Overwhelmed

skthibert

I'm counting calories, trying to pay attention to everything on the nutrition label, but it gets tiring. I think about having to this for the rest of my life, and it makes me feel exhausted. Plus all this stuff about what's good for you and what's not, and all the conflicting doctors, scientists and reports about nutrition. Sometimes it's all overwhelming. I'm going to keep it up to try and get to my goal, but so far I haven't lost any weight. Well I have but then I gain it right back. It's only ever 1-5 lbs that I lose and gain back. It's frustrating! I've also started back on a workout routine, 6 days a week, 30-45 mins a day ( plus running after an 18 on th old all day) The funny thing is when I think of working out for the rest of my life, it doesn't have the same effect. I could totally workout everyday for the rest of my life. Any one else out there going through this? Have quit more than once because of these feelings? Any suggestions?

blankiefinder

Hi!

Please don't take this wrong, but you are going to have to find a way to turn your attitude around so that this process isn't so painful. If you think of how much you hate it all the time, you won't be able to make the permanent changes that will be necessary to enable you to lose and then maintain that weight loss long term. It really is as hard as you make it. From my personal experience, it just comes down to CICO, calories in and calories out, and accurate logging is crucial!

When I first got started, I spent a lot of time reading the posts stickied at the top of the various forums. I think that really helped me filter out some of the good advice from the bad.

The other thing that made a huge difference was buying a food scale. It was the best $10 I ever spent! I still weigh everything, even after achieving my goal weight and switching to maintenance. Oh, and log everything! There is no point in being less than honest

I would recommend starting here:

A Guide to Get You Started on Your Path to Sexy Pants

Calorie Counting

Logging Accuracy

Good luck!

RodaRose

Of course if you think about doing this the rest of your life, it feels daunting. I pretty much look at one month at a time. In the beginning I was looking at one week at a time
The important thing, I think, is to log every day -- even on days when you go over. Keep up the logging habit. I second the food scale because it makes logging easier and accurate and teaches new habits.
If you need to, and can afford it, buy some kitchen tools to help that you do not already have: I love my crock pot and hubby likes the nutribullet. Think of whatever appliance would make things easier for you.
For now, forget about what is "good" for you or not. Eat foods you like in small portions. Eat enough protein.
Somewhere later down the road, you can start deciding what foods are "better" for your particular body/ mind/spirit.

nesian_twin

I know exactly what you mean and felt exactly how you felt! So sick of it all.

First of all, dont listen to conflicting advice. First they say carbs are fine then they say Paleo then they say wheat is evil blah blah blah

Experiment. With trial and error you may find the right food plan for you. For me it's intermittent fasting and that's not for everyone but FINALLY I discovered a lifestyle change that suits me, doesnt involve gourmet cooking for every single meal, is simple, doesnt require counting calories and the only reason I count cals in here is as a guide only so I can figure out what works and what doesn't. Hope that makes sense.

I generally dont buy a whole lot of processed foods, try to stick to clean so dont have to tire myself out reading labels but if I do, the sugar content has to be <4gm / 100gm as I am prediabetic.

blankiefinder

By the way, with only 15 pounds to lose, I would recommend only setting your loss rate at .5 pounds per week, then the process might not feel so painful!

FunkenWagnel

I have a few suggestions. The first is, try to find foods and exercises you enjoy. The second, is don't worry about the rest of your life right now. Just do what you've got to do today, to the best of your ability.

Third, I would suggest not labelling foods as 'good' or 'bad'. Most of the time, I'll make a healthy choice, but if I'm really craving something, I have it, I don't worry about it being bad. I crave healthy and less healthy foods.

Just let yourself get used to everything, give it time.

amusedmonkey

I have one advice for you: Simplify!

Many of the things some dieters tend to engage in are simply not necessary for 99% of them. Things that only make a minute difference (if any). Things that are only a concern for a small minority with health issues, for those who are trying to reach very low body fat like fitness models, or for those who are trying to get this one extra running second or one extra lifting pound for competitions like professional athletes.

For the rest of us, people who just want to lose weight and improve their life quality, engaging in those things is like putting in twice the effort to get that one last 1% of improvement. It's simply not worth it.

Those who need to lose weight only need to do very few things:
1. Figure out what foods they like
2. From the first list, figure out what fills them up the best for the least calories
3. From the first list figure out what is too high in calories to fit every day
4. Have foods from the second list often, and foods from the third list either occasionally or in smaller quantities.

That's it. The rest is white noise.

I have lost nearly 100 pounds so far, improved my blood pressure, and went from being nearly diabetic to normal blood sugar and that's all I did - no extras. I only had to read labels at first, then I settled on a few brands I liked and now I know exactly what to grab when I go shopping for food. If I'm curious about something new I never tried, I glance at the label for a couple of seconds to decide if my curiosity overpowers the calorie count. Sometimes it does, other times it's just not worth it.

For doctors and nutrition reports I read them out of curiosity, engage in some conversations just because it's intellectually interesting to me, but at the end of the day, all of this goes into the backburner and I fall back to my simple daily eating habits, unless, again, curiosity wins over and I decide to try something out.

The easier and more natural you make it for yourself the more likely you are to continue doing it. Trying to be perfect in every aspect can cripple you. Just look at your current diet and tweak it (like bulking up your usual meals with vegetables for example, or adding soup before meals..etc) instead of trying to completely change and overhaul it. That would feel more natural to you and is more likely to turn into a mindless habit.

FunkenWagnel

I agree with the above poster. Simplify. Out of all the research, studies etc, decide for yourself what YOU think is true, or most important, or what works for you