Ate too much yesterday

Posted on January 28, 2015

So, as I feared, travelling yesterday (or perhaps my own lack of willpower) definately impacted my calorie intake. I sat in a conference almost the entire day (read: no movement, no calorie burn at all), and then we had a team dinner last night which included a steak (I choose a 6oz filet mignon - it was the smallest meat choice - and BOY was it good). Dessert menu came and I caved into some cheesecake...I regret it almost immediately when it came. It was really good... On the up-side, I ate probably 60% and then set it aside - I was full anyways, but also felt guity about screwing up.

I know that a "bad" meal every once in a while won't kill anyone, and I'm trying to reassure myself of that. But I really didn't need to choose the desert - I was full before it came and should have left it alone. It is a mistake worth considering, less about that one choice, but more about the fundamental of question of why did I choose it.

It made me realize that the real challenge I have - maybe the one we all have - is that losing weight properly goes far beyond us winning our dietbet, or eating healthy for a month. Its going to be a lifelong change of attitude if we want to be successful. I need to work on my brain and the feeling of being full, and the perception that just because everyone else orders dessert - I need to rise above it if I am to be successful in the long term.

I am quite confident that I can hunker down, and work off my 4% in my 1 month challenge, and very likely even the 10% in my 6 month challenge. But I'm less confident in my ability to change my relationship with food, and the desire I have generally to make the wrong choices in certain situations. Thats the real challenge, and I would do well to spend significant time reflecting on the long-term strategy of success.

What do all of you plan for long-term change? Whats the secret to true permanent weight loss? I think thats the real fundamental challenge, and where I need to focus while starting this journey.

I'll let you know if I figure it out!

Comment Now!

Abbie

01/28/2015 8:38PM

One thing that I do when I travel for work that really helps - not sure if guys would be comfortable doing this but my co-worker that i travel with - we really like the same things... so almost always, we decide what we want and share a dinner and sometimes if they have really good deserts, we will share a desert too. Restaurant portions are so flippin huge! Unless its crab legs - we don't share crab legs! ha. But that is huge for us and saves not only calories but lots of money for meals as well.

Katie

01/28/2015 1:13PM

I think you need to congratulate yourself as it could have been a lot worse. I bet there were some calorific horrors on that menu, but you made a sensible, reasoned choice and I imagine it paid dividends because that steak sounds like heaven. As for the dessert, it's understandable that it's hard to resist. But you realised what you'd done and stopped earlier than you perhaps would have before. That's a step in the right direction.As for long term plans, I think acknowledgement of 'mistakes' and sussing out why they happened, then learning from them, is the only plan you can make. It sounds like you've done that in this case and next time hopefully you'll remember this and maybe just order a coffee or something instead.Good luck!

Ruby541

01/28/2015 8:31AM

Another thing ... I can only write 1000 characters at a time. She told me to take mini breaks during the day for a few minutes to assess how just that day has gone and game plan it for the rest. The concepts for long term success are the same as applied to anything for example time and money. To be successful those need to valued and spent wisely too. For example if you had a friend who invited you gambling 3 nights a week you wouldn't say yes because your time spent with family would suffer as well as your budget. But maybe once every 6 weeks if you only bet $20 to enjoy time with your friend wouldn't be as detrimental. Just because something is thrown out doesn't mean you take it there and then every time, you don't have to be deprived, just realize there are limitations and you're looking forward to when it makes most sense. Sometimes I find our relationship with food mirrors other impulsive habits so spring cleaning all round for better habits can help to keep changes stable too.

Nathan A.

Good analogy about gambling and saving money. Great point.

Kelly P.

01/28/2015 7:35AM

I agree with Taya's advice about planning your cheats, preferably for social events. I find my "cheats" are more likely to be reasonable in groups than if I'm alone. This brings me to an interesting observation I've made. I'm American, but have lived in France for the last 10 years. When I first got here, I was very heavy. I was over 50 lbs overweight. Over time, I was able to lose weight by switching to more French-like eating habits. For example, eating dinner later (thus eliminating post-dinner bowls of ice cream at 11 PM), reducing portion sizes, always having "dessert" after a meal so as to feel satisfied (but a reasonable desert, like a piece of fruit, a yogurt or a SMALL piece of cake or cookie) and reducing snacking. The French have an overall healthier approach to food and to weight loss. I've found that the "peer pressure" to not overdo it here has really helped me. So it may help you to surround yourself with people who have healthy eating habits, or at least similar goals.

Nathan A. and Ruby541 like this comment.

Nathan A.

Merci Beaucoup Kelly! Thank you for the feedback and helpful advice. I've been to France and extensively throughout Europe, and indeed they do seem to have healthier bodies and lifestyle in many cases. Its worth reflecting on how the achieved that indeed!

Ruby541

01/28/2015 5:50AM

It is hard to stay on track especially when saving face with a business meal where the appearance should be that you're engaged and enjoying an expensive meal along with everyone else. I think how I plan to meet my long term goals and stick with it say for the next year or two is going to be through accountability with my personal trainer. Now I know that this isn't an option for everyone and although she gave me tips I feel like long term I won't make it on my own. She said that some cheats aren't bad but they should be planned based on what's important. Look at your calendar. What is coming up like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that are worth the cheat and a few date nights thrown in. Look at how those span a calendar year and what type of celebration you would have. Start planning possible trade offs like if it's your wife's birthday in two weeks and you want a special dinner should you cave at a team dinner now?

Nathan A. and Roderick Dyke like this comment.

Nathan A.

Great advice to plan cheat days (if necessary) around important events. That way they won't come "in addition" to your other cheat days I guess. :) Helpful post - thanks!