♥ 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.

Don't be sorry.  I LOVE this thread!

i like # 3 i think thats the one about the waste, it makes so much sense.  i am going to think and use that. thanks for the tips.  i am down 23 lbs. and i need all the help i can get to change my way of thnking.  i hate to throw food away, but if it is going to be waste any way you look it i think i will throw away and not eat it.  cool.

23 pounds is awesome!

I used to hate throwing away food too, and I always hear people say 'well, i don't want to waste it' and it's like... it's going to turn into waste no matter which way you slice it.

Thanks for bring this post back up. I needed to read my own list again.

Loved the post.  I absolutely agree about the candle idea.  What a great idea!!  I'm gonna have all sorts of candles in my house...Congrats on the weightloss!! You are certainly an inspiration!!!

I am so grateful to you for posting this. I am printing it out and hanging it up in my room AND my fridge.

Love, Michelle

This one is a keeper, thanks

just cause I <3 star and think shes a great motivator, imma help keep this going!!! for the ppl that may never see this.

I JUST read this and I'd like to say you're my HERO!!  If I think back on my own mindset when I lost weight before I have to say it's exactly what you put down in your words, but you put it down so concisely. 

 

Bless you.

 

-------<@ RAL

Thank you all for bringing this back up. Sometimes I forget my own mindsets. I was struggling yesterday, but seeing a reply to this made me smile and remember what this is all about.

Let's KEEP the weight off we've lost using the same tactics.

This thread is great.

After losing 93 lbs, one of my biggest lessons was that for every unhealthy, fatty junk food out there, there is almost always a better tasting, healthier alternative. For every bag of pizza rolls, there is a delicious homemade whole wheat pizza loaded with veggies. :)

Here's something I found on a blog by someone called FreeAtLast

"My one huge tip for everyone is ALWAYS EAT AT YOUR TABLE. The worst thing that I used to do that some of you might do is eating in front of the tv, or eating while I studied, or eating while I was at the computer. Take your meal time and your food, savour it and enjoy it and don't come back to the table until your next scheduled meal. You can eat mindless calories if you try to do two things at once. Give it a try to train yourself for a few weeks, even a week to stick to the kitchen or dining table. The only thing I ever leave the kitchen with is a glass of water."

Just thought this was gold. I can see this simple rule making a big difference for some people who tend to snack mindlessly, like myself at times.

hey i know noone has post here in a while. but i just came across this post. good points! #3, i was raised to clean your plate! but now that i am older and my own boss, so to speak,  instead of throwing out what i cant eat, i put it in the fridge for another meal..... and i always drink one glass of water before each meal. and that helps from overeating..... thanks for the tips!

This is some good information!!! Thanks for sharing!!

i was wondering did you plateaued, and how did you overcome it? 

this is an awesome post. your suggestions are very helpful!

this is an awesome post. your suggestions are very helpful!

Original Post by helpless:

i was wondering did you plateaued, and how did you overcome it? 

I plateued all the time. At the very least 6 times through this journey. :) How'd I over come it? I was patient. Sometimes your body just has to relax and adjust to the new lifestyle you're giving it. Think of it as a resting state. I noticed when I slept more, relaxed more (stopped stressing) and drank more water, it normally slipped. A lot of times stress plays a huge role in pleatues.

I also hit a point I didn't want to lose anymore weight (i was shoveling so much food in my mouth trying to make it stop) and my body would insist on losing. Talked to my doctor and he told me my body knows what size is healthy for me, and to just roll with the punches. Your body knows what's good for it. Sure enough it found its range and I am maintaining with 175 pounds lost.

Hang in there!

I love what x17star17x suggests because most her ideas center around changing the fat between the ears - my experience with compulsive overeating and successful weight loss has been that it all starts with changing how I think about food and how I problem-solve tricky situations.

The most important sentence Star says is the very first one:  "You gotta be DETERMINED."  I have read many posts on CC by people who have successfully lost far more weight than me (currently I weigh 85 pounds less than 3 years ago), and they all did it through persistence - they were not perfect AND they did not give up.  I know that I have to make changing my lifestyle a priority if I am to succeed.

This is a great topic, and this thread has lasted for almost two years for a reason.  I have nothing else to add to it, but wanted to pitch in to keep the thread alive!

And I'm still around these boards, and maintaining my 175 pound weight for over 15 months. It really does take changing the noggins outlook for long term success.

Each day is a brand new learning experience. :) Thanks for bringing this back.

Unbelievable!!!

You probably won't believe this but I thought of a few of your mindsets myself. the m&m's the gasoline so why am i still 40 pounds overweight. don't take my own advice. thank you you are an inspiration and by the way congrats on your weight loss that is quite an accomplishment. and i see you are keeping it off WAY TO GO!!!!!