♥ Here's how I lost 167lbs ♥: My Dieting Mindset

You gotta be DETERMINED. Bottom line. You have to recognize that it is a life time change and that you are the only person that feeds yourself. Here are a few mindsets that I have come up with myself to help me get past wanting to eat certain foods.

1. Unhealthy Food Outlook: Look at the food; you've eaten it before. Do you remember how it tastes? Of course you do! Has it changed? Of course it hasn't. Is it nutritious for your body? If not, why bother eating (edit: especially an unhealthy portion) again?

2. You can have your cake and eat it too: Take a bite, put down the fork, or the bag of m&m's or whatever your weakness may be. Chew, swallow. Okay now have the flavor in your mouth and you did not go over board on your calories. So after you swallow your food, it is gone, in your tummy, and you are only left with the stale taste off your tongue. So if you put another bite in your mouth, you double it. Then triple, etc. So in essence, calorie consumption is only about how many bites you put into your mouth. So CHILL after a few. (portion control)

3. Waste is Waste: If you are satisfied and have that "I really don't want to waste the rest of this" attitude, think about it! If you consume the food, you will digest it and it will still end up turning into WASTE. Or you can throw it away in the waste basket (or pack it for later) where your body does not have a chance to soak up those calories. Deal? All in all, its waste, so make the right wasteful choice.

4. Time is of the essence: Think about the non nutritious food that you are consuming. Are you going to remember that you consumed it after you have eaten it a week from now? Probably not. What did you eat last Monday? Don't know? Well then... my point is made.

5. Be the Spunky European Car: We only have 1 body, treat it with respect, the right nutrition, and it will treat you that way back. If you give a gasoline powered car diesel, it wont run right. So be a spunky European car and your engine will purr.

6. Give smell a chance! We have 5 senses which are nearly equally strong. Sight, smell, taste, and touch all play a role in how good the food is that we consume. Instead of always receiving joy from food, enjoy the smells of nature (flowers, grass, air) or light some candles to enjoy. This is not good for everyone, but I LOVE my berry candle because it reminds me of starbursts, and my vanilla one reminds me of cake. Mentally I am satisfied. Some cannot cope with these tho, so this is not for everyone.

7. Don't feel obligated to eat: You don't HAVE to eat that birthday cake, or celebration food. SO many people are wrapped up in celebration food and feel guilty if they do not eat the birthday cake. Let this go! Stand out from the crowd by putting your foot down. Bring your own healthy variations and suggest fruits and lean meats for parties you are attending. A healthy alternative for cake and ice cream is to bring sorbet instead. In this case, food is all about socializing.

8. Newly Added - Coping with a Binge: If you feel the want to binge, or eat a late night snack because you just WANT it, remind yourself that you can have it tomorrow. Tomorrow is ALWAYS an option. Keep it in your mind that you can fit it in the next day's calories.

9. Newly Added - Calories = Your Budget: Think of your calories as a bank account. Calories are your money, so you must budget them to fit your needs. If it's not in your budget, then don't eat em. We all hate those over draft charges.

If you have anything else to add, be my guest. If it's a good suggestion, I'll add it to the list.

Original Post by x17star17x:

{{hugs}} Ah this journey. It's amazing isn't it? :)

I've been slipping up myself, so we are NOT perfect by any means. Last night I was full and shrugged it off and continued eating because I felt like "why not, its right here infront of me".. Even I need to revisit my own advice :) 

Glad I found this thread!  Fits something I’ve been playing with in my brain.  I’m pretty much a “newbie” and very at the beginning of my journey to   1) believe I can achieve an ideal weight with   2) permanent, lifelong healthy living.   Have been overweight since childhood and haven’t seen my ideal weight since 1988.  Got there at that time through CRAZY+WEIRD diets, exchanging calories for alcohol and smoking smoking smoking.  26 months ago I was at 232 lbs (not my lifetime high but a recent high), have lost 38 lbs since then and have 52 pounds to go for ideal  weight.

Good enough with the summary.  Here’s what I’ve been thinking about.  When I quit drinking (recovering alcoholic for 21 years) and when I quit smoking, it was very useful to me to say to myself, “if I don’t have the first drink/smoke I won’t start drinking/smoking again.”  And it’s worked (ehm, along with lots of other work). 

I’ve been contemplating how I can convert this self-talk over to food choices?  Something that is new to me in this last year or so is using some of Michelle May’s suggestions like eating only food that I love love love.  I find that I’m happier with what I’m eating, I am able to feel satisfied by this self-care (self-love?), I’m more likely to naturally eat slowly because I’m savoring the taste and don’t have to go to overfull to prove I’ve eaten. 

Do you have experience with anything that sounds like “if I don’t have the first bite of food I don’t love, I won’t start eating crap again”?         &nb sp;             

Only fair to say that the other work required in my new life include:  consistent+daily cardio, yoga and light weight lifting.  

Thanks, misk, for picking up this thread again - it rocks!  I love that it's solution-focused instead of problem-focused!

Since I last comment on this forum, I achieved my goals weight, went off the wagon, gained 55 pounds, returned to CC in September, have currently lost 23 pounds and have 32 to go.  I re-read star's original post and I agree with everything she said, she keeps it simple.

You can't get fat if you don't overeat.  Calories in must be less than calories out to lose weight.  It's a simple equation, but emotionally we can make it so complicated because we turn fueling ourselves into a recreational, intoxicating, love affair with self-destruction.

Something I read on CC has stuck with me:  "The first two bites are the best."  I can have a taste of almost everything, as long as I am willing to walk away after that taste.  Recently, I had a bite of my husband's bacon, and a piece of a friend's chocolate chip cookie.  I ate mindfully, savoring these tastes because I knew I was not going to have more.  They were all the more flavorful for this reason.

Sometimes I can lie to myself, say I'm just having a smackerel, and then eat way too many calories.  So I have to be honest with myself and know when abstinence is the only safe choice...

Losing a significant amount of weight (and at my heaviest I was 100 pounds overweight) takes persistence and a willingness to do whatever it takes.  "Trying is hard, doing is easy."  It's not the food, it's the fat between my ears that can get in my way!

mad4moon - THANK YOU - this is the conversation I've been craving! 

I LOVE this "The first two bites are the best." and can see this becoming part of my brain-pattern.  It's nice to know that although abstinence is sure-fire, it doesn't have to be the only option. 

I've also slacked off on artistic expression in the last few months - in the past food lost its allure when I was regularly doing artwork (primarily fabric-based) - seemed like I was "filled up" with arty-satisfaction.  My job is very draining and by the end of the day it often feels like I have no energy for anything else, but this week I've put in approx 45-90 minutes a couple of nights - feels like "me" time that has been missing.

Viva la solution-focused conversation!         

Please - more input on:               &nb sp;                Do you have experience with anything that sounds like “if I don’t have the first bite of food I don’t love, I won’t start eating crap again”?     &n bsp;

Right on, misk, I love your enthusiasm! 

As a recovering addict I know all about the value of abstinence.  Some OA members swear by being totally abstinent from sugar and/or white flour, treating them as addictive substances.

This appeals to my little 12 Step heart, and I've been abstinent in the past because I've certainly seen how similar the compulsive, out-of-control binge or emo eating is to other forms of substance abuse.

AND, it works for me in the short haul.  I can become totally disinterested in sugar/white flour, lose a ton of weight, have marvelously stable blood sugar.  But unless I am willing to maintain caloric "sobriety" for the rest of my life, the dilemma is I have learned nothing about how to eat high calorie foods with any sense or reason.  I've maintained the same "either/or" mentality that leads to binges:  Either I am eating a perfect meal plan, or I'm a gorging maniac.

So this time I am trying to teach myself moderation.  Can I learn how to maintain some sanity around high caloric foods, or is this denial talking?  Does food abstinence lead to binging?  Only time will tell, but so far it's working fine for me.

Thank you for your time/energy to respond to my post.  This is just the conversation I’ve been looking for - - -  A fellow 12-stepper, eh?         &nb sp;     You remind me of several points – 1) the past year has had a high-emphasis on balance and moderation for me.  It seems I have an inherent dislike for balance – I’ll avoid balancing poses in my yoga home-practice, but am not half-bad at them when in class…  Must be some kind of balance resistance in me..  And 2) I’ve been avoiding some of my family for years – 11 older siblings – it’s easy to stay in touch with just a few - - -  went to a reunion in 2007 - - - reverted from independent, confident and beautiful 42 yr old woman to authority-hating, sullen and chunky 14 yr old little sister in just a matter of hours.  As I drove away 1 ½ days later, my conclusion was that I needed more practice being around them en masse.        

So I guess I’m saying I see the wisdom of what you’ve written – my tendency towards extremes may be driving my desire to establish an “abstinence program” and, yah – I’ve already learned that completely cutting something (like siblings) out of my life may make day to day operations easier in the short term, but does nothing for prepare for healthy&balanced interactions over a lifetime.    

Perhaps I should focus more on the solution:  seeking out food I love.    

There’s ah-lot of processing going on while I write this down.  Thanks again! 

Thanks for sharing. I like Tip No. 2 :) Wonderful post!

That's an awesome mind set! I hope I can keep it up. I think I want to print this out and put it on my fridge 

thank you

very good tips, keep them coming

I've got 200 lbs to lose and just hungry all the time

I have hope though, with support and good vibes from things like you wrote.

Thanks again

~A