Bad Habits Never Die

Part of me joined this community to lose weight - the other part joined to learn good eating habits. The reason I gained weight was because I seemed to have no control over when to STOP eating. For example, I would sit down and eat until I was full. But that feeling of fullness would not prevent me from eating even MORE, until I was WAY TOO FULL. "One more bite," I would think "won't hurt."

Since I joined CC, I got much better about that. I eat only until I am full, sometimes to the point right before that, knowing that fullness will come later.

Well last night we had this huge BBQ, Bulgarian style (I am Bulgarian). It had amazing salads covered in feta cheese, kiopolo, tikvichki, and about 135411543536551 different kinds of barbequed meats. My family loves meat. Unfortunately by the time the BBQ came around, I had already eaten my 1200 calories, since I was unaware of the fact that we were in fact, having guests over.

However, the last time I had eaten was at 11, where I had eaten too many almonds, and thus could not eat anything. So by 8pm, with the meat sizzling on the BBQ, I was STARVING.

I tried drinking water. I drank about 10 cups. I tried walking around, keeping my hands busy, but I was way too hungry.

So I sat down at the table with my family and friends and I thought only a little bit. "A nibble from this, a nibble from that, it won't hurt."

WRONG. I ate and ate and ate, another 800-1000 calories.

The problem here isn't that I am angry that I ate too many calories yesterday.

I am angry at myself for not STOPPING TO EAT. I was full after probably 250 more calories, putting me at 1400. But NO, I HAD TO KEEP GOING.

ugh. I am disgusted with my behavior. Will I change? I want to eat small portions, I want to eat to my fill, I want to have control over this. Last night was a complete uncontrollable disaster.

Any advice?

don't worry so much about it.  i just lost 84 pounds & i still pig out now & then.  it's no big deal.  them calories will just end up averaging in.  sometimes it's good for the body to get more calories anyway.  :D

hang in there.  you'll get better!

Bad habits die when you exercise good willpower. I'm not saying its easy, but it IS possible. Its a test. I quit smoking, you can do this. :)  Imagine how proud of yourself you would be? 

Yep I agree, it'll get better in time.  Just like bad habits, learning to eat and live a healthy lifestyle is a learned behaviour.  It has become second nature to me now.  I get full faster, but then again, i'm eating something every few hours.

Keep your chin up!
~H~

There are always occasions when you'll eat more than you inted.   Whether it's an impromptu barbecue, whether you call in on granny and she insists on you having a bite to eat or whether it's the office birthday and you're pressed to have a piece of cake.  And I don't think you should be too hard on yourself.  When everyone else is tucking in heartily and the smell of grilled meats is wafting around it would have been antisocial (not to say miserable) to decline and opt to starve. Your behaviour wasn't 'disgusting'... that's just heaping on guilt which you don't need.

If you really want to rein it in, learn how to say 'no thanks' and keep things more under control then the answer is to have a game-plan and then practice, practice, practice! 

So think back over how the day evolved, what your actual choices were and how you could do it better next time around.  In truth, you'd have been fine if you'd stopped at 600 extra calories because that would have made it a 'maintenance' day rather than a 'weight-loss' day.   Could you have found some vegetables or salads to fill up on, for example?  And rather than pick a little here and nip a little there... (always deadly in a buffet situation)....  another time only put on your plate everything you intend to eat, and then don't go back for seconds.  

If you have a plan of action you'll be less likely to get caught up in the moment.  It requires a little application but I'm confident you could do it.  Best of luck

If you weren't starving, you might not have over eaten. I feel that it's better to feel comfortably full all of the time because it leads me away from the "I could eat a horse... AND I WILL! NOM NOM NOM!" excessive food frenzy and keeps me able to only go over by 200-400 calories, instead of the usual 1000 or so.... ;-)

Almonds aren't going to fill you up. I think it's unrealistic to expect that even though you went over your calories with them, you weren't going to have to eat later. Maybe you just need to watch the almond intake and trade it for something more filling? Or just realize you over did it on the almonds and say: "At least they were a healthy snack, but I'm going to have to allow myself the 200/300/400 calories I over ate in almonds as a small dinner tonight in order to feel okay physically."

If you weren't in the "I'm starving" mindset, you probably would've done okay. If you care enough to be concerned, you care enough to change your lifestyle, and therefore you care enough to do it! =)!

I  dropped over 100 lbs in a relatively short period of time...and when I was done while I was now thin I still had my old eating habits deep inside that would tear at me hahaha....but I didn't give in and now two years later eating healthy has just become a part of me and my old habits have not only died but are buried somewhere far far away hahaha....so bad habits do vanish with time!

ahh thanks guys...today is a new day, new start.

Every time you do anything - anything! - neurons in your brain travel on pathways, doing what neurons do.  Those paths get deeper and deeper the more you do that thing.  That's why it's so hard to change habits, because those pathways are there forever.  If you stop doing that thing, they eventually get smaller, but they never go away.  That's why people who quit smoking or drinking can start again after years & years, after a stressful thing happens to them or whatever.  You can't ever change that.  We all need to focus on creating new pathways and better behaviors rather than focusing on what we can't change. 

Give yourself a break!!!   Return to your good habits the next day and remember how bad you felt this time if you get the urge to over eat again.  Are you sure your daily calorie goal is right for you?  You should always eat if you are actually hungry - even if it is just 100 calories!  If you find yourself truly starving often, consult a nutritionist on how many calories is realistic and healthy for you.  I did a 1200 a day diet for about 6 months.  Yeah, I lost weight!  But my hair started falling out and my skin looked awful.  I consulted a nutritionist and found out that I should have a more realistic goal of about 1600 calories.  I still lost weight (albeit a little more slowly), wasn't hungry all the time, and my hair grew back in.  Hey, I can be a little more patient with the weight loss to actually FEEL GOOD!   

Original Post by dog_lady:

Every time you do anything - anything! - neurons in your brain travel on pathways, doing what neurons do.  Those paths get deeper and deeper the more you do that thing.  That's why it's so hard to change habits, because those pathways are there forever.  If you stop doing that thing, they eventually get smaller, but they never go away.  That's why people who quit smoking or drinking can start again after years & years, after a stressful thing happens to them or whatever.  You can't ever change that.  We all need to focus on creating new pathways and better behaviors rather than focusing on what we can't change. 

i completely agree with the above. i also see my emotional eating like any other psychological addiction. it'll always be there for me & i have to keep conscious about it.

but it usually only gets out of hand when i don't take care of myself. it sounds like that happened with you, by not allowing yourself to eat, even though you ate too many almonds, you only set yourself up for overeating.

i personally dont believe my overeating has anything to do with will power. as i have learned over the years, i turned to food because i was not taking care of myself. actually when i do overeat, i know its because im not taking care of some aspect of myself, not necessarily because i dont have the will power to turn from food.

but you know, some times it happens & you just learn (possibly re-learn again) & move on. and the occasional pig out with some really really good food is ok, as long as you dont do it again too soon. i would actually be more upset for you if it wasn't 'amazing' food you overate on. amazing food needs to be enjoyed. so just be happy you had some good food with family & friends. just make sure to be good & exercise a little more until the next week. it all evens out.