Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
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OverThinker
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:11 am
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by OverThinker » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:34 am
Ok, I hope I'm doing this right! Discovered this last night and decided I had to do it! Long story short, last year I lost about 20 lbs by counting my calories but due to interesting ways life goes, instead of maintaining healthy eating counting calories led me to obsess about food, back to my original weight I've been struggling with my awful eating habits for the last few months. I was starting to take up calorie counting again....But this is what I need! I know that it's all the psychology and if I can't learn to enjoy food without obsessing I'll never be happy.
Day 1: SUCCESS.
Also drank a whole bunch of water which I want to continue doing
Ummm, nothing too tricky so far, I can deal with strict rules, I think I'm more worried about the S days.
(I realize my intro paragraph is long, I promise I'll keep my log short and sweet from now on)
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OverThinker
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:11 am
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by OverThinker » Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:46 am
Day 2: Success!!
Woop! Sorta had a snack/meal but it was only fruit and veggies that were out on a table when I got out of class and was really hungry! I almost absent mindedly took 2 cookies from the same table, and was literally about to break the cookie in half(I eat them weird) and then was like "Holy crap, just because you're counting this 'snack' as a meal you can't have sweets you dumdum!"
This is what it's for; recognizing subconscious habits and correcting them :]
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Kevin
- Posts: 1269
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 9:02 pm
- Location: Maryland, USA
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by Kevin » Sat Apr 02, 2011 12:33 am
Recognizing what you are about to do, then stopping, is a big step.
OverThinker wrote:Day 2: Success!!
Woop! Sorta had a snack/meal but it was only fruit and veggies that were out on a table when I got out of class and was really hungry! I almost absent mindedly took 2 cookies from the same table, and was literally about to break the cookie in half(I eat them weird) and then was like "Holy crap, just because you're counting this 'snack' as a meal you can't have sweets you dumdum!"
This is what it's for; recognizing subconscious habits and correcting them :]
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."
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OverThinker
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:11 am
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by OverThinker » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:33 am
Uhhhck, S days... Didn't want to go crazy but with a friend visiting I went overboard this weekend. My first weekend though so somewhat understandable. I don't feel like listing out all the junk I've had but I'm feeling uncomfortably full at the moment. I plan to make this week a success and to try and keep myself better in check for this next weekend. I'm most concerned about stress eating with all my final projects. I need to not think about food and focus on what's really important and needs to get done.
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OverThinker
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:11 am
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by OverThinker » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:08 pm
Yesterday, April 4th: Failure
Today, April 5th: Failure
I didn't want to come back. I want to give up and find something that works; but I know nothing will. At this point I don't even care about losing weight. At some point I would like to weigh 10-15 pounds less than I do, but that is so much less important to me than kicking this obsession.
My roommate's mom brought dunkin donuts(a dozen) and about a dozen bagels as well. So I had donuts yesterday, when I was of course not hungry. I had a bagel this morning. Which would've been fine but I don't know why but I thought about the pop-tarts my other roommate had and had a pack after eating that big ol' bagel for breakfast.
Help. Somedays I just let this happen... Maybe in the back of my head I'm stressed about everything I need to get done, but either way I end up being not hungry and then think about something yummy sitting around my apt. Then I think about how it makes no sense for me to eat it and several thought processes later I've eaten it and wondering why I'm totally dissatisfied with myself. It's worst when I'm alone. There's noone to account to and it's insane.