No Self-control

[fletch8502]

That happens to me all the time, too! Sad, isn't it?

Are you actually physically hungry? If so, choose a healthy meal/snack with a good balance of carbs, protein, and some healthy fat. Drink plenty of water, too!

If you're not hungry, just bored, stressed, etc., drink lots of water, chew some gum, and distract yoursel! Take on a project, do some exercise, etc.

You can do it!

[vickytoria3112]

Originally Posted by pycook69

Good Morning,

Why is it that when you make up your mind to do right and eat healthy you get cravings for EVERYTHING!!!!????? I am craving sweets, salt and just plain old goooooood foooooood.

Hi pycook,

I know what you mean about the cravings. In the beginning of my journey I had the same problem. What got me through it was a little bit of everything that was going on around me. I hope I don't bore you but I am willing to share.

I'm a single mother of 3. 2 of my children are disabled. I donated blood and found out I had high cholesterol. I need to be here for my kids so that was one big push.

My mom is diabetic. It hurts me to watch her schedule her day of when she can eat and when she cannot, For her insulin. Pricking her fingers. Bandages. I started noticing I don't want to live that way.

My grandfather has had 3 strokes and 1 heart attack. I see how he suffers. He walks very slow, out of breath easily. I surely don't want to be a burden to my children for as long as I can help it.

These things plus others pushed me in the right direction. It wasn't easy. I use to cry after I binged because I knew it was wrong and I didn't want to be like my mom or grandfather. I use to visit my kids' bedrooms one by one and see how happy they were sleeping knowing I was here with them.

I want to continue to be here with them.

So, I trained myself. I threw away all the sodas first. That alone helped me lose 5 lbs in 1 week. Started baking everything instead of frying. Whole wheat breads. Tons of water. I drink 100 oz of water a day. I read somewhere water helps melt away fat when you drink it at room temperature. I had to really train myself to drink hot water. Take plenty of vitamins. I restricted myself to 1200 calories a day. I try to walk twice a week (1 hour = about 6 miles) and a work out dance DVD once a week (45 minutes).

Just try and see what works for you. We have faith in you.

[Jaybrodz]

Hi. I would like to invite you to the 100 Plus corner also. Check out mypyramid.com. If you run your info, it will only go down to a low of 2000 cal intake a day. Remember this is a gov't site, but to the right you can tab to different calorie intakes and it will break it down to the correct amount of each food group that you should be eating. I know what also has worked for me is not just the lovely ladies at the forum, but when I do my own research to find out why this or why that. By the way, there is also a meal planner at that other site and it is much easier because you can copy it from day to day. Like I always eat the same b'fast of cereal and milk. I usually eat the dinner from the day before for the next lunch or later in the week. You can copy in that way. It can always be changed later but for me, one of the hard things for me about dieting was matching my shopping list or what I had in the house with healthful meals and snacks and now I don't have to worry about that for a week. It saves it for seven days.

[pycook69]

Good Morning Ladies,

I over did it yesterday but I am jumping back on the wagon today. I would like to say I haven't had a soft drink in 3 days. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!. I wanted one so bad yesterday but I resisted, yea for me.

I have written down everything I put in my mouth and the conclusion I have come to is I EAT TOOOOO MUCCCCH. I eat a lot of carbs in a run of a day and I need to get a better handle on that.

Also, has anyone tried Alli? I am thinking about getting a little extra boost. Let me know if you have and what you think of it.

Got to run holler at you Beautiful Ladies later,

[changeisgood29]

Hello Pycook, and welcome to FitDay and your newfound commitment to yourself. I haven't tried Alli, but I wanted to respond to your comment regarding cravings.

I hope I don't get lambasted for saying this, but I believe that it is so important to realize and truly internalize that there is no such thing as a "bad" food. By emotionalizing what we eat, we do ourselves a bad turn. Let me explain a bit as to what I mean, and yes, this has everything to do with cravings... If I tell myself that cheeseburgers, ice cream and chips are "bad" foods (these are all 'trigger' foods for me, by the way), then I will continue to want and want and want and want them. However, if I tell myself, "hey, I can have whatever I want - IN MODERATION," then lo and behold, my cravings actually start to abate. This is not something that happens overnight, and please don't think I'm saying to eat whatever you want any old time - clearly, we're all here because our diet and lifestyle needs changing or we are focused on maintaining the good habits we worked at developing. My point only is that in terms of a permanent lifestyle change, it is just not reasonable to never ever eat high fat/carb foods again. The trick is moderation.

No, I don't keep my 'trigger' foods at home, but if I have ice cream once a month (I think you can guess what time of the month that is ), it's just not a big deal as long as long as I do so in moderation. The cool thing also about changing your diet is that the healthier you eat, the better you'll feel, and those high fat foods just won't hold as much as a draw as they do now.

Yes, hold yourself accountable for everything you eat. Yes, improve your diet. Just don't think you can't eat certain foods ever again because you are changing your lifestyle. The emphasis is on a lifestyle change, not on a diet you'll be on for a few months and then go back to the unhealthy habits you had before. If it helps to eliminate high-fat/carb food at first to avoid binges, by all means go that route - we all work differently, as another member had mentioned. But no food is 'bad' - there are simply some foods that are better enjoyed once in awhile in moderation.

I don't mean to get on a soapbox (I didn't even mean to write so much!); I'm no guru, just a woman who's had a weight problem her whole life and is finally learning how to take care of myself long-term, and not just for a few months on a 'diet.'

[pycook69]

Thank you changeisgood29 ,

Never thought about it that way and you know what it makes a lot of since. It is like when you were young and your mom and dad told you they didn't like the guy you were dating and low and behold your LOVE for him grew 10X's more.

I will look at it that way for now on and see how I handle it. Thanks again.