Snacking Challenge - Want to join me?

[akashavi]

OK, I'm no fitness chick or personal trainer but I do know a few things. One very important truth in my own personal fitness challenges is mindless eating and/or late night snacking. I'm actually wrestling with the gremlin at this moment. I have calories to burn today but don't want to succumb to the snack beast. So, to that end, I propose a challenge and hope I won't be posting to myself all month. 🙂

Here's how it will work. We all have our snacking issues. Define yours and set what you feel is the issue you need to address on a daily basis to achieve your goals. For example, you might have trouble during the afternoon or late night. (I seem to have it all :(). Anyway, challenge the gremlin to a duel by keeping score here on this thread: You vs Gremlin - a running tally for the rest of this month (April). It would go something like this: Me: 1; Gremlin: 0 - and keep a running tally through the month. Simple, right? Kind of a man vs. food thing...

I fought the gremlin last night so I will reply to this post with the first entry. If this just becomes a log of my personal progress, so be it. However, I do hope to see some others join in for camaraderie. 🙂

[HelenaFitbit]

@akashavi I've been doing Zumba for a couple years now. When I don't have the time to go to a live class, I use Zumba for Wii at my house and get my body moving 

On a 1hr session I get about 5,000 steps or more, depending on your dancing skills (mine are none) and about 900+ calories burned, it's super fun 

[bklynite]

Me 2 Gremlin 0

Seems like I was too tired to eat junk. Is that possible? I went home and I cooked stuffed peppers. While they were in the oven I wanted to keep eating the filling (rice, ground turkey and tomato sauce, cheese) so I put it in the fridge. I kept busy by washing my hair, studying my bible and eventually doing my hair. Keeping busy beat the Gremlin. By the time I was done I was beat! Yeah sleepiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marybeth95]

April 7th= Me-1 Gremlin-0

[bklynite]

new day 4/8/15 Me 3 Gremlin: 0.

My belly was grumbling but Iet it grumble. I ate enough but I wanted an oxtail dish that my daughter brought me but I am going to eat it today for lunch. I used to just eat it so I wouldn't think about it all night but I held out.

[bklynite]

I do have a question. How do you handle unhealthy office treats that may be your trigger foods? I was talking about peace with food one of my groups. No sooner did I post it, my co worker is walking around with DELICIOUS looking cupcakes. I am all about smell when I eat and I almost drooled. I refused but I may start thinking about it all day. FYI: I have a treat day Sunday and I didn't want it sitting in my house until then. So what are your thoughts?

[akashavi]

April 9th - Me: 4; Gremlin: 0

Late post today due to complicated morning schedule that turned into a complicated evening schedule on top of that. ~sigh... I had to eat dinner late again but managed to be in a calorie defecit tonight. Still toying with allowing a treat or not. It's so late... I know exactly where it will go, too! Red Velvet cake (son's birthday yesterday) is calling to me. Fortunately, it's in the bakery box in the outside refrigerator. As long as I can't see it, I think I'm in good shape... maybe... sort of...

[akashavi]

@bklynite- I completely understand what you're going through. That was one of the toughest things I had to deal with when I worked in an office. The treats were never ending and so hard to resist. I have a different problem now. I work from home and the treats my kids bake and make are in the house! I generally don't have those tempting things in the house but if my kids want to bake or it's a birthday, I don't refuse them.

How about you tell yourself that you will have something a whole lot better on your treat day? Usually those cupcakes smell better and look better than they taste (just my humble opinion). When I splurge, I make it the best quality I can get my paws on. I don't want to wase my treat on something so-so. I don't know if this will work for you but I find it works for me a lot of the time. 🙂

[akashavi]

April 10th - Me: 4; Gremlin: 1

I have to give the Gremlin honest credit even though I am on track for my overall health goals. I had company over last night so lots of goodies were around. Most were perfectly acceptable fruit and veggie snacks with a couple of splurges. I gave in to seconds, then thirds, on a splurge when I should have stopped with one so, if I'm being honest with myself, the gremlin earned a point last night. I'm still ahead though! 🙂 Very happy about that.

[bklynite]

Work is where I usually post so when I am away it breaks the flow. SO here is my update for 4/10-4/14

Me 2 Gremlin:

I held off where I could but I gave in one day and handmade pizza but it triggered other cravings and I lost that day. Then last night I had a junior cheese burger from Wendy's. Lack of prep ruined my whole day. I see it so I plan to do better. We can do it!!!

[bklynite]

Me 5 Gremlin 2

I am trying to stay on track and I have a mini goal of 5/15/15. I will do my best to put the gremlin to rest.

How is everyone doing with it?

[bklynite]

Me 9 Gremlin 2

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[akashavi]

Hi @bklynite!

I have been keeping track but neglected to post for a while because I've been exceptionally busy. I have another big week ahead too - Just wanted to let you know I'm still in! I will post further down the tally to date for me. I have the same goal deadline of 05/15 for myself too.

[akashavi]

April 21 (As of April 20th) Me: 11 - Gremlin: 3

I had a couple of run-ins with my son't left over birthday cake (it was red velvet - my favorite). While having those pieces was not expressly forbidden, it did put me over on my daily calorie goal. I seem to fall into that trap most when I've been less active. I think I crave sweets more at those times. I'm still on track though and I'm discovering an ability to forgive myself when the gremlin wins. I think I'm finally figuring out how to win the war in spite of lost battles!

@bklynite- Glad to see you are actively posting! 🙂 Congratulations on your great score!

[bklynite]

hi @akashavi I decided to keep it alive because we are all busy and we struggle.

Good to see that you are trying your best. I love red velvet TOOOOOO. I can't keep it in the house.

I really want to bake this italian cream cake but I can't keep it in the home. Too deadly. I am up another one against the gremlin and I hope to keep it going. I find that on my treat days I don't enjoy my treats!! they don't taste as satisfying. Oh well. I may have to find a treat in something to do for myself instead of always something to eat. Lets keep pushing to 5/15 and see what happens!

[HelenaFitbit]

I think I lost track  

I got a box of poki sticks with a hazelnut cover and I went nuts. 

[akashavi]

Don't worry @HelenaFitbit. Just dust yourself off and keep trying.

I find that logging everything I eat using the fitbit food log keeps me really honest with myself. I was completely dumbfounded by how high my caloric intake was vs. my activity level. I had to make some big time adjustments but after a while, it gets easier. I try to keep within my goal parameters and allow splurges when I have a calorie budget to do so. I still get the gremlin smackdown (and CRAVINGS). However, I keep my eye on the bigger prize of reaching my goal. It may be helpful to you to put post-it notes to yourself in areas where you might feel weak. I put one on my refrigerator. Just simply, "Are you sure?" and nothing more. I know what I meant...

[HelenaFitbit]

You are so right @akashavi! I have gotten carried away, pretty much everyone around me is having a birthday (including me!) and there's cake and drinks all the time . I need to steer away from this!

[bklynite]

Hi @HelenaFitbit and @akashavi. The treats can be trying. February is the month full of birthdays for me, including mine. that often derails any goals I set for the beginning of the year. I am thinking that I am going to ask for a fruit platter or an edible arrangement for my birthday instead of a whole cake. I could have one cupcake or something tasty from coldstone. That would be better than having a whole cake that just sits in the house begging to be eaten. I can't resist a cake that calls out to me... Can you?

Gremlin is losing this one. Me up 12 and gremlin still 2. I went out with the children and we ending up eating out. They had burgers and fries and I had a salad. And you know I ate only a few bites and took it home. I finished it just a few minutes ago. Yeah Will Power because even if I ordered a salad I would have eaten the WHOLE thing even if I wasn't that hungry.

[bklynite]

@marybeth95 How is the fight going?

The last two days MEEE the Gremlin 0

[Sfkn123]

Well...

Reading this thread made me hungry, so I went to snack..