Well I gained... again.. how do you guys do it?

LeslieB042812

Also, try to only have foods that fit more easily into your eating plans in the house. It's a lot easier to exercise will power for an hour in the grocery store than all night when you're tired and hungry. If you live with others (spouse, kids, parents, etc.) who want to have junk food in the house, then it can help to get them things you don't like as much (like a type of chip they like but you don't).

noclady1995

The main theme here is meal planning. That's the only thing that keeps me on track. I was out of town last week and my logging was not great. And I know I ate way too much sugar and sodium. But I got back on track on Monday and, as of this morning, managed to lose the 3 lbs I gained. Clear indication I had too much sodium. LOL. Anyway, get back on track, drink your water, and consider meal prep/plan. I do my meal prep on Sundays and the rest of the week I have 2 snacks, lunch and dinner for 5 days of the week. I usually make my breakfast every day.

And see about putting some good snacks in your purse. I saw a picture of one lady's purse full of snacks like (cans/packets of tuna, Special K bar, Quest protein Bar, etc. you could probably also add whole grain crackers, and nuts). That way if you're out and hungry, you're eating something that's not fast food.

maillemaker

My biggest issue is I:m hungry

Try eating more protein. Or see your doctor about phentermine/topiramate. These are about your only options for hunger. And the drugs only work for as long as you are on them, which will only be about 6 months, so sooner or later you have to learn to deal.

mdcoug

Another thing to consider is setting small goals. I struggle with motivation too and while I have an end goal in mind, I don't let myself think about that goal. I think about today. Today my goal is to log everything and stay within 100 calories of my calorie goal. It's not a lofty goal by any means, and I don't always reach it. But, I know if I reach it today and most days, I'll reach my bigger goal. I also have another small goal for total weight loss this week. Again, it's not a stretch, it's attainable. This is what has always worked better for me.

janejellyroll

maillemaker wrote: »

My biggest issue is I:m hungry

Try eating more protein. Or see your doctor about phentermine/topiramate. These are about your only options for hunger. And the drugs only work for as long as you are on them, which will only be about 6 months, so sooner or later you have to learn to deal.

More protein or drugs?

OP could also try eating a bit more fat (depending on what she eats now), eating higher volume foods, or adding more fiber to the diet. Given that we don't know if she has tried those, saying she only has two options left is premature.

LKArgh

You do not have time to eat better? At 18?

Sarasmaintaining

noclady1995 wrote: »

The main theme here is meal planning. That's the only thing that keeps me on track. I was out of town last week and my logging was not great. And I know I ate way too much sugar and sodium. But I got back on track on Monday and, as of this morning, managed to lose the 3 lbs I gained. Clear indication I had too much sodium. LOL. Anyway, get back on track, drink your water, and consider meal prep/plan. I do my meal prep on Sundays and the rest of the week I have 2 snacks, lunch and dinner for 5 days of the week. I usually make my breakfast every day.

And see about putting some good snacks in your purse. I saw a picture of one lady's purse full of snacks like (cans/packets of tuna, Special K bar, Quest protein Bar, etc. you could probably also add whole grain crackers, and nuts). That way if you're out and hungry, you're eating something that's not fast food.

You have to be careful-some of these things are pretty high calories. A mint chocolate chunk Quest bar is only 40 calories less than a small Mcds fry. Not that much of a calorie savings. Nuts are also pretty high calories. Nothing wrong with this-but I know if I had a purse full of snacks it would be very easy to grab more than one, and the calories would add up pretty quickly.

ElizabethKalmbach

Admit to yourself what your style and tendencies are and then shop like it. If you're gonna snack at night, then buy healthy snack foods so that they're available when you're hungry. If you're likely not going to cook from scratch every night, then buy some easy-to-prepare foods that are in a healthy calorie range for you. If you're going to be grabbing fast food, figure out what you can get that's within your caloric allowance and stick to that.

Don't pretend you're going to exercise and then fail at it. If you're not going to work out, then plan your calories accordingly.

Plan for WHO YOU ARE and not who you want to be. If you want to be different, you can change that too, but it's not going to happen over night, and it's only going to happen if you really work at it. If you just want to lose weight, then do that as the person you are now.

mmatusevici1

segacs wrote: »

Your answer is right there in your original post: You get fed up and frustrated and you eat more than your calorie goal. That's why you're not losing weight.

How do people do it? You just do. You decide not to eat the things that don't fit in your daily calories, because you'd prefer to have the weight loss than the extra food.

There's no need to cut out any foods unless for health reasons, or to overly restrict yourself. Fast food once in a while is okay. Snacks are okay. Eating on the run is okay. Just eat less in those instances.

What works for many people is to take some time on the weekend to pre-log and pre-cook food for the week, and portion it out so you can grab-and-go in the mornings.

When you're ready to do this, you'll see that you can have success or you can have excuses, but generally not both.

Good luck!

peleroja

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

noclady1995 wrote: »

The main theme here is meal planning. That's the only thing that keeps me on track. I was out of town last week and my logging was not great. And I know I ate way too much sugar and sodium. But I got back on track on Monday and, as of this morning, managed to lose the 3 lbs I gained. Clear indication I had too much sodium. LOL. Anyway, get back on track, drink your water, and consider meal prep/plan. I do my meal prep on Sundays and the rest of the week I have 2 snacks, lunch and dinner for 5 days of the week. I usually make my breakfast every day.

And see about putting some good snacks in your purse. I saw a picture of one lady's purse full of snacks like (cans/packets of tuna, Special K bar, Quest protein Bar, etc. you could probably also add whole grain crackers, and nuts). That way if you're out and hungry, you're eating something that's not fast food.

You have to be careful-some of these things are pretty high calories. A mint chocolate chunk Quest bar is only 40 calories less than a small Mcds fry. Not that much of a calorie savings. Nuts are also pretty high calories. Nothing wrong with this-but I know if I had a purse full of snacks it would be very easy to grab more than one, and the calories would add up pretty quickly.

Yeah, a Quest bar is about 200 calories but it's also got 20g of protein and makes most people feel way more satiated than the fries.

Ultimately though it doesn't really matter if you just eat at the drive through as long as you log it accurately and stay under your calorie goal. It matters for your health, but for weight loss? Nope.

DirrtyH

I'm throwing my hat in the "plan ahead" ring. I know exactly what I'm going to eat every day. I don't have to make choices on -the-spot, I don't find myself starving and reaching for whatever because I didn't eat. Pre-plan your food. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day, I make my lunch the night before, I have a yogurt every afternoon, then I go straight to the gym after work. Plan ahead.

Machka9

whereslisa wrote: »

So my question being, how do you guys do it? I imagine a lot of you have jobs and some have pretty busy lifestyles, where do you find the time? My biggest issue is I:m hungry, and not at my house, and there:s a thousand places to get junk food, so I get it because I hadn:t eaten all day, but when I get home at night I:m exhausted and starving and so I grab whatever food is available, eat it and pass out. Ugh..

I'm on a mission to lose as much weight a I can on a NET 1250 cal/day diet by mid-June. Therefore, I'm focused. I also know that weight loss isn't linear. It happens in fits and starts. Some days I lose, some days I gain a little, some days I stay the same. But overall for the past 11 weeks ... I have lost weight. You've just got to stick with it.

Also ... I'm not sure what you mean when you ask, "where do you find the time?" The time to do what, exactly?

I work full-time and attend university part-time. But I still have time to eat and log and get some exercise.

Sophiasmomma

for me, its a game. a game that I have to eat my magic number of calories. I workout 99.9% of the time at 10pm when most people are sleeping. but its the only time I have for me...
I am not always planning ahead however I love candy and chocolate so I always keep protein bars with me. (always 200 cals or less) and when Im starving or wanting junk I eat one.
I just hit being consistant for 70 days on here and its the only thing Ive ever stuck to for more than a week since having my first child 11 years ago.
you can do this if you really want it. For me I hated the way I looked and now am enjoying my weekly progress and how working out is really making big changes in my body.... Good luck u got this!!!!

maillemaker

More protein or drugs?

OP could also try eating a bit more fat (depending on what she eats now), eating higher volume foods, or adding more fiber to the diet. Given that we don't know if she has tried those, saying she only has two options left is premature.

Yup, ok, fat too. Three options.

kpodaru

1) make time to exercise. i have a family (kids/husband/mom) so the only time i can workout is at 5am which actually works well for me since everyone else is still sleeping and i'm not rushed!

2) food prep. i prep ALL my food on sunday. that way i can grab and go and not have to worry or rush around trying to figure out what to eat. the lunch box i bring to work is unreal but it has everything i need. i haven't bought any food at work since 2012.

you just need to find the time to prep and workout....simple as that. if you know you're going to be beat by 5pm and not workout, then do it first thing in the morning or during lunch. just know that there will have to be some "sacrifices" ie. if you workout at 5am, then an early bed time is important. you'll also have to spend time preparing your meals so that will take a few hours over the weekend (or whenever you choose to meal prep).

louisedbatchelor1983

I have a stressful job & 2 children aged 5 & 2....over a year ago I was saying 'when do I have time'
Truth is I always had the time, I just didn't put that time into me!
I am 70lbs down in 15 months, absolutely loving my body getting smaller, more toned and being able to shop for clothes that I like and not just 'oh that looks like it'll fit me'
I plan my meals when I order the shopping, I eat lean full 4 days a week (Breakfast,Lunch,dinner, snacks) sticking to 1200 & exercise pretty hard for 4 days, then the other 3 days I loosen off my diet and eat a bit more freely and have at least 1 takeaway a week...I've done this the whole time and still lost weight!
Because this was not a quick fix for me, this was a lifestyle change, I didn't want to cut everything out and crave it like crazy!
I started hitting the gym cardio blasting lost a tonne of my weight 3 stone, but was bored!
Started looking for classes, and now I only set foot in the actual gym once a week as the rest of time I am at cross-fit, bootcamp and boxing classes, and it's now fun!
I have friends who dabble in shakes and drinking their calories and while it may work short-term they gain it back when they start eating again. So it's about the calories but it has to be about changing the way you think about food.
I've realised it's the little things that count... walking the stairs instead of the lift...cleaning!... while in work I take 2 x 15 min breaks and go for a walk...while my daughter has her 30 min swim class I walk round the town...
Simple things like that make a big difference.
The biggest change was not telling myself I'm on a diet, but telling myself that this is what I should eat because this is what is healthy.

Sued0nim

LOG

that's it

LOG IT

LeslieB042812

louisedbatchelor1983 wrote: »

I have a stressful job & 2 children aged 5 & 2....over a year ago I was saying 'when do I have time'
Truth is I always had the time, I just didn't put that time into me!
I am 70lbs down in 15 months, absolutely loving my body getting smaller, more toned and being able to shop for clothes that I like and not just 'oh that looks like it'll fit me'
I plan my meals when I order the shopping, I eat lean full 4 days a week (Breakfast,Lunch,dinner, snacks) sticking to 1200 & exercise pretty hard for 4 days, then the other 3 days I loosen off my diet and eat a bit more freely and have at least 1 takeaway a week...I've done this the whole time and still lost weight!
Because this was not a quick fix for me, this was a lifestyle change, I didn't want to cut everything out and crave it like crazy!
I started hitting the gym cardio blasting lost a tonne of my weight 3 stone, but was bored!
Started looking for classes, and now I only set foot in the actual gym once a week as the rest of time I am at cross-fit, bootcamp and boxing classes, and it's now fun!
I have friends who dabble in shakes and drinking their calories and while it may work short-term they gain it back when they start eating again. So it's about the calories but it has to be about changing the way you think about food.
I've realised it's the little things that count... walking the stairs instead of the lift...cleaning!... while in work I take 2 x 15 min breaks and go for a walk...while my daughter has her 30 min swim class I walk round the town...
Simple things like that make a big difference.
The biggest change was not telling myself I'm on a diet, but telling myself that this is what I should eat because this is what is healthy.

Yes! Everything you've said is so true (especially the part about always having had the time, time is like money, finite but you have enough for what you make a priority). I'd like to add on that for me, your method of 4 intense days and 3 less intense days actually ends up being maintenance (and my preferred way to maintain). Each person needs to find what works for him or her and then stick with that and what works will be different for each person.