(For those of us struggling) What's keeping us Unhealthy?

Is it that we just don't want to change even though we think we do?

Is there something we fear?

Is there an invisible road block?

I am not yet significantly overweight, but I have terrible eating habits.  I tend to binge and restrict, binge and restrict.  I know this is unhealthy.  I know this is just leading to an upward wieght spiral, and a downward health spiral.  But no matter how many hours I spend trying to think it through I cannot find the solution to my bad habits.  I will think that I have discovered the reason why I do what I do, then I change for about a week, (sometimes even less),  then I go right back into the problem behaivour.   What is wrong with me.  I see this is unhealthy, I want to change, maybe I just don't want to change enough?

How has everyone else broken their bad habits?  What battles have you won?  And what struggles are still being fought?  Any suggestions or stories might help me to get on a track and stay there for good.

There are a lot of potential payoffs to eating unhealthily:

-it's habit, and habits are subconsciously comforting to us - even the ones we consciously dislike - that's why they're so hard to break.

-it's been associated with love, self-care, or other warm feelings in the past, and is being used as a tool for emotional well-being

-it tastes good; animals (including humans) respond positively to pleasure and seek it out

-it's easier/more convenient, if you don't have a lot of time or energy for food preparation (though this can mostly be obviated by some effort at the grocery store, doing so takes skills we may not have yet)

Honestly, these are "the big four" for me. Changing habits is tricky - you have to create new habits that you find pleasurable and comforting. Find healthy foods that you like, and make sure they're always around. I tend to go on "kicks" - I find a low-cal grocery-store food I love and eat it quite often for about a month, then something new catches my eye (first it was frozen pizza, now it's chinese dumplings, and I think I'm cycling back towards pizza).

For me, it's just a bad mentality.  I tend to start something gung ho-- really on track for a while, following it perfectly and then I make one little mistake like missing a planned workout or eating too many calories.  This is where I totally blow it with all or nothing thinking.  Like a few weeks ago, I ate (alot) of pizza for dinner on a Thursday.   I knew my husband wanted to go out to eat Saturday and we had company coming Sunday-- so I decide forget counting anything, I'm just going to eat whatever I want and then start over on Monday.  I start over on Monday a Lot!!! LOL

Seriously though, I have really been working on forgiving myself for those things.  I can overeat at one meal and then continue my day as planned with healthy foods and finish my week decently.  While it is difficult (especially around TOM), it is working for me.  For me, I had to really focus on health and not appearance.  I've also been making health goals postitive:  like I have to have 8 glasses of water, 5 fruits & veggies every day.  It seems to be working for now.

I grew up poor, and my diet consisted of cheeto's and mcdonald's. I have always been overweight. Years later, I try to change, but my body still completely wants to binge at mealtimes.

 

 

I think time is what is keeping us unhealthy now. We want results, fast. Start out slow. I just started a month ago, and found it impossible to stay under 2500 calories. And now its a few weeks later and I've gotten down to 2000. Soon I will be down to 1700, then 1500, and maybe then i will see weight loss.  

How has everyone else broken their bad habits?  What battles have you won?  And what struggles are still being fought?  Any suggestions or stories might help me to get on a track and stay there for good.

I have had to break a lot of bad habits since I started living a healthier lifestyle. Mostly I have to completely void myself of some foods that I know I like to binge on and avoid places where I couldn't help myself but over eat. I can no longer order pizza from any place like dominos, pizza hut, or papa johns. One slice here and there wouldn't be so bad but I know that I won't be satisfied after one slice and that I will most likely eat 2 or 3. I like to eat a lot of food and therefore restrict myself from eating high calorie foods. I also can't keep snack food in the house. If I ever owned a box of granola bars I would most likely polish them off right away. I mostly buy things that take preperation (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, tofu) so that I don't snack on them. Then when I look in the fridge for something to munch on there is nothing but fruit and raw veggies. It's a little extreme but it works for me.  

 I also don't eat at my restaurants I used to like because I know that I what I like there isn't healthy and is too high in calories. For instance, I like Chipotle, and I COULD eat there if I went the healthy route but I know I wouldn't really enjoy it unless there was sour cream, cheese, and lots of guacamole in my bowl.

I also have to buy low calorie ice cream snacks for dessert. I know I wouldn't ever want to just eat half a cup so instead I buy 90 cal serving ice cream so that I can eat a whole cup.

 If I slip up once in awhile (last night I ate Cold Stone) I don't sweat it. I just take note of how negative I feel the next day and contemplate 'Is it worth it?' Sometimes it is but most times it is not.

 

The biggest realization for me was that the only thing standing in my way to successful weight loss is: ME!!!

Once you realize that your own excuses, your own sabotage and your own denial are what is keeping you from doing the right thing it's, well not quite smooth sailing but it makes it so much easier and more honest in a way.

These days I can't stand people around me making excuses for not doing this or that, it drives me nuts.

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this way but I think that was really the key. The bottom line is only you yourself can make changes it's not the work environment around you, it's not family and friends, you have to do the work and make the changes for the better.

I thought to myself one day, "I would give ANYTHING to be thin and healthy again!"  Most overweight people would, would they not?  I realized that the only thing I had to give, was to make healthy choices, and be determined to lose weight the healthy way.  Instead of quick fixes that promise instant results.

I think that my biggest weakness is tortilla chip. Honestly, I love them.  BUT I do have the ability to create a mindset where I won't eat something that I know isn't healthy. I just have to get myself in to the habit of thinking "it's not healthy, you'll feel crappy afterwards, just stay away." It's how I stopped eating french fries.