Everyone please help me!

[cadelmcg]

Hey guys,

I see so many of your guys' success stories! Thats so amazing. I have been on weight watchers in the past and lost over 20 lbs and fell off the band wagon. I was so strict, and successful...but once I fell off I couldn't seem to get the mind set to be as serious as I was that first time. I have re joined about 3 times and fallen off time and time again.

I have also done slimfast and have lost weight but put it back on and more so rapidly. I know slimfast isnt realistic nor is it a healthy lifestyle.

I am starting to notice I am going through a panic mode. I want to lose weight and I am worrying and seem to want that fix and succession. I have seen a pattern of starting to do crash diets. I am starting to feel bad about myself everytime I fall and eat something I am not supposed to.

I eat too fast and until I am stuffed. I have gotten into some destructive behavior because with all of these diets by the time I get home from work I am ravished and pig out. I like food way too much.. and I need everyone's advice as to what success they have become to like. I need something realistic. I know I am going to have to really adjust my mind set and cutting some foods out of my life.

Thanks everyone for your advice!!

 

[SlytherinQueen]

You're right that it takes a change of mindset! It's something you want to do for life, not just for a few weeks til the pounds come off. That's how you end up gaining it all back.

I think the easiest thing is to try to change 1 thing at a time if you're having trouble sticking with major overhauls. Try to find specific things that are preventing you from getting motivated/staying motivated/reaching your goal. Perhaps cut out something simple like soda, or try limiting yourself to 1 snack a day. Instead of worrying about your overall diet/day and feeling bad when you can't reach those standards, this way you end up just needing to do one thing to feel successful and that success can really boost your motivation. Then you can continue to add things to focus on once the previous problem areas and things that troubled you earlier are now second nature.

The biggest thing I can tell you is don't deny yourself or torture yourself. You will only end up crumbling under the pressure and end up doing worse. If you focus on small things and don't deny yourself everything you want, it comes much more easily.

It sounds like you really want to become healthier and that's definitely the first step! The next steps are changing little things that will help you get there. Eventually you will find that you've changed a lot of things and made big changes.

Best of luck to you, I know you can do it!

 

[biggestloser105]

The only thing I can recommend is for you to find a way that you can eat forever. Statistically diets don't work long term, with something like 95% putting the weight back and then some (plus you lose muscle and gain back fat) You have to do something that will be a permanent change for you.

I have found that cutting out all junk food has worked for me, I used to be truly addicted to sweets, pastries, chocolate and the like to the point where I couldn't control myself. It was a battle to cut them out at first, but now the cravings are gone and I'm not tempted. I feel like as long as I never touch them again I can maintain this lifestyle for the rest of my life, which is what I intend to do.

The thing is, my taste buds have adjusted so now healthy food actually tastes great so I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.


Things I excluded as a part of my change: all candies, all pastries, any processed food, any fast food food, all sodas and other sweetened drinks, any kind of processed salad dressings, any food with strange chemical ingredients I can't pronounce, the vast majority of refined grains (I occasionally eat white rice and white pasta, maybe a few times a month, everything else is brown). I also almost never eat red meat, I occasionally have steak and lamb, but most of my meat comes from fish and chicken breasts.

I also added a walking program, a yoga program, and a muscle building program as a part of my weight loss.


I have to say that it's truly night and day, I used to be powerless before food and now sometimes I have to force myself to eat even if I don't want to because I know I need the nutrients.

 

[Spinner19641]

What Biggestloser says is all true but I do eat red meat but few carbs.

There seems to be a process to this...

- I went to healthy diet (similar to Biggestloser)
- Put in an exercise programme (6 days a week)
- Didn't calorie count or portion control (still don't)
- Ate larger portions of healthy food (that dealt with the cravings)
- Eventually my appetite rebalanced itself and I ate smaller portions & reduced carb
- I never weigh myself but I went down 3 dress sizes over time

Back then I found it troublesome to ignore the junkie foods in places like Starbucks and it took willpower to just get my coffee only. These days my brain has decided that stuff isn't food and ignores the counter.

You just have to give your brain time to adjust and it will. I don't quite understand the psychology behind it but I think it is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Training (CBT). If you repeatedly tell yourself to do (or not do) something eventually it sticks. It just takes time.

I have also learned to eat when I am hungry so I always have a snack with me during the day. Even if I am in a meeting I will have a snack if I am feeling hungry. When I am on road I always have some nuts or sushi or even a couple of small quiches for a quick energy kick.