elaineanne's Journal, 06 August 2015

On paper your diet looks very healthy. I can only guess that when you are comfort eating this is not going in the diary. Maybe it would help to fully record one of these comfort eating days, and see what the calories come out at for comparison. 

One bit of advice. You need to keep a diary of some sort, good or bad you cannot lie to yourself as the only person you are cheating is yourself. Just write it all down, then you can honestly see if the balance of foods is right. The only problem I have with the diary is that sugars and fats are not broken down into their different types. Fat is good for you as long as it is balanced. I started my diary so I could not only see what I was eating, but to get into the habit of writing it all down, good or bad. The diary is primarily for you to see what you eat and adjust, nutritionally balanced, to your own lifestyle. 

Also not forgetting to write down your exercise helps. I am pretty much a couch potato, but actually writing it down and seeing how much I don't move around was a shocker, which jolted me into movement. :) 

I agree, you have to record it all. I did the same as you for many years, and the weight just slowly crept up. I would have small, balanced main meals, and then ignore the fact that in the evening I was snacking on all kinds of high-calorie things. Or I'd go out for meals and eat everything in sight. If you record it all on here, you can't kid yourself. 

I don't know why counting calories has so much stigma attached to it. In my experience some people seem to think that you should just 'know' whether what you are eating is healthy. For me using a diary is an educational tool. The biggest eye opener for me was how much fresh fruit or vegetables you can eat without blowing your budget. 400g of strawberries and a whole pot of 0% fat yoghurt for 225kcal makes a much more filling and satisfying snack than some kind of traditional 'snack' bar. 

Love this post. I have good days when I record everything and days where o leave off the bad stuff. I did that twice this week. When I totally binged on white wine. I started to put it in just to see the calories then deleted it. The proof will be tomorrow when it's time to weigh in. If I gained back what I lost I gave no one to blame and will renew my discipline to reach my goal.  

@blackchick71 You don't have to delete it. You shouldn't feel guilty about what you've eaten, and deleting it is just a form of denial really. You ate what you ate (or drank what you drank). So record that, and use in for future reference. Even better you can use it to figure out how you could fulfil your craving for something the next time using a healthier option, be it a lower calorie wine or a healthier afternoon snack. Furthermore you can't expect your weight tomorrow to be a direct correlation to what you ate today. What can happen for example is you eat something more sugary or salty, and the next day your body retains more water. This is why some people recommend weighing weekly to avoid "Chasing the needle". I prefer to weigh daily, but only pay attention to whether my 7 day average weight is going down. 

You have to be honest with yourself, and the only way is to record everything. I'm planning to carry on recording when I reach goal, too. It's the only way I will keep it off, I know that. I've had a lifetime of backsliding, not doing it any more! I want to be fit to enjoy life, that's a much better reward than eating some rubbish that only gives momentary pleasure. 

Recording is tool for learning the nutritional content of our food choices. It is not judgment of actions, just a tool. For good health, we need to know that we are giving our bodies the nutrition it needs. Don't feel guilty about anything; this journey is not only about reducing weight but also learning to live with ourselves and to acknowledge that we are all human. We are here for you!  

I have cheated on my diet so many times, but I still record it, because it helps me with keeping track how much more dieting and gym work I need to do. I had lost so much weight on the days that I made up for it, so keeping track of the days you cheat on your diet gets the best results and makes me achieve my goals much more quickly. 

@GilesBathgate I'm trying not to weigh everyday. I have looked a couple of times mid-week and it seems to spike then. I don't want to drive myself crazy. I just gotta stay disciplined. 

@blackchick71 The focus should be trying eat as healthy as possible and to stay 15% (or so) under your calculated tdee. Weighing yourself is an after thought, which you use to see if the value you calculated for tdee was right. It shouldn't drive you crazy, because you shouldn't care what it reads. Think about it, is your goal to become fit healthy and beautiful? or to make a number on a scale read less? 

I drink Diet Coke till it is coming out of my ears. Maybe not the healthiest of drinks but no calories. 

JockoT is my hero! GilesBathgate, I just want to be fit. After that, things will fall into place, figuratively and literally. 

Lol, no, not the healthiest drink! But useful sometimes, as you say, no calories, no sugar. I prefer it diluted with water if possible! 

@JockoT I Don't know why artificial sugar has so much stigma. Diet Coke is mostly just water, so it is healthy to get plenty of fluid. The sweeteners in diet drinks; Aspartame, AceK, and sometimes Sucralose are all safe for human consumption and safe to eat or drink on a daily basis as part of a healthy diet. https://tr.im/meCDW 

It is not just calorie counting, it is looking at the nutritional intake and keeping that balance properly, You can reduce your calories all you like, but if your food intake is not nutritionally balanced, you will get food cravings. If you not only look at what you eat and when, then try to understand what your brain is telling you about the way you eat, then nutrition becomes a way of life. People eat chocolate, why ? the reason is simple, it releases endorphins ("endogenous morphine") in the brain which make you feel happy,a drug addict. Your brain is also telling you that there is something missing in your daily intake. I don't like the word diet, just look at the first 3 letters. :) nutrition is about finding what your body lacks and getting a good balance of the right sort of nutrition. You can eat what appears to be healthy food, but if the balance is not right, then weight loss will be a struggle. 

I never get food cravings just eating what takes my fancy (is that a craving there?). I do, however, try to restrict my sugar to 30g a day, in line with the new recommendations with regard to free sugar intake. 

With regard to diet Coke. When I don't drink it I feel better than when I do. I just don't really enjoy drinking water! My wife drinks water by the pint and cannot understand why I won't. There again, I will drink beer by the pint and can't understand why she won't!!!!!!!!!! 

@JockoT If you want to drink more water, try carbonated with a slice of lemon. Or add some vanilla essence and cinnamon essence to fizzy water, (those are the main ingredients of cola) Dosen't taste any where near the same though. Anyway, artificial flavourings are fine, its far healthy to get the fluids in you than worry about whether the sweeteners might be bad for you.