Struggles with weight loss/binges - advice appreciated

Roboticist

Hi everyone--

I'm 19 years old, 5'4", 145-150 pounds, and looking to lose around 20-25 pounds by early or mid-August (I'm not entirely sure whether this is feasible, but I intend to stick with a daily calorie intake of 1400 calories, plus cardio). I've been struggling with this same goal for perhaps five years - this might be my third MyFitnessPal account, and I've tried so many different forms of dieting/exercise that all eventually lead to periodic binge-eating and an excuse to quit (school, work, stress, hobbies). I realize that losing and maintaining weight means undergoing a lifestyle change, but I've never eaten particularly unhealthy and never eat large portions. Binging is always a self-deprecating experience, and it really lowers my morale when I don't always have the willpower to say no to cravings - it seems reflective of how I might lack self-respect or responsibility in other aspects of my life. I want to commit to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle for the last time, and I would really appreciate some advice on how to achieve those goals. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

girlviernes

Hey there, the good news is that you are pretty much at a normal, healthy weight right now. I'm not sure what your binge eating looks like, but binge eating is actually a super common response to overly restrictive diets. So that suggests that the ways you've tried to lose weight before weren't working well. In other words, it's not you, it's the dieting. You may be trying to get thinner than your body will happily be, you may have cut calories too much, you may have been skipping meals, or you may have had a lot of rules about what you could or could not eat. All of those things could lead to binge eating. Especially since you are young and still growing, we can expect that you will be likely to overeat if you are taking in too few calories!

I would recommend getting some education about binge eating for example reading the book "Overcoming Binge Eating" and doing an assessment with a therapist who works with eating issues. That way you can most effectively target this behavior PLUS work on being kinder to yourself which is always helpful If you want to lose weight, you'll need to be super careful about how you do it. Making sure to only target a small deficit (in other words, keep weight loss to 0.5 lbs/week at most) and eat 3 substantial meals every day.

leooftheyear

go check out the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less

also add in strength training (New Rules of LIfting for Women or Strong Curves or Strong Lifts 5x5)

given you're at a relatively healthy weight right now, start looking into losing inches/toning vs weight!

strong_curves

Since this is your 3rd time here and you've been trying to lose this amount for about 5 years... maybe you should forgo your plan of 1400 cals+ cardio (which you've done before correct?) and try something new? Arm yourself with all the knowledge here so that this will become a lifestyle change for you instead of a chore. I suggest these threads to everyone (tho I doubt most people read it) I read these threads over and over to help keep me focused on my weight loss journey.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

Just curious, why do you feel that you need to lose the weight by August? I think the biggest thing that would help you the most is learning how to be patient. Weight loss doesn't happen as fast as we'd like, so instead of getting frustrated that the weight isn't coming off and binging, try to find another outlet. Maybe go for a walk or calling a friend to talk you through it.

Roboticist

girlviernes wrote: »

So that suggests that the ways you've tried to lose weight before weren't working well. In other words, it's not you, it's the dieting. You may be trying to get thinner than your body will happily be, you may have cut calories too much, you may have been skipping meals, or you may have had a lot of rules about what you could or could not eat. All of those things could lead to binge eating. Especially since you are young and still growing, we can expect that you will be likely to overeat if you are taking in too few calories!

I would recommend getting some education about binge eating for example reading the book "Overcoming Binge Eating" and doing an assessment with a therapist who works with eating issues. That way you can most effectively target this behavior PLUS work on being kinder to yourself which is always helpful If you want to lose weight, you'll need to be super careful about how you do it. Making sure to only target a small deficit (in other words, keep weight loss to 0.5 lbs/week at most) and eat 3 substantial meals every day.

Hey! I suspect the best way to go about weight loss would be to place the emphasis on exercise, then? Nutrition is such a touchy area, I'm always being told one thing over the other - supposedly food is more important than exercise when it comes to slimming down, but I wonder how I'll achieve the balance of substantial meals and a calorie deficit. I will most definitely look into the book you recommended, thanks!

leooftheyear wrote: »

given you're at a relatively healthy weight right now, start looking into losing inches/toning vs weight!

I'll be living in Hong Kong for a few months and don't own weights/a gym membership - are there some alternatives you can recommend? I like cardio and enjoy going on hikes, and I was wondering if the latter would help with toning. My main objective is to slim down, however.

Roboticist

strong_curves wrote: »

Since this is your 3rd time here and you've been trying to lose this amount for about 5 years... maybe you should forgo your plan of 1400 cals+ cardio (which you've done before correct?) and try something new? Arm yourself with all the knowledge here so that this will become a lifestyle change for you instead of a chore. I suggest these threads to everyone (tho I doubt most people read it)

Just curious, why do you feel that you need to lose the weight by August? I think the biggest thing that would help you the most is learning how to be patient. Weight loss doesn't happen as fast as we'd like, so instead of getting frustrated that the weight isn't coming off and binging, try to find another outlet. Maybe go for a walk or calling a friend to talk you through it.

I'll go read those threads now, thank you so much! I didn't really know where to begin with resources so the links are a huge help. I've tried paleo, intermittent fasting, weight and interval training etc. but it was either a lack of progress or a lack of time for visible results. The August deadline is a new-year-new-me type deal - I just want to enter another year of university looking and feeling better. You're definitely right though. I've always given myself deadlines and I think that's why there are setbacks. I guess I'm just going to have to find a way to be more patient, but a change in attitude is going to be difficult.

zoeysasha37

Hi there. Is there any chance that your calorie goal was set too low and that's what is causing you to feel this way? I know when I'm on low calories, it causes me to give up/binge. So instead I aim for a higher daily amount. Even though you won't lose as fast , sometimes it's really the best choice. If you raised your calorie goal and didn't cut out anything, just watched portions, would you feel better about this for the long term? I eat cake, ice cream, whatever, I just weigh it and log it. I don't deprive myself of anything because I feel it's more sustainable for the long run. Since you don't have a lot of weight to lose, more calories might help you stick through it.
Hope you find it in yourself to stick with it, best of luck!

leooftheyear

Roboticist wrote: »

girlviernes wrote: »

So that suggests that the ways you've tried to lose weight before weren't working well. In other words, it's not you, it's the dieting. You may be trying to get thinner than your body will happily be, you may have cut calories too much, you may have been skipping meals, or you may have had a lot of rules about what you could or could not eat. All of those things could lead to binge eating. Especially since you are young and still growing, we can expect that you will be likely to overeat if you are taking in too few calories!

I would recommend getting some education about binge eating for example reading the book "Overcoming Binge Eating" and doing an assessment with a therapist who works with eating issues. That way you can most effectively target this behavior PLUS work on being kinder to yourself which is always helpful If you want to lose weight, you'll need to be super careful about how you do it. Making sure to only target a small deficit (in other words, keep weight loss to 0.5 lbs/week at most) and eat 3 substantial meals every day.

Hey! I suspect the best way to go about weight loss would be to place the emphasis on exercise, then? Nutrition is such a touchy area, I'm always being told one thing over the other - supposedly food is more important than exercise when it comes to slimming down, but I wonder how I'll achieve the balance of substantial meals and a calorie deficit. I will most definitely look into the book you recommended, thanks!

leooftheyear wrote: »

given you're at a relatively healthy weight right now, start looking into losing inches/toning vs weight!

I'll be living in Hong Kong for a few months and don't own weights/a gym membership - are there some alternatives you can recommend? I like cardio and enjoy going on hikes, and I was wondering if the latter would help with toning. My main objective is to slim down, however.

I'd recommend looking up body weight exercises (lunges, squats, etc) or getting dumbbells

Roboticist

thorsmom01 wrote: »

Hi there. Is there any chance that your calorie goal was set too low and that's what is causing you to feel this way? I know when I'm on low calories, it causes me to give up/binge. So instead I aim for a higher daily amount. Even though you won't lose as fast , sometimes it's really the best choice. If you raised your calorie goal and didn't cut out anything, just watched portions, would you feel better about this for the long term? I eat cake, ice cream, whatever, I just weigh it and log it. I don't deprive myself of anything because I feel it's more sustainable for the long run. Since you don't have a lot of weight to lose, more calories might help you stick through it.
Hope you find it in yourself to stick with it, best of luck!

Thank you for the kind words! I think I've always led myself to believe that binging was a result of a lack of self-control, and never really bothered to look into causes as to why binges would occur to begin with. I'll try to move at a much slower pace this time, but again, it's a bit disheartening to track calories with such diligence (nobody in my friend circles does this, and I think that's a part of the problem) and not see any visible progress in weeks.

girlviernes

A therapist can help you to understand the ways in which your thinking can get in your way and to make changes (e.g., examine the thinking that causes you to be disheartened or comparing yourself to others).