♥ 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.

pics are in my gallery. i havent taken any since. i really need to get on it. its hard to take a full body shot of yourself. and its soooo strange having someone else take one of you.

hehe. im full of excuses :)

131 pounds lost as of today! 

Wow this is old. Someone brought it back up.

Calories I ate were 1200 towards the end. Before that I was on track eating a 500-750 cal deficit. I lost 10 pounds or so per month.

Exercise? Just moving around. Walking every day, some light exercise bike use, running around the house and cleaning up twice a week... Not a whole bunch but it got my blood pumpin enough to do the job..

:)

Total lost to date: 158 pounds. I'm done! On to maintenance.

 like the idea that my calories are my budget!! it's easier to work with numbers and currency rahter than with food! thanks for all your tips - they are amazing!!

what a great post!
i really want to copy and paste this into a document and print it out, but i dont want to have to reprint a new one everytime more is added. hmm :/

 about binging, i thought i might share this...
(not to add to the list though...it's like a huge long story)

i have problems with binging, and i nearly gave in to another binge attack today because i had messed up this morning and felt really bad about it
i tried removing myself far from the kitchen and chewing gum, but i still couldn't stop thinking about how much i wanted to EAT and EAT and EAT!
finally, i reasoned with myself and told myself that if i couldnt stop thinking about it, i would just make today a treat day
i let myself eat what i craved, and instead of a binge, today was just a treat day. i DID go over my planned calories but tomorrow i'll get back on track
and the oddest thing about it is that even the guilt about messing up this morning is gone...

 of course, self-control and staying within your planned calories is still best

i guess i just wanted to say an occasional treat is ok if it prevents you from binging.
though this doesnt apply to those of you with fantastic self control (you guys are my inspiration! someday, i'll get there)

Hi

Lost 15 pounds in last 3 months...but nowehre near what u have achieved! great going...

 I plan to loose another 15 lbs...but weight is not budging at all. Problem is I dont exercise regularly with my tight schedule. Any suggestions?

Shilpa