My major issue with weight loss.

[Ando3242]

Right now I'm a good 40-50 pounds overweight and would like to get going today and stop using the "ill start tomorrow" excuse. I just realized I've probably planned to "start tomorrow" almost everyday for the past year.

One of my major issues is appetite. I notice whenever I attempt to stick to a diet, eventually as the day progresses I can't stop thinking about anything except food. (heck, even right now as I'm typing this I'm craving some thin mint girl scout cookies). What can I do about this? The overwhelming thoughts of food continue until I finally cave. Perhaps a problem with will power, but if I'm to lose weight and maintain it and have to feel like this all the time, I know any success will be short lived.

Thanks

 

[KaraCooks]

The thing is .. you have to want it bad enough that you'd rather lose the weight than eat the Thin Mints.

Honestly I wish there were some magic formula I could give or some words that would make it all easier .. but there just isn't. You have to say "I won't have the Thin Mints" and then follow through. You have to look at the bag of chips and say "not today" and then walk away.

It's not easy. I know it's not. Last night my housemate brought home a loaf of crusty french baguette. It was still warm from the bakery. And dear GOD I wanted a piece of it. I could smell it ... that warm baked bread scent. But I didn't have any. It wasn't any magical display of willpower ... it was just that I kept reminding myself that the scale is moving and I want it to continue to move.

It sucks. But you just have to do it.

 

[Steve]

First off, habituating yourself to forgo short-term satisfaction in order to obtain long-term success/reward is an uphill battle. It's one that's worth fighting, however. It's certainly a complex subject that I'm not going to delve into here in this post.

As far as hunger goes...

It's a very individual thing and it requires trial and error to find what fits YOU best.

A couple of random thoughts include:

1. Decipher between true physiological hunger and non-physiological hunger. Physiological hunger is that which is triggered by the body - hormonal fluctuations, empty stomach, etc. Non-physiological hunger is that which is triggered by your environment - boredom, triggers (commercials, company, etc), food availability, etc. If it's the former, we should be focusing more on meal frequency, dietary composition, etc. If it's the latter, we should be focusing more on tweaking our environments. Typically it's a combination that's skewed to one side or the other.

2. Adequate protein consumption makes a world of difference. It's the most satiating nutrient we have at our disposal. If you're truly eating roughly 1 gram per pound of lean body mass... especially if this is coming from whole foods... it becomes increasingly hard to BE hungry.

3. As I noted above, volume of food matters. Our bodies acclimate to food volume. By this, I mean if we're used to eating food in the amount of the size of our fist ever 3 hours and we cut that volume in half, our bodies are going to let us know by way of sending hunger signals (primarily via stomach size). So it is evident that not only is caloric control important... so is volume control and that's where energy density comes into play. Paying particular attention to foods that provides the biggest bang for your buck in terms of volume without a huge caloric punch makes a difference. No, veggies aren't the be all end all fix. But they fit this category of foods nicely and their just one piece of the puzzle.

4. Fruit is a bit more energy dense than veggies but it's typically less energy dense than the foods typically seen in the American diet. In addition to providing volume without a terribly high caloric "punch," it also does some nifty things in terms of liver glycogen, which, in its own right is a method of squashing some of the hunger signaling.

5. As noted above, eating adequate fiber also plays a role via slowing down digestion thus leaving you fuller longer. Plus, high fiber foods tend to be low on the energy-density scale so it's a double whammy.

These lean more towards physiological hunger. Non-physiological hunger is too individual and complex to discuss in one post like this. But hopefully some of these points make a difference for you.

 

[dietgrrl]

Yup that was me. Never lasted on a diet past noon.

What worked for me was having a planned programme that I committed to. It was scary but once I got the hang of it, I was able to resist any temptations including a chocolate bar waved in front of my face.....

What could work for you if you have a plan - any plan - other than, "I will diet!". Plan out a week at least (your menu/foods to eat/exercise/etc.), and see how you fare. Good luck!

 

[pink clouds]

Hi Ando,

Maybe the diets you are choosing are not good for you because they do not have enough food. Craving sweets is one thing, but it is impossible to maintain a diet that keeps you hungry all the time.

Gah...all these "diets" nowadays either want you to eat too much or too little. That's what I've found anyway.

I am not sure if food choice or portion size is your problem or both...but if it is food choice you may want to start just making healthier alternatives and if necessary gradually lower portion size.

One thing I can really recommend is to find things to keep you busy so that you are not always thinking about food This is what helped me the most recently lol

All the best to you and good luck with everything.

 

[Racer_X]

The overwhelming thoughts of food continue until I finally cave. Perhaps a problem with will power, but if I'm to lose weight and maintain it and have to feel like this all the time, I know any success will be short lived.

Ando,

I had similar troubles.

First, axe any alcohol. You can do that for a month, right? For your weightloss? Think of it as a test of your willingness.

Second, don't starve yourself to lose weight, as others here have advised. But your food has to be better for you, and you have to plan to lose most of your weight by an increase in exercise if you lack the willpower - as I do - to starve yourself.

In the early stages, a little exercise goes a fair way to weight loss. Research out a light weight program, or ask here for advice. Plan on 30 min of cardio a day six days a week until you begin to notice changes - good ones - in your body.

Pick out a good series of meals to eat. Plan your snacks - good food, not something prepackaged is my advice, even if that purports to be the 'right thing for an exerciser to eat after stepping off the treadmill'. Stick to your quantities.

If you're figuring you need 2800kcal daily, plan to give yourself 22-2400, and plan to increase your output by 600 (that 30 min of cardio). You'll get a little more out of moving metal (using weight machines or freeweights), too.

When you see the changes, it helps your willpower immensely. I found I could, once the weight started coming off, decrease my diet, and eat a stricter regimen. I also found the willpower to increase the difficulty of my workouts (intensity) and duration a bit, too.

I've been able to keep a .38 lb/day loss rate going for well over 6 months (there were plateaus in there, but I worked through them).

Am I hungry? Yes.

Do I eat my fill? Yes.

Am I completely distracted? No.

One more thing that helped me motivate was tracking the daily weight. That flat-out kept me from eating junk - and noticing when my unnoticed 'treat', in this case, Saltines and whole-milk aged Cheddar, went from a tiny treat to 'you're eating a ton of this'. It showed as a plateau in my weightloss.

I think the key is, as mentioned upthread, planning your meals, coupled with the will to exercise.

Good luck, I really want to hear of your initial success in three or four weeks!

 

[mizzie]

When you see the changes, it helps your willpower immensely. I found I could, once the weight started coming off, decrease my diet, and eat a stricter regimen. I also found the willpower to increase the difficulty of my workouts (intensity) and duration a bit, too.

I've found that to be true. For me, starting was the hardest part, but seeing that number lower and lower every time I step on the scale helps me to make the right choices for both food and exercise.