What do you do when you've gone overboard on food consumption?

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what you all do when you've "messed" up and eaten something bad.  Does that set you off for the rest of the day, or do you snap yourself back on track immediately?  I am just asking because one of the problems that I've had in the past was just to lose sight of the whole healthy eating mentality just because I had slipped in the morning, or early in the day. Before I got serious about weight loss, I would be almost constantly consumed with the idea of losing weight.  You all are probably aware of the silly elementary school superstition about making a wish at 11:11?  Well every day for probably 8-10 years I would "wish" that I'd lose weight every time I noticed that it was 11:11!  yikes!  The scary thing is that I still do it sometimes...eek. Anyway though.  I used to go to sleep every night telling myself "tomorrow will be the day.  tomorrow you will start making healthier choices and tomorrow you will start this battle with yourself."  Then, "tomorrow" would come and I'd find myself rolling through dunkin-donuts drive thru grabbing an egg-crossiant and a strawberry frosted donut with sprinkles and poof!  the whole day would be "lost" and I'd continue to eat crap for the rest of the day. I still do that sometimes.  I will get to lab (where I work) and I'll start a project and then I'll think..hmm....i could go grab a cheese-it snack from the vending machine..."  and usually (I'd say 95% of the time)  I won't do it, because I'm now more committed to losing the weight.  but sometimes, I'd let myself give in and I'll go down there and grab those damn cheese-its and eat the whole bag in 30 seconds.  Then, I'll get depressed that I did that and for the rest of the day, I'll let myself over-nibble, over-eat.  make bad choices. is this a me-thing or is everyone like this?  How do you combat it?  Of course, I realize that the way to actually combat it is to not go down the hall to the vending machine.  But do any of you have a way of holding yourself back after you've already slipped? I'd also like to hear if anyone else ever did the "wishing for weight-loss" thing, or the nightly pep-talks before waking up and messing it up again. Okay that's all (for now).  Thanks!!  --Julie--

I usually get right back with the program and just savor the moment with whatever I had eaten.  If it was a real big booboo then I try to adjust my calories for the next meal to help get me back on track for the day.  If I totally blew the whole day then I make it a point as soon as I get up the next morning to get focused on what I am doing for the day.  I have my breakfast meal layed out or everything pretty ready to roll, so I don't have to make a choice. Don't beat yourself up, you are learning to eat healthy for the rest of you life. 

Hi Julie, Let’s see.  Well, I think that all of us dream, fantasize, what have you, about starting afresh in the morning, if we have slipped or if we are trying to psych ourselves up for some healthy lifestyle changes, before we drift off to sleep.  I’ve never heard of the 11:11 thing though, we didn’t do that one here in Chicago. Since you brought it up, I had a slip last night.  It wasn’t that I ate something bad, but I went way overboard with some South Beach cereal bars.  I’ve been having one everyday for a mid-morning snack, but for some reason last night I was just hungry, even after I had eaten my dinner.  The bars were there and I ate them.  When the dust settled I had polished off 6 of the bars at 140 calories a pop.  My only saving grace was that I didn’t go that much over the high end of my calorie range (1800), my day totaled 1840 calories.  Still I was disappointed in myself but I didn’t let the disappointment mushroom feeling guilty.  Some days you’re just hungrier than others.  I was hungry and I ate damnit.  Now, had that same incident happened a year or two ago, I would have probably let it totally derail me.  But, I’ve learned from my mistakes – guilt is a useless and destructive emotion.  So this morning I went right back to my regular schedule.  But, with all that said I have to admit that if I had gone off program during the morning or even the afternoon, I know that I would have written off the entire day and eaten whatever came to mind for the rest of the day.  But, even if that had happened, I think that I would still have gotten back on the wagon this morning.  But, I don’t really fear going off program during the day, at least if I’m at work.  I bring my breakfast, lunch and snacks with me so I have no excuse.  I think I might find it harder to stay on track if I didn’t bring my food to work with me. How I control things when at home is that I try to control my environment as much as possible.  That means that if I know that I have a bad history with a particular food, I don’t bring it in my house during the week.  The list of things I can’t allow in keeps growing because sometimes a “no problem” food can turn into a “problem” food.  That’s what happened last night.  I’ve had those cereal bars in my house for a couple of weeks and haven’t given them a second thought, but last night when I was grazing they caught my eye and the rest is history.  I took the rest of the bars to work with me this morning because now they are on my “DO NOT BRING HOME” list.  I know that I won’t abuse them at work, and once I’ve finished them I won’t be buying anymore.  I bought them because I wanted a mid morning snack that was filling.  But, the bars, though good, do not fill me up.  Which is probably why I was able to eat 6 of them in one standing. I hope that answers your questions.

Hi Julie For starters, I have a food plan most days. This means I know what I will eat for breakfast, snacks and supper, and it is ready and with me.  I "simply"  do not go off that plan. Easier said than done, right? It is easier when I already have what I need.  This way when birhtday cakes or coffeecakes appear in the breakroom, i get out my apple, or my cottage cheese, or whatever I hade on my food agenda. I am *over* the snide comments from everybody and worse...the dejected "hurt" looks from the baker. Too bad, this is my health and I cannot afford that kind of thing.  i save food like that for home on weekends. The days I have no plan, I have little direction and then "have to" eat whatever I can stumble across and/or go buy - which as we know, a hungry fatchick on the prowl - hellllo? Can you spell disaster??? On the chance that plans change, for me this means get invited to lunch, I just choose the best I can wherever i go (salads, soups, half sandwiches usually). Also, when I do go off plan for whatever reason, these days, i get back on the very next snack or meal.  This took YEARS of self talk and plans made, but I can say I do it 98% of the time.  Very rarely do I ever write off the whole day cuz of one dum or quick choice that I might make. Once in a while, i will compensate for a bad meal...let's say I overeat at lunch...I may adjust my supper to more veggies or less other high fat thing.  Hope this helps!!!!

one more thing..the next day dieting plan thing:  those talks with myself were what led to making the best choices!  I would review what I ate, and make the changes in my mind of what I should have done. Eventually, I did it!  Every single time I wish over birthday candles or new years or on a falling star I wish for a healthy weight loss.

JA: Trust me, it's not just you. Unfortunately I still haven't conquered this demon, I don't think I ever will.  Only thing I know that will work is to get out of the house myself if I start overeating or keep it out of the house. Also there's something about eating in public that's uncomfortable. I don't like snacking at work either.. I ashamed for some reason! I don't why . Usually it ceases at the end of the day when I go to bed. The next day, I won't eat until my stomach growls.. That puts things back into check.

hey Bud, OMG I do the same thing!!!  If I have eaten something that is too much or off of my plan I vow not to eat at all the next day until my stomach growls!! As soon as I "feel" hunger, I'm right back on track.  Interestingly enough, I HATE that constantly full feeling, which is why I hate the grazing that I do, I never have a chance to feel hunger. I don't like eating in public either.  It's like I think people are saying that I am still not thin enough to do that.

I don't like eating out right now either - just because it's harder to make the right choices with all that bad/fat-filled food staring me in the face. I feel like I have better control if we just eat at home. The couple of times we've gone to the beach, I've taken the time to pack up the cooler full of good things. I'm trying to instill in my kids that eating out all the time is bad and it's not a reward for good behavior, but sometimes I catch myself doing it... my friend and I have been taking our kids on our 3 mile "hikes" around the crater. I've caught myself bribing the kids that if they don't complain a bunch that we can go to BK or McD's on Friday so they can play. But, I've eased up on making them eat all of their food and I limit what they have. They can have nuggets or the burger, but I make them have the apples and milk. A lot of time, they don't finish all the "bad" things, which is ok - I let them throw it away. Sometimes I get the salad, other times I will order the same thing they are having.  Right now, I can't have any calorie filled snacks in the house or I will eat them. I went and bought about $25 worth of fruit (grapes, apples, oranges, melons, strawberries) yesterday and a $6 melon baller. I figure we spend that much eating at McD's one time for the whole family and this will last almost all week. I also picked up the 100 calorie packs of teddy grahams, etc, so at least the kids feel like they have some snacks.  

Hi Heather, Isn't that awful that we can't have "snack foods" in the house without being gluttons.  God I hate this damn disease!!!  Yesterday I visited the kitchen a couple of times, far better than my dozens of times, and there was NOTHING to eat.  I had to laugh.  I don't feel like eating "real" food so that's safe.  So I grabbed a 40 calories NSA fudgepop and I was on my way. Those 100 calorie packs aren't bad, at least they keep us controlled.

OK! You know.. You said it best.. "It's like I think people are saying that I am still not thin enough to do that." That is definitely the reason. I wonder if it will change once I am 190lbs.. We'll see. Also I hate feeling full too.  Eating small meals is so much better because I get to eat more. Weird I know.. Plus the exercise lets you eat lil more if you can afford the calories.