neilfein

I started in 2007 at 230, and managed to get down to 194 in 2008 or so. A couple of months ago, I found myself back at 210. I've gotten back down to around 205, but I'm finding it hard to resist snacking.

Counting calories on mynetdiary seems to help some, but it's a crutch. The core problem is to get myself used to eating less stuff.

A lot of people hare have managed to lose weight and keep it off. How have you changed your attitude on food? Is it a lifelong battle or did an attitude shift show up and make it easier?

theetruscan

I'm a compulsive snacker and food is one of my great sources of joy. I exercise more when I'm just trying to maintain a weight and don't diet. When I need to lose weight, I do both.

jboyd

I have no self control.......what are we talking about again?

neilfein

Aaaand... this is not helping.

chewybrian 

Definitely an attitude shift. If you give up refined sugar, and eat a decent amount of green veggies, it's not that hard. I still count calories, but it doesn't feel like much of an effort now.

hendrick81

As long as your eating food that is really good for you like veggies, fruits, white meat chicken, fish you can still eat plenty of food, till your heart disires. I just switched the types of food that i eat, but still eat the same amount, and i have lost plenty of weight..

Plynthblox

My first question isn't how much you're snacking... it's what are you snacking on?

I changed my diet in a MAJOR way last year. I'm not eating any less but I am eating a much healthier diet. I still go out for Mexican food, Chinese, burgers once a week... sometimes twice; but my snacks have changed from M&M's, Snickers, Ben & Jerry's to whole grain crackers with low fat mozzarella, granola, fruit, small salads with reduced fat dressing and so on (I need variety). Imagine my surprise when I found that the stuff actually tastes good! It does take some shopping around to find alternative snacks which are appealing, for example there are hundreds of different brands and flavors of granola out there... I've found two which I love out of a dozen that I've tried.

When it comes to the quantity I've found it is easiest for me to control by buying some 1 cup size plastic containers and just filling them half way with some granola or crackers... I know that's my limit between lunch and dinner and I'm much more likely to stick to it. I allow myself as much fruit as I want at any point in time though.

For me calorie counting by itself has never helped.

cyclokitty 

I too am at the mercy of the snackmonster within... or at least I let myself. I have the discipline of an unruly toddler when I crave a snack. But I have found ways of working around the more insidious cravings... most times.

I switched from my favourite Haagen Daz ice cream to frozen yogurt. Say "no no" to chips, and "yes yes" to low fat multigrain crackers. Only dole out one serving of the snack (oh, this is a toughy -- I am deeply disappointed at how small a 1/2 cup of fro-yo is. It can make me cry). And I force myself to drink a glass of water before succumbing to a craving snack.

I also try not to get bored. Luckily the weather is beautiful out so I can go on a bike ride any time I like. It's harder in the winter when the snow and ice depresses me. (And before anyone kindly suggests ice skating, or skiing, or walk in the snow -- ick.)

Cookies are my downfall every time. But my new rule (and it's worked for months) is I only eat home made cookies I baked myself. I never get around to baking, so it's working terribly well!

pipes

I never say I am on a diet I changed my life and the way I eat and think about food . Food is NO LONGER the most important part of my life I eat to live now not live to eat. IMHO diets do NOT work long term you must change the way you think of food . Just my 2 cents if its worth that .

TinyBear

I have always eaten quite a bit (not one for snacking though) yet i have weighed my current 285lbs for ever i guess cause i work in a pretty physically demanding trade as a heavy truck mechanic.

I tryed dieting before but always found it left me running out of steam mid day at work.

So now i trying to eat smarter (AKA three smaller meals a day instead of one very large one like i used too) and just exercise more hece getting back on a bycicle.

Only time will tell if this is gona work for me but it sure cant hurt and so far i doing ok not getting overly tired at work hardest part is forcing myself to eat three times a day.

Plynthblox

Omni.Potent... I commend you on your apparent resolve to get along with yout wife... I'd have hidden the body years ago if I were ever greeted with that attitude. My mother used to pull that crap... I'm so glad I'm all growed up and have a wife who agrees that it's not good jus leaving bait lying around. Best of luck with getting that sorted out; support is an absolute MUST and her lack of concern isn't going to help much. Why can't she just go and get ONE when she wants one? (I've asked a lot of people that qestion and have yet to hear a good answer)


TinyBear brings up a good point too; you're better off eating a few smaller meals or steadily snacking (on healthy snacks AND watch those portions!) throughout the day than you are if you hold off until you have one large meal. You will have more continuous energy (no more nap time at 4:30), better digestion and your body will be able to metabolize the fuels you feed it more effeciently.

txvintage

^^^^^^THIS!

My wife is but a Waif of a little thing, although she's 5' 5"tall. Throw in an athlete for a daughter who can plow her way through any food aisle in the grocery store and lose weight from walking to the trash can to dispose of the wrappers and a son who is still sporting a youthful metabolism and I'm doomed.

There is always way too much junk food in my house. Of late, however, there seems to be more of an effort to make sure I have alternatives for snacks that are better for me. The spousal unit is even helping me try this Zone thing by building a specific list before heading to the store.

Missbumble 

From Omni.Potents' first post:

"work from home a lot......and my office is close to the kitchen...... which has a frig.....full of food.....and a pantry.....full of food. ARRRRRRGAH!!! My wife is 5' 2" and hardly weights a 100 soaking wet. She buys whatever the hell she wants at the store, ding dongs, cinnamon roles, 3 Musketeers, chips. I've had many a choice words with her, and all she says "you don't have to eat it". She's a real ***** sometimes.

Snacking is my demon. I was on target to hit 199, but those F'n Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos taste so good!!"

And from another Post:

Arrrgh!!!!

OK Seriously - I see myself as an alchoholic with food - so I will try and surround myself with people who are for me - and care about me. People who can keep that stuff in the kitchen (with a partner who has issues with food) have absolutely no understanding of food addiction. For me- when I was into the binging stage at times I would let people know how bad I was with food (worst story I could think of) and then maybe they understand I am not kidding around. Now that I am sexy as hell i don't think it's as easy to get others to understand that me eating out a ton is not healthy for me. The last guy I was dating was very supportive which was nice! Hopefully i will only date or find peopel who support my way of life.

Anyway I am rambling - but I wanted to chime in aboiut having an unsupportive partner -


OK now on gthe the OP - Snacking foods - or atttitude changes. IT comes in waves. There was a time a few weeks ago that my old behavior came back at work - lots of open candy and I indulged. It wasn't pretty - now I have a rule - NO open Candy at work. If I see it - it's not mine! Don't go there.


I also now have Granola Bars or 100/140 calorie snack bars (South Beach) around for between lunch and dinner. On weekends when I am home (I travel during the week so am not at my main apt) I have fruit around - and try and always have a bottle of water with me.

petflunky

Omni.Potent:

How about when she leaves the room, you smash them up and throw them away?

BigPolishJimmy

Also to Omni.Potent,

Little Debbie is a tease, she never really delivers. I can eat a whole box of Little Debbie swiss cake rolls and never get the satisfaction of eating just a small piece of real chocolate. Just remember Little Debbie is a tease, you'll never get what you truely want from her.

TechKnowGN

My main issue is never snacks.

It's double cheeseburgers.

My cravings almost always run to grease and salt. Like If I could go get something, it'd be a double quarter pounder with a large fry and a coke, and maybe a couple more dbl cheeseburgers.

I recognize it isnt good for me. I recognize that one meal like that is basically all my points for the day, is impossible to burn off with any consistency, and that the salt from the fries alone would put 4 lbs of water weight on.

I've resisted so far, but on the day before the race, I have to make myself get subway or I'll wind up with a bag of hamburgers on my drive to Dayton.

BigPolishJimmy

I also find that If I spend my disposable income right away on pay day I can't afford to buy that cheeseburger I want. Time to invest in new items for the bike.

Oh, and omnipotent, you could also flush the little debbies, but keep one handy and just before your wife comes in the house, smear some on your face and then deny up and down knowing anything about where all 3 boxes went.

Neil_B

I see an awful lot of 'I must resist the siren call of _____" in this thread. In my case, I avoided that thinking. I didn't need to resist 'bad' food because I simply didn't want it. Sure, there are foods I used to eat that I didn't anymore, but that was part of becoming what I called Neil 2.0 - a faster, more efficient, and more compact 'system'.

Also, I decided early on that food isn't the problem, it was my attitude and behaviors toward food that needed to be changed. If I ate too much too often of something, I stopped bringing it into the house. I changed my shopping patterns so I went to the store less often. I left my change at home and stopped carrying small bills so I couldn't use snack vending machines. There's nothing wrong with Lil Debbie; it's how I thought about her that was the problem.

So TKGN, feel free to have a cheeseburger if you like. Make it fit into what you are doing in the rest of your life. But don't feel surprised if you change to the point you no longer crave them.

rsyb

My name is rsyb and I'm a snackoholic...

Decided to drop 40 lbs or so. I want to ride at 190. My wife had great success with Weight Watchers. That helped me realize that a permanent change in eating habits was in order.

The first thing I did was to take a look at what I was consuming each day. Sugar and fat (mmmmm...) were my weaknesses. Cut probably 85% of these out of my diet by eliminating soda, candy, and fast food. I still like a teaspoon of the wonderful white stuff in my morning coffee.

Something else that worked for me was eliminating a regular meal in the middle of the day. I still consume the equivalent of a healthy lunch, but I stretch it out from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. Keeps me from feeling hungry and I still get that snack addiction taken care of. Most other meals are the same including the occasional steak, burger, etc. Manage those items with simple portion control (the old deck of cards size).

Started out at 230 Dec 2008. Early pounds came off easy. Plateaued last month or so, but things are moving lower again. Currently at 205.

Make permanent changes. Be persistent. You can do it.

TechKnowGN

Dear Historian,


In a completely hetero way, I heart your posts.

Thanks for the reminder that all things in moderation is the key. I find that it's best for me to reduce these temptations, so I do so, but you're right the occasional allowance means im less likely to binge.

Saturday evening once Ive returned from my Triathlon, my fiancee is competing in a 4 mile race that is Cinqo de mayo themed. She gets two free drinks, one of which I'll be partaking, and then we need to figure out food. After the calories burned in the triathlon that day, we may just go get some mexican, or some cheeseburgers LOL

jboyd

One word.....PIZZA

Since this seems to be confession time at the forum, here goes mine.

Hello, my name is Jay and I am an Ambien addict. You know the sleeping med that you are supposed to only be on for a couple of weeks. Yeah, I have hit it nightly for 7 years. I seriously do suffer from sleep issues (probably mostly guilt) I do sleep well though.

Anyway, if there is pizza left over, I have no control, even at my best. But about an hour after the Ambien has kicked in, well........that guy is not me, and he is in full control. My wife swears that she has come into the kitchen and found me in the corner with the pizza box open and my back to her, doing my best "Blair Witch" impersonation. She said she thinks she has heard me "Growl"

Hmm? Maybe I need to get a grip on this?

Neil_B

But the problem is showing itself in your choice of words - you don't "allow" yourself a cheeseburger. That means you forbid it at other times. Why forbid it? What did it ever do to you? You have a cheeseburger because you want a cheeseburger. What you need to do is rethink yourself to want other things and not want the cheeseburger.

Perhaps this rethinking was easier for me at a immobile 400 pounds than it is for a 325 pound athlete, but that's how I lost the bulk of the weight. The exercise and calorie counting were merely mechanisms to make it happen.

theetruscan

I'd like to weigh in (and as with most of this forum, I do that solidly!) and agree with Neil here. Dieting that has worked for me is about changing my diet to allow or require more of the good stuff.

When I try to deny myself things, they become objects of desire. If I'm not allowed bread, I crave it. How I crave it. The forbidden is always more appealing, just human nature.

What works is not doing that, but making sure I'm getting enough of the good stuff. You can still work in the bad stuff on a diet like this, but it's easier to maintain, and healthy without denial. For instance, on the plan I've been going with recently, I need 220 grams of protein a day at a minimum (errr, 211 now, but whatever). I find that, by making sure I get this much protein every day, as well as 2-3 cups of good leafy greens (chard, su choi, bok choi, kale, quality lettuce, spinach, etc), I end up with limited calories and weight loss "for free." And, since I'm not denied anything, I can grab a slice of chocolate cake here and there, or a cheeseburger when I'm craving one just so long as they don't keep me from hitting my required protein intake.

For me, it's a mental thing. I find it very hard to deny myself things I enjoy and not have them take far too prominent a place in my mind. Once something denied becomes an object of desire, I struggle not to think about it, and invariably gorge on it not so rarely. I dunno, I'd make a ****ing awful monk.

Also, and at least as significantly, requiring myself to continue consuming lots of good things is easy to do long term, where as denying myself tasty things wears on me over a few weeks and is harder to do for months at a time.

baron von trail 

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I had many of the same issues. My weight would fluctuate, up or down, from 210 to 195 quite often. I also found it difficult to resist snacking

Over the past winter, for the first time, I landed myself solidly in the Clyde catagory, weighing in at 220 lbs. This was while still riding approx 500 miles per month through winter. However, I had begun eating horribly, especially at work, snacking on junk like balongna sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, and other such high-fat crap.

Well....two weeks ago I broke my leg and found myself in surgery and on crutches. As a survival instinct, my body has abandon all cravings for junk food. I now crave all that good healthy stuff your momma told you to eat like rich greens, fruits, other vegetables, cottage cheese, strange stuff like that.

The result is I am losing a ton of belly fat. I have not weighed myself, but I can feel that my weight is about the same, though I am probably under 220 now. Using the crutches is building up my arms and chest while tightening-up the abs and "love handles". Also, standinig on the good leg, like while washing some dishes, is building lower body strength as well.

So, basically it took having a serious injury in order to rid me of my desire for crappy food.

Plynthblox

Funniest thing I've heard this year!

EDIT: Sobbing uncontrollably when she finds you would really kick things up a notch!




jboyd, really gotta watch that pizza... it's the ULTIMATE diet killer. Depending on the toppings ONE piece can have as much as 700 calories and most of it is FAT... and not the good kind. Now think about how many pieces you eat in one sitting. I've found I'm better off eating a double quarter pounder or whopper meal with fries and a non-diet soda, all large sized WITH a dessert. My wife and I will go out for pizza on our best exercise weeks and then we'll only go somewhere that serves by the slice.