Was doing ok until dinner...

SparkPoints: (113,010)
Fitness Minutes: (179,420)
Posts: 17,429
7/20/12 2:00 P

Jenny,

Don't worry ! You really are doing just fine.

As the old song goes,"accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative". Give yourself credit for the POSITIVE things you did during the day and don't beat yourself up because you ate a little too much at the church dinner.

How do you make the day more positive when you think you messed up ? You give yourself credit for eating a healthy breakfast AND a healthy lunch ! Okay, so you ate a little too much at dinner. That doesn't make you a bad person !!! Remember, you're trying to change habits learned over a life time. That's not going to happen overnight, a week, a month or even a year. Change really does take time.

So, if you ate well during the day, that's important ! It means you are making more conscious decisions to eat better.

Why did you eat a little too much at the church dinner ? We all do ! Every single member of Spark People hasn't eaten too much at these functions. It happens. Do we beat ourselves up for it ? NO ! The next day, we do our best to be a bit more mindful.

You really are doing just fine. Stop trying to be perfect. You don't have to be perfect to be healthy.

SparkPoints: (9,626)
Fitness Minutes: (1,473)
Posts: 637
7/20/12 8:48 A

Jenny, I can really relate to eating just because it is there~ I struggle with that as well. Even if I am not hungry, food is a huge comfort to me. I have to just think of my goals, and do my best to resist temptation.

current weight: 191.8

202 186.5 171 155.5

140

SparkPoints: (18,748)
Fitness Minutes: (15,986)
Posts: 1,487
7/19/12 11:35 P

Jenny,

I recall Nancy and other experts here saying, "Trust the Process."
Well, you are l-e-a-r-n-i-n-g how to more healthfully eat, and yup, it is indeed a process!
Sometimes it will be two steps forward; one step back. Other times you'll leap three steps ahead, etc etc. Sometimes it will seem like you go backwards.

I am close to my year Spark anniversary, and more than anything, I appreciate the fact that perfection has no place here. That takes a lot of the pressure off. That also means we get to be human, with all the pluses and minuses that go with it.

But if you stick w/ it and ride it out, the things you are learning will eventually stick more than not. I still have days where doggone it, I'm having a box of Skinny Cow wafers so there!
The difference now is I don't fold up and go nuts after. I brush myself off and get on w/ healthful eating the very next meal. Not tomorrow; not Monday or next week. The very next time food goes into my mouth.

You've got to give yourself permission to be human, Jenny! I am not trying to make light or validate non-healthful eating. Obviously, you're here because you want to eat more healthy and that's great. But cut yourself some slack, girlfriend!

You'll get there. I promise. Think progress over time...not perfection in every minute.

Now: what can you plan to fix that will be tasty and healthy for your next meal? What sounds good?

You can do it, Jen!

SparkPoints: (37,108)
Fitness Minutes: (6,691)
Posts: 44,595
7/19/12 9:10 P

Jenny,

Please do not beat yourself up. Starting to begin with is hard. There are many bumps along the road, and many challenges and setbacks along the way. I won't sugarcoat it and say that this isn't hard. You're working to change habits that are second nature to you. Think of how hard it is for someone to quit smoking, or to quit drinking alcohol if he/she has an alcohol issue. Losing weight, establishing exercise habits, and learning how to eat more healthfully is TOUGH. But, you do what you can, celebrate the successes, and forgive yourself when you have a setback.

I'm personally tough on myself as well--I'm a perfectionist in all other areas of my life, so I tend to be a bit mean on myself. It took me a long time to learn how to engage in positive self-talk. All I can say is to start with little things. I started by cutting out french fries and soda. Then the next step was to add veggies at dinner. Things build upon one another. If you try to do everything at once, it gets overwhelming.

For situations where I have to be out and I have a bad tendency to just mindlessly eat and do some serious damage, I have a couple of suggestions. First, I make a plate. It makes you more aware of what you're eating. Two, if I feel like I want more, I drink a BIG glass of water before deciding if I want more food. Often, I don't. And three, sometimes I literally have to tell myself, "No, you've had enough calories, you don't need to eat that cookie. It's not saying you can never have a cookie again, but it's better to space them out."

Those are just a few tips that have started working for me. But, it still takes time to get them to work. Please do not beat yourself up-you're important, you matter, and we are all rooting for you!!!

Hugs, Jamie

Total SparkPoints: 37,108

	30,000 32,499 34,999 37,499	39,999
SparkPoints Level 15

Posts: 51
7/19/12 8:44 P

I was doing good til I went to church for dinner and I ate 2 bowls of beans and rice and some cake and it was not even good. I just ate it cause it was there. That's how it is with me 2 steps forward then I fall again. When am I going to stop eating just cause its there? How do I stop eating after the first serving?

Pounds lost: 13.0

0 15.25 30.5 45.75

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