Need help breaking the 'TOMORROW' habit

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cynful71
cynful71 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else have trouble with this....you are doing great all day long....hit the cardio and strength hard, logging you calorie intake....and then the ice cream, cake, cookies, chips....whatever starts calling out your name and before you know it you've ignored your motivation and decided I'll start my diet tomorrow.....and in a blink of an eye have binged on too many calories to count? This has been my complete down fall.....I've tried putting motivating notes on my fridge, mirror, car, bed....where ever. I tried to ban my trigger foods (but with my 4 kids and hubby seems like a battle of wills), tried reading....brushing my teeth, ect. I have done everything short of wiring my mouth shut and padlocking the fridge. HELP!!!!! I need to know how to avoid my night time binge......this is my third time getting to my goal after reaching it twice and letting the success and hard work slip through my fingers. Any advice will be appreciated :)

Replies

  • GeorgieLove708
    GeorgieLove708 Posts: 442 Member
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    The only way for me is to not have it in the house or to have healthy alternatives. Or to have the 100 calorie snack packs. I know people say they aren't worth it, that it would be cheaper to buy the real stuff and split it into better portion sizes, but if I have the "real stuff" I will just keep eating it until it's gone. The snack packs are a huge help.
  • crumbtinies
    crumbtinies Posts: 29 Member
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    Telling myself I'll start tomorrow is something I REALLY struggle with. In fact, my weight loss/fitness goals have basically been put on hold for three years because of this. Three years is a lot of tomorrows. I've done all the basic things like hang up motivational pictures and quotes, making a list of my goals and the reasons why I want to do these things, signed up for races to give myself a deadline etc. I've tried it all.

    The one thing I've discovered that actually makes a huge, huge difference for me is this: When I find myself saying "I'll just do my workout tomorrow" or "I'll start eating healthy tomorrow" I ask myself one question. What about tomorrow will be different from today? And I legitimately think about my answer. If I come up with something like "Tomorrow I won't be going on two hours of sleep" or "tomorrow won't be my sister's wedding (cake!)" then I allow myself to consider it. But 99.9% of the time my answer is "nothing, absolutely nothing about tomorrow will be different from today." That always makes me realize that my "tomorrow" excuse is totally bogus. I realize if I'm willing to skip out on my healthy lifestyle today, there is nothing to stop me from doing it again tomorrow. And that is usually enough to get my butt in gear.
  • as543
    as543 Posts: 38 Member
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    You are me. I can be good all day and once the kids are in bed it hits. My husband travels a lot so I'm stuck at home with all the junk food calling to me. I'm going to try reading a good book to distract me
  • ampeterson69
    ampeterson69 Posts: 20
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    I really struggled with this until about 1 1/2 years ago where I decided that I needed to change my approach. In the past I set very strick goals and expectations on my self that quite frankly were not realistic which led to stalled weight loss and or weight gain. I decided to slow down and develop a plan that would be doable. Changed my goal to lose 2 lbs a week to being ok with a 0.5 lb loss every 2 weeks as long as the scale trended down. I tried new activities until I found ones I enjoyed. Made small changes to my eating that I can live with for a lifetime. Since that decision I have lost 48 pounds (yeah!), I have an incredible sweet tooth so I allow myself a quality treat each day so I really do not experience cravings anymore. Treats are either something homemade (yes, I can now actually leave it out and still only have 1) or dark chocolate.
  • lcn1220
    lcn1220 Posts: 124 Member
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    OP: When you're raiding the kitchen after you've had your last planned meal of the day, ask yourself if what you're about to do *right now, today* is going to get you one step closer to your goals. Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to get things right, but what you're doing today, now, in the present moment, is what matters.
  • nickiannematthews
    nickiannematthews Posts: 4
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    Hey! i know what you mean.. i also used to binge eat at night time after dinner, but on healthier food though since i have no junk food in my house or its hidden away ahaha. The calories still add up though so i knew i needed to stop! the only thing yyou can really do is keep your mind off it; try not to think about food... go on internet,watch tele just do something to keep you busy, and remind yourself why you're doing this :) i know this is easy to say but trust me, try to do this and eventually you should stop :) eating healthy isn't easy especially when you're surrounded by junk food, but its definitely worth it!
    xxx
  • clotho
    clotho Posts: 29 Member
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    I would say that the best solution is to get rid of this unhealthy food from the house. It's hard to eat something that is not there. If all your food is reasonably healthy and not that tempting then if you do overeat at night it will be less food and less calories. Make the easy stuff to snack on fresh veggies and fruits. Your family might be mad at first but they will be healthier for it. My kids get junk food at grandma's house, birthday parties and special occasions. They just know we don't keep ice cream, candy, cookies, chips, etc. in the house.
  • missymuffet459
    missymuffet459 Posts: 162
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    Oh my heck- this is my life story!

    I have had that excuse so many times. I had so many goals at the beginning of the year. I always started the day out strong, but always failed in the end. Usually by dinner or late night snack I would try to convince myself that tomorrow I will be a fresh start.

    Low and behold I got to May and weighed the same. I felt like the biggest failure. I don't have any excuses. I know that I ate too much. Regardless of the reason- stress, boredom, anxiety, etc.- it was all my fault.

    I decided that I am not going to let food control me anymore. When I get the urge to splurge and go over I literally have to give myself a pep-talk. I say "At the end of the day you REALLY do not want or need this. You are worth more. If you give in you will be at the same place in a year form now- fat and depressed, etc). You get the point.

    Even though the scale is not moving as fast as I would like, I know that I am winning against my food demons. Everyday that I meet my goals is another day I conquered those damn little voices trying to justify any sabotage to my new lifestyle.

    Good luck to you!
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    I lived (and failed miserably) on the "tomorrow" habit for decades.

    You have to replace it with the "next bite" habit instead. Screw up on one bite... the very next bite is a chance to put it right. It's a different mindset altogether, you stop thinking in terms of days and start thinking in terms of each individual action. It's tough at first but it gets easier with time.
  • setaylor86080
    setaylor86080 Posts: 210 Member
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    You might already do this but I always log every little thing that goes into my mouth and I keep my diary open to the public because it helps to accountable. Plus when i see all those red numbers staring back at me i remember that I do not need it and then i tend not to eat it. I also have found sweet things that are not too bad for me and if I need or want it I allow myself to have it because I will never succeed in my weight lose if I have such a strict out look. For some that works but you have to find what works for you!!
  • cynful71
    cynful71 Posts: 9
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    Thank you everyone for all of the great advice. I am going to put some of them in place. If you want you can add me as a friend...nice to know someone is going to keep me focused on my goals (which I need)!!! :)

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