Struggling immensely.

StayCee089

Hello my name is Staycee. I've been trying to lose weight for over 3 years now, I'm 20, 170lb and 5'3. I have joined a gym and have the exercise part down but I'm struggling so much with my addiction to food, sometimes I will go to the gym for 3 hours burn loads of calories then get home and eat a mcdonalds and 5 chocolate bars, even if I'm not hungry. I think of myself as an emotional eater, and the fact that I cant stop is really getting me down its a terrible circle I'm going round in. I've actually put on 30lb since i first started trying to lose weight and I would really like some tips about what to do. No matter how hard to try to not eat I just end up doing it even if i think to myself that I don't need the food and its just harming myself, most people keep telling me that I just need the willpower and motivation but that really isn't working for me so I'm currently stuck.

FrustratedYoYoer

3 hours in the gym sounds excessive, no wonder you're eating so much after. Try working out for an hour max, then maybe u can moderate your eating a little more

Ready2Rock206

FrustratedYoYoer wrote: »

3 hours in the gym sounds excessive, no wonder you're eating so much after. Try working out for an hour max, then maybe u can moderate your eating a little more

I agree. Gym time is good - but not if you're overdoing it.

queenliz99

To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit and exercise is for health. Three hours in a gym will make you hungry, maybe ease back a touch.

BoxerBrawler

I agree with what everyone stated above. I would also say that it might help to talk to someone about the root cause of your emotional eating. Aside from that all I can say is keep trying and feel free to message me if you need to talk.

CrabNebula

You can't reward yourself with food for exercising. Your reward for exercising is having better physical looks and condition. Every time you gorge yourself with food rewards after exercising, you are destroying any benefit gained from doing the exercise. I burn 525ish cals a day with my cardio routine of running 4 miles and rowing 1750m. I can eat all that back with 5 minute and a Big Mac. Add some fries and bam, I am gaining weight now if I eat that in addition to what I normally would have ate for the day.

meritage4

keep the chocolate bars out of the house. Macdonalds too.

Start with 1 hour of gym (not 3) and eat within your calories limits. Try that for a week and see what happens.

LBuehrle8

I think you should see a therapist or a psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy as they could really help you with your struggles regarding food and how and when you're eating it when you're not hungry.

nm212

It sounds like you are "binge" exercising and then binge eating afterwards. It's unhealthy to push yourself that hard, no wonder you are falling into stress and starvation after the gym! Try to go easy on yourself!! Go SLOWLY. One step at a time! Eat what you want, in smaller portions at first. You don't need to cut out your favorite foods...even fast food...hey! It's about creating a lifestyle that makes sense for you, not about depriving yourself!

Try going to the gym for an hour. Try eating healthy 300 calorie meals, with a snack in between (around 150-200 cal snack) between breakfast-lunch, lunch-dinner, even give yourself room for a snack after dinner!

It sounds like you are doing too much, too fast! Like I said, be easy on yourself! Losing weight is a process! A LONG process! You can't rush it, so no need to kill yourself at the gym! Do a little bit every day, with exercise and try to add healthy fruits & vegetables into your diet. Soon, your cravings for sugar and fast food with decrease! You will see!! Just be NICE to yourself!

Try not to get upset if you don;t see results right away. We all fall down. You just gotta get up again and keep starting fresh the next day! The nicer and more forgiving you are of yourself, the less emotional eating! At least with me, that is what helped me get through and I still struggle with it every day! Most people do! You are not alone!

Smile girl! It's gonna be okay!

MamaMc3

My initial thought was that you might benefit from seeing a doctor or therapist and discuss ways to overcome your emotional eating. That would be my first step if I were you. The second step I would take is to take a look at your diet - are you eating close to your macros and around your calorie goal? Your body needs protein, carbs, and fat to fuel your workout. Try eating a well rounded snack before you exercise and then either a snack or a meal after you finish. If you aren't eating enough and then you're pushing the exercise too hard, it's totally normal to be starving after a workout!

Remember that the whole point of losing weight it to take care of your body and be healthy, and you can't do that if you aren't feeding it well and exercising in moderation. Undereating and extreme exercise can lead to binging, too. Please see a doctor and see what ideas they have for you. Best of luck!

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

There are some red flags here. I think it would be valuable for you to speak to someone about the emotional part of your weight loss journey and the binge cycle you describe. Losing weight is a mental game, you need to get your head right if you're going to approach it in a healthy manner.

tulips_and_tea

You are young and have your whole life ahead of you, so the sooner you re-learn eating habits and develop a healthy relationship with food the better. Good for you for reaching out.

Talking to a professional is a good idea, however, in the meantime I'd suggest starting some self-evaluation. Keep a notebook and pen handy (or however you'd like to journal) and write down how long you're at the gym, what exactly you're doing and how you're feeling. More importantly, do this same thing every time you eat something. Write down what you are having, how you are feeling and how you feel afterwards. You'll find common threads that you can start to overcome.

If sadness or anxiety or boredom are the causes of over eating then make a list of several things you can do FIRST when you encounter those feelings. Do them. Then if afterwards you are truly hungry eat something that fits into your daily plan.

lithezebra

I had a binge eating problem in my teens, and saw a psychotherapist about it. If you're eating 5 candy bars when you're not hungry, it's probably an emotional problem. I would talk to someone about it.