Annoying(ly bad) habits I can't break...
 

So I figure if I call myself out on all the bad choices I make, maybe I'll find some motivation to change...

1. Diet soda! (I justify drinking it because I am a stickler for calories, and the bottle says zero, so it makes me feel better).

2. That second bowl of frozen raspberries with Cool Whip Free. Yeah, it's "Free"...if you eat the serving size. I, however, scoop it on like it's ice cream.

3. Giving up on myself when using the elliptical. I have a hard time pushing myself to do better. I usually do 10 to 15 minutes, decide that I'm huffing and puffing too much, and quit. But I know if I would just push myself, I could probably go for another 10 to 15 minutes, at least!

Anybody else care to share some of their bad habits?

Aaaaand I didn't mean to post this in the food section. Gah.

well- right now my biggest issue is saying no to friends who want to go out to eat when i'm trying to eat really well. Also, expecting to lose more than I am. I always set myself up for disappointment. For example, I really wanted this week to be an amazing 4-5lb week, so far it's a .8lb week *snort*

Skipping breakfast :mad:

-Nik

Deciding at the last minute to change what I planned to eat that day, telling myself I'll just fix my log at the end of the day. Yeah, the substitutions always add up 250-300 calories more than I estimated they would:mad:.

Hitting the snooze button "just one more time" until it's too late to get to the gym on Saturday.

NessaSonic, 0.8 for this week is really good!! think how pissed you'd be if the 0.8 was going in the opposite direction...

my bad habit is not having self control on the "weak" ends.

actually i'd say my worst habit that i'm hoping to break is when i go to my boyfriend's apt on the weekends and eat his junk food while he is watching tv. no more...i'd rather not be angry with myself.

sorry to keep posting over and over again! hehe.

Bad habits, oh where to even begin?

I get up at 4:45am, no problem, but I never seem to jump on the elliptical or get the workout video going right away. Nope, I dilly dog around, log on to fitday, get my water, weigh myself on the Wii (maybe play a balance game or six), make a pot of coffee and, oh look there isn't time to do the full workout now. Uh? How is that possible soooo many days in a row anyway?

I can buy that box of Fudgesicles, cause they are only 60 calories each. The problem is they come out of the box in pairs, so really they are 120 calories an episode. And the episodes lately have been 1-2 every day.

I can't seem to measure out an ounce of cheese, okay I measure out the ounce and then hack off a piece that doesn't go on the scale and pop that into my mouth. If it doesn't get measured, it doesn't count right?

I could go on and on, but I don't want to give any of you my bad bad habits.

Not getting enough sleep and not drinking as much water as I should are the ones I want to change...

yeah- that's why I need to break the habit of setting myself up for disappointment. I kick my butt and know i've worked so hard, so i imagine i've lost way more weight than i actually have when i step on the scale (I'm 212lbs, so I have quite a bit to lose, and I've only lost 23lbs, so i'm still near the "beginning" of my journey). Then i become down even though it's still a loss. I'm finally over one pound for the week, I only have today and tomorrow before I weigh in "officially" on sunday. Someone suggested tracking every single day to see if there's a pattern, because each mid-week i seem to gain a lb or two, then go down a little further than I was before. we'll see i guess...

yeah I totally hear you. I would get frustrated that way too. I don't have a scale so I can't weigh myself everyday. I joined WW years ago with my mom and now I'm a life-timer so I don't need to pay. But I have had plenty of weeks where I feel like I have been perfect and scale doesn't reflect it. Sometimes I think my body is a week off from habits. Like if I'm great one week, it won't show up on the scale till the next...

don't have super high expectations to lose weight fast because this is the slowest process everrr. it just is and it never actually ends. just try and be really proud of yourself for doing this.

also keep in mind that, supposedly, if you lose more than 1-2 lbs per week it's considered unsustainable and you're more likely to gain it back.

Almeeker, you sound exactly like me! lol - I buy the sugar free fudgecicles...and then eat like 3 of them. Granted, they're "only" 35 calories apiece, but still. I feel like a heffalump after I eat them.

I feel better reading your guys' posts...not that I want you all to have bad habits, but now I don't feel so alone! :)

Which brand is 35 calories?

Ohhh...just "finishing up" what is left in the container, if there's only a bit left. I did that last night with frozen yogurt and ended up eating double the serving size...for no good reason!

almeeker - I buy the generic brand that our local store carries (HyVee). Anyway, they are 70 calories per serving, and a serving size is 2 bars. I kind of came across them randomly (I usually don't eat fudgecicles, but had a craving one day lol). Normally I eat the Popsicle brand Sugar Free popsicles, which are only 15 calories...those I eat like 3 of as well, becasue I'm addicted to popsicles!

yup... i buy rice cakes (45cals/piece, no fat, high fiber) but i end up eating at least 7 in one sitting... (sometimes the entire 14 in the bag...) i may just have to stop eating them all together, because now i just want to eat that many everytime i start.... i hate being a binge eater...

Hi!

Well, .8# in one week isn't bad at all... a "healthy" goal is 1-2 per week... That being said, I am going for 2.5 per week... am I going to achieve that every week until Christmas... we'll see!

Diet Soda isn't good for you, obviously... but who wants to drink water all the time? I've found that regular coffee on crushed ice (occasionally with a packet of splenda) is a GREAT substitution for me. It gives me a robustly flavored drink, but spares the aspartame & artificial ingredients. I still order diet soda when I go out to eat, but you may want to try it.

Cool Whip Free on top of frozen berries is super yummy, for sure.... and berries are certainly very good for you. Do you have a food processor? You can take a nice ripe banana & whip the cool whip into it, maybe with a pinch of cinnamon, and VIOLA you've got the same volume of your old cool whip but packed full of rich nutrition (potassium not withstanding) and you still have your delicious berries and cream!

As far as the elliptical... If I had an absolute answer for that, I'd be a rich lady. I do have some tricks that work very well for me... but they are a bit taboo... Firstly, try to give yourself 30 minutes before your work out to "pump yourself up" Put on your tennis shoes & workout gear and go about your typical routine. You'll see yourself as you walk past mirrors and windows and it can help get you into the mood. You may want to try a workout supplement at this time as well. They usually have some kind of stimulant which can help with motivation. Remember that working out longer is better than working out harder, for weightloss... So if you can make it to 30 or 40 minutes on a very low level it's better than 10 or 15 minutes of higher intensity workout. Finally, and more taboo.... Marijuana absolutely helps with longevity on workout machines. It is legal where I am (they're about to start selling it in regular stores here). I use it right before working out and can consistently go 65 minutes without much struggle at all. The thing about this that can be difficult, though, is that you must put it away except for working out... otherwise you'll have to answer to the whole box of wheat crackers or chips in the cupboard.

My weakness? Alcohol, hands down.... I still maintain a low-cal diet (and work out 7 days a week) but according to my chart I intake 28% of my calories from booze.... not good at all. I drink regular vodka with club soda and a squeeze of lime, so at least there's not a bunch of other junk in it.... still, not good... Need to cut back for certain.:rolleyes:

But not if you're lifting weights - you need all your thoughts in the same place for that. Though it might make packing on muscle mass easier after a hard weight training session - you can eat your way to ripped-ness :p

Hi Jenny...This thread is not large enough nor do I have enough time to list all my annoyingly bad habits. But here's a couple:

Like you, Diet Coke is my friend (addiction), and i don't see it changing, so I'm not even gonna lie. I do drink more water now though.

I HATE exercise!!! I can do heavy gardening for 6-8 hours, paint my porch and shed, mow the lawn, or anything else, but don't ask me to walk to the corner store to buy my diet coke when I have a perfectly functional car sitting in the laneway. I know I have to do it but I can come up with every excuse on the planet not to.

I'm hoping to change some of these habits, but it's pretty hard...they've been a lifetime in the making.

-Justifying it when I bend or break the rules so I don't feel guilty. "I'm really tired and I have a lot of work to do, so I NEED this mocha latte right now to be more productive."

-Giving in to my husband's eating habits. He has some kind of frozen treat every night, as a ritual. He loves candy, ice cream, fried foods, and fast food. And he never gains weight!!

-Eating while I cook. I tell myself I'm just sustaining my hunger until mealtime, but when you "sample" every single ingredient before using it, it's like you end up eating 2 dinners!

-Eating out. I really can't get around it because of all the travelling I do, but I should pack more food on-the-go, and actually eat it when I do pack it. Socially, though, that's so hard!

-JUICE. I loooove juice and so does my hubby. We always have OJ, fruit punch, some kind of berry juice, and often iced tea. I'm always thirsty and at home it's hard to go for the water when there's so much "nutritious" juice around... it's just so loaded with calories!!

-Eating for "economical reasons." (I guess this goes along with my first one). Oh, "those chips they put out at the restaurant are free! Time to chow down!" Or..."75-cent hot dog day? I'm in!!" Or.. "I paid a lot of money for this meal so I need to eat it all and not let it go to waste!"

-Being picky. I hate meat. I'm selective with my fruits & veggies. I'm not usually in the mood for nuts. If I could eat rice for every meal, I would!!

-eating when i'm not hungry
-when i go to parties i always eat the cake and the bad appetizers
-finishing containers of things when I should just leave the rest of whatever is left in there for another day
-eating my roommate's chocolate
-being a sucker for cravings of candy/sugar

Jennygoodman, I remembered reading this post, but couldn't remember for the life of me where you put it. Anyway what I wanted to say was that I also HATE being on the elliptical for the first 10-15 minutes, it takes me that long to get warmed up and then it feels good to me. So I would highly suggest you get on and make yourself go for at least 20-30 minutes, then you'll get your runner's high and can skip the marijuana.... Which by the way I don't suggest. I have no idea if it gives you more endurance, but the damage to your lungs is not worth the trade off.

- Diet Soda.
0 calories, 0 guilt. What? There's sodium in it? Oh snap.

- Saying "yes" whenever people offer some kind of food.
They've taken the time to extend a kindness to me and I have a bad habit of accepting. And my brother does this to me. Every. Single. Day. With brownies or donuts or chili or something that I totally don't need.

- "Healthy" fast food.
Being a student and a research assistant doesn't give me much time to cook. I have about 30 minutes a day to actually eat (not counting breakfast in the morning) so I usually just swing by a Chipotle and get a vegetarian burrito bowl or something. Or I eat fresh and down a 12" so I don't have to eat later.

- Not reading labels or checking nutrition facts prior to stuffing something in my face.
Because eff you, Panera. Why do you have salads that have over 25 grams of fat? I am never stopping in again.

- Not sleeping/going to the gym.
Again, student/research assistant = no time for anything. Wake up at 6 am, classes from 8-3pm, work from 4-10pm. Oh look, the whole day is gone and I didn't go to the gym. WHAT A SHOCKER.

Lol I have never smoked marijuana in my life!!! Nor will I ever! I used to smoke cigarettes though...I quit in January. :)

I have gotten a lot better on the elliptical. On days that I'm feeling really ambitious and have nothing else to do, I will stay on for 45 minutes to an hour. Most days I do 30-35 minutes, and then usually some free weights or ab and leg work. And yes, it takes me a while to warm up to the idea of working out...since I have problems staying motivated, I distract myself by reading while I'm on the elliptical. My book covers up the time-monitor and I have no idea how long I've been going. When I read, I go the entire time without stopping (unless I stop for 15 seconds to take a drink of water). Keeping my mind occupied is what helps my endurance!!! :D

It may not have been you, but Almeeker's not (totally :p) crazy. Someone somewhere on this forum did reccommend smoking pot before hitting the elliptical to boost endurance. I'd think the post-workout munchies would derail all that progress but I'm not a pot smoker either, so what would I know? LOL

I wasn't referring to you lizzy, it was another poster. I'm an asthmatic, so smoking pot is out for me, truly it was out of the question before the asthma diagnosis as well. I'm more of a "thy body is a temple" sort, well at least that's what my room mate with the tattoos and multiple body piercings called me. I'm not into self mutilation and pot falls into that spectrum, regardless of any defense some might have for the use of pot, I've watched it turn beautiful, intelligent, talented people into ravaged homeless bums. Life is too precious for that.

bump

I don't smoke pot since all it ever did was to make me tired, paranoid and hungry and I am all of those things naturally anyway.

Bad habits:

Eating when I am not hungry ( as in "social " eating)
Emotional eating (I'll show her! I'll eat this bag of chips!!!!)
Do not hydrate enoguh (water water everywhere... and I only take tiny sips)

Taking "tastes" of food as I'm cooking it. There's no reason to taste it five times, but I do.

I think my worst habit is the compulsion to eat something "naughty" when I am alone or when people leave the room. I used to be a "secret eater" (i.e., when I'd make bad food choices, I'd go eat it in my car, or in a closet, or when I was home alone) because I didn't want to be judged. It became such a habit that when I find myself alone my first impulse is to grab the least healthy thing in the room, even when I am not hungry!!

I try to substitute this by grabbing and chugging some water, but something I still find myself in front of an open fridge without even being consciously aware of having gone to do it!! :eek:

A lot of nights when I let the dogs out before bedtime I make a stop at the fridge to grab a couple little pinches of shredded mozzarella that is always in our fridge.

Oh and I am definitely a sampler when cooking. Especially when I bake!