No more half-assing IT--I need to take this seriously..I'm at my heaviest ever! Ugh!

rcopher1970

I've been on this roller coaster since my daughter died in 8/2011 and I get all "into" trying to get healthier and fit for awhile and then it just doesn't last.... And now here I am, 3 1/2 yrs since she passed away and I'm another 35 lbs heavier. Only time I was heavier was at 9 months pregnant with our last.... We've changed eating habits.... SOMEWHAT.... And we bought UP24 Jawbones for Christmas and been working out..... But I cannot shake some nas eating habits and cravings I get. I'm so frustrated. I haven't been logging my food diary or taking the "time" to do it.... But tomorrow.... I'm starting!! I'm going to log my food & drink every day and also try to get some form of physical exercise every day, even if just 15-20 minutes! I will never achieve what I think I desire if I don't get serious and put in ALL the needed efforts and the TIME!! I need to be around for a long time.... Our kids are 8 & 11 and I want to be a grandma!! I'm 44,so I'll probably be late 50's before I get to experience that and I want to be fit and healthy!!
Give me all your helpful tips and ideas on how to keep ones "eye on the goal" day in and day out and stay motivated, for you.... And also, HOW to break away from the sugar cravings... The chocolate.... Etc ...
Thank you all in advance & God Bless
~~Robin C.

verasdaughter

Planning is helpful. I have salty, sugar and chocolate cravings. I make sure to have satisfying healthy snacks to help with cravings. For chocolate or sweet I do caramel corn rice cake spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with chocolate chips. For salty I do sea salt nuts. Other ideas are frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Apple slices with peanut butter. Wheat thins with laughing cow cheese. String cheese.

verasdaughter

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. It does help.

rissavanwey

I'm so sorry for your loss! But I'm very proud of you for keeping on trying to meet your goals. You can do this!!

As far as logging: I've found that when I'm most successful just logging EVERY single thing I eat for a week, and not really trying to hit a goal. I rarely hit "complete entry" during this phase because I don't want to see the damage, but I can see the total cals for the day. That gets me into the habit of logging, and shows me where I need to improve. Then after that first week, I've already got a 7 day streak so I HAVE to keep logging in, and that's when I start trying to hit my goals. If the 2# per week is too strict for you, start with either maintaining or losing just 1/2# per week. Then you can lower your calories as your body adjusts. If you just dive in your body is going to freak out and go into OMG I AM STAAAAAARVING I NEED ALL THE FOOD! NOW!! And you will drive yourself bonkers

As far as sugar and specific cravings: I have found (for me personally, everyone is different) that if I am in a mood for something sweet, I need to satisfy that craving early with something small or I will eat an entire package of oreos. By myself. You don't want to see the calories on that.

So, when I start craving something, I have a large glass of water while I think about what I want. I figure if I'm going to waste a ton of calories, I want to make sure it's on something I REALLY want. If I need something sweet, I make a small glass of chocolate 2% milk, or I have these nature valley bars that are nuts dipped in dark chocolate. Both of those things have protein and so they hit my sweet craving and make me fill much more full, so I'm not beating myself up for having eaten something sweet and still being hungry.

Then I log it!! That's the most important part. Even if I go over on my cals for the day, I count it as a success that I actually logged everything I ate for the day. My goal is 1200 a day, so if I go up to 1500 I'm still technically eating less than I burned for the day. So it's a win!

As far as preventing cravings: I've found that if I eat lots of salt, I crave lots of sugar and vice versa. Also, if I let myself get too hungry then I go into a special kind of EAT ALL THE THINGS mode.

rissavanwey

verasdaughter wrote: »

Planning is helpful.

Also this!!

berasiam

Hang in there! Everyone has their ups and downs.
I've been trying to loose weight since November. Though it has been slow progress, I have been successful. I still get cravings and have my days when, all I really want is Chinese food!
I'm 35 pounds lighter but still fight those cravings. Here are a few things that help me out when I'm about to make the wrong choice.
For sweets: dip dates in almond butter (about 5 with 1-1/2 tsp), cranberry energy ball (there is a recipie on pop sugar.com and many more for sweet tooth cravings), dark chocolate with chili or sea salt.
Before each meal I drink an entire glass of room temp water. This makes the difference! If I don't do it I am more likely to go back for seconds.
Planning my meals for the month. I schedule about two per week (but I am also only cooking for one so leftovers go a long way for me). Planning like this lets me try new recipes that fit into my schedule and save money because I only buy what I need. I try and stick to what is on the menu for the week and there is no guessing at the store.
I also try and give myself a cheat day. If I know I am going out with friends or just a day to give me something to keep me happy. You can still allow yourself those pleasure foods. It's better to feed them than suppress. Trust me been there done that!
So on a cheat day I just try and limit the amount of carbs or the types of snacks (like more veggies than fruit based snacks that day).
As for staying motivated, I found an inspiring quote/picture one day on line and made a playlist based on it. It reads "you'll never know".
And it was right.... I'll never know what it is like to be fit and healthy if I don't try, I'll never know what it's like to fit into that beautiful dress I bought that is 2 sizes two small, I'll never know if I could finish a half marathon..... I later discovered, I don't want to keep any of these things as a mystery.
So now anytime I feel like I just can't go to the gym, take 30 minutes to do a workout, or prep my meals for the week..... I tell my self I'll never know and it's no longer "I just can't "
Hope I helped Robin!

Lefty1290

Hi, Robin.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Congrats on doing this for you and your health. How I keep my "eye on the prize" is by setting goals (my target weight and wanting to be healthier) and relishing in my body's changes in strength and stamina that were not present five months ago. I have lost 21.5 lbs and am 2.2 away from my goal weight.

- Set realistic goals that are attainable.
- Don't beat yourself up if you stumble; keep going. Don't give up.

I LOVE sugar and chocolate; it is my kryptonite. How I've kept my intake in check is by giving up soda (I've only had it twice in five months on the same day, I honestly don't really miss it unless I'm having pizza or fast food) and stocking up on 100 calorie packs of sweets so when that unshakable craving hits, I can indulge without binging. If I do have candy like m&m's (my favorite), I take a few and put the rest away which stops me from mindlessly eating. I also bought Weight Watchers ice cream bars that are low calorie/sugar that taste great. Read and pay attention to labels. Just this morning, I had waffles and had 1.5 tablespoons of syrup and was satisfied (70 calories and 12g of sugar) instead of the suggested 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons; 190 calories and 31g of sugar). Measure and weigh food so that your intake and logging is accurate. Drink a lot of water. Load up on healthy snacks (nuts, fruit, dried fruit without added sugar and oil, string cheese, pretzels). I love Special K cracker chips. The serving sizes are big (25-30 chips) with low calories and fat. I love the cheddar and the new salt and vinegar, but there are others. I use smaller plates to help me limit my portions. If I don't feel like working out, I put on my work out clothes. Once I do that, I won't change out of them and I will work out.

Best of luck. You can do this.

rcopher1970

Thanks so much everyone !!! You all just made me feel so welcomed here, on the community page and just gave reinforcement to my thought that I needed some "community" to help me, educationally, motivationally and socially!!
Bless you for taking your time and reaching out and kindness shown!!