Need some serious life altering info to get to goal!!

Hey ladies and gents,,,, I am having such a hard time following my new way of eating,, its driving me crazy,, my mind keeps making excuses and exceptions,,, I want to get to goal sooo bad,, but I do not know what the heck is wrong with my brain... One minute I am looking in the mirror (feeling like a hottie) and noticing that my clothes look pretty good on me and thinking that I dropped a LB or so,,, then another minute later,, I am thinking that if I eat a bowl of captian crunch in a coffee mug that the calories and carbs wont be THAT BAD because its a small amount,,,, I just started writing down my food again yesterday to keep a journal,, but what the heck is my problem,,, Another thing,, yesterday I went to get starbucks (decalf w/splenda) and I got a chocolate chip cookie,, they are awesome tasting and huge,,, well I started eating it,, then my brain kept saying "throw the damn thing out the window" I did that (yea!!) but had to take a few bites before doing it,,,, anyone else out there having the same kinda problems?? Oh I am 15.5 months out and want to lose another 20lbs or so,,, thanks Christy

There is nothing wrong with the occasional snack. You have to compensate for those by (1) only doing three bites and (2) increase your exercise to offset what you ate. I eat an ocassional Krisly Kreme doughnut and make sweets once a week, but I also add two miles to my walk on the day that I eat that stuff. It is calories in vs calories out. Your body does not care where the calories came from. Its keeps count of what you put in vs what you burn off. Stop beating yourself up and increase that protein and work off the "fun foods" VAL

Christy, You sound exactly like me. I'm approximately 20 pounds from goal with TT coming up in November, and I've been in the same state of mind. I've even fallen victim to that very same chocolate chip cookie, etc--So you're not alone. I can't seem to stop thinking about food, and I keep making the same kind of excuses. I have a 12 year old son so, I know how hard it is to be around all the junk food. Just wanted to say, that you look awesome. I've been trying to find other things to do when the urge hits me, stepping in front of the mirror and trying on all the "skinny clothes" my sister gaive me (in varying sizes) seems to help remind me of how far I've come. I've also put some healthy snacks in the fridge and snack drawer for me. Syders has some wounderful Soy Crisp chips (garlic and parmesean) and they're actually wonderful, and have 7 or 8 grams of protein in them with limited carbs. I've also stocked up on the South Beach Diet protein bars (my favorite is the oatmeal raisin and the cranberry almond) They almost make me feel like I'm cheating. Hang in there--I'm with ya. WE CAN DO THIS! Take Care g 328/195/some day 175

Being 16mos. out I am where you are mentally... So proud of myself and motivated to get the last off one minute and then grabbing some Jellie Bellies the next. Although I agree with the previous poster in that it is not wrong to give ourselves a treat occasionally- I truely believe it is in the HOW we do it. Thinking and planning ahead for an entitled treat is not going to be our downfall. It is when we allow old habits of things just "happening" like your cookie or my jelly beans that we go down a slippery slope. Outside influences just "happening" to us got us obese in the first place. Once again it comes back to us needing to work as hard on our brains as our body. Sorry, no quick answer- just that we are all in this struggle together. I truely believe analyzing our actions is the first step.

I like your reply Mary. I just posted about the carb cravings and what are they all about? But you are correct, they were there when I gained my 100 lbs, just didn't put a "label" on them. Thanks for your post, I like your quiet approach. Marilyn

Thanks for the kind words. And boy do I understand the carb craving. I truely believe from my reading that it is as physical as mental. Something mentally may set you to taking in that first first serving of carbs(refined flour, potatoes etc..) but then the body has a real physical addiction to them. Those cravings are real. I found I just had to go cold turkey (like a drug addict!). Once they were out of my system I could better resist them and those in between meal "need to feed" cravings also diminished. Of course I am no saint, I do still have some. But I try to build in a safety net. I have them only when I go out to eat. I will not bring them into my house. (luckily I am not feeding anyone else) That way when I "need" that handful of goldfish crackers-there is nothing there. Hey, it works for me.

Christy, First, congratulations on taking a few bites and throwing the cookie out the window! That is a huge accomplishment. Pre-surgery, could you and would you have done that?? I doubt it. I know that I wouldn't have. I know for me that when I get on that vicious cycle of sugar that a little bit of sugar turns into a little more and a little more. There are times that I could have a case of Captain Crunch (I love that one too) and it wouldn't bother me and there are other times that it calls my name from the grocery store. During the times that I feel weak and vulnerable to the "Captain" or other junky/snacky stuff, I try to stop myself briefly to check in and ask myself "What are you feeling?", "What is going on?" "What will food fix that you can't work out for yourself?" It isn't 100% fail proof, however, it works more times than not. One of those questions can stop me in my tracks to the kitchen and make me pause long enough to control the impulse. Another thought I had when reading your post...you're 15-1/2 months out and only have 20 more pounds to lose. That's awfully close to reaching the goal you've set for yourself. Is that scarry in some ways to you? Do you feel you deserve the final success of reaching your goal? Is looking in the mirror and feeling proud of yourself and liking what you see causing you to want to eat. You have worked hard and you're in the home stretch. You deserve to reach your goal and you will do it! By reaching out and posting what you did, I know you will do it. You've made a wonderful investment in yourself by having the surgery. We all trip up. I think throwing out a Starbucks cookie is huge. Focus on all your successes the past 15-1/2 months and be proud of what you've accomplished. Congratulations and let me know when you see your goal. Cathy