My 128 lb Drop Diary [WEEK 67]

[toxicsgrl]

I do agree that you shouldn't totally deprive yourself, or you're doomed to fail. I do have days where I indulge myself, though not every week. But if you think about it logically, overeating is a form of addiction, so using food as a reward for fighting that addiction is a bit like a smoker saying, well I've not smoked all week, so I'll treat myself to a few fags at the weekend as a reward - you're reinforcing the addiction rather than changing your mindset, which is what you need to do for long-term success. Sorry to waffle on, but I've been giving a lot more thought to the mental aspect of weight loss this time round, as it's the one thing I've never managed to crack, and it's so vital. xx

I get you but the difference is, I don't want to give up food. If you quit smoking you quit it all together. I dont want to give up crisps and choc and takeaways, I want to be able to enjoy them without binging. I've got to that stage now. And because I don't binge, i enjoy it more having it less often. Like a normal person with no weight issues. I don't want to give up anything because when I get to goal I want to have learned how to have self control as I feel that is my key to lifelong losses.
I guess we are all different and different things work for different people. X

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[REV23]

Don't let it get to you. Fight it. Your body will reward you. Your body is getting used to exercise, using muscles it hadn't used puts strain on it. Go for 5 pints of water a day on work out days and eat back your exercise cals. This keeps the metabolism going. It speeds up after exercise so if you eat it burns what you Ate and more.
Are you exercising day after day? You could try every other day to give your body time to cAtch up. It took me a few months to find a cal intake and diet that I was losing with week after week but now I'm settled in it it's working great. I feel your frustration though, I really do.
I so don't eat after about 6 pm and that's helped me lose too. I lose more if I drink 4 pints if water and stick to my 6 pm curfew. Up to 4 lbs or more sometimes on those weeks with no exercise either!

Not sure about building muscle, that could be what happened but prob it's water retention. Get swigging! Add sugar free squash to make it taste better xx

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Just finished the workout, was a good way to let out some frustation.

I work-out whichever days I can. Some days my muscles are in pain from 2-3 straight days, so I rest. Then exercise the next day.

This works out at around 5 workouts each week.

I just had some soup straight after working out, I try to eat asap whenever I exercise.

Interesting to read your July post, it is almost identical to my weigh-in post today haha. I will work hard again this week, I know I will lose this time.

I just wanted to get under 300 by 2013, it was a goal really, and I failed. So I am gutted. Oh well, it will only make me work harder.

 

[REV23]

I can only reiterate all that has been said above - just make sure your extra cals are good cals in the form of nuts, eggs, veg, etc - macademia nuts and cranberries are my fave at the moment and I also buy the bags of shelled nuts cos then I have to open them rather than just grazing on a handful - keeps you aware how much you have eaten & it's slower.
Struggling too but I know I have had damn all water & I was on over 2.5 litres a day, so need to change that. You could just have some water retention going on and so it's not a disaster as you know you've not gained fat - eventually you'll see the result on the scale.
Just remember not to let number dictate your week, got on with it. It wont be the same number next week.

Thanks, I know it will be better next week!

I feel good, I don't feel like I have gained fat. So who knows. May weigh myself tomorrow just in case my body was just being strange.

 

[REV23]

Can I just say Alex, you should never ever reward weight loss with food! Psychologically it's about the worst thing you could possibly do. Reward yourself, yes, but never with food. xx

Here's just one of many articles about weight loss rewards on the web - think a lot of these suggestions are more aimed towards women, lol, but you get the idea:

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/21_Ways_to_Reward_Yourself_Without_Food.html

You really need to break that association between food and reward/comfort/feeling good etc. It's the most important thing when it comes to keeping the weight off - you basically need to re-programne your neural pathways! Easier said than done, of course, I haven't managed it yet! xx

I know, it sounds bad. But I will try to explain.

I cannot deny that I like bad food, I like fried chicken, I like burgers, I like unhealthy food. I know if I go a month without something I used to eat, I will go crazy. It happened before.

I still monitor myself on this day, I stay below 2000 calories. I eat healthy stuff for the whole day still, I just have a bad meal.

Whenever I crave something heavily in the week, I just say to myself "you will have it on Sunday, until then work hard". It helps me. I don't want to be in denial to the fact that I enjoy unhealthy food. Each Sunday I feel great, I know I worked hard and that I can relax.

It has worked for me so far, 9 weeks. I have cheat one meal a week and I crave nothing throughout the week.

But oh well, I am cancelling it today anyway.

I like that list, but right now there is a problem. Most of them cost money, and I am a broke 18 year old. There is no way I can reward myself really. I spend almost all my wages on my car payment, and since I have been on this diet, food payments.

What else could I do?

 

[TracyGWill]

No, I agree with that completely. It's actually the connection with reward that's a tricky one, due to the nature of food addiction. But also, in the early days of weight loss, like Alex is in, I do think it's better to be a bit stricter. I went for 4 months with no treat days at all, by which time the new habits were ingrained. Now that I've lost 7.5 stone I'm entirely comfortable with having the odd day "off", safe in the knowledge that I can get straight back to normal the next day. And yes, you're right in that eating is different to smoking, of course, but the addictive nature of things like sugar and the way it acts on the brain is exactly the same, so the idea for permanent weight loss is to minimise your desire for those addictive, anti-nutritious types of food, like Rosie says. I'm now at the stage where I can actually look foward to some nice fruit, something I never thought possible, lol, so it's a start! xx

 

[Kira]

Love your determination Rev. It's great you haven't let today's weigh in put your off.

Ladies interesting posts re food as treats/rewards. Ultimatley it is our respective mindsets we have to change and I guess it depends what works for us as individuals. Both to,lose weight and maintain.

I will always battle with bingeing and I will always have to work hard at restraint from over eating. I could not use the weekly food reward to lose weight it just would trigger binges. But I understand it works for others. I simply have to change what I eat how and when otherwise I will regain what I've lost so far and I risk not reaching goal.


Hope you all enjoy new year's eve celebrations and have a bit of what you like! I certainly will be despite risking my bingeing!

 

[TracyGWill]

No, I agree with that completely. It's actually the connection with reward that's a tricky one, due to the nature of food addiction. But also, in the early days of weight loss, like Alex is in, I do think it's better to be a bit stricter. I went for 4 months with no treat days at all, by which time the new habits were ingrained. Now that I've lost 7.5 stone I'm entirely comfortable with having the odd day "off", safe in the knowledge that I can get straight back to normal the next day. And yes, you're right in that eating is different to smoking, of course, but the addictive nature of things like sugar and the way it acts on the brain is exactly the same, so the idea for permanent weight loss is to minimise your desire for those addictive, anti-nutritious types of food, like Rosie says. I'm now at the stage where I can actually look foward to some nice fruit, something I never thought possible, lol, so it's a start! xx

Sorry, this was in reply to Toxicsgrl, lol. xx

 

[REV23]

I do agree that you shouldn't totally deprive yourself, or you're doomed to fail. I do have days where I indulge myself, though not every week. But if you think about it logically, overeating is a form of addiction, so using food as a reward for fighting that addiction is a bit like a smoker saying, well I've not smoked all week, so I'll treat myself to a few fags at the weekend as a reward - you're reinforcing the addiction rather than changing your mindset, which is what you need to do for long-term success. Sorry to waffle on, but I've been giving a lot more thought to the mental aspect of weight loss this time round, as it's the one thing I've never managed to crack, and it's so vital. xx

You raise a good point, however, a think comparing tobacco to food is completely different. Food is something that we need, and have to eat in order to survive. Where as tobacco is someone can survive without.

My weight problem didn't arise from an addiction. I simply was too naive, and too lazy to eat properly. I would eat at ridiculous times (like 3 am), and only eat carb.

It was just ignorance. Pure ignorance. I now know how stupid I was, I could never live like that again - EVER.

BUT... I still enjoy a something naughty. I keep it low carb though. Been doing this since day 1 and it helped me a lot.

 

[TracyGWill]

I know, it sounds bad. But I will try to explain.

I cannot deny that I like bad food, I like fried chicken, I like burgers, I like unhealthy food. I know if I go a month without something I used to eat, I will go crazy. It happened before.

I still monitor myself on this day, I stay below 2000 calories. I eat healthy stuff for the whole day still, I just have a bad meal.

Whenever I crave something heavily in the week, I just say to myself "you will have it on Sunday, until then work hard". It helps me. I don't want to be in denial to the fact that I enjoy unhealthy food. Each Sunday I feel great, I know I worked hard and that I can relax.

It has worked for me so far, 9 weeks. I have cheat one meal a week and I crave nothing throughout the week.

But oh well, I am cancelling it today anyway.

I like that list, but right now there is a problem. Most of them cost money, and I am a broke 18 year old. There is no way I can reward myself really. I spend almost all my wages on my car payment, and since I have been on this diet, food payments.

What else could I do?

I understand what you mean, having done it myself in the past - but they were all the weight loss attempts of mine that ultimately resulted in failure, lol. I can only speak from my personal experience, but there is also an awful lot of advice out there about not using food as a reward. This time, I just cut chocolate out straight away, and didn't allow it back in at all for some time, but you just need to find a way that works for you. But I would, seriously, read up on the nature of food addiction and overcoming it, as it all boils down to the psychology of it in the end. A book I've found to be very good is Eating Less by Gillian Riley, it's really helped me.

Know what you mean about being too poor to buy expensive treats - I'm in the same position, lol. I tend to buy myself Kindle books as treats. Do you have a smart phone or tablet? Buy yourself a few good apps or music/TV downloads?? xx

 

[REV23]

All in all, my current plan has been fantastic for me. I mean, today is the only day where I have been disappointed.

I am happy with everything, my calorie intake, the food I eat, the exercise I do and the cheat meal I consume. It has worked well up until this one week. I will just have to nail it next week instead, and I will.

I know the "cheat day" can be seen as a little over the top, it is. However, each Monday I have gotten straight back into gear. It only helps me. I am disciplined enough right now not to over-do it, and I always look forward to a fresh new week after an unhealthy meal.

I appreciate all the help from you guys, it is fantastic and I could not thank you enough!

So anyway, I will keep doing what I am doing. Still debating as to whether to cheat today or not. I feel like I deserve it but then I know I gained. Weird feeling.

 

[REV23]

I understand what you mean, having done it myself in the past - but they were all the weight loss attempts of mine that ultimately resulted in failure, lol. I can only speak from my personal experience, but there is also an awful lot of advice out there about not using food as a reward. This time, I just cut chocolate out straight away, and didn't allow it back in at all for some time, but you just need to find a way that works for you. But I would, seriously, read up on the nature of food addiction and overcoming it, as it all boils down to the psychology of it in the end. A book I've found to be very good is Eating Less by Gillian Riley, it's really helped me.

Know what you mean about being too poor to buy expensive treats - I'm in the same position, lol. I tend to buy myself Kindle books as treats. Do you have a smart phone or tablet? Buy yourself a few good apps or music/TV downloads?? xx

I play a lot of video games. They are important to my life. But since my weight loss I have not played as much, however, each Sunday I do spend on evening playing them again.

It is another part of my reward system really. My Cheat Day consists of:

- Work-out when I wake up.
- Eat a healthy brunch.
- Sort out any quick errands.

THEN

- Buy a take-away meal. (low carb still though)
- Play video games and chill out for the rest of the evening.
- Whilst drinking 2-3 beers. I still drink a lot of water though!

There is nothing I can reward myself with really, I have a smartphone but already got everything I need.

At the end of the day, I am sound with my mentality. I love the fact you are talking about the mental part of weight loss because I think that is the toughest part.

However, I feel sound in the mental department right now. I adore this plan, and I will do it justice next weigh-in.

 

[TracyGWill]

You raise a good point, however, a think comparing tobacco to food is completely different. Food is something that we need, and have to eat in order to survive. Where as tobacco is someone can survive without.

My weight problem didn't arise from an addiction. I simply was too naive, and too lazy to eat properly. I would eat at ridiculous times (like 3 am), and only eat carb.

It was just ignorance. Pure ignorance. I now know how stupid I was, I could never live like that again - EVER.

BUT... I still enjoy a something naughty. I keep it low carb though. Been doing this since day 1 and it helped me a lot.

Why don't you think you're addicted to food? You say yourself that you like burgers and fried food - that's addiction in a nutshell, I'm afraid. As food those things have no nutritional value, we crave them because they're addictive, and that's what makes food addiction harder to overcome than something like tobacco - we can't give up food completely like you can cigarettes, so you have to learn to distinguish between hunger and addictive desire. That book I mentioned explains it really well. xx

 

[REV23]

Sorry to hear you didn't get the results you were expecting Alex. We all have bad weeks on the scales, even when we've done really well on exercise or eating well, but it could be muscle gain. It's not always about how many calories you eat, but the sort of things you eat and where you get your calories from. I agree with Tracy but it is different for every individual and what works best for them. If I was to treat myself to a bit of chocolate or something that is one of my favourite foods every week, then for me I would feel that wouldn't work because I would like to limit those foods as much as possible to only having them at Christmas or my birthday, so once or twice a year so that I can prove to myself that I can cope without eating my favourite foods.. I know that I can, but I do want my favourite foods to change from chocolate and crisps with sour cream and chive dip, to something more healthier like bananas, oranges and low fat yogurt I like your example there Tracy, about the smoking and bringing the addiction back to step 1 even when you go all week without it and then you go back to it for a day or 2. It's just teasing yourself.

Thanks for your input as always Rosie, I appreciate it!

I am just going to work harder this week, and I know the scales will be kind this time next week!

 

[TracyGWill]

I play a lot of video games. They are important to my life. But since my weight loss I have not played as much, however, each Sunday I do spend on evening playing them again.

It is another part of my reward system really. My Cheat Day consists of:

- Work-out when I wake up.
- Eat a healthy brunch.
- Sort out any quick errands.

THEN

- Buy a take-away meal. (low carb still though)
- Play video games and chill out for the rest of the evening.
- Whilst drinking 2-3 beers. I still drink a lot of water though!

There is nothing I can reward myself with really, I have a smartphone but already got everything I need.

At the end of the day, I am sound with my mentality. I love the fact you are talking about the mental part of weight loss because I think that is the toughest part.

However, I feel sound in the mental department right now. I adore this plan, and I will do it justice next weigh-in.

I'm glad you realise how important the mental side of things is, it can so often be overlooked. I'm not trying to be a nag, just to help where I think I can, lol. xx

 

[REV23]

Why don't you think you're addicted to food? You say yourself that you like burgers and fried food - that's addiction in a nutshell, I'm afraid. As food those things have no nutritional value, we crave them because they're addictive, and that's what makes food addiction harder to overcome than something like tobacco - we can't give up food completely like you can cigarettes, so you have to learn to distinguish between hunger and addictive desire. That book I mentioned explains it really well. xx

I love beer, but I am not an alcoholic. I still drink it recreationally each weekend.

Food is something I thoroughly enjoy, this includes both healthy and unhealthy food.

I have already overcome other addictions in my life, but I know food isn't an addiction. I was naive, that was my problem.

For me it's all about limitation, I can happily just eat one meal a week that is unhealthy. It also boils down to the fact that I want to relax on Sunday, I don't want to cook or spend time preparing.

I love food, I love beer, I love gambling, I love gaming, I love smoking. Currently, I still consume/do do all of these, but I just limit it. But any of these can be classified as an addiction. But I am not addicted to any of these, I have learnt to moderate it all. Including food.

It may just sound like I am in denial. But I know I'm not. When I look back at my previous lifestyle it almost makes me sick I could never go there again.

I was addicted to laziness, but I have overcome it.

 

[REV23]

I'm glad you realise how important the mental side of things is, it can so often be overlooked. I'm not trying to be a nag, just to help where I think I can, lol. xx

No no no! I appreciate every letter you type, I know you are just trying to help me. And that's what this website is for right?

All I can say, I am determined and confident that I will have the willpower to see this through. 2013 is going to be my year!

 

[rosie1234]

Thanks for your input as always Rosie, I appreciate it!

I am just going to work harder this week, and I know the scales will be kind this time next week!

Always welcome I'm sure you will work as hard as you can and I'm sure you'll get a big loss next week. Don't worry about today's results. We don't always get the results we expect to get. I hope the gain makes you more determined to get a loss next week

 

[REV23]

Always welcome I'm sure you will work as hard as you can and I'm sure you'll get a big loss next week. Don't worry about today's results. We don't always get the results we expect to get. I hope the gain makes you more determined to get a loss next week

I let out my frustration through exercise. I feel okay now, and looking forward to Week 10!

 

[TracyGWill]

No no no! I appreciate every letter you type, I know you are just trying to help me. And that's what this website is for right?

All I can say, I am determined and confident that I will have the willpower to see this through. 2013 is going to be my year!

Good, because I'll come on here and metaphorically kick you up the backside if it isn't!! xx

 

[REV23]

Good, because I'll come on here and metaphorically kick you up the backside if it isn't!! xx

Haha well if I gain again I expect to see you post here first thing Sunday!