Lost in the maelstrom and need guidance. What has worked for you?

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ChristieMRicci wrote: »

What has worked for you?

Eating at a deficit. Really watching my calorie intake like a hawk every day. Walking every day (as a means to expand my caloric deficit). Switching my diet to a mostly-vegan diet and eating twice as many meals per day (smaller means, but more meals, and feeling less hungry).

The way you describe yourself sounds almost exactly like me... I love to eat. Not so much sweet or fried foods either, just lots of good food. I eat too much. I've had to really focus on my calories every day.

I recently switched to a mostly-vegan diet due to high cholesterol numbers. I still eat cheese on veggie pizza about once a week, and I still eat some fish/shellfish about once a week. But the rest of the time I avoid any and all meat, no eggs, and I've eliminated most other dairy from my diet (no more half-and-half in the morning coffee, though I still eat yogurt as they make some very nice high-protein yogurts now). I'm eating mostly carbs, vegetable protein sources and veggies. I'm down almost 14 lbs. since March 4th. This has easily been the most success I've had in a short period of time losing weight.

I was very hungry the first three weeks of doing this. Eating the smaller meals 6x/day helped stave off some of the hunger, but I was hungry a lot. Around the 4th week it got easier. The last two weeks have felt "normal" and I haven't felt starved, and I've often missed a meal or two and not noticed (eating 4x per day instead of 6x).

Most of my meals are between 250 and 350 calories each. Honestly, I like eating more times per day and knowing I'm not blowing my calorie budget. It has felt nice. I miss meat a LOT, and I miss eggs. I miss my bacon and eggs breakfast burrito the most, and I miss chicken and steak (especially now that the weather is nicer and the grilling season is upon us). But I'm stoked about my progress so far. I have a blood work checkup this week and am excited to see how it turns out.

The biggest thing is staying within the calorie budget. For me, eating 6x per day and eating smaller meals has really helped me achieve that. In addition, walking. I have my FitBit hooked up to MFP and it automatically tells me how many extra calories I've earned from exercise. I use those calories. I eat them. They're my reward and that helps a lot.

You can do it.

kepoor

I started MFP 2 years ago, took about a year and a half off and am starting it again since I started to feel like I was getting a bit "out of control". Some of the things that I continued to do when on MFP and not is use smaller plates. It really helps you visualize that you have a full plate of food, with it really being smaller portion sizes. I also drink a lot of water throughout the day and stopped drinking my calories (for the most part).

For exercise, I really ease my way into it. My first go around and this one, I started off just walking. I walked on both breaks at work and then around the neighborhood in the evenings. Now, I make it my goal to walk 3 miles by the time I get home from work- simply from walking on my two fifteen minute breaks and parking a good distance from my office (I work at a university, so I have to walk a half a mile from my parking garage to building on campus). I would eventually like to get back to the gym a few times a week, however, there is no convenient, affordable one around us- so for now, I'll just continue to walk!

kommodevaran

ChristieMRicci wrote: »

I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, and I never seem to stick with anything for more than two weeks (if I even make it that long). I've gained 40 pounds in the last 6 years - a real frustration because I had lost 60 pounds in the 4 years before that. I LOVE food...all of it, but I prefer healthy food over fried or sugary treats....I just eat too much! I'm active, I go to bootcamp three times a week and walk 3-4 miles most days.

All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.

I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.

What has worked for you?

I think you have to learn to tackle your emotions with something else than food, and at the same time practice patience. Plus stop that overthinking. Weight loss is simple - sustaining a calorie deficit; if you eat less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. Sticking to the calorie deficit is the tricky part, though. We can give you the best plan in the world, but it won't help if YOU don't follow through.

What many people who succeed have done and do:
Planning meals and finding some kind of exercise they like.
Predicting possible hurdles and setting realistic goals.
Taking realiable measurement of their progress.
Learning what appropriate portions look like, and how "full" is supposed to feel like, finding what foods satisfy, and differentiate between hunger and cravings.
Not cutting out anything for no good reason.
Cooking from scratch as much as possible.

jandsstevenson887

I don't want to log the rest of my life either. I also don't want to do my financial budget the rest of my life.
But it works.
If I know what is coming in and going out (calories or dollars) I have the control. There's no more guessing. I would much rather pre-log my food for 3 minutes every night than wonder how I gained 5lbs and my favorite jeans will barely button. I'm done playing games.