CaptainDrop Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 It is a sad time in the kingdom of late my friends. For the last 7 months I've been doing my best to make good diet decisions and exercise daily. This kind of story is probably familiar to you. The weird thing is that from January to August last year I dropped from over 440 pounds to 300 pounds sticking to Paleo and Running daily. Since that time I've had a really hard time staying on track. Back in August I moved back in with my parents to afford tuition so i could attend college as a part of my life turnaround plan. Ever since I moved back and maybe a week before, I've been falling off the wagon in a sick twisted cycle that occurs daily. I get up, eat a great healthy breakfast, go to school, come back, then while I kick back and play some video games or watch some shows I start to crave food. I can fight the cravings for maybe an hour or two by snacking on some veg but almost every time I shamefully drive to the nearest grocery store and come back with a binge-load of confectionery goods. On tighter days where I work more it's not as big of a problem, as my window for bad decisions is more narrow. Resisting on days off is laughable. I can sometimes build up a 2-3 day streak of healthy decision making before I crash the boat and kill my habit building. As a result of this behavior I've gained back at least 50 pounds and I feel ashamed to call myself a member of the Rebellion. Summer vacation is coming up and I don't even want to think about how hard it will be when I have that much more free-time without school. I've done research nearly every day crawling through posts here, and articles from Steve and other sources. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't give up, I need to lose all this weight. I can't afford a personal trainer, life coach, or therapist to help me. Please give me any scrap of information that you think can help. I'll be watching this post and trying to reply to ideas, PM me if you would like. TL;DR My significant weight loss is reversing due to me going out of my way to eat crap when I'm relaxing. Need advice. Quote "Talga Vassternich. Deserve Victory." - Wizard's Eighth Rule Captain Drop's Introduction Captain Drop's Battle Log Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 This sounds incredibly familiar. Just to confirm - were you out on your own for awhile, then moved back in with your folks to go back to school? I'll give you a bit of my story, maybe we can connect on something. I left my family's home at 17 to go to school - came back at 21, and got an apartment with friends a few months after. I found that all throughout my 20s, every time I spent a significant amount of time at my folks place, I regressed to my behavior from when I was living there as a teenager (this was not good. Very self destructive.) I've had long talks with my brother about this and he seems to have had the same experience. I don't think it really had anything to do with my parents themselves - we have a very good adult relationship. I think just being there, for me, was almost like an excuse to be a child again. I had this sense of "being taken care of" that let me do whatever terrible stuff I did. For me I think it was a visual cue, the familiar comfort of the setting etc. These were the rooms I hid in when I couldn't take the social pressure, when I was too depressed to do anything else, and while I wasn't depressed anymore (or, specifically at that time), it still resonated as being that little protective shell so I continued to behave like it was. Once I realized what was happened, I was able to work through it, but I don't know if I'm on anything close to the right track here... but we're here for you of course! Having down time can be a struggle for anyone - are there places at school, maybe a student center or something, where you can relax and decompress instead of heading back home? Maybe a summer gig somewhere that could keep you occupied? Of course a good walk is a nice distraction from cravings. Want a snack? Take a walk first, then see if you still want it. Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
TheGreyJedi-Ranger Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 Fighting cravings during downtime is something I've always had a hard time with. Drinking a cup of tea sometimes helps me, or having water to drink. Chewing gum can also help by giving your mouth something to do. Quote Grey Jedi Ranger Jedi Becomes Her Own Hero Jedi Battle Log “Keep Calm, Carry On, and Don't Freeze Up!” - Oboro Shirakumo (Loud Cloud), My Hero Academia Vigilantes Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12. #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, #36, #37, #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, #43, #44, #45, #46, #47, #48, #49, #50, #51, #52, #53, #54, #55, #56, #57, #58, #59, #60, #61, #62, #63 Link to comment
CaptainDrop Posted April 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 5 hours ago, ~RedStone~ said: This sounds incredibly familiar. Just to confirm - were you out on your own for awhile, then moved back in with your folks to go back to school? I'll give you a bit of my story, maybe we can connect on something. I left my family's home at 17 to go to school - came back at 21, and got an apartment with friends a few months after. I found that all throughout my 20s, every time I spent a significant amount of time at my folks place, I regressed to my behavior from when I was living there as a teenager (this was not good. Very self destructive.) I've had long talks with my brother about this and he seems to have had the same experience. I don't think it really had anything to do with my parents themselves - we have a very good adult relationship. I think just being there, for me, was almost like an excuse to be a child again. I had this sense of "being taken care of" that let me do whatever terrible stuff I did. For me I think it was a visual cue, the familiar comfort of the setting etc. These were the rooms I hid in when I couldn't take the social pressure, when I was too depressed to do anything else, and while I wasn't depressed anymore (or, specifically at that time), it still resonated as being that little protective shell so I continued to behave like it was. Once I realized what was happened, I was able to work through it, but I don't know if I'm on anything close to the right track here... but we're here for you of course! Having down time can be a struggle for anyone - are there places at school, maybe a student center or something, where you can relax and decompress instead of heading back home? Maybe a summer gig somewhere that could keep you occupied? Of course a good walk is a nice distraction from cravings. Want a snack? Take a walk first, then see if you still want it. I've considered that I may have reverted to my behavior from before I moved out. I lived on my own for two years before I came back and all my progress took place while I was in my apartment. I'll try to keep that in mind while I go forward. Walks help for about an hour but I don't think they're the best solution. Whenever the break between school and work is less than 5 hours I usually do homework or mess around in the library or the plaza around my job so I can avoid eating garbage. 1 Quote "Talga Vassternich. Deserve Victory." - Wizard's Eighth Rule Captain Drop's Introduction Captain Drop's Battle Log Link to comment
CaptainDrop Posted April 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 4 hours ago, Cryosilver said: Sounds to me like a lack of available good alternatives is what makes you go out and get bad food. Veggies are tasty, but not terribly filling. What you need is something that tastes good and keeps you sated. Have you considered protein shakes? I use ON Gold Standard Whey in Double Rich Chocolate, and while it won't fool you into thinking it's a milkshake, it tastes pretty good. A scoop in a glass of 2% milk is 260 calories, 6g fat, 17g carbs and 32g protein. If you really want to boost how filling a shake can be, add a scoop of fiber; it'll fill you up like you ate small meal, with less calories than a bottle of Coke. Other protein sources will accomplish the same thing, but shakes are one of the cheapest ways to do it. I'm going to try this this week and see how it works out. I have protein powder but I usually put it in water. Maybe the milk will make it more worth it. I'll look into fiber at the grocery store today. Thanks Quote "Talga Vassternich. Deserve Victory." - Wizard's Eighth Rule Captain Drop's Introduction Captain Drop's Battle Log Link to comment
CaptainDrop Posted April 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 2 hours ago, TheGreyJedi-Ranger said: Fighting cravings during downtime is something I've always had a hard time with. Drinking a cup of tea sometimes helps me, or having water to drink. Chewing gum can also help by giving your mouth something to do. I used to do Coffee and Tea all the time, but now that I'm back with my LDS parents they don't approve of hot beverages and I want to be sensitive to their beliefs. I always have one of those big 7-11 mugs full of ice water and that gives me something to sip on to keep hydrated but it doesn't stop cravings. I've tried gum and it works a little bit but i end up with a weird combination of a happy mouth, and a jealous stomach. Quote "Talga Vassternich. Deserve Victory." - Wizard's Eighth Rule Captain Drop's Introduction Captain Drop's Battle Log Link to comment
TheGreyJedi-Ranger Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 11 minutes ago, CaptainDrop said: I used to do Coffee and Tea all the time, but now that I'm back with my LDS parents they don't approve of hot beverages and I want to be sensitive to their beliefs. I always have one of those big 7-11 mugs full of ice water and that gives me something to sip on to keep hydrated but it doesn't stop cravings. I've tried gum and it works a little bit but i end up with a weird combination of a happy mouth, and a jealous stomach. Perhaps you could look into putting fruit in your water or water flavoring? That might work better than plain water? Quote Grey Jedi Ranger Jedi Becomes Her Own Hero Jedi Battle Log “Keep Calm, Carry On, and Don't Freeze Up!” - Oboro Shirakumo (Loud Cloud), My Hero Academia Vigilantes Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12. #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, #36, #37, #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, #43, #44, #45, #46, #47, #48, #49, #50, #51, #52, #53, #54, #55, #56, #57, #58, #59, #60, #61, #62, #63 Link to comment
Bob the Bardbarian Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 Our free time is like our workouts: If we have nothing scheduled, we tend to make bad choices. Cooking your food ahead of time will help with this, but in the end, developing a sense of willpower and self-discipline will help more than anything else. There's been times when I've taken chips out of a bag, brought them so close to my mouth, only to put them back into the bag, and put it out of site. Be mindful, and live in the moment, in the present. Remember your goals, but also know that you will fail, we all do. Don't let it slow you down, and don't let your emotional state make you forget who you are, who you're becoming, and what your capable of. Now go forth, and kick some ass. Quote Level 4 | Character Sheet | Current Challenge | | Past Challenges | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Educate - Entertain - Inspire Link to comment
Raincloak Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 When you get home, put your keys in a bowl of water and put it in the freezer. After an hour the keys will be encased in ice and you won't be able to drive anywhere. Quote Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Hylian Assassin 5'5", 143 lbs. Half-marathon: 3:02It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. Link to comment
Copper Rabbit Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 I find soda water is a bit more interesting for a distracting sipper (or for a spritzer add a splash of juice) if that would be an option for you? Hang in there! I struggle with the consistency side of things too but it sounds like you've made some great strides in the past are working on doing so again. Hooray for not giving up the good balance battle and exciting to hear you're in college!! (: Quote Copper Rabbit _| @( )* The Next Step - June Goal Set: Overall Progress (5%) Link to comment
Noname123 Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Why not run to the store next time? (or walk to it). Once you get there you can't go all out unless you want to carry it all back with you. After getting some activity in you're also likely to make a better snack choice if you're feeling good. I do this with things inside the house too. "I know I have that jar of peanut butter in my cupboard and I want to CRUSH IT RIGHT NOW.....ok crazy brain, you can have peanut butter....after 7 miles, go run your butt off!" By the time I get back I'm feeling good, exhausted, ready to veg and don't want any food near me for a bit. I fall into the get home and eat everything in the house if I have nothing planned trap. So I've taken measure to make sure I have stuff to do on the daily when getting back from work. Quote Spaz Ranger BATTLE LOG You can have results or excuses. Not both Link to comment
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