Source
Emotional
Stress
Boredom
You could basically fit any of those words (and probably a few more) into the title of this post, and you’ll have my eating habits for the past two months.
Now, I’m not trying to dwell on what I’ve done wrong before, but I sorta have to acknowledge it if I want to be able to move forward.
Things started going to crap when I began working from home. I was suddenly thrown into a situation with no structure, and while I didn’t have alot of food in the house, I’d get bored and eat anything I could, or I would order delivery or hop in the car and head over to McDonalds or Wendys. If these were my meals, it probably wouldn’t have been so bad, but this was a fairly constant thing throughout the day. I also grew less interested in cooking, so almost every meal was eaten out, with little regard to healthy choices.
I resolved to do better in June, but that was a joke. I housesat for my aunt for two weeks, in a house FILLED TO THE BRIM with all sorts of food, and I basically had at it. I wasn’t eating out as much, but I was making up for it by eating all sorts of shit otherwise.
At the end of June I was on vacation in Winnipeg, Canada. Again, lots and lots of eating out. My only real saving grace there was that most of the eating was at actual meal times, there was very little snacking in between.
I don’t know why I get like that. If I get upset at anything, I eat. If I am stressed or bored, I eat. If I have a craving for the slightest little thing, I eat. If I try to allow myself one cheat meal, that basically gives way to a cheat day, which can give way to a cheat week, etc…
It sucks, and it sucks worse in that after I’ve eaten, I have very little motivation to do much else. I just want to veg, so my workouts go out the window. I workout a lot better on an empty, or near empty stomach, and over these past couple months having a empty or near empty stomach was a rarity.
But…hopefully that is all in the past, and I will get back on track. Hopefully maybe even better than before, because the diet is something I’ve always struggled with to an extent. I’m just not sure as to the best way to go about it. I’ve tried counting calories before, and that lasted maybe a week. I’ve tried meal tracking on Sparkpeople and Diet.com too, but quickly lost interest there as well. Hell, the only reason I set up a twitter account was to tweet my meals, but that didn’t last long either. I don’t know why it gets like that, especially I have no problem tracking each and every workout on Dailymile.
Blarg…I don’t know. I was thinking about Weight Watchers for Men, but I don’t want to pay for something I’m going to end up not using. I could just strive to eat healthy and not keep track of anything, too. I know that works for alot of people, but I’ve been surprised in the past at how bad my “healthy” eating could be.
I’m rambling, so I’m going to shut up now. I know something needs to be done, so it will, even if it means revisiting some old tools I tried to use in the past. In the meantime, any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated 
Have a great day!
Figure out why you want to be healthy – make that your drive – and follow through with that decision.
I know how hard it is to try to make a change in your life. It takes more than determination. Food struggles are like no other. People who have never experienced them have no idea what it’s like. The website that has helpped me the most is myfitnesspal.com. It allows me to track cal in verses cal out and there is a lot of encouragement there. You can check out my blog and let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.
Find yourself a nutritionist who can help make all of this make sense. Quit thinking about why it went wrong and how it went wrong, but instead focus on making it right and making it your lifestyle. You were figuring it out well on your own for a while, but some outside help from true professionals may help you much more than your fellow bloggers and everyday friends.
I need to get back on dailymile tracking everything. I just don’t find it that user friendly. Do you have that problem? Nutrition is where I fail sometimes… esp Friday night when i want one more drink…after I’ve had one or two. If you learn the secret let me know… I’m trying so hard to actually eat three a day right now.
Dude, I am right there with ya on the food. While I have not gained back – I havent been losing either – of course to be fair I gave up my scale – I have been eating ok for the most part but I need to be better about tracking. I want to track mainly to ensure I am giving my body proper nutrition – I don’t want to count points or even calories – I just want to eat normal and healthy. Like you, I am horrible at tracking my food and I have tried every online tracker – they all take too long. I am going back to the fitbook -it is the best way for me. AND, dailymile is soooo much easier to add workouts! Food trackers are all a PITA and slow! If you want or need, we can keep each other accountable with tracking. Email me if you are interested.
good luck my friend! You are indeed back!
xox, jen
jen (@jeninRL)´s last blog ..puppy power
ok I am aware how trite this comment is BUT its also so TRUE and has helped me and my clients.
ask yourself, in a quiet place where you can simply BE PRESENT (as uncomfortable as that might feel right now), what is is you are longing for? hungering for? what are you truly DEEP DOWN trying to fill with food?
that, friend, is a strong starting point.
IMO more powerful than WW or Sparkpeople or yada yada yada weighloss support system.
its the insight you need to bring with you wherever you head next.
as always feel free to email me…
MizFit´s last blog ..12510 update -amp your questions answered
In my opinion, you have to have some sort of plan for how you’re going to tackle your food problem.
It can be Sparkpeople, The Daily Plate, Weight Watchers, South Beach or any other HEALTHY REALISTIC calorie reduction plan. The general “I’m going to eat less crap” thing has never worked for me – it’s too easy to get off track and lose focus on how much you’re actually consuming.
I happen to know someone (ok, I happen to be someone) who’s currently doing WW so if you, ahem, just wanted to follow the program without shelling out any dough for it, theoretically you could ask and someone (me, for instance) could explain to you how it works and you could follow for free on your own.
Whatever you choose, the most important part is getting your head in it. Try focusing on getting to the end of each day on program and don’t think beyond that. Otherwise, it can be really overwhelming.
It sounds like a lack of structure in your day to day life is making your struggle all the more difficult. Perhaps a diet plan (which ever one works for you) could help you get back on track simply by imposing structure on your day.
I find that when I start eating all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons, I have to go back to a pretty rigid meal plan for a few days in order to short circuit the craziness. Good luck. I know you can figure this out.
I find the structure really helps me too, and I don’t allow myself to get too hungry. I eat about 6 times a day. Small piece of fruit before my morning workout, breakfast (oatmeal with greek yogurt and fruit mixed in keeps me full for about 3 hours), mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner. I aim for lots of protein, because that seems to keep me fuller longer. And I’m always gauging how hungry I am on a 1-10 scale. 1-4, I can hold off for another hour or so until my next time to eat. 5 and up, I eat a small snack (I aim for something no more than 150 calories and try to keep snacks low on the sugar). And if you’re really hungry, eat! Don’t let a stupid diet tell you you can’t eat. Just make sure that you’re getting the most food “bang for your buck.”
Good luck
)
I have TOTALLY been there. I get it so hardcore. I think that something I have learned, from these experiences, is that Food becomes the highlight of my day. It’s almost what gets me through the day..if that makes sense. Just focus on today..not on tomorrow and not punishing today for yesterday. Keep blogging, keep getting it out of your head.
I have been having the same problems. I was using FitDay to log my calories but after several attempts that only lasts about 2 weeks at best. I joined Tops (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) but the same women were there when I joined 10 years ago. They are just a lot bigger now. I started Low Carb again and that lastest a week.
Finally, I broke down and joined Weight Watchers again but with a different mindset. It’s all about substitutions not deprivation. I was even able to drink 6 Miller MGD 64 beers and lose weight. I am starting to love Weight Watchers – Down 11.6 lbs in 3 weeks.
Barry Hughes´s last blog ..Dairy Queen Foot Long Hotdog
I know it’s not a lot of fun, but tracking my calories was a big factor to my early success. Just trying to “eat less crap” never provided me with enough structure, a lot of little things throughout the day really add up and can throw everything off. No matter what method or tool you use, I think you need to suck it up and keep close track of what you’re eating for a while, at least until you get your groove back.
Brandon´s last blog ..My longest run yet felt pretty darn great-