Diet Excuses

[cocktailprincess]

Every single day we are faced with a reason to not diet.
Occasionally people around me try and encourage this behaviour with their “but it’s only….” Or “but you’re fine as you are” comments. I am also faced with the usual calendar of excuses (January blues, Valentines, Easter, Summer Barbeques, days out, Holidays abroad, birthdays, anniversaries, autumn and comfort food, Halloween and bonfire night, Christmas).

To succeed we need to break the “yes, but” mentality!!!!!

It would be so easy to give in to these little voices, I did it for years:

• “Yes, but it’s only one bar of chocolate and thin people eat chocolate all the time”
• “Yes, but it’s the weekend and everyone relaxes at the weekend”
• “Yes, but it’s a special occasion (again!!!) so it’s not like I do this all the time”
• “Yes, but I’m ill…….. someone I know is ill………work was awful today…………unhealthy food is cheaper………..it’s not my fault it’s my genes………I am too tired to cook………….I was born to be fat…………someone made a nasty comment………….it’s just a one off……….etc

And after all this I honestly used to say ALL THE TIME that I had no idea why I was fat as I ate really healthily under ‘normal’ circumstances- so it must have been my metabolism that was slow!!!! The fact was that ‘normal’ circumstances were pretty rare as I could always convince myself why this one time I was justified in overeating.

This behaviour, despite my 'normal healthy diet' got me morbidly obese. And despite my weight loss I still have the same voice in my head trying to sabotage my efforts with it's "oh go on, it's only......."

So confession time- what excuses have you/do you make? And………….are you even now trying to justify it?

 

[metrognome]

i can so relate to this post, i have used every excuse under the sun

 

[Mummoth]

All the above, plus "I deserve a treat, I've worked so hard", & "it's not like x, y or z will put more weight on me, it takes 3,500 cals to gain 1lb".

Trouble is it all adds up doesn't it?

I'm similar in height to you CP & my BMI was roughly the same as yours when I started. Hoping I can lose as much weight as you have!

 

[MrsBabyCakes]

I can relate to everything you said, and that's why I have lost and gained the same 2ibs for 3 weeks and I am trying to break that cycle but it is so hard! I been even whinging about it in my food diary so it's almost like you read it. Excellent post!

 

[cocktailprincess]

All the above, plus "I deserve a treat, I've worked so hard", & "it's not like x, y or z will put more weight on me, it takes 3,500 cals to gain 1lb".

Defo used these- and even thought "Well it only weighs 100g so that isn't going to make me heavier in the big sceme of things!

I been even whinging about it in my food diary so it's almost like you read it.

I promise I haven't- It is absolutely what goes on in my head ALL THE TIME. Sometimes the voice is easy to ignore, but sometimes it is just SO difficult- but at least all of us who get this know it isn't just us who has kidded themselves. Good luck with getting back on it, doll

 

[miss_williams]

Or it's star week so it's a legal requirement to put on and eat chocolate!

 

[Mummoth]

oh yes star week! An excellent excuse because we NEED chocolate then!

 

[HellieCopter]

Excellent thread CP.

I am the queen of justifying what I eat. Also the queen of guilts, but I end up getting over that!

Part of getting myself in the right headspace for losing weight was stopping making those excuses. Don't get me wrong, I still do it now and again for good reasons like holidays...things that are part of life and living. The little every-day excuses though, those are gone!

Now I mostly make excuses to justify buying new clothes and expensive handbags!

 

[lemon_fizz]

Wow, spot on, CP. Thanks for posting this. This is me exactly too.

 

[giblet]

Excellent post and totally rings true..."I've got too much to worry about atm to bother about my weight as well" etc etc etc or the most recent one "I've got it left in the house from Easter and I might as well eat it because once it's gone it's gone..." (to justify eating 10 snack size chocolate bars for my breakfast).
Right - I'm going right now to put the rest away out of sight, lol.
Really want my control back and to drop the excuses!

 

[CamilleBates]

Fantastic post!!!

I'm sat here thinking what might happen on Sunday, we're going to celebrating ny daughter's birthday. Is that a reason for ME to fall off the wagon? It's not MY birthday afterall! She's not going to care one bit if I have a couple of JD's or not... being there and making a a good day for her is enough to celebrate. I might have a bit of her birthday cake, but as long as it' within syns that's fine.

No more excuses from me!!!

I'm in a real positive mood now!

 

[smoomoo]

Fab post. Mine is usually "well im not overweight anymore so why shouldn't I have some chocolate" - hence why I cant get to my target and havent got any further on than I was in November!

or if I have been working overtime I feel sorry for myself and think I "deserve" to eat like a pig!

 

[cocktailprincess]

Just thought of another:

"There are kids starving in Africa that would be glad of this, so I have to eat it"

How does me eating a large bar of chocolate help starving children in Africa?

 

[tinkerbellsmum]

reading though your post makes me realise how childish i sound when i'm making these excusing if we r making a excuse to ourself we know we really shouldn't be doing it.

my excuses:
oh i've messed up now i will start again tommorrow or even next week.

its wi day i deserve a treat (theres a treat and then theres binging trying to gain every lb i've lost back and thats what i do)

i deserve this (what i deserve to keep myself fat)

everybody else is having it i should to (let them be fat)

i'm the queen of excuses and reading though this hun has made me realise how stupid i am being so thank you. saying this after having 5 days off this week cause its my birthday, think i forgot birthdays r only one day. oops

 

[pesty]

This is sooo true! Thanks CP i do this all the time! Like eating a sunday roast with roast potatoes in goose fat, puddings & wine round my OHs - well it would be rude not to! Awful - im round there everyday so it's not like i cant ask to have some cooked seperate and not have a pud! Or even eat a yoghurt that i have in the fridge instead!

And my worst 'alcohol doesnt count' i really cant break this one!! xx

 

[jen3]

Just thought of another:

"There are kids starving in Africa that would be glad of this, so I have to eat it"

How does me eating a large bar of chocolate help starving children in Africa?

Just what I was going to put. If I could send them the kids leftover food I would but of what benefit is it to them if I eat it. It all goes back to our mothers trying to get us to eat up. See, theres another excuse "my mum". Ignore the fact that I've been left home for years and when I was at home I was skinny anyway!!

Ooooh - also have to remember to blame having kids. Apart from the fact that my youngest were 8 last month!!!!

 

[Mrs V]

I was always an avid believer in "well, I've started the day badly, I will continue and start afresh tomorrow"

 

[cocktailprincess]

It all goes back to our mothers trying to get us to eat up. See, theres another excuse "my mum". Ignore the fact that I've been left home for years and when I was at home I was skinny anyway!!

LOL!!!

My Mum still blames her parents!- she goes misty eyed and says that the only way her Mum had of showing love was to give her food, so that is the reason why she can't stop eating. I mean, I try to be sympathetic, but my Mum is 62 for goodness sake!!!!!

 

[julie19]

My best excuse is on a Sunday night at 9pm - 'it won't make a difference now because I am getting weighed tomorrow' what the hell??!! Of course it does, it isn't magic food that disappears, the other one is * week and I have used the exercise excuse too...

 

[Louise24]

Hehe - love this post..

* I'm sure the body can only absorb so many kcals a day, so I may as well have x, y and z too!!

* If I'm on an early shift at work, I deserve to have a chocolate bar mid morning as I was up so early - duh, still same amount of kcals no matter what time I get up!!