New year's resolution!

[hibou]

Hi!


For the umpteenth time, I vow to lose weight - again - in the year 2012. Despite my best intentions (which weren't exactly followed by action), the numbers on my bathroom scale seem only to be headed in the wrong direction.


This is the pattern: I catch a particularly unflattering glimpse of myself in the mirror or in a photograph, devise an ideal weight loss plan that would exist in the perfect parallel universe but not attainable in my current one unless extreme lifestyle changes have been made with much care and motivation, control eating habits and work out for a couple days, give in (big time) to temptation at times of desperation, indulge in self-hatred resulting in further damage to self-efficacy... and normal life where ice cream is considered a major food group resumes.


I break down easily when I'm stressed out from school and work. Even though I have hobbies and friends, my immediate, go-to stress relief mechanism is eating. I have also noticed that I'm not as strong-willed as I would like to be. And I have sort of a compulsion to finish my portion whether they be a bag of chips or a plate of dinner. When I know there's something in the kitchen, I eat it. It's bad.


So here I am on the forum! I need help and advice from real-life experts (not the ones with million-dollar personal trainers 24/7) like yourselves to control my appetite, motivate myself to keep up with the plan, and to know that weight loss plans really do work. My goal is to lose 25 to 30 pounds in 5 months. Is that doable? Help please?


Thank you and you are all very inspiring!

 

[Tourny]

Your goal is reasonable as long as you have it to lose.


Sounds like you're already reasonably clued up on what you need to do but could use a few willpower tactics.


1: don't go cold turkey, allow yourself regular days off your diet to satisfy cravings, one day a fortnight works well for me, others like once a week, I'd suggest no more than two days a week. have whatever you want but don't eat for the sake of eating.


2: snacks (biscuits, icecream, crisps, pastries, sweets) will chip away at your willpower if in the house. If you have stocks or stashes of them, give or throw them away. buy treats only on your days off and only as much as you plan to eat that day. get good at understanding nutritional information on the packaging so that you can tell the difference between a reasonable serving and "good god, I shouldn't eat that much in a week"


3: Try to cook only as much as you need for the day to prevent leftovers.


4: boredom eating is pretty common, Try munching on a pack of plain popcorn, it's low calorie for its volume and gives your jaw/hands something to do.


Hope some of that helps.

Tourny