Anyone Ever Just Say To Hell With It?

does anyone ever just say to hell with your diet and counting calories and just eat whatever you want?

for some reason, i feel compelled to do that about once per week. i did it today....ate in a mexican restaurant and ate 2 cheese enchiladas, beans, rice, chips, etc. THEN, I ate an ice cream cone!!

when i have this mindset, i don't know how to talk myself out of it! it's like i'm on a path of destruction and can't steer clear. it's as if i've completely talked myself into it and there are no other options.

any suggestions from those of you who have learned how to stop doing this? or, does everyone do this from time to time? when i say "this", i basically mean to revert to past eating habits.

Thanks!

This always happens to me I try to remember that this one meal is going to kill all the hard work I have put in for the past week and is it really worth this.  Some times it works some times it does not just remember to re start as soon as you get over your binge and most of the time when I have this prob it is helpfull to eat a little sugary snack like a 100 callorie pack of cookies or some other type of sweet treat that you normally would not eat good luck!!

I've said to hell with it for the past three weeks 'cause I've been sick and Labatt with a Twix chaser makes me feel better.

Eventually the guilt and regret of what you're doing will kick in and then you'll have talked yourself out of it. 

I've heard of people actually schedule a cheat day, or cheat meal into they're plans. That way you're more likely stick with eating good stuff the rest of the time, and you don't need to feel to hell with it, cause you're not depriving yourself of something you enjoy.

I have been there and for me when the guilt sets in, it is not worth all the hard work I put in. I practically despise myself the next day for being out of control. One day I went out with friends for my birthday and I decided to cast all my cares. Not only did I have indigestion, I put on over 3 pounds overnight and it took me 10 days to get back to where I was before all that happened. You might want to ask yourself if it is really worth it? What I do these days is treat myself to something I like at the expense of another. If I want ice cream, cake, yoghurt I will have it but no proper meals there after (but lots of vegetables, may be), then I go for a long walk, I try to sleep early so that I don't think about food. Another thing, if you want to treat yourself, be sure to do it earlier rather than later on in the day. You have better chances of burning it. I try to do that a lot so even if the scale tips NOT in my favor, it is not so heartbreaking.

To be honest, we need these treats! At least I do!!!  

 Well, I do it every weekend:) I don't count cals on the weekend but I've found that I just naturally stay pretty close to my intake.  I log what I ate into CC on Monday and I had one day that I went over by about 750 but usually it's breaking even or going over by a couple hundred.  I just don't eat as much as I used to because it makes me feel ill. 

Plus, I don't want to give up going out to eat with friends.  That doesn't make for a happy life!

It's hard.  It really is.  I don't know how long you've been doing this, but I know with me it just took some time.  I finally had to accept that the way I'm eating on a daily basis- super-clean, counting calories- is the way I'm going to eat for the rest of my life if I want to be healthy. Since I enjoy my everyday food, it's really not that hard.  Sure, I've had to change a few bad habits, and I can't lie- the thought that I will (hopefully!) never again scarf down enormous platefuls of cheesey pasta makes me a little sad.  However, it's a small price to pay for feeling so much better all the time!

And I don't cut out the yummy, sinful stuff altogether.  I still go out to eat, and eat at other people's houses a lot.  Rather than seeing each occasion as an excuse to splurge, I've just had to figure out how to work it into the rest of my plan.  If I know I'm going out to a restaurant, I just decide what I'm having ahead of time, look forward to it, and enjoy it.  If I'm eating at someone else's house and I have no idea what I'll be getting, but I can be pretty sure it will be heavy, I just eat less during the day, get in an extra-long workout, and don't worry about counting calories for that meal.  I try not to go crazy though.  I just have a small helping of everything, including dessert, then take seconds on salad and veggies. 

I've noticed I get full on a lot less, and I'm enjoying my food so much more than I did in the days when I scarfed down vast quantities.

So, just be patient with yourself while you figure out what works.  You don't have to deny yourself everything, but don't be too tolerant, either.  It's a big change, but you can do it!

I feel like saying the hell with it right now! I shouldn't feel like this because I woke up with a 1 lb loss, so I SHOULD be motivated... But ALL i want to do is eat the entire bag of pretzels thats in my kitchen right now. Seriously, its all I can think about. I tried drinking extra water, a treadmill work out. But gooddddd do i want those pretzels. And i dont even love pretzels thats much. Having a hard time getting a grip...

This happens to me a lot too. I have found ways to combat it. I have enlisted the help of two of my best friends and I can call them ANY time when I feel like binging, and they are always able to talk me out of it.

I also have a two piece bathing suit hanging on my bedroom door so it reminds me constantly of where I want to be.

Sometimes I just end up giving in and the best thing to do is to just forgive yourself and to move on. I have often said to myself "Well I have already ruined my diet today, so there is no use in trying to eat good for the rest of it" but this is total sabotage. It is far better to eat one bad meal that you can forgive yourself for than a whole day of terrible eating that will really make you feel down. It is easier to burn off one binge than several.

When I first started dieting I would elect Sunday dinner as my splurge meal each week and it did help. Knowing that I had that meal to look forward to helped to stick to my plan for the rest of the week. I am currently not doing ANY cheating, at least not yet, because I am trying to lose as much weight as possible before my trip to Vegas in April. 

It all boils down to motivation and you can get that all over. I had my friends and family email me with motivational words of inspiration and then I printed these out and individually taped them up all over my house, lol. It may look crazy, but it helps. 

just try to think before you eat!  ask yourself if it's worth it or not.  sometimes it is  :D  if it's worth it, go for it.  AND remember how long it takes to lose even just one pound AND how quickly you can gain an entire 3 pounds!

i still go out for the "all you can eat" meals now & then.  LOL  and i've lost 61 pounds since 9/4, so i don't worry about it.  i know that there's nothing bad enough that i can do that will EVER bring all that weight back.  :D

or it would at least take a really long time...

you really DO need to enjoy yourself now & then, just try to get back to CC ASAP, AND don't feel guilty either.  it's well deserved!

Throw the pretzels away. Take them out of the bag and throw them away. If you really have to have them, take out a small handful and throw the rest away. Sometimes when you are having intense cravings it is just better to have a small amount rather than eating your way around it and still going to it anyway.

I give myself the option of one cheat day per week. I often go two weeks before I need one, but I at least like to have that option. I give myself one day to eat what I feel like and I don't count anything. When I'm craving something bad, I think, "Okay, I'll have that on Friday (or whatever day I designate as cheat day)." Often, by the time I reach my cheat day I am no longer craving the really bad stuff. I'm also finding that my new habits are starting to stick, so I don't go too overboard on cheat days, but I still enjoy the feeling that I'm indulging. I think the biggest thing is to make sure to listen to your body and eat until satisfied, not just because you can.

What's your motivation for counting calories?  I don't mean to sound rude, but maybe it's not a good enough reason?  Re think your motivation- or find a new one entirely.  Good Luck!

Original Post by coley_moley:

What's your motivation for counting calories?  I don't mean to sound rude, but maybe it's not a good enough reason?  Re think your motivation- or find a new one entirely.  Good Luck!

coley moley: you definitely aren't being rude.  you ask a very good question; it's one that i've asked myself over the years. i used to be very concentrated on my physical appearance. my appearance used to be my only motivation for losing the weight. and, somehow, it wasn't strong enough motivation. i'm married. my husband loves me. i'm not trying to attract another mate. so, although i'd love to be more attractive, wanting that just wasn't enough.

but, things have changed for me. as i'm getting older (now 32), i'm realizing that there are real risks to being fat. real health risks that could prevent me from living the kind of life that i want to live. so, returning to my former state of health is my motivation. and, i know that the only way to do that is to lose the weight.

i think i'm just coming to terms with that fact...that i HAVE to lose weight in order to live how i want to...in order to do the things that i used to love.

i've come to understand that it's a very black and white choice: i can either lose the weight and live a full life or i can keep it on and be severely limited in what i can do.

but, for some reason, when i talk myself into these binges, i don't remember those things. i block them out because i want to binge.

i have a feeling that it's like someone else said: i'll just get better at handling these situations over time.  

Original Post by brightestblue:

It's hard.  It really is.  I don't know how long you've been doing this, but I know with me it just took some time.  I finally had to accept that the way I'm eating on a daily basis- super-clean, counting calories- is the way I'm going to eat for the rest of my life if I want to be healthy. Since I enjoy my everyday food, it's really not that hard.  Sure, I've had to change a few bad habits, and I can't lie- the thought that I will (hopefully!) never again scarf down enormous platefuls of cheesey pasta makes me a little sad.  However, it's a small price to pay for feeling so much better all the time!

And I don't cut out the yummy, sinful stuff altogether.  I still go out to eat, and eat at other people's houses a lot.  Rather than seeing each occasion as an excuse to splurge, I've just had to figure out how to work it into the rest of my plan.  If I know I'm going out to a restaurant, I just decide what I'm having ahead of time, look forward to it, and enjoy it.  If I'm eating at someone else's house and I have no idea what I'll be getting, but I can be pretty sure it will be heavy, I just eat less during the day, get in an extra-long workout, and don't worry about counting calories for that meal.  I try not to go crazy though.  I just have a small helping of everything, including dessert, then take seconds on salad and veggies. 

I've noticed I get full on a lot less, and I'm enjoying my food so much more than I did in the days when I scarfed down vast quantities.

So, just be patient with yourself while you figure out what works.  You don't have to deny yourself everything, but don't be too tolerant, either.  It's a big change, but you can do it!

you are where i want to be mentally. i don't think i've parted ways with the enormous bowls of cheesy pasta yet! but, you're SO right! what a small price to pay for feeling great every day!

i think that getting to this mindset is a journey. i'm much closer than i ever have been, but i'm not *quite* there yet. i'll just keep trudging along.

yes, but i haven't yet...

i think i just get frustrated with the fact that i care about this stuff so much, angry that i can't go back to caloric-ignorance. my way of fighting would be to go on a self destructive food binge screaming 'f u' to the world of calories and nutrition. -.o

thankfully my wits stay about me. xD 

Ditto! Hellooooo..... you just posted my exact mind set for the last three weeks.

I just went through that again this weekend!  I'm still beating my self up because I'm so miffed at myself.  I just decided today, I will try to keep my calories in check..... maybe the whole calorie intake thing will "even out" by Friday. 

It seems like when I do over eat, or over drink on the weekends, it sure puts my weight loss into a stall.  I need to buckle down and get through this week with out the additional calories!

Good luck to you as well!

 

I tell myself that I can eat whatever I want, but I have to be honest about the calories I'm eating & log them.  This usually calms down that part of my brain that wants "MORE".  I have also thrown food away (much to my husband's disgust).

 

I think that it's not that I really want to binge, but that I don't want to be "responsible" that day or think about what I'm putting into my body.

I would assume that almost everyone goes through that periodically.  Just remember...this is a lifestyle change, not a short term diet.  If you're absolutely dying to eat a big meal of Mexican food one day, it's so not going to ruin your progress!  Remember that you'd have to eat 3500 calories EXTRA to gain a lb...I doubt you did that on one day of heavy eating. 

Not that I'm saying you should say screw it all of the time...but every once in awhile it isn't going to hurt you.  I am one of those people who schedules a cheat day.  I don't always go crazy and eat like a piggy, but I have days where if I want a heavier meal and then a small dessert, I go for it.  I figure I can make it up with one of the days later in the week where I"m not as hungry for the day, or just don't eat quite as much for whatever reason.  It's all about balance, right?  I also think that flexing your calories actually helps with the weight loss....at least it did for me.  I found that I rarely got stuck in a plateau once I started varying my daily calories...but when I ate 1500 every day, I would get stuck for weeks at a time.

Anyhoooo...best of luck!  If you need a cheat day here and there, I say go for it...so long as it's not turning to the point where you find that you're having tons of cheat days and no good days....  :)

Have you thought of maybe creating a mantra that matches your motivation.  My motivation is that I want to get down to a healthy weight in order to start a family.  I know that if I got pregnant now, I'd probably end up on bed rest and with some health concerns.  My husband and I have decided to name our first child Nova, so whenever temptation rears its ugly head, I say to myself, "Would you rather eat that now?  Or meet Nova sooner?"  So far, it's worked every time.  A friend of mine's says to herself, "If you eat that, you're not going to live long enough to see your grandchildren graduate."  maybe if you could come up with a mantra- you'd be able to stop a binging thought in it's tracks!  Oh, I wrote my mantra down and taped it to the inside of my fridge too...every time you open the fridge, there it is!  I guess my point is...I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS!  And, once you do it, it will have been worth every hardship you experienced along the way.

I was in Las Vegas last weekend and did great for one day, working out in the hotel gym and recording everything I ate.  Then the whole Vegas mindset got ahold of me and I joined right in with the drinking and buffets.  Thank God I don't live there because the temptations are too great.  But as I was pigging out, I kept telling myself I'd go right back to healthy eating when I got home.  So what works for me is saying to hell with it maybe one day a month and going right back to CC after that.