Ms Elizabeth's Journal, 28 July 2015

Consider forgiving yourself, dusting yourself, and getting back on the wagon. What small positive change can you make today? 

I meant to say dusting yourself off :) 

We've all been there. As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm off the wagon right now. I haven't really been eating bad, just not measuring/monitoring what I am eating as I should and I haven't worked out in weeks! I have wanted to quit many times over and I haven't even lost as much as you have now. Hang in there, it will get better and we're all here for you :-). 

Look at what you are eating and try to find something to substitute instead. I think most weight loss is mental and that is where I am starting this time.  

Hopefully having the goal of spending $50 for every 10 lbs will be good incentive to keep losing and keep it off. Do you know what you want to buy with that $50? If so, that can be even more motivation to keep going. You're super woman, you've got this! 

I've been right there with you for falling off the wagon, as of yesterday was up almost 5 lbs from where I was a short time ago. Yesterday's eating behavior makes me realize again that I have underlying issues with food that don't just go away. It's up to me to manage those issues, and knowing they are there does help to manage them, it's up to me to keep the right mind frame and make the right choices. Great news though...yesterday's done and over and today is a new day and fresh start. So just let go of the yesterdays and make today a better one. Repeat the same tomorrow. And think of how nice it'll feel to spend that 50 bucks once you're back to 180. :) 

DFW, welcome back. I've followed you now for a long time and love your sense of humor and attitude toward the world. Maybe you need to do what I had to do. Take a good look at how you cook and what you and your family likes to eat , write it down. It won't work if you do not take your family into consideration. Write down a plan of how many servings of each category of foods you need to limit or increase to in a day. Measure your portions. Stick to it, tweak it a little when needed. Do not buy all those sweet treats for your kids, they do not need them, substitute some fruit. Keep melons cut up in the frig for easy snacking. You need a plan that works for you and fits you and your family.  

You are human. We all fail sometimes. You just need to learn from it, shrug it off and get going again. We are all here because we have weakness and that weakness is that we have a weight problem because we eat too much. So, we are here for you. We share our struggles. Think of a plan, and get going again :D xXx 

Ok suggestion.,..join a support group..get on a food plan that eliminates your binge foods of choice..for me its always flour and sugar and fat products..processed crap... ....Food Addicts Anonymous in Recovery says we are addicted to: flour, sugar and quantity"...I am like an alcoholic with food...can stop but cannot stay stopped..I have to weigh and measure and plan food the night before..food addiction runs in my family as does alcoholism..its all a similar issue...I want to get hammered with food...overeating to the point of pain...its my genetic heritage...but dear..there is a solution...do not give up...and I have to walk long distances every day.. Food Addicts Anonymous in Recovery has a very simple straight forward food plan...their program is based on the 12 steps..the program works and its free...well a buck in the basket...way "freeer" than Weight Watchers..and it works.. ..I think a lot of us need to look into the eyes of another human being...on line is great...but for most of us...probably not enough.. 

Stop living with a reward system. It makes you dependent on the reward. It makes taking on step backward a loop you can't get out of. You tell yourself you will reward yourself IF you do something, you make a small mistake, you tell yourself you will do better and go harder because of this mistake, so u can earn your reward, but since you fucked up already,might as well fuck up a little bit more since i will work harder later to make up for it. You rarely work harder, and you are stuck in a cycle of fuck up and make up. Food is food, you don't need it to use it as a reward. If you are craving a specific treat, use this application to add it into your calories. In the time i looked my best, I used to eat around 2100 calories everyday. I would eat really good quality food for like 1600 calories, and the rest would be stuff like ice cream, chocolate and such. It tasted good, it made me feel good, it made me NOT crave anything, good energy and motivation. I tried at some point to restrict them to speed up my results, result was binges. So yeah, you can include your treats and be happy, just do it a little bit by bit. Don't buy a tub of ice cream and wonder why u ate it all. You can only start doing that (buying a tub :D) once you understand and know that you have full control of the portions you eat. Surely if you eat 1500 calories a day, and u want a chocolate bar, you can fit that? thats like 250-400 calories. Sure less veggies or whatever, But you'd still be losing weight and you would still be keeping your sanity. This is just my opinion though, i could be wrong, and even if not it sure doesnt apply to everyone. But hey, it could help you  

Lots of great comments here already. I might agree with WholeFoodNut's suggestion of incorporating your food plan as healthy eating for the family, too. It is not about restricting yourself with an all or nothing plan - that is too much like "Diet" - it is really about living healthy in the big picture by choosing healthy meals and getting some activity in your day - which I know you already do with farm chores! NEVER.GIVE.UP - make things part of the usual daily life. 

Apparently we both like to be off the wagon!  

HCB, if I was cooking for my family I would have to have a plan that also fit them and moderate my portions. Working Mom's don't have the time or energy to make 2 different meals.  

DFW sometimes motivation to keep this up can be hard to find, you just have to find it perhaps look at your kids and think 185 or 165 how can it better help me to take care of them? Or put on a dress and look in the mirror then ask the same question. Do I look better at 185 or 165. You are a strong woman I know that from your posts so you can do this :)  

record everything! I really found that the biggest motivator. and don't punish yourself. knowing you fell is a start - you can do this!! 

So much good advice already. I can certainly endorse what WholeFoodNut said about getting your family on the wagon with you. I have rid my house of the treats that are tempting to me. You can probably find things your kids like to munch on that you don't care for. Make sure you have fruit and a lot of veggies. Make dinners that are going to be healthy for you because you want your family eating healthy food too. Mine grumble sometimes, but they eat what I make. One little thing that helps me with portion control is that I don't put the serving dishes on the table. We dish up our food from the stove or counter and then sit down to eat at the table. That makes me think twice about that second helping. I also pack up the leftovers and use that for an easy, healthy lunch the next day. I'll tell you that before I started this, I rarely saved leftover vegetables because no one would touch them. Now, I save even a small bit because I will now eat them. I would suggest you try to make small changes--find a tasty but healthy snack to keep in your desk for when you want that candy, try a new recipe out on the family, double up a recipe so you have dinner for a busy day in the freezer, walk on your lunch hour, try a new flavor of yogurt--there are a million things you can try to incorporate into your daily life to create new habits that will help you get where you want to be. I know it is hard, but you can start small and make it easier on yourself a little more each day.