Health 1st - Another nice loss! It absolutely makes sense that the occasions when you felt overly hungry corresponded with the decision to include non adherent foods; Dr. Lisle's lecture
The Story of Willpower – What it Is & How it Works speaks to the mechanisms behind this, the simple answer is eating of the recommended foods whenever hungry, until comfortably full. It seems quite encouraging that, although the cake roll keeps surfacing in your consciousness, it remains largely unappealing for you. I think this article from Dr. Lisle offers a possible model for why this happens, and he presents a technique for managing the situation, as well:
Cravings – How They Work and How to Manage Them. Avoid indulging any troublesome cravings and keep choosing the recommended foods instead, and those mental images are likely to fade away over time. As with many things, the answer is TIME + ADHERENCE, as simple (and/or challenging) as that may be. Happy Labor Day!
cmcavazos2 - Glad to hear you are continuing to successfully eliminate those workplace "treats"!
I know that can be quite effortful. The times when you included non adherent things, was that an active choice, situational, or for some other combination of circumstances? Keep doing your best to adhere to the recommended behaviors as consistently as possible.
VegSeekingFit - Great progress, Stephanie! I think your observation about self-assessment with the checklist allowing for effective reaction to lapses, anomalies and changes in situation is apt; I believe self-assessment is fundamental to "course correction" - we have to recognize when lapses and challenges occur, in a clear, accurate and timely fashion, and THEN make adjustments to our behavior, routine, and environment as needed. If we don't "see" the issues, how can we respond, right? I am right there with you LOVING salads, especially at breakfast!
YUM! Enjoy the holiday weekend and carry on!
Zoey - You win the award for most reliable results!
As long as you are choosing to eat the recommended foods, in the recommended fashion, it is hard to go wrong; however, I can understand and identify with what you say about "not liking the behavior" of stress-eating. When those incidents occur, do you feel the sensation of hunger? Sometimes stress and hunger can coincide, right? Having some self-specified and enjoyable (to me) activities / tools for coping with stress (I like breath exercises, mind-body awareness, and going for a walk) has really helped me to move away from using food as a coping mechanism. I think you inclination to give yourself time, aim for less frequent incidents, and commit to choosing adherent foods when hungry is absolutely a sensible approach.
veggiemelt - Down 2 lbs! So sorry to hear your mom was hospitalized! I'm sure that was really stressful and exhausting. I'm wishing for her to have a beneficial and positive outcome.
Take care, treat yourself with compassion, and just keep doing your best.
PotatoHead1980 - Nice results, Chris! You are definitely off to a solid start! SNAP meals for the win, right?
Gimmelean - I'm so glad to hear you weathered the storm without any harmful impacts! 16 + 21 pounds - Fantastic progress!
Gimmelean wrote:Maintaining is just as tough as losing and will always need to be top of mind for me.
I totally know what you mean, and I think it is especially salient to acknowledge that, in many instances, the same prevailing pattern of behavior that produced the results is required to maintain those results. Speaking from my own experience, it does get easier with the accrual of experience and adherence over time, but that period of time may be much longer than one might think. It is TOUGH, but you know what to do, and how to do it.
texaslil - Hang in there, Laila! Those cravings can feel really powerful sometimes, right? The more you can set yourself up with a clear plan and some effective tools for managing those cravings when they arise, and avoid indulging them, the sooner they will fade: for me, having adherent foods prepared and easy to eat is key. I think
this post from
wildgoose about handling the Pleasure Trap, as well as
this post discussing temptations, offer really practical advice.
Noella - I'm so relieved to hear you tested negative for Covid! Making everything work while travelling isn't easy under the best of circumstances, and I'm sure being ill and needing to self-isolate only compounded the challenges. It sounds like you did your best. I'm definitely not qualified to offer any medical advice, so I can only speak to my own personal experiences. On those occasions when I have had a cough, I've gotten decent relief from drinking plenty of liquids (hot water or tea, in my case) and applying Medicated Chest Rub, and, of course, following any advice from my primary care physician when the illness was more lengthy or severe. Wishing you a quick and easy return to full health!