What are YOUR danger points?

Hi all,

I've been AWOL awhile....but I'm still here! And I wanted to share with everyone something that I discovered recently that seems to really HELP me stay OP.

It's simple, really. Sit down with a pen and paper and go through your normal day in your head...and write it down, timeframe-wise.

What is it you normally do, and WHEN do you get those 'urges' or 'cravings' to go off program?

I think you'll find, as I did, that the cravings happen at a certain point - or points! - every day.

For me I noticed the following:

AM - MF Breakfast...all is well....then I get ready and go work out at the gym.
10 AM - MF Mid morning snack -- again, I'm pretty good thus far. Busy, running errands, just finished a workout, etc.
12 noon-1 pm -- MF Lunch -- I eat generally the same thing every day. I split my lean so it's half a lean plus 2 ounces for the exercise, and 1 MF meal.
then around 2:30 - 3 pm....BEFORE it's time for my mid afternoon snack....I start thinking about how I'm hungry. I'm NOT hungry, it's just 'something to do'. The mid afternoon slump has set in. And I used to use FOOD to give myself an energy boost...whether I was at work or now, at home. This is a danger point! I have to lie down in the afternoons due to my fibromyalgia, but being tired and being hungry can sometimes mask each other...to the point where you're feeding yourself when what you really need is a REST. If you work, maybe just taking a few minutes to do some deep breathing. That's all it takes sometimes to refresh yourself and get 'out of your head'.



3 pm - MF meal....typically it's the choc mint soft serve, believe it or not, because the way I plump it up in my Ninja it makes a huge BOWLFUL and it satisfies that 'ice cream' desire. LOL I'm OK.
But then...again....around 4:30 or so...uh oh...HUGE danger time. It's not time for dinner yet, I'm tired, and maybe a little bored...and maybe aggravated about 'whatever' happened that day. Stressed out? Sure, it's quite possible depending on the day. But mainly I cannot WAIT until dinner, and I'm thinking 'ALL I GET TO EAT IS...' (whatever L&G I have chosen). That's FAT BRAIN talking! Of course it's plenty of food...those 3 veggies I save for dinner, plus 1/2 lean....plus my healthy fat (salad plus a MF approved dressing)....plus a cup of herb tea and a big glass of water...but STILL, before dinner, Fat Brain starts in on me.
The period of time 4-6 pm is the hardest! BIG BIG danger point.  Again, I HAVE to lie down at some point, but do I 'fight' it or do I simply force myself to DO it?  Knowing I'll feel better? 
6:30 pm - 7 pm: Dinner time...I'm OK...EXCEPT....sometimes, depending on the meal, I want to 'KEEP ON' eating....I want seconds or something 'additional'. That's another danger point.
8 - 9 pm - watching TV with hubby....another danger point! Depending on the stupid food commercials, and what mood I'm in, I start thinking it would be SO nice to just have something to munch on. Popcorn? yeah but MF popcorn is so SMALL! Something like that. I've been known to overdo sugarfree gum at this point in time in an effort to quell the desire to CHEW. But the problem is, TOO MUCH SF gum is no good, either, because those carbs and calories STILL add up.
9 pm - 10 pm: MF evening snack before bedtime....and then another small danger point, where I want 'more'.

See how many danger points there are? This can vary, of course, depending on how busy I am, but basically the danger points happen at the same times every day. With varying degrees of intensity.

BUT.....analyzing these danger points, I figured out that IF I just hold on, and STOP myself (stop/challenge/choose!) and drink a big glass of water instead or make myself a cup of herb tea....or walk away, do something else, take a bath, take a nap, go for a walk, get on the treadmill, talk on the phone, keep my fingers busy writing or catching up on email with my friends or Facebook....etc....the TIME PASSES and I get through it!

Sometimes it's as simple as watching the CLOCK! And seeing that I only have an hour until my next MF meal. And surely I can last an HOUR, can't I? I'm not a CHILD.....I can do that!

So I just...cope. And I get through it.

The urges and cravings PASS if you give them time, if you're patient with yourself and 'talk yourself down'.

But KNOWLEDGE is POWER, right? If you feel BLINDSIDED by your urges whenever they come, of course it's going to be harder.
But if you KNOW they are coming, you can PREPARE, right?

I recommend, if you're struggling, SIT DOWN and do this. WRITE OUT your typical day and when your urges and cravings strike.
Think about alternative activities you can do during these time periods. Even if, as I said, it's as simple as reminding yourself that you only have an hour or so until your next meal! And the time WILL pass and you WILL get through it.

And you know what? EVERY TIME you get through a 'tough' period like that, you get just a little bit STRONGER. You build just a little more of a HEALTHY habit instead of an unhealthy one, and you stay OP for just a few hours more.

It ALL COUNTS. Every minute of every day COUNTS. So it's just a question of getting through...those TOUGH TIMES!

Hope this helps....Have a great week, everyone!