Tractortom

Well, it was another of those 'Holidays' where you eat too much (all holidays are an excuse to eat too much) and man, I FELL OFF THE WAGON!!!! I mean I stood up on the wagon and took a DIVE OFF.

My wife's cousin and her husband have been in town for the last week (leaving today) so Saturday we met them for breakfast at Golden Corral (all you can eat BACON and desert after breakfast) buffet. A good start to the weekend. Then I loaded up my new/used Bacchetta Giro and took it to the bike shop in Sebring some fifty miles distant.

Sunday it was a trip to church, then a HUGE meal with a ham that I carefully baked, a large pan of cheesy potatoes, lots of veggies, beer and more beer, then a ride after dinner followed by more drinks and fun.

I slept badly last night, and had cheesy potatoes for breakfast...put left over ham in my lunch!!!! I have to get rid of all of this food!!!

So, my diet is on life support for the next few days while I finish off all the food. I don't look forward to the weigh-in on Friday.... Have lost 25lbs so far this year, in fits and starts, but may see a weight gain this week especially after all the sodium in the ham.

I LOVE to eat and celebrate with friends and family, but always feel bad afterwards. At least I had the good sense to get on my bike and ride it to work this morning!!!!

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

bdinger

I've said it before, I'll say it again - I know exactly where the wagon is, but I keep falling off the damn thing!

It sounds, however, that you are making a rather good positive by getting on the bike afterwards. While I'm not certain it was negated, I'm going to bet a portion of that Bacon was offset by the 50 mile ride.

Regardless, the wagon is always there. Damn thing sure is a pain, though

tony_merlino

I don't know if it's a good thing, but I didn't fall off the wagon at all yesterday. The feast was amazing - a combination of traditional Italian and traditional Hungarian, with all the most fattening and unhealthy contributions from both cuisines. And the desserts! You could have fed a Third World country for a week from what was on that table.

I ate just about none of it - a little serving of lamb, some broccoli and homemade low-calorie cole-slaw, and a small serving of Greek lemon potatoes. It was delicious, and I was satisfied. Didn't even try any of the desserts.

The reason I don't know if it's a good thing is that I haven't fallen off the wagon, not even by a little bit, since I started this program at the beginning of the year. I actually WORRIED about Easter, and that's doesn't sound healthy to me.

Flexible is probably better than rigid, because rigid often means brittle. I guess I'll worry about it when I get closer to my goal weight. I'm between 30 and 35 pounds away from it, and at the rate I'm going, should get there this summer.

Brokkin

An important thing to remember in the weight-loss battle is that one day doesn't spell defeat. Any calories that were in excess during an Easter day of feasting can be made up for later in the week. The important part is making sure you make up for them though!

Good luck!

indyfabz

Let's see....What did I eat this weekend...

Cerreal, a roast beef sandwich on pumpernickel with horseraddish sauce, an anemic meat pie, a Cliff Bar, a Coke, a pre-made hoagie from a grocery store, pasta with olive oil, asparagus, onions and fresh garlic with fontina cheese sprinkled on top, two 1.5L bottles of wine split with the GF and a two additional glasses at dinner Saturday night, two ham and turkey sandwiches (one with Russian dressing), two multigrain bagels with cheese and tomatoes, mussels in wine and butter sauce with bread, pasta with eggplant and roasted peppers, a sausage, cheese and peppers omelet with homefries and dry rye toast and some General Tso's Chicken with rice.

In between all that eating I rode my full-loaded touring bike 34 miles over a relatively hilly route mostly into a stiff wind to a state park campground. Saturday we scouted a route in the "Jersey Alps." 45 miles total with some serious hills, and most of the climbing was into a stiff wind. Sunday we loaded up the bikes again and rode 32 miles back to where we had started on Friday. More hills, many of which we into the wind. I could have probably done without one of the ham and turkey sandwiches.

Tractortom

Yeah, except I loaded the bike in the back of my pickup truck and took it to the bike shop in Sebring...I didn't pedal the darn thing a single stroke (shifters are all screwed up...)

I need to get serious the rest of the week to see if I can salvage my weightloss for this week....

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

avance

The other bad thing is that others expect us to eat more since we used too. That is an endless battle. M-I-L says to me I should have seconds yesterday, I told her I barely ate my first plate. I told her to clench her fist and now make it expand 25% more. This is your stomach and then you stuff yourself with more food. That is why you will feel bad after eating and I wont.

I just went through a mild case of pancreatitis and it has changed my lifestyle. The diet change has made a significant improvement.

chefisaac

tract: thats it.... get your @ss on the bike and do a metric century......... RIGHT NOW!!!

Captlink

I ate the wagon and the horse is nervous.
Its not the fall that's gets you its your ability to get up again and you've done that.

vesteroid

I didn't post this morning when I read this. I have my own demons on this subject.

I simply won't fall off the wagon. While I would like to almost every day now, I remember each time how freaking hard I fought to lose every pound and there is no way I am giving up an inch, or pound. 4 months of work, and all it would take me to lose that fight is one day of feasting.

lenny866

Lol...very funny...thanks for the laugh!

tony_merlino

That's pretty much where my head is at right now, which is why I passed on a lot of good food yesterday. But it scares me when I hear things like "all it would take me to lose that fight is one day of feasting". That's what I meant by "brittle" in my earlier post in this thread. Do you really have to lose a four month fight when you indulge in one pig-out meal?

A healthy attitude would be more flexible and resilient, e.g. I fell off the wagon, so now I'll get back on... But, about two years ago, I had gotten down to within spitting distance of "normal" on the BMI scale, and one meal was what it took for me to fall off the wagon and gain everything back and then some. And now I'm afraid that if I don't stick to my program without EVER making an exception, I won't be able to get back on the wagon again. How crazy is that?

But is it crazy at all? When I stopped smoking 33 years ago, I knew that I couldn't have "just one cigarette" - I'd been there before, and knew that there was a good chance that one cigarette would turn back into addiction. Ditto when I gave up drinking years ago. I can't have "just one drink" to celebrate a special occasion, not if I don't want to be a slave to that again. And I've already proven to myself that giving in to the urge to gluttony, even just for one day, or for one vacation, or just for the holiday season ... is the first slide down the slippery slope of compulsive overeating and obesity.

Maybe food (or overeating) is the like smoking or alcoholism for many of us here on this forum - an addiction that you have to "just say no" to, with no exceptions, not even one... I think I can live with that. I do know I never want to be a fat little pony ever again.

snowman40

That nothing. One of my kids birthday is typically same week as Easter. My birthday in September, middle, wife and youngest birthday all in October. That spells carbs and sugar hell until the cakes are gone....regrettably, I ate most of the oldest's cake.

callmeclemens

Man, I love food. It's one of the many things I enjoy in life, and when I see food I really enjoy I like to eat. The way I see it, I did certain things that allowed me to get to a size and level of health I was unhappy about. Everyday I go out and ride, or jog, or do something I otherwise would not have done before now. I figure I'm already one step ahead. Healthy Diet and Weight loss is a life style not a Race, and certainly not a competition for me. Not splurging on days where I see things I would really enjoy honestly takes away from my happiness, and that's not cool. Whether its my Families Ukrainian Easter feast or Chillie and a Few Beers on a Sunday in the fall. It's all good.

goldfinch

Maybe. One characteristic of successful maintainers on the National weight Loss Registry is that they tend to not binge and tend to not overeat on special occasions. This gives me concern as I am an occasional binger. I did not overeat at all for about the first six months of my weight loss but loosened up over time. Though my binges are not near as big as they were when I was fat. And I seem to be able to quickly adjust back after overeating. I do think that some of my overeating was due to undereating as I work on trying to figure out how much to eat at my weight and activity level. Or I am rationalizing.

magohn

I ate what I wanted. I made yesterday my "spike day" - one day in the week to eat what other "normal" people do and not beat myself up about it. I ate healthy for the week before yesterday and rode 60+ miles for the week.

I enjoy food and the holidays and Im not going to give it up and pretend Im "OK" not eating a bacon sandwich ever again. The "spike" diet works for me as its much better (for me) to have a day to hold out for and give myself permission to eat the wrong stuff.

I realize that its not ideal to basically have a binge day but Im also not kidding myseld Im OK always having to eat muesli when the rest of the family are eating bacon eggs and toast.

tony_merlino

I wonder if there aren't different mechanisms that operate for different people when it comes to obesity. My own patterns of compulsive overeating were very similar to my behavior patterns when it came to alcohol. I quit that cold-turkey and haven't had a drink in many years. But I can't stop eating and live, so the only way to deal with this sort of addiction is to (and I hate this expression because it's become a trite buzz-phrase in the last year or two) change my relationship with food.

I keep reciting to myself: Food is not a reward. Food is not for comfort. Food is not for taste. Food is not for fun. Food is not to combat boredom or to deal with anxiety. Food is fuel, to live. Food is some combination of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins. That's all. Do other things for fun, for reward, for comfort, for combating boredom or anxiety.

Right now, because the number on the scale is moving impressively and I can see dramatic improvements in the way I look and feel, it's easy to maintain the "new relationship with food". We'll see how it works out when I get to where you are. As we've discussed in the past, you're fighting the real war now. I'm still in the skirmish.

bassjones

Something my behaviorist told me that I will carry with me forever - "it's a holiday, so,enjoy it! Just remember it's a holiDAY, not a holiWEEK and you'll be fine." Special occasions are meant to be enjoyed - weddings, holidays, graduations, etc..., just don't make an excuse to make special occasions where one doesn't exist, follow your plan the rest of the time and those few days a year don't have to break you. 2500 calories a day, exercise 5-6 days a week, at least a gallon of water a day, eat lean and organic, and then the prime rib at a wedding, the Christmas cookies, a few beers once a week, etc... are no biggie. The reason most people fail at maintaining health is because they have a "failure" and let it get them down and quit. If you view those things as acceptable exceptions to your norm and plan for and around them, it becomes just a part of life.

vesteroid

Each o their own and all, but I believe for me, that there is always an excuse for a special occasion, or the need to eat the left overs from a special occasion.

I personally made a life style change, and for me that means no more eating crap, period.

Myosmith

I've lost a lot of weight (about 80 pounds) after many years of trying with limited but never long-term success. Forget "the wagon", you aren't on a "diet" you are putting together a lifelong nutrition program. An occassional celebration where you overeat at a holiday or wedding, etc, is not going to derail a solid nutrition and fitness lifestyle. Granted, it's better if you can use some restraint even at the holidays, but don't sweat it if you have some of Mom's gravy and and extra piece of Grandma's apple pie at a few family get togethers. Eat a couple of extra salads and do a few extra wind sprints the following week and all is right with the world again.

tony_merlino

As I said, there are different mechanisms operating for different people when it comes to overeating and obesity. It's much harder for me to make an exception and then get back on track than it is to just not get off track in the first place. Once I get to maintenance mode, which should be by mid-summer, I'll be able to budget in a little more food and add back some things I've been staying away from.

But some things just don't make sense to put back, ever, even though I loved them. New York pizzeria pizza, for one. Anything that allows you to consume up to 600 calories in just a few bites, has no place in a sane diet. Ditto for stuff like McD's, where you can gulp down a full day's worth of calories in 90 seconds. For me, most desserts are in that category, and it doesn't help that sugar triggers real addictive behavior for me.

Honestly, it's easier for me to just leave all this stuff out. Besides, the image of myself as a person so wedded to gluttony that he finds it horrible to even entertain the thought of not being able to indulge in gut-busting binging from time to time, makes me cringe. I'm trying to train myself to be a person who eats to live rather than lives to eat. (Sorry for the cliche'.)

magohn

+1 we have to live in the real world. There can be a pattern with humans starting something new of polar behavior to what they know. For example, the new riders who set impossible riding goals as theyve seen the light and are never going back to the couch - 9/10 they disappear when the novelty wears off. Same with diet - you cant expect a person whose ate unhealthy for the last 20 yrs to flick a switch and be re-programmed to a born-again "thinny" - it aint gonna work

tony_merlino

Maybe. But one thing that's sure not to work is to keep thinking the way he's been thinking for the last 20 years while he was getting more and more obese. You don't become a born-again thinny. You become a recovering fatty, and you stay that for the rest of your life.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't develop the flexibility to get back on the wagon after the rare occasions when you fall off. But I AM saying that planning to fall off is probably not the best strategy. I'd rather plan to stay on.

chefisaac

Nothing to hate about that my friend. It IS changing your relationship with food. You have to eat to live but the action of changing what you grab for is a change in relationship... period!

chefisaac

Nothing to hate about that my friend. It IS changing your relationship with food. You have to eat to live but the action of changing what you grab for is a change in relationship... period!