"diet" question

[l23]

How can I get over the idea that I have to start a diet on Monday? I'm always thinking "Oh, I'll start eating better next Monday - I can't start a diet on Tuesday." So if I eat too much junk on Monday (last night I ate like 5 of those cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster!), I won't really eat that well for the rest of the week.

How can I get out of this state of mind?? I guess I think I'll have a fresh start on Mondays, but it's obviously not getting me anywhere!

Thanks!

 

[lorihart]

That is so funny.I think that we all think the same way.I do it all the time.But if I have a bad day then I don't go nuts the rest of the week.Actually, on Monday I was going to start a 1500 calorie diet ...somewhere along the way that gone blown away and yesterday before I ate the last meal of the day I must have already had about 1200 so that didn't leave a whole lot for me to eat.
But today I am going to do it and it is only Wednesday.Our bodies don't know what day it is when we start a new diet.It is all in our minds.You just have to get pass it.Or if you want you can pretend that it is Monday.HA hA
When I am trying to cut back sometimes I will grab food and I am just about to put it in my mouth when I realize that I don't need it...don't want it...or I just ate 5 of them already.And I will take it and throw it in the garbage.So the nest time your about to blow your diet look at whats going to go in your mouth...you will feel alot better after you let the dog eat it...trust me.

 

[getnfit@38]

Something that has helped me is to stop thinking of it by days and instead by meals. So if I had a "bad eating" lunch, then I try to make wiser choices at my next meal rather than trash the rest of the day. It actually makes me feel better, I kind of say to myself, "Well, I blew it at lunch, but the rest of my day was pretty decent, and tomorrow will be even better." And usually it is because I didn't compound my "oops" by carrying it over into another meal, but rather stopped it in its tracks and just did better the next meal.
We're human, "oops" happen! The important thing is not to make it an "all or nothing" deal!
Donna

 

[srmohler]

That is so relevant for me right now. I ALWAYS tell myself that I will wait until Monday. I decided this morning to just start on Wednesday, and be done with it.

I went on vacation for one week, and gained a pound, and then went on a work trip and gained three pounds (lots of sitting around and eating at restaurants). I came home Friday night feeling like a cow. I decided that if the new pounds came off by just eating normally, I wouldn't do anything drastic.

Well, Sunday morning, a pound had disappeared, and Monday morning, another 1/2 pound had gone. I figured it was water, and a basic cleanout of the system. Yesterday, my weight held steady, and today it was back up a 1/2 pound. Time to get serious, even if it IS Wednesday!!!!

My idea of getting serious is using a food log. I am always amazed at how much I'm putting in my mouth when I don't pay close enough attention. If I write everything down, I become conscious of each calorie, and it helps keep things under control. I try to stay between 1800 and 2000 calories each day. I was probably eating 3000 calories a day when travelling! I do this 1-2 times a year, always starting before I gain 5 pounds over what I consider my ideal weight. At 42, I'm scared to death that if I give up, it will never stop increasing!

Sandi M

 

[KatieDid]

Man - it always amazes me how someone on these forums is always posting exactly what I am thinking! Just before I read this thread I was looking at the one on the power of a positive comment - and wondering when I'll be able to silence my own worst critic - ME!!!

In the nutrition class I go to, the instructor is always talking about the failure cycle... how one bad choice usually precipitates another and another until you tell yourself you can't do anything about the downward slide anyway and just embrace it. On the other hand, she really works with us to build our aresenal of tools to help us give ourselves the necessary reality checks and cheerleading to succeed. The three big commitments that we work on to "guarantee" success are keeping food and exercise records, going to class for accountability, and making a mid-week checkin. (Yes there is more to the nutritional side but this is the foundation)

If you think about it, we can find all the accountability help weneed right here and the food records are an excellent way to know how to tweak your diet for results. Now lets work on that positive self-talk.....!!!!!

 

[susan-lynn]

I always used to fall into this - oh well, I'll start fresh on Monday. But it never happens, so now I try to just make smarter choices for the next meal, or the next day, instead of Monday.

If you have a slip - just carry on with your head held high.

Life is too short to be consumed with worrying all the time!

 

[judym64]

I like the one day at a time theory. I just tell myself "just for today, Im gonna eat really healthy, and Ill worry about tomorrow, tomorrow." If I let myself get too hungry and start wanting something bad (ie: resses cup) I promise myself Ill have a protein or meal replacement shake first, and if I STILL want it, Ill have it. So far, the shake ens up filling the void, so I dont ever end up eating the junk. You must allow yourself treats from time to time, so forget about the cheddar biscuts (boy, those sound good!) and focus on today but DONT put it off until the next Monday, youll just end up feeling bad. Good luck! Judy

 

[Beets]

I do what getnfit@38 said and stick to my diet by meals. For instance, this week has not been a good clean eating week and let me explain why. My dear hubbie had Monday and Tuesday off this week because he had to work all weekend. Well, I had a really busy day of training on Monday so I was gone all day. He decided to do something sweet and went to rent a movie for us and he picked up dinner so I didn't have to cook. Guess what dinner was? Kentucky Fried Chicken!! Don't get me wrong--I LOVE the Colonel but it don't like my hips and butt! Oh, and to make matters worse, the person who filled the order must have like my hubbie because instead of giving 6 pieces of chicken like he ordered, the person gave us 10 pieces! Anway, I curbed the urge to overindulge as much as I could but there still like 6 pieces of chicken left calling to me everytime I open the fridge. So, today, I ate one piece for lunch with a cup of super veggie soup I made and then I ate really well the rest of the day to balance out the fat that I had for lunch. All in all, I managed to get my total fat calories down to 24% of my calorie intake for the day by just behaving at all my other meals. So, enjoy the splurge once in a while, keep it to one meal only and move on!