Ready To Conquer The Beast

heatherdee said:
Hey! Just checking in - I have to say I was reading some of your first diary entries and some of the most recent and I have to say that as a "long-timer" (even though the name is new, I've been frequenting this board for quite some time!!!) it is great to see that I'm not the only one who is coming back again with renewed conviction!

Also, I have to just say - where did Mal go!?!?! She was a board staple!!!! Is it truly the same without her? :)

I think of dieting/exercise in a similar way as I do quitting smoking (which I did 2 years ago). I think you need a plan. You need to know how you are going to survive with this change in your life. You need to know how you are going to cope with cravings (my weakness!!). You need some sort of support system. You need to know that you are doing this for a REASON. We all have them, but it is truly reminding ourselves what that reason is - what that CORE, DRIVING force within us is - that will really help us through. When I quit smoking my mantra was "tomorrow will be better". Every day I went through was hell for the first week or two. But I was never wrong in my mantra. Each day was better. I think that is very similar in weight loss - "tomorrow will be better". Today might have sucked. I might have been hungry and cranky all day and didn't want to exercise - but I DID. And because I did, tomorrow will be better!

Just wanted to share with a fellow "old timer". :) (My old name was heathercb04. . . .I think!!)
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Hey Heather :) I'm really glad you're back too and definitely remember you. Makes me really happy you're back too! And yea, as I said I miss Mal alot and no it's not the same without her.

And I so agree with what you're saying about the reasons. I know them for myself but maybe I do need to write them down. As far as mantra's go, strangely they do work. One of the girls I work with was given one, she has CP and never wants to do her physical therapy. So every morning I say with her "I believe in myself and I want to feel good". I realized after the first week that dang, it made a difference. I DO want to feel good...and I DO want to believe in myself, lol. Maybe not quit there yet on the believing...its an up and down thing but I know I'm determined. For now just being determined and taking every day a step at a time is working for me.
 
Korrie said:
So glad DH is on board with you!!! Thats gotta make things easier! Yea, I agree with you, don't push the forum, he'll get here some day if he's ready. Fitdays another great place for him to be!
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So funny, I was replying to your previous posts same time as you were posting to me again, lol But yea....if he sticks with it and we could start walking together it'd be wonderful but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet. I'm doing this for me regardless and I want to stick with it regardless of what life throws at me this time. In the end I think that's the key for me.
 
Great attitude Lisa!!

See, I'm in the same boat...I want hubby to do this with me, and he says he will. Problem is, before, he would do it...and then when his motivation would start failing, mine would too...just from being discouraged.

But your right on! Lean on yourself...lean on us here....don't put your hopes and motivation on your husbands shoulders (and I won't either)
 
I think that all you can do is encourage your husband and if he decides that he wants to go down that road then great...but it has to come from him because only he can make the choices every bit of everyday about what he eats and doesn't eat. Otherwise, you risk polarising yourself into a position where you are nagging him, even if he's asked you to, and that's not your responsibility - you got to use your energy on getting yourself right!! However, you can cook the good stuff at home and substitute stuff so treats aren't massively unhealthy and limit the amount of junk food that is around... Hope it goes well @D
 
jjjay said:
I think that all you can do is encourage your husband and if he decides that he wants to go down that road then great...but it has to come from him because only he can make the choices every bit of everyday about what he eats and doesn't eat. Otherwise, you risk polarising yourself into a position where you are nagging him, even if he's asked you to, and that's not your responsibility - you got to use your energy on getting yourself right!! However, you can cook the good stuff at home and substitute stuff so treats aren't massively unhealthy and limit the amount of junk food that is around... Hope it goes well @D
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I so agree jjjay. You are very insightful because that was exactly what I do not want to get sucked into...not even going down that road with him. It wouldn't be good for either of us and since his illness last year, things are already a bit unbalanced around here...but that's a whole different story, lol. And one I'm not feeling like getting into atm but yea...this time I'm making a long term commitment.

I really think this is the time. Health issues that were holding me back finally got diagnosed. This forum has helped me with my mindset and given me knowledge, tools and support. There's nothing to stop me from doing this except me. I just have to keep making this a priority and realize I owe it to myself and deserve to spend the time on myself to do this. And also, just like geico says, life comes at you fast, lol. No matter what comes at me I have to roll with it and stick to this. If I stumble, I'm going to get back up but I'm not going to quit. This is too important.
 
WOot, finally figured out how to do a public share link of my fitday foodlog AND it let me post it with my ticker :D. I was afraid it'd say was too many lines. Anyway now I don't have to log my food five million places.
 
douknowjello said:
Here's some tricks though I learned that might help you guys out. Even though my husband is on board he can still eat more calories than me buy a bunch so my tip is freezer cooking. I have those mini loaf pans on hand that are perfect for "man size" single servings of stuff and I'd make side dishes, especially "make ahead mash potatoes" and I'd freeze them.

The idea behind this is I can make a meat dish and both of us can have different sides.

As far as treats go, good thing I'm not huge on chips but he was always bringing in sweets. I have weight watchers ice cream bars in the house and they have a ton of flavors. Skinny cow ice cream is great too. Last week when he was eating his king size hershey bar I just went and got one of amazing 100 calorie english toffee bars and was quite happy, no guilt.
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That's very good advice - I really appreciate it! I think I'll just let him eat his high calorie stuff and try not to let it bother me. I'll just have to figure low call replacements for myself for when he likes to have a "treat". I don't want him to feel guilty eating in front of me, and knowing him he would.

Thanks again for the advice. I'm definitely going to try freezing the different sides. It's too bad it's so much more work. lol
 
Stacy said:
Thanks again for the advice. I'm definitely going to try freezing the different sides. It's too bad it's so much more work. lol
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It's actually not like you'd think :) And let me explain why. Again I'll use the potatoes as reference. I peel ten pounds all at once or more. It makes ALOT of mini loaf pan side dish trays. So instead of every night making a side dish and cleaning up, I make all my mess at once. I have recipes for parsley parmesan chicken, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs where I make huge batches of stuff ahead. Then on nights I'm busy I just grab from the freezer and approximately 30 minutes later, dinner is served AND with no mess. What's also great about this is there's just my husband and I so these recipes are great when you wouldn't normally bother cooking certain things just for one or two people.

I think I posted this before but there was a place in my area that charged an arm and a leg for you to come in and assemble about 10 meals for freezing, guess from the sound of it they had work stations and you'd just move through the line. I figured for the price and the fact I was still doing the work I could do it myself. I have found tons of freezer recipes but the main place I use is "the 30 day gourmet". I got a computer program from them but I know I paid way too much, lol. It's neat though in that I download their recipes into it and can scroll through a zillion of 'em, even add my own and then plot a cooking day in it ahead. Then when I'm ready it prints out pre-prep mass instructions, a list of what I need, etc., and even a grocery list. I really need to use it more for sure, lol.

Anyway my point isn't to push their website but to say there's a TON of things you can freeze ahead that nobody thinks about. And if setting aside a whole day isn't feasable, alot of people just will make double of a dinner for a week without too much more work and viola....you have weeks worth of cooking ahead. Lack of organization for meals is my downfall so this is something I plan on getting back into.

And for people who don't have freezer space, Mal used to say all the time how you can have cooked chicken breasts ahead and all kinds of stuff in the fridge to go to in a pinch. She had tons of awesome ideas.
 
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Make Ahead Mash Potatoes

Servings.............14.............28.............42
Makes................7 C...........14 C..........21 C.
Potatoes.............5 lbs.........10 lbs........15 lbs.
Eggs....................1..............2............. 3
Garlic powder .......1/2 t. .......1 t. .........1-1/2 t.
Butter/............. 3 T. ........1/4C.+2T. ...1/2 C.+1 T.
margarine, melted

Salt ..................1 t..............2 t.............1 T.
Cream cheese .... 8 oz.............16 oz. .......24 oz.

Assembly Directions:
Peel and quarter potatoes. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil, and then gently cook until tender. Drain well. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cream cheese, egg(s), garlic powder and salt. Mash well by hand or with an electric mixer. Spoon potatoes into spray-treated or greased 3-quart casserole or 9 x 13 pan. Drizzle or brush melted butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika (optional).

Freezing Directions:
Place in freezer bags or rigid containers. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 227 Calories; 10g Fat (38.4% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 31mg Cholesterol; 243mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 2 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Fat.


(sorry for the ...., it was the only way i could space out the dang ingredients, lol. Serving size must be half a cup)
 
Mmmmm. I love mashed potatoes!

Thanks for the recipe and storage idea.

Keep up the great work and stay strong!
 
So time for a bit of honesty. The last two weeks I did awesome and made decisions where I was in control, regardless what I ate. But last night I did have a lapse. I was at work, very tired and there was a pan of left over brownies sitting there my entire shift. The problem is I was already at my max calories for the day and I knew it.

So I ended up eating some of the brownies and going over my calories by several hundred. Not a huge deal in the big scheme of things but the way I felt while eating the brownies was out of control and that familiar guilt afterward....not a good feeling. Anyway I wanted to post this and move on, not dwell on it. I do realize this is going to happen from time to time since none of us is perfect and I'm just trying to minimize the damage over all.

I have to wonder sometimes....do skinny people get those urges from time to time also to just stuff their face when they're not hungry? Guess they don't even think about it, not like they have to.
 
Great attitute, forget about it and move on. Guilty feelings lead to more overeating. Its done you can't change it just try and skim off a little every day to make up for the extra calories.
 
PS - I don't think there is any way I could have been there with a pan of brownies staring me in the face and not eaten some.
 
eyckmans said:
PS - I don't think there is any way I could have been there with a pan of brownies staring me in the face and not eaten some.
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Yea it was a ten hour shift, lol. I lasted 2 hours...and I didn't realize they were bothering me that much until I found myself in the kitchen stuffing one in my mouth. I think that's what bothered me so much is I don't remember making a conscious decision to eat one but nobody was holding a gun to my head either. Like I said, it's not the brownie that bothered me so much as how compulsive I was being about it.

I guess on the upside in the past I'd normally have ate the whole pan, not stopped at two. And after I did it it's not like the brownies were tormenting me still the rest of the shift, I was fine.
 
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There's nothing to stop me from doing this except me. I just have to keep making this a priority and realize I owe it to myself and deserve to spend the time on myself to do this. And also, just like geico says, life comes at you fast, lol. No matter what comes at me I have to roll with it and stick to this. If I stumble, I'm going to get back up but I'm not going to quit. This is too important.
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wow, really well said :)
its great to see you being motivated and commited! I'll be cheering you on :)!!
 
douknowjello said:
It's actually not like you'd think :) And let me explain why. Again I'll use the potatoes as reference. I peel ten pounds all at once or more. It makes ALOT of mini loaf pan side dish trays. So instead of every night making a side dish and cleaning up, I make all my mess at once. I have recipes for parsley parmesan chicken, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs where I make huge batches of stuff ahead. Then on nights I'm busy I just grab from the freezer and approximately 30 minutes later, dinner is served AND with no mess. What's also great about this is there's just my husband and I so these recipes are great when you wouldn't normally bother cooking certain things just for one or two people.
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Excellent! I'm definitely doing this! I think you just saved me a lot of grief and a few headaches - not to mention disagreements with the boyfriend! You rock, my friend! :)
 
douknowjello said:
So time for a bit of honesty. The last two weeks I did awesome and made decisions where I was in control, regardless what I ate. But last night I did have a lapse. I was at work, very tired and there was a pan of left over brownies sitting there my entire shift. The problem is I was already at my max calories for the day and I knew it.

So I ended up eating some of the brownies and going over my calories by several hundred. Not a huge deal in the big scheme of things but the way I felt while eating the brownies was out of control and that familiar guilt afterward....not a good feeling. Anyway I wanted to post this and move on, not dwell on it. I do realize this is going to happen from time to time since none of us is perfect and I'm just trying to minimize the damage over all.

I have to wonder sometimes....do skinny people get those urges from time to time also to just stuff their face when they're not hungry? Guess they don't even think about it, not like they have to.
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As Our Lady of Weight Loss says - All is forgiven, move on. heheh :)

And yeah, I have several very skinny friends and they definitely get the urge to stuff their faces. Unfortunately for some people with very high metabolisms it's just not that big a deal for them.
 
I think the REALLY important thing is that you recognised the brownie-stuffing-face-urge, even though you did it, you sat back afterwards and recognised what you did and could think it through logically. All too often we get sucked back into this cycle of stuffing and then feeling guilty and then eating some more and it goes round and round - I know I am so at risk from this. Losing weight isn't about going on some big diet or doing tons of exercise until you get to where you want to be, for me its about analysing and CHANGING my relationship with food to where its at a more healthy balance. All yesterday (after hearing I got promoted) I was thinking of things to eat as "a reward" - we went out to lunch and I nearlyordered ranch burger and fries to celebrate...I came home and nearly ordered takeaway to celebrate...I walked down to the store for more milk...and picked up a chocolate bar to "celebrate" (put it right back down again!!!).....and came home and thought it through - why when something good happens do I feel the need to "treat" myself with food? What is it in that cycle of denying myself and treating myself that is linked to whether I've been promoted or not? Surely the good thing that's happened is good enough?!?! Why do I need to punctuate it with eating? The two shouldn't even be linked! My point is, recognise the behaviours that have got you to where you are today and tackle them one by one...for me at least, this is the most important step to getting to and staying at a healthier weight cos otherwise the moment I stop being "vigilent" with myself, I'll start going right back up.

I suppose my overall point is, yeah you ate some brownies, but learn from it and make a conscious decision about how YOU want to chose your behavious in a similar situation again because you now understand WHY you did what you did. Does that make sense?
 
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douknowjello said:
Yea it was a ten hour shift, lol. I lasted 2 hours...and I didn't realize they were bothering me that much until I found myself in the kitchen stuffing one in my mouth. I think that's what bothered me so much is I don't remember making a conscious decision to eat one but nobody was holding a gun to my head either. Like I said, it's not the brownie that bothered me so much as how compulsive I was being about it.

I guess on the upside in the past I'd normally have ate the whole pan, not stopped at two. And after I did it it's not like the brownies were tormenting me still the rest of the shift, I was fine.
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I think you've touched on something important here - you said that after you had the two brownies that they stopped tormenting you. And in the past you would have eaten MUCH MORE right? I think maybe your feeling of deprivation drove you to dive into the two brownies. Here is what I do when I'm do when in a situation like this - Even if I've gone over my daily calories I will still allow myself 1/4 or 1/3 of a brownie - that way I don't feel deprived.

I get to taste what it is that I'm craving, and that way there is no chance of losing control which so often happens when you try and deprive yourself. Better to deal with the 100 extra calories of having a bite or two of what you're craving, then the risk of your deprivation causing you to loose control then the next thing you know you're not dealing with a mere 100 or 150 calories but 500, 600, 700 or more calories that comes from a binge.

Anyway, that's the way I deal with temptation, but what works for one person may not work for everyone - just thought I'd share my way of dealing. :)

~Stacy
 
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