Buy Walking VideosQuestion of the Week: How do you NOT eat?
There are times when we are with family, friends or coworkers. They want us to eat what they are eating.
How do you NOT eat unhealthy food that isn’t in your food plan?
I have continually caved in these situations. I would really like to know what you say or what you do to avoid ruining your food plan.
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August 20th, 2007 at 7:46 am
There’s really only one thing for me to do in these situations. When I’m around a food I truly love, I have to remove the food or remove myself from the situation.
I think that this is more difficult, in many ways, than a smoker trying to quit or a drinker trying to stay sober. A smoker can choose to not buy any cigarettes. I have to eat. A drinker can choose to not buy that bottle of wine. I have to put food into my mouth.
This is not an addiction. This is what I have to do to survive and it has the potential to kill me.
It’s so hard to explain to people who don’t have an issue with food just how I feel. I wish this was a vice that could be avoided altogether. I don’t know if I have the will to turn completely away from it, but at least I would have the chance!
I’m sorry if I’m ranting. I must be grumpy from lack of food.
Where’s my banana!
August 20th, 2007 at 11:00 am
The first thing I usually do is pile my plate full of whatever is healthy–the veggie tray, green salad, fruit chunks, etc. This leaves little room for foods that aren’t part of my diet.
After I eat all that, I’m usually full. But if I still want to indulge, I’ll pick two items that I really really want to eat and allow myself a small portion. Just two! Variety can kill a diet.
I often just tell people I’m ‘watching my calories’ if they push food on me. Sometimes I’ll say something like “I have a big dinner planned tonight” or “I just had a big lunch.” On rare occasions I might say, “I have a tummy ache.”
I try and keep a glass of water in my hand at all times at parties. That way I can’t hold a plate and eat at the same time!
August 20th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
My best way to don’t eat is go to cool shower!
August 20th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
I find myself doing a lot of math in my head, since I’m calorie-counting. If I’m in a good place, then I just eat what I want, a little less than I would’ve 6 months ago. If it’s on the edge, I do like Midnight Raider: lots of vegetables, and a little bit of the richer/sweeter things. So far that seems to be working.
And I don’t really say anything about it; I don’t think anybody’s asked. It’s easy to say “oh I’m not really hungry” if I’m eating a smaller portion of what everyone else is having. (Even if I am hungry.)
August 20th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
I’ll usually tell them no first. Then if asked again I’ll say, “Hey don’t push your drugs on me, man.” They’ll just look at me weitd then and leave me alone; or laugh.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I’m with Elaine! I calorie count. When I’m in a situation where food is a central theme, I remind myself of how hard I’ve worked, how dissapointed I’ll be if my clothing is tighter the next day, and how hard I’ll have to work to correct my calorie intake. We have regular potlucks at my work place and I love to try what people bring and I think it would be rude not too, they’ve spent time and effort to make a dish for the group to enjoy. I don’t have ‘portions’ of anything with too much fat, sugar, carbs, or sodium. I have single bites of that stuff, and load up on salad. That way i don’t offend anyone, and stick to my plan. Planning your daily intake I think is the key. If you know your going to be in a situation of high calorie food, make the adjustments, go light on the meals where you can, and excercise a little farther/harder/longer.
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:46 am
I throughly enjoyed reading this article…what fantastic ideas to motivate and control your weight!
Thanks!
Carmen
August 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am
I eat the food I want, of course! 🙂 It’s become very easy to only eat a little of something or not eat anything at all if I don’t feel like it now that I know I can eat whatever I want. So, paradoxically, since I’ve given myself permission to eat whatever I want and do so, I crave less, and eat in moderation.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:30 am
I’ve kept off 100 pounds now for nearly 5 years and have really decided that in these situations, I allow myself to enjoy it all, knowing that I have to balance it out with some additional exercise in the following days.
I’ve maintained +/- 5 pounds now for over 4 years by following the simple rule, that if I overeat on occassion or have a really bad day of eating, I’ll just cancel it out with some more exercise.
Living on a diet is no way to live at all. I’ve come to love exercise and the way it makes me feel, and at the same time that exercise helps burn off the junk that I still enjoy (just not as much of it as before.)
September 18th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I don’t think the problem is what to eat, everyone knows you need to eat the good stuff, but if a handfull of almonds turns into two handfulls or three handfulls because you’re just hungry and can’t seem to stop eating, it’s a problem. It’s a healthy food that is mixed up with an unhealthy eating habit that makes the whole situation bad. For this situation I use the same exact remedy as when I quit smoking because all you really want to do is keep your mouth busy, I suck on chewable vitamin C tablets. I get the good orange flavored ones and just suck on them, it takes a while. If that one is done and I’m still craving something I’ll eat another one. If you don’t like orange they have bottles with assorted flavors. And really, you can’t have too much vitamin C. Actually, I guess you can, but it takes alot (more than I’ve ever gone through), and all that will do is loosen your stools a bit, which, if you’re dieting, isn’t really a problem. You can use this ‘keep the mouth busy’ method with many things, such as the Fiber Choice chewable tablets, and really anything that’ll keep your mouth busy without giving you too many calories. I hope this helps.
November 5th, 2010 at 10:15 am
drink water until your full or if your hungry. chew on icecubes to suppress hunger. stay busy like read a book or exercise to keep your mind off of eating or even thinking about eating. take cold showers so your body works harder to make you warm. im working on being skinny and so far these tips work for me.