LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
I know this is how things were for me and I am guessing that it is the same for many other people.
I knew I had to lose weight, I told myself constantly that I had to, that I couldn't keep going on my current path. Yet it never seemed to happen. I would always end up following the same path, the same habits, at the time I would never think that I shouldn't be doing it, it was just habit. I would hit the McD's drive-thru, or eat a full pack of crackers with soup without really considering whether I should do that or not. Then, later in the the night I would see myself in the mirror and again tell myself that I need to make a change. To stop eating the garbage. Yet, the next day I would do the exact same things, again without thinking. This would go on for months.
Even now, even when I am eating clean it is still a challenge to avoid those familiar, comfortable habits and try to forge new, clean habits. So what are some of the tricks you use to break yourself out of your habits?
For me, I write in my blog daily about everything and keep a track of foods in CalorieKing. I have a little reminder beside my computer on a Post-It reminding me to eat every couple hours because when I get into something on the computer I can lose several hours at a time. On our fridge my girlfriend has pictures from our trip to Mexico for a friends wedding. They aren't up there for this purpose but I use them to remind myself of how I look and how much I never want to look like that again.
So what are some of the little things you do to keep you on track?
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
If you don't want to eat it, don't keep it in your kitchen. Admittedly, that's virtually impossible if you don't have the cooperation of everyone in the house. But there are a lot of folks who keep treats on hand "just in case" or if the nieces/nephews visit, etc. It won't kill the kids to eat carrots when they visit (they'll just act like it will...)
With a gift of food (like a cake or box of candy), enjoy a bite, then throw the rest in the trash and refuse to feel guilty about it. It might preserve the relationship if the giver isn't watching you do that.
For me, it was helpful to just go day by day. I'd think to myself that JUST FOR TODAY I'll eat well and avoid sugar. Once I got through the day, I didn't want to break the streak, so I'd see how many days I could go before a breakdown.
Learn to identify those times when you're just bored and want to munch on something, and make conscious choices. For too many years I just grazed without thinking. If I feel like nibbling I can get some carrots, an apple, or just chew some sugar-free gum.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
If you don't want to eat it, don't keep it in your kitchen. Admittedly, that's virtually impossible if you don't have the cooperation of everyone in the house. But there are a lot of folks who keep treats on hand "just in case" or if the nieces/nephews visit, etc. It won't kill the kids to eat carrots when they visit (they'll just act like it will...)
By far the best thing that helped me. Didn't lose a pound till I moved into my own place and wasnt eating campus food or being hounded by my mother to finish leftovers. Sure i take crap from the boys when theres no chips/popcorn in the pantry for football, but they seem completely ok with me making them omelets the next morning.
Streaks and conditions.
I like being on a streak, and the longer the streak the less likely I am to break it... cuz I'm a little ocd like that.
I only allow myself a treat if I've worked out. The treat (usually mini-candy pieces) is post workout so the sugar isn't bad, and if I have one of each (which is the limit, and there are only three kinds in the variety pack) it's still less than 100 calories.
One of my habits is cleaning my plate (darn stoopid parents) so to beat it I have to A) set aside on the plate what I'm gonna take home and B) remember how cruddy I feel physically after eating too much.
A meal more than 600 calories is guaranteed to give me some kind of GI distress. Once I realized that, portion control became much easier. It's no longer a "do I want to eat this now and not lose the 3 ounces of fat on my body it represents" which is harder to fight than "do I want to eat this and feel like crap the rest of the night?" More immediate punishment, rather than lack of reward... Definitely a clearer choice.
A constant flow of green tea and water really helps keep my appetite down. That coupled with eating 6 small meals a day seems to work the trick. As LD said making sure that you have quick and healthy food available to you keeps you away from the unscheduled detours from your healthy eating plan as well.
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
Today I almost cracked and fell into an old habit. It wasn't intentional and I didn't even realize I was doing it until I stopped and thought about it for a minute. Friday nights I used to order dominoes and hang out and I almost started calling but I managed to catch myself. Its a battle but I am finding the temptations of my old ways to be getting less and less and its getting easier and easier overall to catch them and resist them.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
Not knowing your doing it is probably a bad thing.
Everytime I slip and eat something bad I am keenly aware of it.
Roland's list is good, but everytime he posts it makes me consider diet pop as an option. Addicted bastard!
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
The best thing you can do is to plan your meals in advance.
Plan your calories as well as the grams of P/C/F meals in advance.
Again, lots and lots of people eat the same foods every single day.. which is not necessary, but it's great to have standard set meals for breakfast - lunch - dinner as well as snacks.
And make your calorie intake depend on activity levels.
If you can avoid it, I wouldn't prepare foods well in advance. Actually that nearly always has been a way to make me overeat while preparing the foods and often prepare too much. Plus, the food will always taste best when freshly prepared and piping hot. E.g. boilt eggs that are still warm.
As for candy and other treats.. have 1 free meal a week in which you allow yourself whatever you like, but again.. plan the calories. Like, I lurv lurv icecream and prefer to eat the entire container of 400g. So, that's 1200 kcal.. and I make sure that it's always on a very heavy lifting day, so I can eat it without feeling guilty.
Candy can replace workout carbs , but that's a bit trickier to do. Buying mini-versions is probably safer than large bags. But if you can manage, you can make small bags in advance and weigh it out. Some people enjoy using candy during workouts as performance is about the same as with normal sports drinks. For me, candy's GI is a tad too high (GI=70) though much better than plain dextrose (GI = 100) and I prefer jam slushes (GI <70 because of fructose) as it's drinkable and has more nutrients (anti-oxidants) and gives less energy swings. Plus, there's very little risk that I'll be scarfing down an entire jar of jam in one sitting, while that might happen with candy.
Breaking habits.. it is not easy, but one does it step by step for some things and radically for other things. It's not always clear which approach is best.
Like that free meal I mentioned.. some people should not do that as it makes them re-addicted. Other people must always have a free meal as too much restriction makes them crave for forbidden foods much more than when they wouldn't have restricted themselves.
I guess you will know for yourself into which category you belong. I'm definitely into the latter. Unfortunately a lot of the foods I love, are the foods I don't tolerate well, like gluten and dairy. So, I try to not have icecream or pastry too often (like once a month will do), and instead indulge on potatoes (crisps, fries) or popcorn.
And quite funnily while a lot of people have had best results with smaller and more frequent meals , I've reverted back to old habits of eating only 2-3 meals/day as it's literally a matter of out of sight, out of mind for food.
It could very well be that this preference depends very much on whether you suffer from too low blood sugar levels (then more meals are better) or too high blood sugar (then less meals can even help in keeping blood sugar levels down).
Today I almost cracked and fell into an old habit. It wasn't intentional and I didn't even realize I was doing it until I stopped and thought about it for a minute. Friday nights I used to order dominoes and hang out and I almost started calling but I managed to catch myself. Its a battle but I am finding the temptations of my old ways to be getting less and less and its getting easier and easier overall to catch them and resist them.
You did exactly the right thing! You caught yourself and replaced unconscious action with conscientious thought and decision making. It takes a while for it to stick, but I think you're well on your way.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I am new to this, but the best this I ever started to do was preparing meals on the weekends and packing myself large ziploc baggies labeled "monday, tuesday...". It prevents me from wanting anything else...and also from grabbing anything else at the office all day. It's a little grade school for me, I always feel like..."hey where's the little note from my mommy?"...but it's the most important thing I've done in terms of sticking to my clean eating. I'm weighing in next week so we'll see how it's worked!
You should totally add little "notes from mommy" ... little affirmations, notes of love to yourself, etc. Thinking good thoughts about yourself as a person always makes taking care of yourself seem easier and more worthwhile... to know you're really worth it.
You should totally add little "notes from mommy" ... little affirmations, notes of love to yourself, etc. Thinking good thoughts about yourself as a person always makes taking care of yourself seem easier and more worthwhile... to know you're really worth it.
I love this idea. When I first changed the way I eat, I kept affirmations around all the time. I printed them out and stashed them in places where'd I'd find them and say them to myself. Like Mahler's Power of Word MMMM this week, repeating positive words that you believe can keep your mind in the right place for continued success.
Here are a few of the affirmations I used. I think you have to pick the ones that ring true for you individually and that might be different from mine, but I wanted to share.
Nothing tastes as good as being lean feels.
I am responsible for what goes into my mouth.
I love having a toned and fit body.
My body is my oldest and steadiest companion.
I look and feel fabulous.
I am accomplishing more than ever before.
Whatever comes my way today, I’ll handle it.
I am responsible for my life and always maintain the power I need to be positive and have joy.
I am surrounded and supported by many friends.
I embrace life fully.
I feel loved every moment.
I am healthy.
I am happy.
I take charge of my life.
I am in control of my health and wellness.
I have abundant energy, vitality and well-being.
I am healthy in all aspects of my being.
I am too precious to put contaminated food in my body.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.
And for the power of the Negative I keep pictures of myself as a "FFB" on my refrigerator. I don't even notice them much anymore but when I was starting out it was a constant reminder of where I started and where I did not want to return to.
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
Yeah, it seems the older my body gets, the less steady I am...
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
And for the power of the Negative I keep pictures of myself as a "FFB" on my refrigerator. I don't even notice them much anymore but when I was starting out it was a constant reminder of where I started and where I did not want to return to.
That is an AWESOME idea!
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Great suggestions on this thread. The only thing I would add is that it's important to get the day off to a good start, to make a positive affirmation of your intentions as soon as possible on waking.
Keeping affirmations (like Lisa's list) pinned up somewhere you always see them might be a good idea. Perhaps keep one (or a list) near the phone for when that Domino moment arrives?
Affirmations can really work, but to expand this topic, I read this from Krista Scott-Dixon:
Quote:
My mother, as I said, was a science teacher and is now a high school principal. So she’s a long-time educator, and I said to her once, “How do you build self-esteem?” Because I think we have this sense that self-esteem is built through affirmations, and saying to yourself, “I’m okay,” and whatever. I’m good enough, smart enough, whatever. But she said something interesting, which was that self-esteem is built through skills. And I thought that was actually a rather profound statement. And what I’ve noticed in my own practice is that if you demonstrate to people that they can gain the skills, and that their bodies are functional, then that can actually be life changing for the majority of people that do it. Weight training is one way. But I also know a lot of people who are involved with boxing, and that’s been an amazing experience. It really transforms women’s relationships with their bodies. So I do think that the potential is there even with training alone – if the training is the right kind of training. If the training focuses on functionality and performance, then I think it actually can be life changing.
In addition to reminding ourselves of the positives with affirmations (and I believe an affirmation only works if you already believe it's a true statement), we also have to be doing. Krista was talking to women (from her interview with PN http://www.precisionnutrition.com/kr...tt-dixon.html), but it's true for men too. Lifting can give you a sense of confidence in yourself that you never had before.
Wow, I lose power for a few days and I miss all these wonderful posts. I agree with all of the above, packing your meals, posting affirmations and READING them (lol) simply knowing that you WILL accomplish your goal will make a huge difference. Someone previously mentioned posting a picture on his refrigerator. That is something I wish I had done. I really like that idea and will be sharing it with others.
One of the things that has helped me achieve my goals for a long time is expressed well by Berardi's law....
Berardi’s First Law:
If a food is in your possession or located in your residence, you will eventually eat it.
Corollary to Berardi’s First Law:
If you wish to be healthy and lean, you must remove all foods not conducive to those goals from said residence and replace them with a variety of better, healthier choices.
Second Corollary to Berardi’s First Law:
If you know someone whose house is stocked only with optimal food choices and yet who is not healthy and lean, look under his bed.
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
Lifting can give you a sense of confidence in yourself that you never had before.
This particularly rings true for me. When I was growing up as a "fat girl", it was hell on my self esteem. And I think for me, working out in a place in which I am surrounded by the same type of men who were the main source of my torture and pain helps me build my self esteem. Feeling like a strong woman who can hang with the big boys and lift weights and build my body and muscle makes me feel more equal, more whole. Feeling like a physical equal is a big part of my healing and inner strength. And weight training has been one of the only things that has made me feel this good in years!!!
LOL at the First Law "it will be eaten" and the 2nd corollary: "look under his bed" (or his pantry)
However, one CAN overeat on 'clean' foods.. it still remains important to count calories. Though overeating from 'clean' foods or while low-carbing is a LOT harder than on the yummy junkfood we all grew to love most.
LOL at the First Law "it will be eaten" and the 2nd corollary: "look under his bed" (or his pantry)
However, one CAN overeat on 'clean' foods.. it still remains important to count calories. Though overeating from 'clean' foods or while low-carbing is a LOT harder than on the yummy junkfood we all grew to love most.
I think while starting out we get obsessed about eating healthy/clean (at least I did) but after awhile we start to find that theres a line between overly healthy and simply making the right choices. Berardi's Gourmet Nutrition book is a great example of stuff that tastes great and is nutritionally sound as well. Food is meant to be enjoyed so the more we learn about the right choices the better we get at simply making/eating food that covers both bases (taste and nutrition). At least thats how it was for me.
[random]I've often wondered why we always just revert to the idea of having a pizza party at the office or something. I think its gotten to the point where its not the party that denotes the inclusion of pizza but rather the other way around. Theres pizza!? must be a party! etc. [/random]
You're absolutely right about healthy foods being totally yummy, it's just the automatic assumption it can never be as great tasting because it's 'healthy' and healthy equals 'nasty'. Doesn't need to be.
Once you unlearn eating fast foods, it even starts to taste nasty. I still remember how my first bite of French fries after a year of abstaining was simply a huge disappointment. Or how gross a Pepsi or CocaCola tastes after 3 months of caffein abstinence. Etc.
Unfortunately a bit of persistance makes you enjoy the bad foods all over again.
This is precisely where it sometimes is hard to decide whether or not it's a good idea to splurge on fast food once in a while. Doing it may keep you sane, but OTOH, it keeps you in the mindset of really enjoying the taste of those foods.
This particularly rings true for me. When I was growing up as a "fat girl", it was hell on my self esteem. And I think for me, working out in a place in which I am surrounded by the same type of men who were the main source of my torture and pain helps me build my self esteem. Feeling like a strong woman who can hang with the big boys and lift weights and build my body and muscle makes me feel more equal, more whole. Feeling like a physical equal is a big part of my healing and inner strength. And weight training has been one of the only things that has made me feel this good in years!!!
Very true! Swap the term "fat girl" with "nerdy guy" and that fits me.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I try to live by the 'is the juice worth the squeeze' philosophy when it comes to food -- and almost everything else come to think of it.
This said, I just got back from a week in Varadero.
All inclusive, all out and out of control.
I squeezed in a few work-outs, but have some major making up to do this week.
Was it worth it?
I'll let you know when I try to put on my jeans tomorrow morning.
Wish me luck!
Breaking your habits
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