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Forum -> Health & Wellness -> Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight Loss/ Exercise

Cheated. Send help

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amother

OP ↓

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 6:13 pm

I have been working hard since the beginning of September to lose weight. And I did!! I was down 16lbs, which for me is unbelievable! I was so proud. And the craziest part it wasn’t even a struggle.

And then it happened. I don’t even know how. I cheated. I didn’t cheat even once until this last Sunday. I had a family event and I ate perfectly. Until my MIL sent us home with a bag of cookies. And I don’t know what hit me. I ate one. Then two. Then three. That’s it I thought. Tomorrow I’ll be back to normal. But the next day I finished the bag. Long story short, the rest of the week I was completely off my meal plan. Gain back an easy 5 lbs. Not even looking after Shabbos!

I am desperate to get back to eating right.

Scream at me. Don’t tel me it’s ok and just get back on the right path tomorrow. I need you to knock sense into me.

MySpace

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 6:16 pm

Can you meal plan and prep tonight so you feel empowered to stay on track tomorrow and this week?

What was your meal plan?
I'm desperate to lose weight

hodeez ↓

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 6:17 pm

You did awesome but you need to cheat every once in a while, otherwise you'll feel too restricted. Sorry to not beat you up but we've all been there and it's ok! Those 5lb won't be so hard to lose once u get on track. Good luck!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 6:25 pm

How is it that it took me 8/9 weeks to lose 16 lbs but less than a week to gain 8? (Yes I weighed myself since my first post! I know it’s at night but still).

It’s just so crazy. I went thru alllll the chagiim. Family simchas. Shabbosiim. Never needed to cheat.
A bag of cookies? Seriously??

amother

Cornsilk

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 6:58 pm

I find that I’m the same. Once I start a diet, I’m perfect through everything. Yomim tovim, family events. But once I cheat, it’s over. Until I go back on my diet. But you need to do it consciously

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 7:26 pm

I really truly believed that I was in it for life. For the first time in the many years I was trying to lose. Never this many lbs and never for this long. How do I get back in the game?

amother

Daylily

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 9:59 pm

Ah, the old restrict-binge cycle.
No advice other than looking into intuitive eating.
Best of luck!

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 10:07 pm

Yeah, yeah. You're telling my story. Different amount of weight, different amount of time,different style of binge, but otherwise, same same. Sorry for both of us.

amother

Mustard

Sat, Nov 16 2024, 10:46 pm

Here's exactly what you need to know (said from personal experience and this really works for me). These are very simple tips but they are really key:
1. Think back to what led up to your binge. Did you experiment with a certain food that created craving for you? Were you going through something difficult? Did you have a thought, "Oh, just one won't hurt me..." Try to find the clue about what triggered you so you can learn from it for the future.
2. Kick the crazy thinking to the curb. All your brain is going to tell you now is, "You're done! Kaput! It's all over! Back to Square One." But that's completely untrue. You've only gained 8 pounds. You know how you lost 16. All you need to do is go back to what you were doing to lose weight. So don't give into the negative thinking of, "Oh, I'll just continue eating because it's all over anyways." We can always start over, any moment of any day. That's the truth. It maybe doesn't FEEL like the truth when you're in the dumps, but it IS the truth and it's the secret to longterm weight loss.
I am maintaining a 70 pound weight loss for three years, b"H, and the two above tips are what has kept me going. That, and just realizing how incredible it is to be slim and beautiful and remembering how miserable I was when I was bingeing and very heavy. (Also, my food plan is extremely black and white which keeps me very honest while being very healthy for me, b"H.)
Hatzlacha!

zaq

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 4:52 am

Sane, same. It's hard but important to get rid of that all-or-nothing perfectionist mentality. Don't look at where you were last week; look at where you came from. You're still down by 11 lbs. Also, never look at your weight at night. Always always on the same day of the week and in the morning before breakfast and after emptying your bladder. Always wearing the same thing or nothing. Otherwise you're comparing apples and bicycles. What you weigh after supper means nothing--you're counting the weight of the food you just ate and haven't digested. A good portion of that is going to be eliminated, you know, though it may take a few days.

Some old bromides are true, and "get right back on track" is one of them. It's the only way. Otherwise it becomes tomorrow, next Sunday, after Chanukah, after Pesach, and ends up being after Shavuos seven years and 40 lbs. from now. Don't look at last week. Start again right now as if from scratch. Start a fresh notebook page as if you never tried reducing before.

It helps to allow yourself an occasional treat. You can skip it or use it, but give yourself permission to have a weekly small indulgence. Even if you have a weekly 500 calorie treat, which is quite a lot, that translates to losing just 1 lb. less in seven weeks. (1 lb. is about 3500 calories.) If you skip the treat, you'll lose 1 lb. more in seven weeks. If the weekly or occasional controlled indulgence prevents the "I cheated so what's the use?" bingeing syndrome, that minimally slower loss is totally worth it.

And next time, either politely decline or "forget" the gift of cookies, or give them to dh to share with friends.

A rational person doesn't quit learning to ride a bicycle just because she fell off once or twice. Neither does she give up on weight loss just because she binged once or twice. You can do it! Hatzlacha!

amother

↑ OP

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 7:01 am

Thank you to everyone, whos words were not encouraging at all. It was your words that actually encouraged me the most, I will not be like you and I will not fall off the bandwagon again. I picked myself back up this morning went out for a morning walk and I’m already being careful with what I eat. Your words have shifted in my mind that I do not want to be like that ever again. I will not let this be just another fad diet, another yo-yo diet and another round of binging.

And thank you to the few of you, who were actually encouraging. You gave me good things to think about. I hope to be back on here next week, telling all the naysayers that I did it and I lost all the weight again.

↑ hodeez

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 7:22 am

Yes don't be like 99 percent of the world

amother

Aster

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 7:41 am

Best advice to give you is to allow for 1 treat per week. It can be a cookie, a less healthy meal you crave, a milkshake, slice of cheesecake shabbos morning, or whatever. No guilt, just pleasure. I find it's the guilt of knowing you cheated that throws you off the most. But if it's part of my "balance" in my healthy eating diet, it doesn't lead to that spiral. And a once per week treat will not throw your weight loss goals off. If you restrict yourself 100% of the time with no room for indulgence, it is more likely to fail at some point or another.

shanie5

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 8:32 am

amother OP wrote:

I really truly believed that I was in it for life. For the first time in the many years I was trying to lose. Never this many lbs and never for this long. How do I get back in the game?

Do it just one day at a time. Be accountable to 1 person. Call or text them daily that you stayed on target that day. Have them encourage you to do it for one more day. If you don't think about it as a lifetime of "I can never eat _____ again (fill in the blank with whatever you want) then you are less likely to cheat. It's just "today" you won't eat it. Tomorrow you can make that decision again.

Also, if you do eat something not on your diet, consider it a treat and not a cheat. Cheat makes it sound like a failure. Treat is something you get for doing good and then continue with the good.

For me, if I make or buy things not on my food plan, it's for kids and/or company. For kids, it goes in their cabinet while they are here-not in my cabinet where it may tempt me. And once kids and/or company leave, I send the foods with them. Or bring it to work for the office the next day. Or dh brings it to his office. I don't keep it around where I might be tempted to over treat myself.

amother

Hibiscus

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 8:58 am

What works for me is if I crave something sweet I take a nap. Yes my house will go crazy and my kids will be jumping off the walls but even 6 months after starting my diet my body still looks for sugar when I am depleted. If you have been off sugar for a while then it's likely you restarted the craving. It'll come to you when you're tired so just be aware.

amother

Snow

Sun, Nov 17 2024, 3:26 pm

I thought you meant on your dh. When I read further I thought, “oh. That’s not so bad.”

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