Living between extremes

CloudyTortilla

Hey everyone,

so I have a question and I already know that there isn't a simple answer, but maybe you got some helpful ideas and tricks for me.
So, my problem with eating is that I seem to be able to do both extremes: I can eat way too much (which got me all the weight I wanna lose right now) and I can fast or hold a very low cal diet.

In the past I lost some weight with some diets by restricting myself enormously but then I soon realized, that it's not a solution. So I tried to just eat "normal" as in, healthy, normalsized portions - and well, I ate way too much and usually even gained more weight back than I lost in the first place.

I don't believe in starving myself to get slimmer, I want to learn a healthy way of eating, but I always fail, again and again.
I plan my healthy meals for the next day - and then I eat chocolate cake at work.
I don't buy snacks so I don't binge on them, and then I eat more bread with peanutbutter, or just with jam.
I buy snacks so I can eat them in small amount, and - well - I eat them in one sitting.

How do you keep a balanced diet? Would love to hear your ideas and experiences

vivmom2014

What's worked for me: having a sensible calorie goal and sticking to it. Weighing & logging food while losing. Consistent exercise. Keeping the "big picture" in mind - not flipping out when the scale goes up a tad.

Learning to eat all the treats in moderation is ongoing for me. I save calories for night snacking because -- night snacking!!

strong_curves

Meal planning.
Using a food scale to get a better idea of portions.
Fitting snacks into your calorie goal if you're a fan of moderation.
Learning how to just say no to eating all of the snacks in one sitting.
Not having a too aggressive calorie goal.
Patience.
Consistency.
Realistic expectations.

Lounmoun

Don't start out too restrictive. Set reasonable goals. Be patient.
If you have less than 50 lbs to lose then aiming for 1 lb a week is probably a good goal. Exercising 30 minutes a day if you are a beginner is a good goal. Eat a portion of the calories you earn from exercise. Try to log honestly and accurately as you can.
Start out just logging what you normally eat and then make changes over time. Weight loss is about eating less calories than you burn. Try to stick to your calorie goal. You don't have to have a perfect healthy diet to lose weight.
Healthy food is a vague term people toss around. I prefer to think of the actual nutrition benefit of individual foods and how it fits in my whole day. Some foods give you more nutrition for the amount of calories but that doesn't mean other foods can't be a part of a healthy diet. Try meeting the protein goal MFP gives you and getting several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. Eat foods you like every day.

It helps me to pre-log my food for the whole day. I log dinner, lunch, breakfast and then 1-2 snacks. I don't feel bad about what I eat and it is easier to stick to my goal.
Looking at how many calories something is before I eat it really helps me decide what is worth using my calories on. I don't like being hungry. Cake is nice but I'm not going to feel full or happy if I eat half of my calories in cake every day.

Getting enough protein, fats, fiber can help you feel more satisfied. If you find yourself eating a lot maybe look at the amount of protein, fats and fiber you are getting.

Are you eating when you are stressed or bored? Find different tools to deal with your emotions. Meditation, exercise, a hobby, therapy, etc

I haven't really eliminated foods from my diet. I eat smaller portions of higher calorie foods. I pair a higher calorie item with more of a lower calorie item- a hamburger with a salad instead of fries for example.
I drink mostly water or unsweetened tea and save my calories for food.

jemhh

I think that it is important to have realistic expectations for your weight loss. Learn the science behind weight loss to help with that. Be patient. Also, not making it the center of your world could help you not go to extremes. That is, figure out your calories for the day, eat to them, and do whatever exercise you do/don't want to do, but don't obsess over it. Have outside interests. Losing weight should not be the first thing that comes to mind when somebody asks what activities you are involved in.

ki4eld

strong_curves wrote: »

Meal planning.
Using a food scale to get a better idea of portions.
Fitting snacks into your calorie goal if you're a fan of moderation.
Learning how to just say no to eating all of the snacks in one sitting.
Not having a too aggressive calorie goal.
Patience.
Consistency.
Realistic expectations.

+1

kailyw05

My advice is be accountable, be mindful, watch your portions, plan ahead.

When there's cake at work, remind yourself that you can have cake at any time. What makes it so irresistible right now? It's great that you plan your healthy meals, but it really helps to plan your indulgent treats too. For me, if I plan my own treats ahead of time it can make it easier to refuse. Like, if I don't eat this cake at work right now, I get to enjoy my favorite milk chocolate bar with my husband later tonight. If I eat the cake, I won't because it will put me over my calorie allowance.

When snack cravings hit, try having some water or tea and keeping yourself busy with something. Then pay attention to your body. If you're truly hungry after 20 minutes, eat something, but choose something that will actually satisfy you, take your portion, log it first to make sure it will fit in your budget, and then eat it. And chew it slowly, so you actually take the time to let your body realize it's been fed before you say, omg I'm still so hungry!!

Stick with it and keep your goals in mind! Celebrate small victories and do not demonize your favorite foods.

Nuke_64

Do you log everything? Plan for the best but log whatever you eat. Hopefully after a while of doing this, when you see that cake and start to log it, you will question your choice.

Obnoxa

For me, I don't plan ahead. I find that's when I run into the most problems; when I already have my calories dispensed for the day I'm more likely to deny myself something outright and once I do I want it even more.
Every day I wake up with 1460 cal to spend any which way I want; the only condition is I have NO overdraft. So if there's cake and I want cake I will have cake, I just look at my balance and acknowledge that I will need to be stingier with other food. My pizza I was playing with for dinner just became a home made stir fry. The two beer I was going to have just got bumped to tomorrow. You get the idea.
I find that works best for me because it feels like I have more wiggle room so there's no real deprivation.
You'll find your footing! Good luck

CloudyTortilla

Thank you for all your great advice. I will try my best in starting a life of portion control ;-)
I got myself a new tea today and I will try to exchange parts of my evening snacking for a nice cup of tea, maybe that works.