Will power

thattequilagirl

What are your best tips for maintaining will power?

I'm a huge chocolate/sugar junkie.

Lately I've been eating healthy breakfasts and lunches. Porridge in the morning with some berries, and my work has an Operation Transformation counter in the canteen so I'm eating from there at lunch.

Then in the afternoon I crack, eat chocolate and end up having what would be a healthy-ish dinner except I've had chips with it.

Any tips for maintaining my motivation throughout the day.

The girl inside who's dying to have a flat belly just doesn't seem as strong as the hungry biatch at mealtimes.

jobless

I've a very bad sweet tooth, especially in the evenings.... the only thing that mildy works for me is to have nothing in the house to begin with ... if its there i eat it...if not i have to actually leave the house to get it which rarely happens...

ameliams

I'm a huge chocolate lover could quite happily live off chocolate alone. The best thing I found was to cut it out completely for a while. Any time I go to the shop and want chocolate I pick up a banana instead it just becomes habit after a few times.
Now I still eat chocolate but not as afternoon everyday snack. It's a once in awhile thing and only in the evenings when I'm at home. But if I feel that I'm craving it more I'll cut back. Like last night had a moser roth piece of chocolate from Aldi. This morning I was craving more so I won't touch it again until at least the weekend is over. Otherwise I'll be knee deep in Easter eggs come Monday.

Alf Veedersane

How much chocolate would you be talking about and is it every day?

Same with the chips.

thattequilagirl

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

How much chocolate would you be talking about and is it every day?

Same with the chips.

I would often be tempted by a yellow snack bar (210 cals) or a chocolate caramel squares (280 cals) - at the moment I'd say three times a week or four.

Chips probably twice a week.

Alf Veedersane

thattequilagirl wrote: »

I would often be tempted by a yellow snack bar (210 cals) or a chocolate caramel squares (280 cals) - at the moment I'd say three times a week or four.

Chips probably twice a week.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with having a treat like chips or a bar but it depends on the rest of your diet and whether or not you're hitting the calories you need (whether that be to lose or maintain weight) before the addition of the chips or chocolate.

You could try halving that bar to twice a week for now and cutting chips to once a week (without making that one portion a bigger portion). It depends on how much you're having and how much of a difference they make in and of themselves.

You could also try just adding more veg to your dinner if the reason you're adding chips is to make it a bigger meal.

spur

Could you have something else to have at that time in afternoon - something like a yoghurt and a piece of fruit? I have a terribly sweet tooth as well and I have to stay away as much as I can as one never does me! What I had last night was the Options chocolate drink and I have to say it worked better than anything else I've tried. It takes a little longer to drink as it's hot! I had the Mint one and think I will stock up on some more.

Re: chips. I make my own lately. Peel and chip some potatoes, put into a bowl in microwave for 5 minutes, put on a tray and put some spices over if you like and put into hot oven (200) for 15-20 mins. I like mine with spices, OH has his without. I used to use a mixture of garlic, smoked paprika and cajun spices, but got a jar of one for chips last week and it's very good.

Good luck with it all.

Zillah

Eat a bigger breakfast and lunch. More fibre, more protein, more fats. Sugar cravings are just hunger. Eat bigger real meals and you'll be less hungry.

astonaidan

Its been mentioned a lot in here but the app Myfitnesspal is what keeps me in line, Ive lost 5kg in 4 weeks since I started keeping track. Instead of eating a lot of custard creams I now have 2, I cut out of sausage sandwiches cause of all the calories and replaced with healthier options, its really a great motivator

Have some flaked almonds with your porridge or maybe stir in some full fat greek yogurt.

Make sure you're having protein and fat with your lunch. Chicken and Avocado salad say.

Try to cut back on fruit if you eat a lot of it.

If you are craving chocolate, tell yourself to wait one hour and see if you still want it - it's usually enough to make me forget I wanted it in the first place.

Sometimes it's OK to just have a starbar if you want a starbar though!

podgemonster

Drink a glass of water.
Still hungry, eat an apple.

teddykrueger

Find what works for you. And try what's been suggested and see how you feel.

I felt awful on a higher fat diet and it contributed to some other issues I had. Reverted back to a higher cards, lower fat. Feel much better.

Brown rice and sweet potatoes are great sources of carbs and they're filling.

'More fat' is not a one size fits all solution although it works for many people.

MileyReilly

"Cut back on fruit" no wonder half the place is obese.

ameliams

Fruit tends to spike cravings for other sugary things. If I want chocolate and instead eat a banana half an hour later I'll still want that chocolate so yeah I tend cut back on fruit.

Also a lot of people tend to eat fruit excessively, a few in my office eat regular healthy meals but upwards of 1000 calories a day in fruit, it's very easily done.

Alf Veedersane

ameliams wrote: »

upwards of 1000 calories a day in fruit, it's very easily done.

Well, I wouldn't say it's all that easily done. It's a lot more fruit than most people eat

ameliams

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

ameliams wrote: »

upwards of 1000 calories a day in fruit, it's very easily done.

Well, I wouldn't say it's all that easily done. It's a lot more fruit than most people eat

I would disagree but that's just my experience. Fruit is with breakfast, lunch and dinner in my office. Not including snacking on it throughout the day. Supermarkets selling pots of cut fruit can barely keep it in stock.
That's not to mention the 90%fruit morning smoothie with 5 leaves of spinach.

teddykrueger

ameliams wrote: »

I would disagree but that's just my experience. Fruit is with breakfast, lunch and dinner in my office. Not including snacking on it throughout the day. Supermarkets selling pots of cut fruit can barely keep it in stock.

Doubt it. 100 grapes is only about 300 calories. Even if they ate 4 apples and a few bananas on top of that you still wouldn't be near 1000kcal.

ameliams

teddykrueger wrote: »

ameliams wrote: »

I would disagree but that's just my experience. Fruit is with breakfast, lunch and dinner in my office. Not including snacking on it throughout the day. Supermarkets selling pots of cut fruit can barely keep it in stock.

Doubt it. 100 grapes is only about 300 calories. Even if they ate 4 apples and a few bananas on top of that you still wouldn't be near 1000kcal.

Like I said it's just my experience I see people all day every day constantly eating fruit. Smoothies, porridge and fruit, bananas and oranges continuously throughout the day. Most people prefer fruit to veg and as it's healthy they will keep eating it regardless of not being hungry.

I see it across 5 different offices over a monthly period. My sister works for a supermarket and she says people come in and buy large quantities just for lunch and grazing throughout the day.

Alf Veedersane

Those packs of prepared fruit are about 240g and 120 kcals a pop. You're still looking at another 10 bananas throughout the day or thereabouts to hit 1000 kcals from fruit.

It can be done but I'd posit it's the exception rather than the rule and if they're regularly overeating then the fruit isn't likely to be the biggest issue in most cases

ameliams

500 cal fruit smoothie, 1 tub of 120 cal fruit, 2 bananas and you've hit 820. Even that is large portion of calories to be solely fruit. This not even touching on lunch or dinner.
This is what I see every day. People will eat lunch and then peel and eat 2 oranges as it's the healthy part of their meal. The lunch is generally not unhealthy but the addition of fruit seemingly makes it that bit better. People don't see fruit as an addition it's just part of the meal.

Ireland and England are the only places I lived in that seem to do it. Spain and Italy don't use fruit as such a substantial part of their meals, no one eats a panino and follows it with fruit.

But like I said it's just in my experience. I'm not a fruit lover myself I'd rather have a cucumber than a banana.

bilbot79

For chocolate buy cocoa nibs. Put a load in your mouth, let them moisten then suck out the chocolatey flavors hmmm. It's no dairy milk now but it's a very healthy trade off if slightly bitter.

It's like everything, you just have to get used to it

dee_mc

500 calories in a fruit smoothie? In that case I'd imagine at least half of the calories are coming from yogurt etc rather than from the fruit itself.
My tip is to eat a healthy snack (in my case either plain greek yogurt, carrot sticks, an apple, or a ryvita with a scraping of a good nut butter) then see if I still want chocolate half an hour later. 9 times out of 10 I don't even think of it again.

livedadream

best help i can give is

if your hungry pick something health to snack on.

I was in the exact same boat, spoke to a trainer who said it sounds like habit or emotional eating so i got to choose snacks like avocado on a cracker, poached egg on sweet potato, some homemade soup, some nuts or seeds home popped popcorn (on the hob not the microwaveable stuff)

if i didnt want them it was emotional, if im craving chocolate or chips etc, thats all it is, a craving its not actual hunger, down 86 lbs in a year and a half and still going strong, i still have a treat but use the phrase

if its more than once a week its not a treat.

Best of luck with everything!

jobless

livedadream wrote: »

best help i can give is

if your hungry pick something health to snack on.

I was in the exact same boat, spoke to a trainer who said it sounds like habit or emotional eating so i got to choose snacks like avocado on a cracker, poached egg on sweet potato, some homemade soup, some nuts or seeds home popped popcorn (on the hob not the microwaveable stuff)

if i didnt want them it was emotional, if im craving chocolate or chips etc, thats all it is, a craving its not actual hunger, down 86 lbs in a year and a half and still going strong, i still have a treat but use the phrase

if its more than once a week its not a treat.

Best of luck with everything!

congrats on the weight loss!

runawaybishop

thattequilagirl wrote: »

I would often be tempted by a yellow snack bar (210 cals) or a chocolate caramel squares (280 cals) - at the moment I'd say three times a week or four.

Chips probably twice a week.

Thats not real chocolate - try dark chocolate. Harder to gorge on but more satisfying once you get used to it.

livedadream

jobless wrote: »

congrats on the weight loss!

thanks to be fair i was very very very very fat.
fat american fat.

still a bit to go but its easier now that i know carbs arnt the devil and food is fuel

Macy0161

runawaybishop wrote: »

Thats not real chocolate - try dark chocolate. Harder to gorge on but more satisfying once you get used to it.

Initially it's harder to gorge on, but I've found since I've developed a taste for it I'd mill through it if I let myself tbh!

To the OP, I made myself some healthier sweet snacks to keep me going as well as fruit. And I quite often gave myself the wriggle room for some chocolate in the rest of the day - nearly an incentive to stick to the diet the rest of the day, a bar with a brew in the evening. Just watch, as all bars aren't created equally.

jobless

livedadream wrote: »

thanks to be fair i was very very very very fat.
fat american fat.

still a bit to go but its easier now that i know carbs arnt the devil and food is fuel

don't undersell the achievement of losing that much weight best of luck going forward!

livedadream

jobless wrote: »

don't undersell the achievement of losing that much weight best of luck going forward!

ah no not underselling it was really tough at the start. i have great support and love running now but i was a demon for the sweets, cut out refined sugar and its alll plain sailing from here on in!

jobless

livedadream wrote: »

ah no not underselling it was really tough at the start. i have great support and love running now but i was a demon for the sweets, cut out refined sugar and its alll plain sailing from here on in!

i have a very bad sweet tooth myself... i honestly think if i wasnt over six foot tall i'd be six foot wide more room to spread out the weight haha

livedadream

jobless wrote: »

i have a very bad sweet tooth myself... i honestly think if i wasnt over six foot tall i'd be six foot wide more room to spread out the weight haha

im 5 foot even no extra space! damn you tall people!!

Redser87

A strategy that works for me is to designate Friday as a treat day. I have some really nice chocolates, like Milk tray or green and black's, and I really savour it. During the working week you are never more than 5 days away from Friday and I find that by planning ahead like that, I enjoy the chocolate more and stay away from it the rest of the week. It seems to be working as I have lost 4.5 kg since the start of January!

SteelyDanJalapeno

Would need a whole lot of will power to get through 1000 cals of fruit!

Streak101

I never deprive myself of anything (life's too short), but I will set targets and goals before having a treat.
Example if I hit all my training goals for the week I'll have a beer on a Sat nite, or if I do that mid-week long run I'll have a few biscuits after dinner.

Oh and never shop when you're hungry

Dtp1979

Streak101 wrote: »

Oh and never shop when you're hungry

Probably the greatest piece of advice ever given

Ooooooh I forgot about this thread.

I wasn't suggesting the OP over-eats on fruit. Moreso that eating fruit doesn't help sugar cravings. A small handful of nuts would be better.

DMcL1971

Streak101 wrote: »

Oh and never shop when you're hungry

Ah, that probably explains why I just went out for some milk and came back with milk and eight KitKats.