Sugar Cat's Journal, 01 April 2015

I had my mind set on cooking fish for dinner, but I was too lazy to do the work, so my husband and I hit the drive-thru instead. And when I get really hungry, my mind sometimes goes into "panic mode" where i need to order large amounts of food and eat it quickly. If I could just get past my silly brain, I would do great. Mind over matter, I guess. 

It's the worst time for me also. Especially after I've had a tough workout and am hungry. I'll eat dinner and still be hungry. I normally binge on nuts. What I try to do is drink plenty of water and go to bed early to distract myself from food. I think the key is to try to distract yourself with an activity that doesn't involve eating. 

Maybe a little back rub from the husband could be a reward...of course if he is willing, lol. I also love to take little naps, but usually my "little" naps turn into three hour naps, and I'm left felling groggy. 

Flip your switch. You know what you are. You know why you want to change. You know the goal you seek. You know the habits that created your current situation. Now, you know what you need to change to make your goal a reality. The difference between who you are now & who you want to be, is what you are willing to do. So with that being said, you are the only one that can look in the mirror, have an honest conversation with yourself, flip your switch, & get to doing. When you are ready, go to the mirror, & repeat after me. I can do this. This will not be easy. Nothing worth doing is easy. I will be stronger mentally, to improve my body physically. I no longer accept excuses. If I fall down, I get back up. When I back up, I keep moving forward. I will no longer wish. I will do. I will no longer crave food. I will crave the feeling of weakness leaving my body. I will not be the person who people give advice on how to lose weight to. I will be the person people ask how to lose weight from. I am not dieting. I am changing. Repeat as often as needed. When all else fails, remember that every calorie that is not contributing to your success, is standing in the way of it.  

Jonathan Walsh, you are such an encouragement. Thank you for that :-)  

I have to hold a conversation with my mirror daily. 

In a way it is a simple decision every day - "I want health and fitness more than I want to eat that..." (Whatever it is that is tempting you...) Sometimes it can work well for us. 

Love Jonathan's advice. I've been a night binger, too. My problem is I automatically want to nosh while watching TV. Terrible habit! The way I've solved it so far is to decide what/how much I want to eat and take only that much. Then if I want more, I have to get off my duff and get it. I also went through my house without mercy and threw out every freakin' bit of junk food. If I really want it, I have to go OUT to get it, LOL. 

I don't mean to hijack here...but Johnathan's post IS very encouraging! (I just joined today)... I never thought about it this way but every success we encounter is a weakness leaving our body, mind and spirit - and in it's place a strength takes that spot. So instead of focusing on the pounds on the scale, I think I will change my mentality and think of my lifestyle as a silo and in it are strengths and weaknesses. Today my weaknesses are probably 75% of that silo and my strengths 25%....but as I conquer daily choices and activities, I hope to have those percentages flip flop with each other. Thanks for the encouraging post and thank you Sugar Cat for sharing your struggles...  

I, too, really liked Johnathan Walsh's advice. That is something I could bear to repeat to myself! I have found some success with my evening snacking. I read a recommendation somewhere that after dinner, you clean up the kitchen and "close it up for the night". At first, that didn't work for me so well because well, when the kitchen closed, that was when the snack bar opened! :) When I cam around to mentally closing the kitchen, that was went I was able to really get a handle on that eating. I do occasionally have a snack in the evening, but it has to fit into my calories for the day, it has to to be thought out before I get it out. Like Dreamingangel, I decide what and how much to have before I start munching. I drink a big glass of water before I decide anything. It is all a process of finding what works for you.  

KiminNJ welcome to the FS community! This is a wonderful place to share struggles and victories,to inspire and to be inspired. Thanks everyone :-)