What I learned being on the forums for a week

RebeccaD22

cmcdonald525 wrote: »

There are a whole lot of diet myths out there, these forums pretty much debunk them all!

.... And have pretty much ruined Pinterest for me now that I know 99% of the weight loss pins are wrong lol

LOL! love this. so true!

kfayr

aimeerace wrote: »

I can't think of anything better than a whole day of Krispy Kreme donuts. Pahahahahaha.

Absolutely! If I don't get my occasional jelly bean or snow delight I would eat a whole packet in one sitting

Moderation rules baby!!!!

crazyjerseygirl

You like us! You really like us!

Ninkyou

baby05phat wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the awesome words Doesn't matter what anyone says, I'm finding balance and you guys helped me get there

I need a like button for this.

baby05phat

lemurcat12 wrote: »

This is great. I think getting rid of that all or nothing feeling in general can be so helpful. It's not like you are either perfectly on plan or ruining everything--we can be imperfect and have bad days (and work in things that make it easier or more sustainable).

My tendency before I really started was also to go overboard and decide I had to eat really perfectly and exercise a lot and of course I'd do it for maybe a week and something would happen and I'd decide everything was ruined anything so I'd have to start again later.

This time I made a conscious decision not to do that and with exercise especially I was easy on myself and just decided I'd try to do a little something regularly and work up without going overboard. After a couple of months work got crazy and I freaked out because I felt like I couldn't get in my workouts (now I'd manage, probably). But rather than deciding that just meant I obviously couldn't lose weight now and eat to deal with stress and sorrow that I had failed, I decided to give myself a break, accept I was going to miss my workouts that week, and do what I could--which was eat within my calories even though I screwed up by not having preplanned dinners a couple of days and had to eat what was available around my office/quickly after I got home at midnight. Not ideal at all, but I actually lost really well that week (because I stayed within my calories) and felt so empowered by the fact I hadn't gone off the rails despite messing up some. I also felt more confident I could get through it long-term and, of course, I managed to quickly get back to my preferred eating and workout plan.

This is so inspiring! Even if things don't go according to plan, it's not the end of the world you can still make it work because it's a long term journey. Unpredictable stresses will come up in our life and even with them we can make it work ... definitely opened my eyes a lot, that it doesn't all have to be perfect

baby05phat

When it was "perfect" .. my results were horrendous, I would lose fast and regain it all by binging eventually because I didn't allow myself any "unclean" foods, and it always caught up to me...I've been this way 2 years now back and forth yoyo ..... so I know it 100% doesn't work for me

baby05phat

Nobody told me it's okay to have other foods, all diet books/tumblrs/pins /banana girls .. told me just only eat fruits/veggies/clean foods nothing else and you can't slip up. So yeah for the first time I see a good life for myself without all the pain

LBuehrle8

baby05phat wrote: »

Nobody told me it's okay to have other foods, all diet books/tumblrs/pins /banana girls .. told me just only eat fruits/veggies/clean foods nothing else and you can't slip up. So yeah for the first time I see a good life for myself without all the pain

That's awesome, OP!! You've got this!

zdyb23456

I first came to the forums when I googled - working out at "target heart rate". I was really confused about what it really meant and a co-worker was really confusing me about needing to be in a "fat burning rate"... anyway, I got my answer and stumbled on the awesome Aspartame thread. I was hooked after reading every single page of that thread!

pumpkinpocalypse

This!!! I had the exact same mindset as you before, and joining MFP recently helped me sooo much learning new things and changing my attitude towards dieting/nutrition/food etc. I,m a lot less stressed out by everything now, taking things easy, and my life is overall getting better on top of my weight loss being easier to manage.

manderson27

Reading the OP reminded me that before MFP I would do the same as the OP go on a "healthy eating" kick get hungry depressed bored and then binge and put on any lost weight and more.

Even when I first joined MFP I still looked for threads such as Juice Fasting, Phentermine, Shakes, etc etc Anything that I thought was going to make me lose weight fast.

However, after reading all the "Mean People" comments in those kind of threads debunking all the fad diets and putting forward the "stupid" idea that all calories are equal for weight loss and that VLC diets do not work in the long term. I too had an epiphany. They were right!!! I was the one who was doing it wrong.

There are so many people on here who are legends in the forums, they are consistently telling the truth about how to lose weight. They patiently impart their wisdom in the forums so that people like me and the OP can have that light bulb moment and start to lose weight and get healthy in a sustainable way.

I applaud your generosity of spirit to come on the forums and face all the crap day after day just so others can benefit from your knowledge and experience.

And thank you OP for reminding me how much I owe to MFP

ndj1979

OP - glad the forums were able to help you sort things out. When I saw the title I assumed this was going to be a mean people/bully thread….good for you.

tekkiechikk

jkal1979 wrote: »

Just like one salad won't make you healthy, one piece of chocolate won't derail your progress.

I've not read that before... that's a lil' nugget I'm tucking away.

Nony_Mouse

baby05phat wrote: »

Before I thought there was such a thing as clean eating only and if I messed up even a little, the entire day is ruined and my diet is done. At first I was super mad that all of you are so strict/flat out against clean eating especially when I am prone to binges from too much "dirty" eating. But now I love how direct you guys are and it helped me learn that my diet is truly not over just because I had one thing that isn't "totally" healthy, having some cheat snacks might even help me keep on track. What I used to do definitely didn't work, which would be perfect eating and then binging after that and gaining it all back since I allowed myself nothing tasty

This post makes me happy

ToniHicks92

baby05phat wrote: »

Yeah I love it here now, since coming here I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I never used to before

I agree

NoIdea101NoIdea

Yay OP! I have to admit, I came here expecting the whole 'everyone is so mean, why can't you all be nice and tell me what I want to hear and never disagree with my opinions and avidly swallow all my broscience, waaaaaaaaah!'

So it is nice to see someone who appreciates the 'tough love' approach that is quite prevalent around here, (me included).

Orphia

baby05phat wrote: »

Before I thought there was such a thing as clean eating only and if I messed up even a little, the entire day is ruined and my diet is done. At first I was super mad that all of you are so strict/flat out against clean eating especially when I am prone to binges from too much "dirty" eating. But now I love how direct you guys are and it helped me learn that my diet is truly not over just because I had one thing that isn't "totally" healthy, having some cheat snacks might even help me keep on track. What I used to do definitely didn't work, which would be perfect eating and then binging after that and gaining it all back since I allowed myself nothing tasty

I'm very happy for you! Well done for being open to new evidence.

I like all sorts of food. Calorie-dense food doesn't have to be a cheat, but rather a treat. No need to feel guilty if it's within your calorie limits.

Thanks for the nice thread about the forum!

NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner

Olivia

So we cleaned this discussion up a lot as it jumped the shark early and derailing ensued. This started a very positive OP with lots of great, positive responses. Let's keep this thankful post a respectful, relevant discussion. We can have nice things, really we can. :flowerforyou:

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

Pretty awesome. Thanks @Olivia !

Alluminati

Op, you will go far.
This thread warms the cockles of my cockle.

Yanicka1

Learned helplessness.....let me tell you a story
Let me tell you a story. A long time ago, a baby elephant was born in captivity. While he was very little, his handlers used a chain to tie his leg to the ground. The little elephant pulled and pulled trying to get free but it never worked. Now that the elephant is full grown, the same chain is keeping him in place even tho he could easily break it. This phenomenon is called learned helplessness.

congratulation on setting yourself free

snowflake954

Love this OP--carry on!

Nerdybreisawesome

I lost 70lbs in 2005 and then my dad died and I gained it all back. Then I I started to clean eating a few years back and started this big yo yo of gain, lose, gain, lose and couldn't figure out why in 2004 I lost weight and now couldn't. Then it dawned it on me.... in 2004 I allowed myself to eat healthy and treats AND I wasn't a clean eating freak machine. And so that is what I started doing since March of this year and I have lost nearly 40lb so far. It is so nice to see the light isn't is it?

diannethegeek

Olivia wrote: »

So we cleaned this discussion up a lot as it jumped the shark early and derailing ensued. This started a very positive OP with lots of great, positive responses. Let's keep this thankful post a respectful, relevant discussion. We can have nice things, really we can. :flowerforyou:

Thank you for cleaning this up! Your work here is much appreciated. :flowerforyou:

MJacobs7575

What works for me is that if I stayed with-in my goals at the end of the week, I treat myself to a snack that is not really healthy. Its always small and it does not push me over.

donna1432

First 3 letters are What???? It's def a lifestyle change!!! No quick fix no creams and magic potions it's eat healthy and kick booty lol

WinoGelato

Congrats OP and thanks for starting one of the rare "looks like a mean people but is really a thank you" thread.

Love when people realize this process doesn't have to be so painfully difficult.

Look forward to seeing you more in the forums OP!