trying to not go overboard again

erikajc1989

feeling really down about my body. it's not until I started this lifestyle change that I'm really seeing I have so far to go. I used to be really thin and I had let myself go. I have about 45 pounds to lose and I keep seeing the number on the scale go up instead of down. even though I did bad last night, I walk one hour to work everyday, eat pretty healthy, work 9 hours a day and am on my feet the whole time, Plus exercise on top of that... it makes me feel like my eating disorder I used to have is the only way I can lose weight. does anyone else have this struggle and any idea how to cope with these feelings?

cheshirecatastrophe

Heya. I can relate. I spent the past year watching the scale creep up and up out of a range I was/am comfortable with. I kept trying to do something about it but it kept not working. First I spun into a cycle of really bad compulsive overexercise trying to burn off all the calories (two a days, etc). I got a handle on that but the diet thing was still a big problem.

How did/do I deal with it? Well, I think I kind of had a perspective flip from where you are. Instead of looking at the weight I want to lose as a giant insurmountable burden, I look at the fact that I'm now using MFP to track my calories as a big step forward. I am finally *tackling* that weight gain, and in a responsible way.

I like the math. I like being able to trust that I really can eat THAT MANY (!!!) calories and I will still lose weight, as long as I am logging accurately and not sneaking in random other food. It takes away a lot of the disordered-eating anxiety I had about whether or not I "can" eat something. I've purposefully gone over my calorie amount a few days to challenge myself, to show myself that it's really not the end of the world when I eat too much once in awhile, or even a couple of days in a row!

It maybe sounds like you're also just tired and run-down in general (10 hours a day on your feet PLUS exercise!). Maybe taking some time away from your workouts, or hitching a ride to and from work, could give you a break and let your body heal up a little. That might jumpstart some better feelings. (It works for me. I was a cranky little girl when the overexercise got bad.)

999tigger

Keep it simple. You know that your ED was very unhealthy for you and is not normal. Its clearly not the only way to lose weight as many hundreds of thousands if not millions of people on MFP lose weight in a safe and healthy way. You can do the same.

Get some friends who can explain how you should do this. the most common mistakes for not losing weight is underestimating what you consume and overestimating what you burn. If you arent losing then its because you are either not being patient or you are closer to maintenance calories than you realise. Your body will naturally fluctuate up to 4lbs a day quite naturally.

If you want someone to check that you are at the correct level of calories to lose, then open your diary and provide your stats- ages, height, current weight, target weight plus time dieting and weight loss achieved or not. Deficit you think you are running as well as the amount of exercise, plus whether you are doing net calories or tdee.

If you arent weighing your food, then you should be as well as logging everything fully. Get some kitchen scales.

Are you eating back calories, if so and you are using MFP estimates, then only eat a % back or try not eating any of them back for a week.

With those details and answering a few more questions people cna then spot obvious mistakes and check everything is ok. Its essential to get the basics right and to check you are in an actual deficit so yiy will lose.

45lbs is not a massive amount, but you need to be patient and realistic.

Break it down and just focus on doing the right thing every day, then every week and losing the first lb. When you have lost the first 1lb then focus on the next one and even if you fall off the wagon you need to keep doing the correct things and get back at it.

The idea is to take small achievable steps and just keep on doing them. This way you dont get overwhelmed. Logging correctly, going to the gym, walking each day and hitting the correct calorie target will all work towards you losing weight. It will work if you do things properly. Success will encourage you to keep going as will getting a routine.

You can do it. You will do it with less fuss if you do it correctly, so its worth spending time checking, understanding and having a realistic determined mindset about how it will all work. Good luck.