Teach me self restraint… I’ll need it real soon…
A psychiatrist runs into an old pal of his that he hadn’t seen for a long time and says: “Well, hello there, Pete, what a surprise! Mike told me that you had died!”
Pete says “Well, you see now that I’m still alive and around.”
The psychiatrist replies: “Well, I’m not too sure. I would rely on what Mike says more than on what you say…”
I’m sort of in the psychiatrist-mode right now… I’m about at the upper limit of the size I always wanted to be, but somehow I just can’t believe it. It’s like “I’m there, but am I really there?”, you know what I mean?
I keep doing stupid things food-wise, as if I wanted to see if I can put a few lbs on and then lose them again… just to be sure that I really am there. Why do I do that?!?!?! Why can’t I just have one slice of bread instead of three? Why do I always run out of cheese the same day that I bought it? Aaaargh!
I keep finding myself trapped in these day-to-day yo-yo cycles… today, I count my kcals and exercise like mad, tomorrow I’ll just eat whatever comes my way. I am certain that the minute I would stop my ‘diet’, I would start gaining weight again.
Where the heck is the middle ground? My BF loves bread and I have to be able to have it around and not eat it too much. Same with cheese or sweets. I can be a good girl if I get rid of all the goodies. But…
can someone teach me how to have goodies around and still be a good girl? I have a week to learn this. No pressure….
Self-restraint is just that. I can tell you what and how and what I do but until you just do it it won’t happen. First of all I don’t keep those things in my house to begin, but having young kids I understand. Secondly I buy a lot of sugar free 0 cal jello which is delicious and I just think of how wonderful it’s going to be in Jamaica with a smaller bathing suit. lol Picture yourself somewhere looking oh so cute in a bikini maybe and you’ll leave that alone. Or if that doesnt’work find a before picture and post it in the kitchen! Everytime I look at mine- that does it for me!!! Best to you!
LOL - okay, no pressure.
This is something that is hard to do Lid. I have a family in my home of 3 men who are meat and potatoes and sugar and bread kinda guys. I HAVE to cook what they like, and if I want to reach my goal, I HAVE to be disciplined enough to not touch it after I prepare it. It is something I am learning. First and foremost, I have to keep reminding myself why I started this journey in the first place, write my reasons down, don’t lose sight of the beginning. It’s easy to become complacent after awhile and think “Oh, one day isn’t going to hurt me”… but it WILL. I’ve been there, done that, and own the t-shirt. I use mental imaging to keep me on solid ground. Mental image of what I used to look like and what I want to look like again. Mental imaging of how I grunt and groan bending over to tie my shoes. Mental imaging of the last time I walked toward a mirror naked and watched is all jiggle (ouch). Mental image of not being able to lift this or that because my joints hurt from not being used. Mental image of the last time I put on a swimsuit and how I felt. Reading profiles here to see how others are struggling with FAR more health issues and weight issues than I am, and realizing I never want to go there. I have to STOP and make myself remember all these things. At first, it was hard and the first couple of weeks of this journey I slipped here, slipped there, and saw not much progress at all. I finally got pissed off and MADE UP MY MIND that I was going to DO THIS THING. It’s my choice, no one is making me. HOW BAD DO I WANT IT? Asking myself that over and over and over. Daily journaling of how my energy level has improved, how my complexion has improved, how I FEEL better about myself at the end of the day that I MADE IT! NO SLIPS!
I don’t know… I’m rambling on and on here. It’s just that I feel a passion for reaching my goal now… not like something I “need” to do, or “have” to do… but something I “want so badly I can taste it”…
Does that make any sense?
Dig down deep and find that desire Lid. It’s in you. I know it is from past blogs I’ve read.
Big Huge Hugs,
Shan
Hi, hon. When my husband was with me he could eat anything and not gain weight. The only way I could manage to maintain my weight loss was to tell myself, “This is his food. If I eat this I am eating food that does not belong to me. If I eat his food that is taking something that does not belong to me.” It worked. I kept 100 lbs off for 25 years. I thought of it as a moral issue but now that I am alone, I keep the bread in the freezer and take out 2 slices at a time. Hey,whatever works. I am a Foodie [sort of like a Trekkie] and I will die a Foodie. Just remember when you enjoy food you probably enjoy other sensous pleasures also. Wink, wink.
Well my advice might sound too simple but I think it’s because there is no real good answer. There is no magic words I can think of that will make you be a good girl or no pill you can take so I think the only advice I could give is do not eat one piece of regular cheese or any bread goodies. One can lead to two and two can lead to three and so forth. Go and buy yourself some good goodies. Buy cheese but the 2% kind, buy yourself some whole wheat crackers. Just keep focusing on the goals you want to achieve. Try and make the goals more important then some cookie. Good luck girl. Keep us informed.
.
It is hard to avoid the foods we love and crave but they are making healthier versions all the time. It takes longer but walk through your stores really looking at things and comparing calories, carbs, and fat of the different brands. Keep some yummy fruits and vegggies around too cause they are good for you and sometimes curb that craving.
Beats me. I just try to have things for the kids around with just a little extra so I feel guilty if I eat theirs. No reason they need to be deprived just because I can’t control myself. And speaking of kids, I’ve gotta go get dinner. Have a good evening!
Well I would say hide them in a cupboard where you don’t have to look at them, but the cheese probably wouldn’t work.
Then again, if you put a pound of it up there long enough the smell might turn you off of it for good….at the very least you would have a good pennicilin starter kit.
Ethan loves bread, especially fresh baked. I buy those frozen bread doughs and bake them for him at least twice a week, just smelling it makes me want to punch him directly in the face.
Yeah that’s the problem… my BF loves bread. He wants bread at every meal and when he’s feelig peckish, hes fauvorite treat is a huge piece of plain wholemeal bread or (sometimes) cookies or jelly candy. He’s thin, though, because he cuts down on other stuff. If I serve him healthy food, he’ll eat that and then go and also eat his bread or cookies… and gain weight. So better just keep him on bread… lol … and I don’t know, I think what you said, Marge, might do the trick. I’ll let you know!
I know what you mean about the seeming self-sabatage that comes when we reach our goal.
It is as if we go from extremely disciplined to wanting to let it all hang out.
For that reason, I am finding that I can’t eat sweets at all, because I can’t limit them without eventually going overboard.
Giving them up completely and limiting my carb intake took away the cravings for them, but I know that all it would take is a candybar or icecream cone and I would be back out of control.
I was a total carb addict and pasta and bread and potatoes and pizza (and sweets) were my favorite things.
For me, I have come to peace with things like bread, pasta, and pizza, by only allowing myself to eat them once or twice a week and by not going “unconscious” when I eat them. I may not monitor the portion size of things like veggies, but I do monitor the carbs especially, because they cause food cravings.
BeaUtiful Lidecka,
It would seem that this is my forte, but I know what I can have and what I can not have. Right now, I am in a good place so I do not want. But I do not know what to say because if there was milk chocolate here and something happened to burst my bubble, I would be into it and that would be that. The key I think is finding a good place in the mind and hold on.
Do you like where you are enough to have the 3rd piece of bread? Does it make you happier to have 3 or is 1 or 2 satisfying? Do you enjoy and savour every bite of the first?
Who the heck knows why we do what we do. All I know is that you are the best Master ever (ok you are my first) and I know that you have the strength to treat yourself like a Queen.
*hugs*
BTW… cute puppy