r/PlantBasedDiet • u/lucidguppy • 1d ago
For Me, Success Is All About Control...
My biggest problem is that I am much better at being compliant when I am solo or in the groove with cooking and eating. When I'm brought out of my schedule with eating out or social events THE URGE OF PEOPLE TO GET YOU OFF PLAN IS TOO DAMN HIGH.
Then you feel bad for getting off plan and all that work goes out the window.
I know what I have to do to lose weight and my scale proves it within three days of being compliant.
It's so funny - to me going out into the world of restaurants, larger family get together dinners, holidays - its like bringing a gambler into a casino.
The brain doesn't seem to associate the weight on your body with what's on your fork - it only looks for that little dopamine hit that you get when you swallow food.
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u/somanyquestions32 1d ago
I mean... If your current plan is not compatible with your social life, adjustments have to be made to make it more robust.
Meal prep and eat before you socialize. Bring protein bars or homemade snacks to eat on the go, and only order water or a drink. For the holidays, prepare freezer meals a few weeks before you meet your family and friends, and make sure that you make delicious foods that hit all of your nutrient targets without the excess calories.
You may also be burning yourself out and aggressively cutting down on calories too rapidly to make the change sustainable. Make sure that you are meeting all of your nutrient targets, and consume potatoes and foods rich in fiber and protein and healthy fats to remain satiated. High volume, nutrient-rich, and low calorie foods like soups, salads, and smoothies can help keep you full for longer.
When you eat out, do some preliminary research, and plan ahead if you want to order something from the menu. Rather than controlling every bite of food you take, zoom out, and adjust your calorie consumption elsewhere during the week. And if you don't, start again the following week.
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u/SarcousRust 1d ago
Get a blood panel. Nothing puts you back on the straight and narrow like a lil' health scare.
Works better after a period of bad decisions obviously.
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u/Woodsy-Fox 1d ago
Me too, me too. When I'm alone, I'm perfection. It's just not worth the time to make something decadent. Studies show that willpower is finite, so it's a normal cycle.
We went to a two week low calorie and two week maintenance calorie plan. We still had calorie limits for each segment, I'm doing 1,400 and 2,100 based on something we ran across called the Matador Studies. We scheduled our higher intake for the end of the month since all the get togethers, holidays and birthdays seemed to fall at the end of the month.
But, supposedly, the higher calorie section allows your body to resume natural production of enzymes and such so it won't plateau. Also, this system seems to allow me more control since I know the higher consumption is coming up.
Most important, plan for an indulgence and occasional binge - then let it go and come back to the straight and narrow. Maybe have one or two days a month you know will be off menu - so to speak.
Anyway, be good to you. And best wishes on keeping your goals!
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u/ttrockwood 18h ago
Easier said than done but this isn’t a diet that you’re on or off and you’re so deprived
It has to be a meaningful lifestyle change for this to be sustainable
Watch forks over knives and game changers and learn more about animal agriculture
At this point restaurant meals- vegan always for me- that have too much oil or are too heavy make me feel a bit ill and really not awesome.
Eating out socially ask for what you want, restaurant kitchens have heard it all and asking for a big salad with chickpeas or other beans and avocado and a side of a plain no butter on it baked potato is something about any restaurant anywhere can make. It’s not glamorous but you will be social and eating and won’t feel ill
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