast food for dinner. Tired? Fast food for dinner. Happy? Treat myself, fast food for dinner! I want to be a health nut so badly. I want a success story longer than 2 days. I want to mindful of what I put into my body. I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights. I’m going to use this as an accountability thread. Cheer myself (and hopefully others) on when I fight my cravings. Just wondering what everyone does when when you want to slip? And how do you fight the slip that turns into a slide of bad decisions?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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My slips have become slides that have become avalanches. My irresistible bête noire is the unending abundance of tempting food constantly on offer at work... which now includes mandatory 3pm Starbuck's lattes. 😲
This might not be the best way, but MY way is to let myself over-indulge and get thoroughly bored and disgusted with myself. It can take up to a week and I regain some weight, but very soon, I realise just how stupid I am being and manage to go back to healthy eating with a renewed commitment. I hate the way I feel after eating crap day after day and want nothing more than to return to clean eating ASAP.1 -
What fast food? What’s the appeal? That it’s fast? That it’s fried? That it’s a burger? I lost regularly eating lunch at McDs. The salads were better then but they still have salads with grilled chicken. Not a bad choice depending on the dressing. Egg McMuffin isn’t a bad pick either. Weight loss is mostly problem solving and persistence. More than one way to address this.
But I’d stop and try to figure out exactly what it is you get out of fast food. Then try to find a way to get at least some of what you see as benefits without blowing up your plan. It can be done. You don’t need to be a health nut to lose weight. But weight loss would be a step in the right direction. Maybe dipping a toe in the health nut water. Perfect is the enemy of the good.2 -
I rarely eat fast food. I like to cook and we do live far out from restaurants, but an answer, what you probably already know, is that food prepping and your crockpot are your friends. Do a bunch of slicing and dicing on the weekend and throw things in the crockpot to have food already and hot when you get home. Do it a few times and you’ll probably realize that it’s not that hard or time-consuming.1
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Just a compliment on your subject line. It's very evocative, I like it.3
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You already know your pitfalls: a hard day, being tired, a time to celebrate. Now, while you are not at the fast food place, try to think of coping strategies. What will you do next time you feel like going for fast food.
1. acknowledge the fact - recognize the first inkling when you are going to make the decision to go
2. think of an alternative - if you don't have one (or the alternative is a wittering salad in your fridge) you will go, no doubt. So think of a viable one, something that will work for you, that is tasty and will keep you in your calories goal. Maybe some chicken tenders in the freezer that you can easily bake with a slice of bread and sliced tomato? A ready frozen meal that is relatively healthy? It will be quicker to prepare than going out for fast food.
3. make the connection between the need to go and the alternative you have prepared.
4. do it once, then do it twice. Do it enough times that it becomes a habit.
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change_is_healthy wrote: »I need help. I need accountability. I have all the right intentions and then I slip. What’s worse is when the slip becomes a slide. I have the worst addiction to fast food. Hard day? Fast food for dinner. Tired? Fast food for dinner. Happy? Treat myself, fast food for dinner! I want to be a health nut so badly. I want a success story longer than 2 days. I want to mindful of what I put into my body. I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights. I’m going to use this as an accountability thread. Cheer myself (and hopefully others) on when I fight my cravings. Just wondering what everyone does when when you want to slip? And how do you fight the slip that turns into a slide of bad decisions?
I'm going to go with this is habit more than addiction. Habits require work (and time) to break and to make. It takes roughly 30 days to break a habit as well as to make new habits. It is one of the big reasons you see so many 30 day challenges/experiments with so many things. Breaking a habit is challenging and there are many moments where you just have to push through to the other side.
Also, being a "healthy nut" doesn't really require one to be 100% all the "clean" foods and all of the exercise. IMO, a "healthy nut" is someone who overall is living a healthful lifestyle...eats well most of the time...exercises regularly...implements good mental health practices...gets good sleep/rest/recovery.
Where nutrition is concerned, I basically follow the principle of 90/10. About 90% of my nutrition is what I consider to be good quality...home cooked, mostly whole foods and/or minimally processed foods like canned goods. The other 10%...sometimes a little more is just pure enjoyment/comfort/whatever you want to call it. For the most part I truly enjoy my healthy eating...I can rock a kitchen and "healthy" certainly doesn't mean bland or boring for me. But yeah...I crave things from time to time that may not be the most nutritional option. This past Friday evening we ordered pizza from our favorite pizzeria...we most typically have pizza night once per week, but we hadn't had it in about a month. I also have a thing for Whataburger and Popeye's Chicken. I don't eat it often...I usually have each once per month and that just scratches that itch.
You can also make alternatives at home that are just as good, if not better than FF. I love a good burger for example but instead of hitting up Whataburger all of the time or otherwise going out for a burger that's ultimately going to cost me over 1K calories when it's all said and done, I grill my own at home with my own toppings, etc and usually have a side garden salad with some iced tea. It's all around just better...better taste, better nutrition, and I can control the calorie content much easier. Plus there's nothing more satisfying than firing up the grill and hearing meat sizzle over the fire.
I think a lot of people also have an aversion to "healthy eating" because they often tend to have a myopic view of "healthy"...and that healthy is just plain vegetables and flavorless, unseasoned chicken, or whatever. Healthy can be both nutritious and delicious...get in the kitchen and fire things up and start throwing some herbs and spices around.2 -
If you believe the story “I have the worst addiction to fast food” your brain will go to work to prove that story true time after time.
So long as you’re “fighting” the cravings that you’re having…i.e. you vs you…you can’t win.
How does it feel when you think you have the worst addiction to fast food? If I had to guess, it’s helpless or out-of-control. Neither of those feelings will motivate actions that will lead to long-term weight loss, my friend.
Our brains are sneaky—and are designed to seek pleasure (fast food?), avoid pain (discomfort of dieting?) and conserve energy (do we really HAVE to workout?). They love being dramatic (the worst addiction) and everything is a catastrophe (a slip turned into a slide). Nothing has gone wrong, but our unconscious thoughts are something to notice and question—especially if they’re no longer serving you.
Do you want to believe the story that you have the worst addiction to fast food? What else could be true? Could it be that sometimes you eat fast food? Could it be true that you enjoy eating fast food and that it doesn’t have to mean anything about you as a person?
How can you start to believe that you are a health nut? What does a health nut do? What do they eat? Is it possible to be mindful of what you put into your body?
“I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights.” What if having fast food for dinner wasn’t the worst thing to happen? What if everything is okay? What if you’re practicing being more mindful and this is just a part of the process? 💕💕💕
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Everyone has had such great insights. I’m taking them all into account and using the recommendations starting today! Partially bc I thought today was the 1st and I had a lot of feel good foods this past holiday weekend.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »change_is_healthy wrote: »I need help. I need accountability. I have all the right intentions and then I slip. What’s worse is when the slip becomes a slide. I have the worst addiction to fast food. Hard day? Fast food for dinner. Tired? Fast food for dinner. Happy? Treat myself, fast food for dinner! I want to be a health nut so badly. I want a success story longer than 2 days. I want to mindful of what I put into my body. I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights. I’m going to use this as an accountability thread. Cheer myself (and hopefully others) on when I fight my cravings. Just wondering what everyone does when when you want to slip? And how do you fight the slip that turns into a slide of bad decisions?
I'm going to go with this is habit more than addiction. Habits require work (and time) to break and to make. It takes roughly 30 days to break a habit as well as to make new habits. It is one of the big reasons you see so many 30 day challenges/experiments with so many things. Breaking a habit is challenging and there are many moments where you just have to push through to the other side.
Also, being a "healthy nut" doesn't really require one to be 100% all the "clean" foods and all of the exercise. IMO, a "healthy nut" is someone who overall is living a healthful lifestyle...eats well most of the time...exercises regularly...implements good mental health practices...gets good sleep/rest/recovery.
Where nutrition is concerned, I basically follow the principle of 90/10. About 90% of my nutrition is what I consider to be good quality...home cooked, mostly whole foods and/or minimally processed foods like canned goods. The other 10%...sometimes a little more is just pure enjoyment/comfort/whatever you want to call it. For the most part I truly enjoy my healthy eating...I can rock a kitchen and "healthy" certainly doesn't mean bland or boring for me. But yeah...I crave things from time to time that may not be the most nutritional option. This past Friday evening we ordered pizza from our favorite pizzeria...we most typically have pizza night once per week, but we hadn't had it in about a month. I also have a thing for Whataburger and Popeye's Chicken. I don't eat it often...I usually have each once per month and that just scratches that itch.
You can also make alternatives at home that are just as good, if not better than FF. I love a good burger for example but instead of hitting up Whataburger all of the time or otherwise going out for a burger that's ultimately going to cost me over 1K calories when it's all said and done, I grill my own at home with my own toppings, etc and usually have a side garden salad with some iced tea. It's all around just better...better taste, better nutrition, and I can control the calorie content much easier. Plus there's nothing more satisfying than firing up the grill and hearing meat sizzle over the fire.
I think a lot of people also have an aversion to "healthy eating" because they often tend to have a myopic view of "healthy"...and that healthy is just plain vegetables and flavorless, unseasoned chicken, or whatever. Healthy can be both nutritious and delicious...get in the kitchen and fire things up and start throwing some herbs and spices around.
The 90/10 is such a good way to look at it! I’m always just like well. I screwed up. There it all goes. Reminding myself that 10% doesn’t discount the other 90. Thank you!
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My slips have become slides that have become avalanches. My irresistible bête noire is the unending abundance of tempting food constantly on offer at work... which now includes mandatory 3pm Starbuck's lattes. 😲
This might not be the best way, but MY way is to let myself over-indulge and get thoroughly bored and disgusted with myself. It can take up to a week and I regain some weight, but very soon, I realise just how stupid I am being and manage to go back to healthy eating with a renewed commitment. I hate the way I feel after eating crap day after day and want nothing more than to return to clean eating ASAP.
Yea. That’s EXACTLY what happens to me. It’s just such a roller coaster and I really need to stop with the fluctuations. I do good for a few weeks. Drop off. Get disgusted. Jump back into it and.. it’s just a never ending cycle.
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Not an addiction but a habitual behavior. Once you learn to change the behavior, then it's not as hard. And if you go to fast food places, then try to choose better. Chicken for beef, no mayo or cheese, no fries with your meal, etc. Fast food can be part of a weight loss plan you just have to account for it.change_is_healthy wrote: »I need help. I need accountability. I have all the right intentions and then I slip. What’s worse is when the slip becomes a slide. I have the worst addiction to fast food. Hard day? Fast food for dinner. Tired? Fast food for dinner. Happy? Treat myself, fast food for dinner! I want to be a health nut so badly. I want a success story longer than 2 days. I want to mindful of what I put into my body. I did well all week (it’s only Thursday) and I’ve had the worst two days and have had fast food for dinner both nights. I’m going to use this as an accountability thread. Cheer myself (and hopefully others) on when I fight my cravings. Just wondering what everyone does when when you want to slip? And how do you fight the slip that turns into a slide of bad decisions?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Thank you! You’re right, maybe if when I do slip I make a conscious effort to adjust exactly what I’m inhaling at a fast food restaurant instead of eating the whole menu 😅
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pack some tasty healthy meals and put them in a small cooler ... and take them with you to work and wherever you go.
Don't leave home without them. And leave your money and credit cards at home! Break your habit.. but don't forget to fill your car up with gas. Ha!0 -
A few weeks is GOOD! Many times I struggle with a single day.change_is_healthy wrote: »... It’s just such a roller coaster and I really need to stop with the fluctuations. I do good for a few weeks. Drop off. Get disgusted. Jump back into it and.. it’s just a never ending cycle.0 -
Boy do I relate!!! I felt the exact same way about fast-food. 😅 fast-food was my absolute weakness, I went YEARS eating it DAILY. Hypothetically speaking—-If someone offered me a steak dinner with mashed potatoes, broccoli and rolls I’d decline that for a Jumbo Jack with Cheese, two tacos, fries and some jalapeño poppers. I truly felt as if it was an absolute addiction since I would eat that stuff everyday, I had lost all control.
I have reached my first goal of weight loss, but still need so much more to go before I reach my overall weight goal. It’s been a whole year and I have completely changed my eating habits. I will still eat fast-food but soooo rarely and I’m 100% happy about that. What helped me out was experimenting with my eating habits, finding foods that I enjoyed at home rather than going out and getting them. Eventually I found lower calorie healthier alternatives that helped me drop the weight. Now I’ve gotten to the point whenever I crave a burger, I’ll make me a double turkey cheeseburger with avocado and served with celery sticks and cucumber slices, that will keep me full and satisfying my craving until the next one, and as far as calories that meal alone will average roughly about 700 cals. Anyway, best of luck, believe me I know your pain, stay strong 👍🏻2 -
Can you start out with a 2 week goal for yourself? 2 weeks of logging accurately and no fast food! i find that the first two weeks are the hardest.
i can related to the slip becoming a slide. i was doing fantastic for about 2 months until a weekend trip in april knocked me off the wagon until early june. but… back at it.1
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