I fell off of the wagon, today...

[driver8]

I have been trying to eat healthy (I'm trying to give up meat -- for a couple of reasons) and today my kids wanted to go to McDonald's. We had been at the park playing, they were hungry, so I figured "what the hell"?

I caved in and ate two cheeseburgers. Not only that, I have been avoiding sodas and I drank a couple of them today.

What the hell is wrong with me? It's a good thing I'm not trying to kick heroin.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Go easy on yourself. You're human, and you are working on making

a big change in your life. Just climb back on the wagon and do your best. :hi:

[Deep13]

2. Nothing is wrong with you.

If you decide to exclude absolutely the things you like, it will never work. The idea is for that not to be the norm.

[texanwitch]

3. I have been eating better lately and today I ate way to much pizza.

A treat now and again is OK.

[mzteris]

4. meat, fat, salt, and sugar - in combination

is kinda like heroin.

A lot of people are addicted to meat. It's a hard habit to kick.

You can find lots of support - moral and informational - in the Vegetarian group here on DU.

Some people find quitting "cold turkey" (if you'll pardon the expression) better, some like to taper. It's easier for some than others. For some, the craving may rear it's ugly head at any time. Others are lucky enough never to have that problem.

You do need to find your triggers - Micky D's sounds like a place to stay away from for a while (and it wouldn't hurt to keep the kids away, either :) ) - and avoid the triggers if at all possible.

Keep lots of fresh fruit, veggies in the house. Know ahead of time all the "veggie friendly" places where you're going. Rehearse in your mind what you're going to order. Stick to it.

Good luck!

:hug:

[Rosemary2205]

5. A good balanced diet has room for cheeseburgers. Seriously

You have to not do that every day of course. I have a holistic doctor who integrated diet, exercise, traditional and alternative medicine. He's strongly advocates a low fat vegetarian diet for most people. This man is the picture of all natural everything. When I recently fell off the wagon and chowed down on a friend's homemade strawberry ice cream and confessed in the doc's office - he confessed to me that the first Sunday of every month he takes his family to whatever "bad food" joint they want and they can even order a drink that's not water. The wife may bake some sort of gooey fat/sugar filled dessert. They may even have donuts or Sugar pops for breakfast that day.

[driver8]

23. Rosemary, I have to tell you this story...As I was sitting there this morning

reading the responses to my post, my five year old daughter starts reading over my shoulder. She sees the baseball bat in your post and reads out loud, "Fuck you, ball."

It finally hits me what she just said and I tell her, "Leah, we don't use that word -- it's not a nice word at all."

My wife asks me, "What did she say?"

I said, "She dropped the 'f-bomb'."

My wife says, "She did not! Leah, that is a very bad word...we don't say that word in our house." (We do, but only when the kids are asleep.)

My poor daughter thought Mommy was mad at her and ran crying to her room...I felt horrible.

We finally got everything straightened out, though...and convinced my daughter that we weren't mad at her.

Whew! It's tough being a parent sometimes.

[Rosemary2205]

27. OMG I corrupted your kid!!!

I've had this sig for awhile and have been thinking about changing it -- though it is VERY special to me -- just want something new -- your story about cements it for me.

And yeah, I admit it, I do have a potty mouth sometimes and I never ever thought about how many people might have kids in the room while on the big DU. (((ooooooops)))


Thanks for telling me.

:) :) :)

[BlueIris]

6. Getting off junk food is hard.

Hopefully, you'll be able to do it (in the long run) for your kids.

I'm really glad I kicked all that shit at 23. It would me much harder to do five years later.

[MissMillie]

7. there's nothing wrong w/ having cheeseburgers

as long as you don't have them every day.

One every other month is my rule for McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's....

[jilln]

13. Nothing wrong?

Think again.

[malta blue]

14. I agree with you MissMillie

Nothing wrong with a cheeseburger now and again....

I don't do fast food personally, but I do make a mean cheeseburger at home about once a month - followed immediately by some Ben & Jerry's...my way of treating myself when my hormones are raging....

[LaraMN]

8. Meh. One day is one day.

Part of the process of transforming your eating habits is learning to forgive yourself for an occasional slip-up, and allowing yourself a little wiggle room.

Forget about it. Just carry on with the good eating as though you never deviated.

It's all good!

[Left Is Write]

9. There's nothing wrong with you.

Unlike heroin, diet isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. As long as you are eating healthfully most of the time, there's room for treats.

You may discover that giving up meat entirely isn't for you, or you may discover down the road that you can give it up comfortably. Don't consider this as having "fallen off the wagon" - you just took a detour.

[Lyric]

It happens. I did something similar yesterday.

I've been trying to eat only wholesome "real" home-cooked food, but I caved and ate half a bag of Cheetos Puffs yesterday. :cry:

Whoever invented cheese curls is an evil, evil person who obviously had it in for me. *sigh*

[malta blue]

10. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Sometimes one gives into cravings. And sometimes those cravings satisfy what the body actually needs. Perhaps you needed more protein:shrug:

Have you tried drinking seltzers - it satisfied the carbonated beverage fix for me without adding calories, sodium or sugars. Plus, there are a variety of flavors. Little MB drinks seltzer instead of soda. She feels like she is getting a treat and I know that it is not so bad.

[driver8]

18. My kids have just discovered soda and have decided that they like it.

My wife hates to give them sodas...I think we'll go with the flavored seltzers to see if that works for them.

Thanks for the tip!!

[malta blue]

19. sure thing...I have to give the little one soda...but all

the kids drink it at camp, etc. I can send her off with a can of selzter and she feels good about it - better than her coming home and saying X gave me money to buy a Dr. Pepper (that has happened before - oh the caffeine!)

[MorningGlow]

11. Aw dude, that's nuthin'

I remember reading somewhere that you can't calculate your diet success on a day-to-day basis. Instead, you're supposed to look at an entire week overall. If you ate healthy more than you didn't, then you're okay.

Then again, there's that other diet tenet: Give in to your cravings once in a while, because if you don't, you'll end up bingeing or going completely off the rails for a long time.

I had a friend who was a vegetarian for years and years and years. She wasn't loud about it--just stuck to her beliefs quietly in the midst of a group of friends who were rabid meat-eaters. Then, one day, she said, "I think I want a cheeseburger." And she ate the cheeseburger. No guilt. Then she quietly went back to being a vegetarian.

Moral of the story: No guilt. :hi:

[flvegan]

12. There's nothing wrong with you

I think that it's great that your taking your health more seriously. You had a cheat day, no biggie.

[driver8]

15. Thanks, everyone...

I do tend to beat myself up over things (says my wife).

Your words of encouragement are appreciated!! :yourock:

[Flaxbee]

16. did you have french fries? Today is National French Fry Day

(the 13th of July) so I think you can be forgiven ;-) One must eat junk food on National French Fry Day!

It is very, very difficult to go totally cold turkey on anything you're trying to quit. A lapse every once in a while is fine, probably will even help you strengthen your resolve.

[driver8]

17. Did I have french fries?? Does the Pope shit in the woods?

McDonald's french fries...I cannot resist them. :hi:

[libodem]

20. I hear ya

It's tough. I was thinking about the double cheese burgers, today. Thought: if I just take off the bun, I could pretend it's Atkins. Silly me. Try not to be too hard on yo bad-sef. Git back on dat wagon. :hug:

[Dervill Crow]

21. Life goes on.

I've been eating mostly vegan, sometimes vegetarian, and last night I gobbled up the final 1/3 of a soft taco from Taco Time that had been abandoned by one of my sons.

You can climb back on the wagon when you're ready, and you will. There's nothing at all wrong with you.

[Jack_Dawson]

22. Have a FIBER shake

It will be like it never happened. Trust me. And be near a toilet in 8 hours.

[NaturalHigh]

24. Tomorrow is another day.

If eating a couple of cheeseburgers and downing a couple of sodas is the worst thing you did today, it was a good day.

[Dr_Funkenstein]

25. You're Good

McD's is nasty...no human should eat that crap...but it's cool. My wife and I eat very healthy, and I cook 95% of our meals...making almost everything from scratch. We both used to eat crap-food. Now, if we eat fast food, we both get sick. Those "foods" are so over-processed, we can't handle it anymore. You ate a couple of cheese burgers...no biggie. If you can get away from all that for a while, you'll find you can't stomach it anymore. At least you're not...I hope...the tub-o-lard parent feeding her 1 year old constant fries...I don't get that...

[hippywife]

26. I do the same thing.

Everyday, I pack our lunches and we cook everything at home. We read labels and eat very carefully for the most part. I even make our yogurt and peanut butter. But about once a month, I just have to have a double cheeseburger or fish filet sandwich. I'm finding tho that each time I do that, my system handles it less well. No doubt one day I'll stop doing it at all because the resulting tummyache isn't worth it.

It's cool. Like many here have said. If you eat healthy most of the time, giving yourself a rare treat isn't anything to beat yourself up over.

[Danger Mouse]

28. Gave up meat...passing the mcdonald's billboard with the picture of Big Mac, though...

temptation rears its ugly head...i can almost taste the Big Mac, but I will not give in and eat it.
It's tough. I know.
Good luck!

[prolesunited]

29. It's just one meal, one day

Hang in there. Don't use it as an excuse to quit.

On edit: I always make my own food and bring meals to work. I had a crazy day and never went back home, so I had a Chipotle veggie burrito for lunch/dinner. It's sitting there like a lump. Point being, once you start eating healthy, you're body will rebel against crap and you'll be less likely to do it again.

[Skittles]

30. nothing is wrong with you

give yourself a break - you are human. Just go right back to eathing healthy.

[zanne]

31. Give yourself a chance.

Try quitting one thing at a time; first the fatty foods, then the meat. Most people do fall off the wagone the first, second or third time!

[otherlander]

32. After much deliberation, I judge...

You can has cheezburger.

[Mz Pip]

33. Don't be too hard on yourself!

I, too eat a very low fat, junk food free diet, but sometimes I'd just kill for a Whopper with cheese, fries and a chocolate shake. Sometimes, I give in. :shrug: THen I live on broccoli and water for a day.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[astral]

34. I think it's just fine to eat 'bad' food once in a while

If you eat good stuff most of the time your body will take it in stride and work on cleaning up the garbage. The trouble is people don't have moderation, and eat bad stuff all the time, which shortens people's lives.

You know, when I knowingly eat something yucky (like nachos at the theater) I just totally enjoy myself and remember I'm not going to do it again til next time I see a movie -- which is only a few times a year.