i dont want to diet forever...help!!!

Babykeys32

After losing 2 and a half stone I now feel trapped.

I started on my journey eating 1500 calories per day. At the time I was 13stone and 5ft4. I felt like this amount was tiny, but I soon got used to it. Dieting became easy.

As my weight dropped I started to adjust my calorie goal using mfp's guidelines...it got less and less and less and I eventually ended up with a goal of 1200.

I hate this. I find it really difficult no matter what I eat...it leaves no room for treats or family meals and I feel restricted and bored.

Ivr been a bit slack the pppast couple of weeks and have gone way over my calories, and yesterday I binged for the first time since Xmas. I weight 2lb heavier this morning.

I'm concerned that I am not going to manage that final 5lb I need to lose to reach my ultimate goal weight and I feel trapped at a very low calorie amount which I know I can't possibly sustain!

I worry that if now I go back to 1500 calories I will gain weight. I don't understand because surely, peoplle who have never been overweight eat more than 1200 cals??

Please help!! Xxxx

jgnatca

Here's some ideas:

• Add exercise so you can eat more.
• Stop within five pounds of goal and be happy.
• Educate yourself on what it means to be on "maintenance", and what your ideal weight range might be.

DeguelloTex

If you're within five pounds of your goal weight and not tiny, old, and bedridden, it may be that 1200 is too low a target for you.

TiffanyR71

Exercise for more calories to eat?

peleroja

Maintenance will increase your calories - mine (at 118 pounds) are around 1500-1600 per day if I don't exercise. It's just what you have to live with if you are smaller because your body doesn't burn as many calories as a larger one. You can increase your maintenance with exercise, of course, and you can also try weight training with bulking/cutting cycles to increase your muscle mass, as people with lower body fat and more muscle also burn more calories (and you will look smaller even if you're heavier, which is another bonus.)

I don't enjoy serious strength training so I choose to be content with my 1600 and go for a run if I overdo it (or cut my calories for a few days afterwards.)

dietstokes

Also remember that as you get closer to goal, your deficit is going to be much smaller. So your choices are either eat less to keep losing 2 pounds a week (which still probably wont happen at the end) or to change your expectations and realize you may only be losing .5-1 pound a week for the rest of your weight loss now that you are getting closer.

Also, It sounds like you need to be making different food choices the majority time (note, I did not say all of the time). If you eat the right items, you should be able to feel mostly satiated on 1200 calories. The way I try to keep it interesting is find new recipes to try that will fit in my calories. Do I love the majority of the recipes? Not always, but this has allowed me to add new meals into my rotation, minimizing meal time blahhs.

TheJenProject

You can always try IF. I use IF if I have a big family meal coming up and there are so many methods of IF you could use like 16:8 or maybe fast 2 days out of your week which would allow you to eat more calories on non-fasting days? This way you don`t have to eat at 1200 cals or you shorten the window of time you eat in (16 hours fasted and 8 hrs eating etc...) which will mean you can have one or two larger meals. Also, I strongly suggest you look at the foods you eat and figure out which are more satisfying and keep you fuller longer. I eat about 1000-1200 cals and I too find it hard but I know eating high protein and fats keeps me full longer then eating lots of sugars and avoid certain carbs that I know will trigger me to be hungry quickly after or will cause me to crave more sugar (i.e. chocolate, high sugar fruits) The worst thing you can do is panick, just experiment with different foods, or IF and find what works for you or do as commenters above say and just be happy with the weight you are at and eat at your maintenance level.

Babykeys32

Thanks everyone. I guess rereading my post it does sound kinda stupid...I think I'm just panicking.

I do understand what maintenance means.....I'm just worried that when I move to maintain levels I will gain weight. And I'm worried I am going to go insane on 1200 cals.

I excersise as much as I can for my lifestyle and circumstances but I think a good idea might be to increase my cals a bit and aim for slower loss. I've averaged around 1.5 pound a a week so far. Apart from this week. This week I gained.

Thank you for your suggestions...it is appreciated xxx

cwolfman13

Babykeys32 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I guess rereading my post it does sound kinda stupid...I think I'm just panicking.

I do understand what maintenance means.....I'm just worried that when I move to maintain levels I will gain weight. And I'm worried I am going to go insane on 1200 cals.

I excersise as much as I can for my lifestyle and circumstances but I think a good idea might be to increase my cals a bit and aim for slower loss. I've averaged around 1.5 pound a a week so far. Apart from this week. This week I gained.

Thank you for your suggestions...it is appreciated xxx

You do realize that 1200 calories is a very aggressive approach and also assumes a sedentary lifestyle right? If you're exercising you're supposed to eat more.

Did you read the stickies when you started MFP?

freeoscar

It sounds to me like you are a little burnt out. Instead of letting the frustration build up and burst in the form of bingeing, why not give yourself a release valve by going back to 1500 cal for a bit. At worst I'd guess you'll maintain (I haven't seen your ht/wt to have an idea as to your metabolic levels), but at least you'll refresh yourself mentally and be ready for that final 5lb loss. Or you may find that you are losing, albeit at a slower rate, which is probably preferable - think of yourself as an airplane landing - you need to glide in towards the end so that you land smoothly and are able to maintain that weight loss over the long haul.

Babykeys32

jennapace3 wrote: »

You can always try IF. I use IF if I have a big family meal coming up and there are so many methods of IF you could use like 16:8 or maybe fast 2 days out of your week which would allow you to eat more calories on non-fasting days? This way you don`t have to eat at 1200 cals or you shorten the window of time you eat in (16 hours fasted and 8 hrs eating etc...) which will mean you can have one or two larger meals. Also, I strongly suggest you look at the foods you eat and figure out which are more satisfying and keep you fuller longer. I eat about 1000-1200 cals and I too find it hard but I know eating high protein and fats keeps me full longer then eating lots of sugars and avoid certain carbs that I know will trigger me to be hungry quickly after or will cause me to crave more sugar (i.e. chocolate, high sugar fruits) The worst thing you can do is panick, just experiment with different foods, or IF and find what works for you or do as commenters above say and just be happy with the weight you are at and eat at your maintenance level.

Thanks yeah I have considered IF...I like the idea of it but I'm a bit scared of it not working and of me ruining my hard work by eating over my usual calories on my non fast days...I'm such a pansy haha. Also not sure it's safe when trying for a baby, which I am. Definitely will look into that tho,thank you! Xx

bluworld

At 5lbs to lose, you should be looking for a .5wk weight loss. An an ultra low cal diet at this stage will crash you for sure.

Babykeys32

Tha

freeoscar wrote: »

It sounds to me like you are a little burnt out. Instead of letting the frustration build up and burst in the form of bingeing, why not give yourself a release valve by going back to 1500 cal for a bit. At worst I'd guess you'll maintain (I haven't seen your ht/wt to have an idea as to your metabolic levels), but at least you'll refresh yourself mentally and be ready for that final 5lb loss. Or you may find that you are losing, albeit at a slower rate, which is probably preferable - think of yourself as an airplane landing - you need to glide in towards the end so that you land smoothly and are able to maintain that weight loss over the long haul.

Yes I think your right. I think I'm just reacting to my fear of going back to my old weight. I think it might be a good idea to do that. After all its better to eat 1500 cals and maintain and return to those last 5lb when I'm ready than it would be to binge and mess it all up. Nice metaphor

To the other poster, yes I read the stickies bit I have also read stuff that says not to eat back your excersise cals because people generally underestimate food intake and overestimate cams burnt through activity? I don't do a lot anyway...just walk as much as possible but my job is sat down all day....so mfp says I am sedentary and need 1200 to lose 1 lb per week.xx

BuffaloGirl75

Try calorie cycling too (zig zag method). I do this and love it! I have high days (where I don't feel like I am "direting") and low days.

Babykeys32

BuffaloGirl75 wrote: »

Try calorie cycling too (zig zag method). I do this and love it! I have high days (where I don't feel like I am "direting") and low days.

Interesting...have you had success losing this way? Do you mind sharing a typical week of cycling cals so I can see how it's done? Xx

futuremanda

Babykeys32 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I guess rereading my post it does sound kinda stupid...I think I'm just panicking.

I do understand what maintenance means.....I'm just worried that when I move to maintain levels I will gain weight. And I'm worried I am going to go insane on 1200 cals.

I excersise as much as I can for my lifestyle and circumstances but I think a good idea might be to increase my cals a bit and aim for slower loss. I've averaged around 1.5 pound a a week so far. Apart from this week. This week I gained.

Thank you for your suggestions...it is appreciated xxx

You gained because you ate a bunch at once. Your body is used to 1200 calories (or whatever it's used to) which will have a certain macro range for things like sodium and carbs. If you ate, I don't know, 3000 calories yesterday, you didn't put on 2 lbs of fat, you just mathematically did not. Not even 1. But your carbs and sodium probably skyrocketed, yeah? So you put on water weight. It will come off after a few days of eating at your usual target.

You won't gain pounds of fat at maintenance levels. You might put on some water weight initially.

And by definition, maintenance will be maintenance, not gaining.

Maintenance will also mean a weight range, not a static weight, so prepare yourself and pick a range you'd be happy with.

1.5 lb / wk loss is very extreme for someone with 5 lbs left to lose. Should be 0.5 lb a week or slower, really... And btw, if you've been losing 1.5 lbs a week at 1200 calories, then your current maintenance (with exercise) is more like 1950. So 1500 should be just fine, getting you almost 1 lb a week (about every 8 days).

If you feel terrible on 1200, increase the calories and lose slower. Or eat back your exercise calories (as MFP has designed for you to do).

And you may want to pop into the maintenance boards if you haven't already. Start lurking, maybe start a thread for some specific advice or to hear others' stories.