Stick to healthy eating in the lead up to an event...

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Hi All,

I was wondering does anyone have tips/tricks/plans to help me stick to my healthy eating and no (or hardly any) slip-ups in my diet in the run up to a wedding i am attending in 50 days.

I am pretty consistent with my exercise - gym 6 days a week combined with an active life/walks/aqua jogging/pilates/yoga/swimming also. I cycle every where possible.

I find i am quite good diet wise - Mon-Fri, i eat a pretty much vegan diet - i am a vegetarian but find myself leaning to vegan as it just seems to suit me better. I eat pretty much no processed foods during the week - clean eating is the buzz term at the moment i guess!

I always have a Friday night treat after grocery shopping and then will also allow myself a meal if i am out on Sunday etc but try to keep it to that but i find myself eating little things here and there at the weekends such as chocolate covered nuts/little chocolate bars etc. I feel like i can because its the weekend.

Weight-wise i am spot on, if a little underweight - I do have a history of an eating disorder but i dont want to focus on that in relation to this thread, but it an ongoing battle in my head.

Basically i want to look my best when i go to this event - and i really want to feel like i have earned it. Can anyone give me ideas/tricks they have used to maintain a diet/remain consistent with healthy eating over a long-ish period of time? I really want to achieve this and feel good about doing it.

I would really appreciate some input on this - even questions to help me narrow down how best to achieve this! Hopefully this made some sense.....

Zillah

I have no idea what you're looking for. Are you afraid you'll gain weight before the wedding? Do you want to bulk up with muscle?

If you are a healthy weight and you've been eating this way for some time I don't understand why the next fifty days would be unusual.

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Zillah wrote: »

I have no idea what you're looking for. Are you afraid you'll gain weight before the wedding? Do you want to bulk up with muscle?

If you are a healthy weight and you've been eating this way for some time I don't understand why the next fifty days would be unusual.

Yes i dont want to gain weight - and i also want to stick to healthy eating. I find i feel under pressure when there is an event etc. that i want to look good for and i find i falter more then.

What i asked for in the OP was tips/tricks for staying true to the diet/staying consistent even though the event is a while away yet. I asked as I am sure others have found ways to maintain their diet and i was looking for advice....thats all!

Doug Cartel

Just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be grand.

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I guess i didnt make much sense with my post really. I guess i find it a struggle and want to be "perfect" with my diet all the time and I am trying to find ways to stick to it....

Doug Cartel

It's never going to be perfect, but if your description in the first post is accurate, it's pretty damn good.

You'll probably have some deviations from the plan over the next 50 days, but that's not really a big deal.

Nervous Wreck

The only way to do it is to want it more than you want cake. There are no tricks; you just decide and you hold steady.

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Doug Cartel wrote: »

It's never going to be perfect, but if your description in the first post is accurate, it's pretty damn good.

You'll probably have some deviations from the plan over the next 50 days, but that's not really a big deal.

I guess you are right. Perhaps its the eating disorders voice calling at me again telling me i am not good enough and i am just not able to be perfect.

But my description is pretty accurate for an average week. I do have deviations for some chocolates or some cereal if i crave it but i guess i just want all of these out and just to have a "clear round" diet-wise for the next few weeks until the event.

Alf Veedersane

Parchment wrote: »

I guess you are right. Perhaps its the eating disorders voice calling at me again telling me i am not good enough and i am just not able to be perfect.

But my description is pretty accurate for an average week. I do have deviations for some chocolates or some cereal if i crave it but i guess i just want all of these out and just to have a "clear round" diet-wise for the next few weeks until the event.

You're concentrating on the deviations from 'clean' too much. The meal on Sunday is a meal out instead of a meal at home.

If you continue as you are, how many days of those 50 days are 'bad' days?

Relax...truth is you're doing fine

Doug Cartel

Parchment wrote: »

I do have deviations for some chocolates or some cereal if i crave it but i guess i just want all of these out and just to have a "clear round" diet-wise for the next few weeks until the event.

If your weight is stable on your current diet which includes the odd chocolate or bowl of cereal, I would argue that the odd chocolate or bowl of cereal isn't a big deal and you shouldn't stress about them.

Zillah

Parchment wrote: »

I guess you are right. Perhaps its the eating disorders voice calling at me again telling me i am not good enough and i am just not able to be perfect.

But my description is pretty accurate for an average week. I do have deviations for some chocolates or some cereal if i crave it but i guess i just want all of these out and just to have a "clear round" diet-wise for the next few weeks until the event.

The 50 days between now and the event are the exact same as the last 50 days. This sounds like an issue to do with anxiety rather than nutrition. Try to remind yourself that whatever the event is it's really not that big a deal, you've been doing fine up til now and you'll be doing fine hereafter, too. Nothing needs to change. You deserve to eat, don't starve yourself, don't binge. You look fine.

helliwen

Parchment wrote: »

Hi All,


I am pretty consistent with my exercise - gym 6 days a week combined with an active life/walks/aqua jogging/pilates/yoga/swimming also. I cycle every where possible.

.....

Weight-wise i am spot on, if a little underweight - I do have a history of an eating disorder but i dont want to focus on that in relation to this thread, but it an ongoing battle in my head.

You don't mention what kind of eating disorder you suffered from so I'm not sure if you're afraid of bingeing but I'm going to guess you are. For me, a sure-fire road to a binge was too much focus on perfection - forbidding all "treats" made me crave them even more. So I think that allowing yourself treats at the weekend is the exactly right way to go about it!

I would question why you're so afraid of gaining weight while you admit you're probably slightly underweight. Maybe it's worth thinking about?

SamforMayo

Parchment wrote: »

I guess i didnt make much sense with my post really. I guess i find it a struggle and want to be "perfect" with my diet all the time and I am trying to find ways to stick to it....

Enjoy your treats without guilt, enjoy your exercise. Nobody has a perfect diet 24/7. So far you seem to have got the balance right so why change it?

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helliwen wrote: »

You don't mention what kind of eating disorder you suffered from so I'm not sure if you're afraid of bingeing but I'm going to guess you are. For me, a sure-fire road to a binge was too much focus on perfection - forbidding all "treats" made me crave them even more. So I think that allowing yourself treats at the weekend is the exactly right way to go about it!

I would question why you're so afraid of gaining weight while you admit you're probably slightly underweight. Maybe it's worth thinking about?

I have anorexia with exercise obsession also but i have managed to dull both of those somewhat and i feel kind of on top of things. I am not afraid of bingeing - i dont think i have ever done a full on binge but any kind of deviation from my "plan" for eating feels bad.

I am afraid of gaining weight....as most anorexics are. I dont want to gain weight - thats part of the problem but i am up from my lowest weight.

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Zillah wrote: »

The 50 days between now and the event are the exact same as the last 50 days. This sounds like an issue to do with anxiety rather than nutrition. Try to remind yourself that whatever the event is it's really not that big a deal, you've been doing fine up til now and you'll be doing fine hereafter, too. Nothing needs to change. You deserve to eat, don't starve yourself, don't binge. You look fine.

Its a very hard balance to find - i guess i want to feel like i have been perfect until those 50 days are up..... i have failed already as i had biscuits and chocolate. But i suppose i can call it my treat. But honestly it is anxiety combined with the desire to be perfect. I know its not really achievable but i try....

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SamforMayo wrote: »

Enjoy your treats without guilt, enjoy your exercise. Nobody has a perfect diet 24/7. So far you seem to have got the balance right so why change it?

I want to be better i guess - we can always be better.

(sorry to all - i am awful at getting all the quotes into one post.....luddite here!)

SamforMayo

Parchment wrote: »

I want to be better i guess - we can always be better.

(sorry to all - i am awful at getting all the quotes into one post.....luddite here!)

Given your history please be really careful of putting such pressure on yourself. You are slightly underweight already, you don't need to be so strict with food. The good thing is you are very aware of your emotions, take care of yourself.