I need encourgament, desperately.

NiksGettingHealthy
NiksGettingHealthy Posts: 5 Member
edited December 1 in Getting Started
Time and time again I have failed to loose weight. I'll do good 2 days, fall off 5. I'll binge & mess up the day and eat way too late the next. I'll eat a handful of Oreos and lie to myself and say it wasnt that much yet I had a whole glass of whole fat milk on the side. I'll be craving something and give it and constantly tell myself "you only live once, eat it." & feel so bad afterwards. I'll see gorgeous clothes in Walmart and be jealous of the beautiful bikinis on sale, and have a battle with my inner self as to why I can't fit into them. "You're big boned, those girls have always been little, they must so drugs." It is a CONSTANT battle for me. I'm constantly worrying about my health and what I'm eating the next day, how I'm never going to have children as heavy as I am, & how I am ever Going to live a long normal life, if I suffer so bad from depression and anxiety because of how self cncious I am. I've always been a heavy girl... Even as a toddler, I was chunky. It got even worse when I got with my BF of 5 1/2 years, and we both got comfortable. Eating out twice a Day, everyday. I have been fine with it up until about 3 years ago. Since then it's been a constant battle for me, with my weight and my self. Right now I'm as hopeless as they come so this here is my last resort. I am praying and hoping it is. I've thought about surgery but I know I can do this, I know.. In my heart of hearts, I know I can do finally do this doe myself. All I'm asking if anyone is reading this, please send any suggestions, tips, tricks, encouraging words, anything will help me. I've already quit pop, not a problem! My weaknesses are eating late and sweets!! :( and I like walking, I've been doing that too. Tips on how long? Should I do any crutches, push-ups etc? I'm going to be open and discolse my height and weight. Keep in mind, my BF doesn't even know how much I weigh.. yes I'm that embarrassed & in desperate need of help. :( hope to hear from someone soon! Height : 5'8 - 5'9 weight 372.4

Replies

  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 592 Member
    Hi, sorry to hear of your struggles, look into keto diet or ketosis, being in ketosis takes away hunger cravings and sweet cravings, it may work for you.
    Good luck
  • kenyafranz
    kenyafranz Posts: 3 Member
    Hi, that sounds like a tough situation. From my experience, most binge eating happens because of stress. Working on ways to reduce stress help me keep on track. I am very high tension and tonnes of things bother me, so I started a diary where I write down everything that causes me stress. It's basically point form and i just jot things down like "customer came before I had opened the store and yelled at me", "spilled a pot of coffee", "didn't sleep well", "forgot my keys", "phone was on silent and missed an important call". It forces me to examine my day and has a calming effect. I've noticed that the more I calm down and feel like I have things under control, the easier it is to stick to my calorie limit.
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    @adc7225 I love everything you wrote! Excellent advice!
  • serusse
    serusse Posts: 1 Member
    Hello,

    The one thing that I can suggest to you is to take care of your own mental health. You mention that you're feeling anxious and depressed and have little self confidence. Maybe it would help you to speak with a professional about these feeling. I've personally had issues with depression and found that I was eating badly as a form of "self-medication". Getting help with it also helped me drop some bad eating habits.

    Also you might talk to your BF. If you're not comfortable talking about your weight, don't. But it might help to explain that you'd like to develop better eating habits and need some help and support to do so. That way you two can eat better together and you might not feel so alone. For example, maybe instead of eating out everyday, you could eat out once a week and spend time together planning your meals.

    Good luck and take care of yourself.
  • anneb83
    anneb83 Posts: 10 Member
    You mentioned walking, thats great! As far as how long, it really depends on what you can do. Take the amount of time you can do and each week try to add 10 minutes, slowly building over time. One thing I do that I have found very motivating is wearing a fitness tracker. The one I have is UP by Jawbone, but there are many different versions out there. You can set goals and seeing how much you've done really motivates you to do more. Bottom line, your're going to have set backs, but you are heading in the right direction. Be kind to yourself and good luck :smile:
  • wendsg
    wendsg Posts: 774 Member
    You know, one thing I do a LOT of (especially at work) is drinking water. I feel hungry? Rather than meander to the vending machines at work, I go to the water fountain, fill my bottle, sit my butt back down in front of my computer and drink away. I am even doing it at home! Every day I make it a goal to drink at least 3 bottles of water - with the size of my bottle, that's 9 glasses of water. It sure kills the appetite most of the time!

    Walking is absolutely fantastic as well! Today I went for a run and was unkindly reminded by my hip why I can't do it anymore - unfortunately due to my joint issues, walking is about all I can do (back takes out pushups and situps for the most part, too). But you know, I make the most of it! When I walk, I ensure that I'm walking as swiftly as I can these days - usually 4 mph, which is a great workout. Build up slowly - even walking can wear you down! A great suggestion was made by anneb83 - a fitness tracker is fantastic. I have a Striiv, and use that to log my exercise calories from walking every day.

    And most importantly, don't give up!!!
  • phxteach
    phxteach Posts: 309 Member
    Welcome! I am glad you are willing to ask for help :smiley: that's a very hard thing to do, but you did it! I believe you have to listen to your body and figure out what works well for you and makes you feel well. That is as unique as the way God made you and it may take a while to learn but this is for sure... there is a way to success. I have also battled against anxiety and depression and when I eat more carbs, especially empty calories, it puts stress on my body and there is not only mental but physical pain. I have had success with eating lower carb. When I start down the path of eating high carb foods, it is a spiral - I feel out of control, constantly hungry and a physical inability to stop eating. I am diabetic, so it is a physical response to the last meal I consumed. And I prayed about it. For me, one of those answers was to add a quality SAM-e pill to rejuvenate my liver, which was under attack from all those carbs. By improving this, my mood and pain level has improved dramatically. I certainly have to remind myself to make better choices on a daily basis. Some days, I succeed; others, not. But... am I healthier this year than last? Yes. Will I be better next year? Yes. Finding victory in the small thing is important. Exercise should be something you like to do, not 'have to.' So find some good anonymous, online friends, be honest with yourself, and experiment to see what works for you. Best of luck in finding your path to healing.
  • sharondjs
    sharondjs Posts: 676 Member
    WiseBlueRaven wrote: »
    Hi Nikkie! I'm sure you'll get some very good advice here from some knowledgeable people. I just want to share my tiny bit of advice which helped me when I reached my maximum weight. Please imagine this is written in large, friendly letters: don't panic. ;)

    I can still remember that panicky feeling in the pit of my stomach just thinking about how far I had to go, how impossible it seemed, and how lost I felt because I didn't know how to lose weight. I actually had a lot of wrong ideas about how to go about it, but the first thing that I needed to do was control that panic and believe that I could take control.

    A few of the wrong ideas I had that you might recognize:

    Weight loss mostly happens through lots of exercise. Actually, staying within your recommended calorie limit will help WAY more. (You did put your stats into MPF and were given a daily calorie goal, right? Mind sharing?)

    Another wrong idea: eating after a certain hour or eating certain foods makes you gain. False! You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want as long as you're staying under your calorie goal. That said, you'll feel better choosing foods that are good for you and keep you feeling full.

    Finally, please don't feel like this is your last chance. It's ok to mess up and start again the next day! The only problem would be to give up for good. :)

    Hope this helps for starters. Best of success to you!

    Excellent advice :)
  • sharondjs
    sharondjs Posts: 676 Member

    Hi Nikki
    As you can see lots of people on here are willing to share tips tricks helpfull advice .All of the above is great , so maybe get a pen & pad & write some down , no need to try everything at once , set small goals like today , i'll walk that extra 10 minutes . The talking to your boyfriend advice is really good cause maybe he's feeling the same way and would love to save some of that money you's are spending on takeout or just be a bit healthier himself . Again you dont have to talk about your weight , do it as a way to save money or a way to learn something new together like cooking a healthy meal etc.

    I'm like you also have a love of chocolate & sweets so i' looked for ways to get them that is healthy so now i have a chocolate shake for breakfast each morning - that gives me my daily dose of chocolate but then I add spinach & cucumber & recently i started adding organic Oates .. I cant taste anything but the choclate and now it's even healthier ... we all have to start somewhere ..
    For the sweets at night i have yogurt and puree or whole raspberries .. so good & still healthy & i stay withing my MFP daily allowance ..

    Start taking lunch to work with you - salad boiled eggs tin tuna fruit nuts soup , depending on where you work , if you have a fridge there use it or do as i do take a small eskibag .. :) start with a few days a week baby steps :)
    If nothing else start weighing your food and logging it so you can see what you are eating and make small adjustments from there.

    Goals - set small manageable ones - if looking at the big picture is daunting break it down way down like
    Week 1 - walk 10 minutes extra 3 days
    week 1 take lunch to work 3 times
    week 1 cook dinner 2 times
    You dont have to change you whole world on day 1 but as yoiu start to make small changes it will encourage you to make more and the fear of failure goes away if the steps are bite size instead of huge ...

    I use my phone for counting my steps during my working day and it is synced to MFP which is awesome as i dont have a fittness watch and dont really like wearing watches so your phone can do some of the jobs for you

    Make friends on MFP for encouragement and advice & when your up to it join a challenge a great way to make more friends , a lot of whom have been where you are now or in someway can relate to your story
    Good luck & take it easy on yourself
    cheers sharon











  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited May 2016
    Hi Nikkie! Here is my advice, I hope some of it helps you:
    1. Start by just logging your food for a week or two, not worrying about calories too much. Just get into the habit, find your way around the database, and start to get comfortable with it.
    2. Then take a look at your log. Where do you waste calories? On the days you did better, what types of foods did you eat? This will help you figure out where you can make small changes to get your calories where they need to be.
    3. Weight loss is about eating less calories than you burn, end of sentence.
    4. You don't have to eat any specific foods, or cut out any foods, to lose weight. Some people do well on low carb, vegetarian, keto, paleo. I personally eat a pretty balanced diet, and I fit a treat into my calories every day. I decided I didn't want to give up the foods I love, I just use a food scale to keep the portions correct. The key is finding a way to eat that satisfies you at the correct calorie level.
    5. Get whatever exercise you like, whenever you can.
    6. Understand, REALLY understand, that this will be a long journey. One day will not ruin anything. The only thing that will ruin it is if you quit. If you have a bad meal, get right back on track so the day doesn't get out of hand. If you have a bad day, shrug it off and do better tomorrow.

    There is nothing wrong with eating late or eating sweets. I save a couple of hundred calories every day for a late snack - cookies or popcorn or ice cream. I have a couple of slices of pizza for dinner once a week, and still hit my calorie goal. And some days, I eat too much, that's life. I'm not perfect, no one is, and that's OK.

    Hang in there, keep learning, be patient, and be kind to yourself!
  • ChookyVW
    ChookyVW Posts: 4 Member
    I love all the advice on here, it is so great to hear how everyone has tackled their health issues. One article I read once helped me to eat healthier, and it was about eating out of love rather than fear. To think that your body is the only one you will ever have, and it deserves the best nourishment you can give it. You have the power to help yourself feel good. If you plan your meals, and concentrate on what you need to eat (eg. five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit, some healthy proteins, whole grains and dairy) by the time you eat all that you won't have much room for anything else. If you have an oreo, put it in MFP so you can account for the calories, and then eat the oreo slowly and savour the experience. Enjoy that oreo! If you can stop at one or two, feel good about your achievement.
    Your mental health is really important. Being able to come on here and openly talk about how you are feeling and what you need is such a big step. You should feel very proud. I believe you can do it! Try not to focus on your weight for now, try to focus on feeling good and giving yourself the love and care you deserve.
    Some documentaries help with motivation for healthy eating. I watched a TED talk by Dr. Terry wahls on youtube and it was totally inspirational. I still don't eat completely like her, but it was motivational to get me to eat more healthy food. 'Fed up' was one movie that was interesting, and there are heaps out there. It might work for you too.
    You are already walking and have given up soda, so you are on the right track. If you have a bad day, that is fine, every time you try it will be easier. Best of luck x
  • 100poundsx
    100poundsx Posts: 87 Member
    nikkiehoskins wrote: »
    Time and time again I have failed to loose weight. I'll do good 2 days, fall off 5. I'll binge & mess up the day and eat way too late the next. I'll eat a handful of Oreos and lie to myself and say it wasnt that much yet I had a whole glass of whole fat milk on the side. I'll be craving something and give it and constantly tell myself "you only live once, eat it." & feel so bad afterwards. I'll see gorgeous clothes in Walmart and be jealous of the beautiful bikinis on sale, and have a battle with my inner self as to why I can't fit into them. "You're big boned, those girls have always been little, they must so drugs." It is a CONSTANT battle for me. I'm constantly worrying about my health and what I'm eating the next day, how I'm never going to have children as heavy as I am, & how I am ever Going to live a long normal life, if I suffer so bad from depression and anxiety because of how self cncious I am. I've always been a heavy girl... Even as a toddler, I was chunky. It got even worse when I got with my BF of 5 1/2 years, and we both got comfortable. Eating out twice a Day, everyday. I have been fine with it up until about 3 years ago. Since then it's been a constant battle for me, with my weight and my self. Right now I'm as hopeless as they come so this here is my last resort. I am praying and hoping it is. I've thought about surgery but I know I can do this, I know.. In my heart of hearts, I know I can do finally do this doe myself. All I'm asking if anyone is reading this, please send any suggestions, tips, tricks, encouraging words, anything will help me. I've already quit pop, not a problem! My weaknesses are eating late and sweets!! :( and I like walking, I've been doing that too. Tips on how long? Should I do any crutches, push-ups etc? I'm going to be open and discolse my height and weight. Keep in mind, my BF doesn't even know how much I weigh.. yes I'm that embarrassed & in desperate need of help. :( hope to hear from someone soon! Height : 5'8 - 5'9 weight 372.4

    I have never been anything but overweight. From two and up, I have been obese. I'm only 5 feet tall and got up to almost 260 pounds. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and was told I will already have a difficult time conceiving, my weight won't help. But you know what? I still couldn't do it. Because it was stressful and scary. And one day, I decided to book a cruise. And since then, I've been so committed to a lifestyle change because one stupid thing: I want to wear a bikini! I'm so motivated over something so superficial BUT IT IS SO HELPFUL! I used to be a bored eater and eat when I got bored. Now I get on Pinterest and look at all the clothes I can't fit into now, but I will next year. I guess what I'm saying is, you won't be totally motivated to this until you're doing it 100% for yourself. And once you're ready, find an exercise you love and do it. Planet Fitness is a good gym option. Only $10 a month and they will help you make a fitness plan to achieve your goals! Please add me:) I have a lot of weight to lose and females need to support one another!
  • Stanley1903
    Stanley1903 Posts: 73 Member
    Hello Nikkie,

    My best advice for using MyFitnessPal is to just set up a reasonable goal (I suggest the lose 1.5 lb a week goal, you can change to 2 later if you feel up for the challenge). Then, log every single food you eat, drinks, and water. Stay under your calorie goal, and choose whatever foods you like that have nutrients, enough protein and fiber, and not a crazy amount of sugar. I've lost weight, and I haven't given up any particular food. I've enjoyed eating more while using MFP because I know I'm getting enough nutrients and not too much food.

    Also, definitely try to avoid more than one serving a day of juice, sweet tea, sweetened punch/juice drinks, etc. Soda is not healthy, but neither are any non-carbonated beverages that have a lot of sugar. I used to drink a lot of sweet tea, and it was definitely not worth the calories!
  • Stanley1903
    Stanley1903 Posts: 73 Member
    And congratulations on putting forth the effort to keep trying! All of us here fail daily and need support to keep going!!! You can do this! Slow and steady always wins the race.
  • katie22mfp
    katie22mfp Posts: 386 Member
    Well done on recording your weight that's always the scary bit. With the support of everyone on here and your motivation you can do this. Make small changes to begin and when you crave a sweet think about how far away from your goals it's taking you.
  • Fork29
    Fork29 Posts: 7 Member
    I suffer from depression/anxiety also. Every time I would start to even think about trying to lose weight, I would stress out, and then eat to comfort myself. So I came up with a plan to get started. Instead of thinking about taking to eat away, I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted, but with a few rules. Before every meal and snack, I had to drink a glass of water. With every meal I made it a point to eat some kind of fruit or veggie, and I had to eat all of it first. After 2 weeks of that, counting calories and watching what I ate wasn't so scary anymore because I had already completed some baby steps and now had more confidence to do it.
  • ibawaya
    ibawaya Posts: 5 Member
    You can do it! Lots of great advice here! For me, daily tracking of food and exercise is really helpful. Even if I go over the limit, I write it down. Taking it a day at a time is the way to succeed. If you have a bad moment or a bad day, just keep tracking the next day. Reward yourself for every success--if you have a day where you write down everything you eat, give yourself a pat on the back! Look in the mirror and tell yourself you love yourself, and keep doing what you're doing.
  • NewMEEE2016
    NewMEEE2016 Posts: 192 Member
    My best advice: KEEP IT SIMPLE to start. All you have to know for now is that you need to eat fewer calories than you burn every day. As soon as you're in a "calorie deficit", you will lose weight! It really IS that easy- and MFP makes it fun & easy to figure out how many calories you should eat & to track your calories.

    Think of it as having a "budget" of calories to spend every day. You can spend them however you like- but if you're smart, you'll spend them on foods that make you feel full and satisfied. If you are crafty, you can eat REALLY REALLY WELL and never feel at all hungry.

    Once you get going and lose your first 5 lbs, you'll be motivated to lose more. Before you know it, you'll be seeing all kinds of happy changes and your mood will improve dramatically.

    Wishing you success!
  • jenmovies
    jenmovies Posts: 346 Member
    What I told myself: either accept yourself as you are, or change.

    What you are dealing with is really difficult, I don't envy you. But you will find tons of support on MFP.

    Here are my tips:

    1. Find a counsellor. Plenty of free options out there. Ask for a mental health plan.
    2. Clean out your fridge and cupboards. Throw away anything that is junk food or expired.
    3. Write down a meal plan based on things you like, things that can fit into the daily calorie limit and entire recipes. The majority of your food should be fresh, preferably locally sourced food. Go shopping!
    4. Cook in bulk and freeze. Makes everything really easy! Plus your cooking day can be fun if you put on your fave music or TV shows. Freeze portions that are reasonable.
    5. Identify risk factors and deal with/avoid them. What are your 'trigger' foods? Avoid them! Partner overeating? Try to get them on board! Friends who encourage over-eating? Try to get them to do it with you, or spend time with them where food is not involved. I used to show up to dinner after people were finished eating citing being 'busy'. It saved money and my tummy!
    6. Get a food scale and weigh your portions. Scales are widely available and can be quite cheap.
    7. Eat a lot of the same meals. Makes it easy to log and your body gets used to it.
    8. Each time you lose a certain amount of weight, adjust your daily calorie limit to be slightly less. I'm not sure what the best practice is for this so do a little research.
    9. Only drink water. No soda. Coffee is ok in moderation. Tea is your new best friend. Unsweetened, herbal tea. Beware of sports drinks and juice - super high in sugar!
    10. Keep working on switching your mindset from feeling punished when you don't eat poorly, to feeling rewarded when you eat well. This takes time.
    11. YOU WILL BE VERY HUNGRY. Especially at first, and for the first few days after each time you adjust your calorie limit. Drink heaps of herbal tea, you'll be ok.
    12. You've had a LIFETIME of YOLO food. Stop it. You can have special things in moderation. You literally do not have to cut much out AT ALL. You can have fun finding replacements that are better for you, or just eat small amounts.
    13. Work towards mini-goals and use non-food rewards as encouragement.
    14. ROUTINE. ROUTINE. ROUTINE. Once you lock in a food prep, eating, logging and exercise routine, you can switch off and it becomes as easy as pie. :smiley:

    This whole journey will take patience, practice, and discipline. Every day might be a struggle. But you are not alone. And you are worth saving your own life. I promise you the feeling you get at the end of a good day will FAR EXCEED the temporary feeling of eating mountains of food. I recommend reading and participating in the discussion 'What's your most recent NSV?'. NSV stand for non-scale victory. This forum helps me keep going when I start to feel helpless. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1275030/whats-your-most-recent-nsv/p341

    The #1 biggest rule to remember is: YOU ARE IN CONTROL.
  • jenmovies
    jenmovies Posts: 346 Member
    Stanley1903 wrote: »
    And congratulations on putting forth the effort to keep trying! All of us here fail daily and need support to keep going!!! You can do this! Slow and steady always wins the race.
    Yes, this! It's taken me soooo long to get where I want to be, but I keep fighting. You can do it!
  • ladyraiah
    ladyraiah Posts: 110 Member
    Hi Nikki, congratulations on taking the first step. I've been working at this weightloss thing for a long time. I've lost and gained the same 30 pounds more than once. I still have about 60 pounds to go. I've decided to approach this process a little differently this time and it's working for me, perhaps some of it will work for you too.

    1. I've found that the more sweets I eat, the more I crave them. If I cut them out for a week or two I almost never crave them anymore. I still have them on occasion, but I don't want 2 candy bars and a couple of cookies in the evening, for example.
    2. In regards to giving myself sweets, I find that if I keep a bar of good chocolate (not Hershey's, but Lidnt or Ghiradelli or something) in the freezer and plan for maybe a 1/2 serving (usually 4 or 5 squares) in the evening, I'm less likely to eat it all. Most of the time though I don't keep a lot of sweet stuff around so I'm not tempted.
    3. You have a good amount of weight to lose, so you can easily set your goal to 2 lbs/week and still have a pretty good number of calories per day. That being said, don't be afraid to set your calories to 1 lb or even a .5 lb if you are having a rough week.
    4. Don't restrict yourself too much. Follow the goals MyFitnessPal sets for you, don't fiddle with them. Eat that much. Treat yourself and eat the foods you love. You have to make changes that are sustainable for you, so if you aren't going to be able to eat non-fat, low carb, gluten free, or frozen meals for the rest of your life, why start now?
    5. I try to make the conscious decision to go over my calories, rather than mindlessly consuming them, or thinking I'm going to be good and then feeling guilty because I wasn't. Like today, it was Mother's Day, I was going to a diner for breakfast. I could have gotten some egg whites and toast, but I didn't want to. I wanted French Toast. So I decided before hand that today was not going to be a good day, but it's not everyday. I'm not going to live in a world where I will never eat French Toast or Eggs Benedict again.
    6. If you use the mobile app, take a look at the nutrition report under more. Set it to week view. I've found that by looking at this, I can see that even if I have a day where I go 2000 calories over my goal, my whole week isn't shot. It takes roughly 7000 calories to lose 2 pounds. So even if I go 2000 calories over my goal on one day and try to stay in my calories the rest of the week, I'm still slated to lose weight. My whole week isn't shot.
    7. Most people on here will say that you need to weigh every bite of food that you eat on a food scale. While that works, and gives you the most accurate picture, for me it makes me completely obsessive and unhappy. And frankly, I'm not going to carry a food scale around everywhere I go. I do still use a food scale, particularly for high caloric things like cheese and butter, but not for everything. This depends on being as honest as possible about serving sizes and also understanding as I get closer to goal I'm going to have to be a lot stricter because my deficit will be smaller and 100 calories here or there could make or break my weight loss for that week, so a food scale will become more necessary. For right now what is important is sticking with it without getting burned out.
    8. Learn to love to cook. Make your meals colorful and use quality and real ingredients. I stopped using light butter and margarine because real butter tastes so good. I just use less. Skinnytaste.com has many very good recipes, and there are several others.
    9. I weigh myself nearly everyday. This does not work for everyone. But I use Happy Scale to track my weight and I like seeing the trends. It also takes away the bias of small sample size. When you only weigh once a week, you may see yourself gain or stay the same more often since you don't see all the daily fluctuations that happen.
    10. Get involved in some of the challenge groups on here. Stick with it. There are some great communities.
    11. Don't give up. Take breaks if you need to, but don't ever tell yourself that it won't happen for you. I took a month and a half off recently when I got a nasty long lasting cold and just didn't feel like it. I gained a little weight. But I made myself get back to it before it got out of control and now I'm rapidly approaching Onederland where I haven't been in almost 10 years.
    12. Most of all, I've stopped stressing about it. Life happens. Food happens. I just do my best and try to be honest, because it's true, just because you don't write it down doesn't mean you didn't eat it.

    Good luck. Feel free to friend me, I have an open diary and I'm forcing myself to be as honest as I can, so you'll see that I am over my calories more often than not, but I'm still losing weight. Sorry this was so long.
  • NewMEEE2016
    NewMEEE2016 Posts: 192 Member
    jenmovies wrote: »
    What I told myself: either accept yourself as you are, or change.

    What you are dealing with is really difficult, I don't envy you. But you will find tons of support on MFP.

    Here are my tips:

    1. Find a counsellor. Plenty of free options out there. Ask for a mental health plan.
    2. Clean out your fridge and cupboards. Throw away anything that is junk food or expired.
    3. Write down a meal plan based on things you like, things that can fit into the daily calorie limit and entire recipes. The majority of your food should be fresh, preferably locally sourced food. Go shopping!
    4. Cook in bulk and freeze. Makes everything really easy! Plus your cooking day can be fun if you put on your fave music or TV shows. Freeze portions that are reasonable.
    5. Identify risk factors and deal with/avoid them. What are your 'trigger' foods? Avoid them! Partner overeating? Try to get them on board! Friends who encourage over-eating? Try to get them to do it with you, or spend time with them where food is not involved. I used to show up to dinner after people were finished eating citing being 'busy'. It saved money and my tummy!
    6. Get a food scale and weigh your portions. Scales are widely available and can be quite cheap.
    7. Eat a lot of the same meals. Makes it easy to log and your body gets used to it.
    8. Each time you lose a certain amount of weight, adjust your daily calorie limit to be slightly less. I'm not sure what the best practice is for this so do a little research.
    9. Only drink water. No soda. Coffee is ok in moderation. Tea is your new best friend. Unsweetened, herbal tea. Beware of sports drinks and juice - super high in sugar!
    10. Keep working on switching your mindset from feeling punished when you don't eat poorly, to feeling rewarded when you eat well. This takes time.
    11. YOU WILL BE VERY HUNGRY. Especially at first, and for the first few days after each time you adjust your calorie limit. Drink heaps of herbal tea, you'll be ok.
    12. You've had a LIFETIME of YOLO food. Stop it. You can have special things in moderation. You literally do not have to cut much out AT ALL. You can have fun finding replacements that are better for you, or just eat small amounts.
    13. Work towards mini-goals and use non-food rewards as encouragement.
    14. ROUTINE. ROUTINE. ROUTINE. Once you lock in a food prep, eating, logging and exercise routine, you can switch off and it becomes as easy as pie. :smiley:

    This whole journey will take patience, practice, and discipline. Every day might be a struggle. But you are not alone. And you are worth saving your own life. I promise you the feeling you get at the end of a good day will FAR EXCEED the temporary feeling of eating mountains of food. I recommend reading and participating in the discussion 'What's your most recent NSV?'. NSV stand for non-scale victory. This forum helps me keep going when I start to feel helpless. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1275030/whats-your-most-recent-nsv/p341

    The #1 biggest rule to remember is: YOU ARE IN CONTROL.

    This is all FANTASTIC advice- and I agree with it 100%- EXCEPT #10. I have lost 29lbs since Jan 1 and honestly- I have NEVER NEVER NEVER felt hungry. In fact, I have had days when I have to FORCE myself to eat more to get my calories in.

    You have to do what works for YOU and choose foods that YOU like- as the above poster mentioned. I personally do NOT eat processed foods - they are "triggers"for me (and are carefully designed by chemists in laboratories to make you want to eat more!) I eat lots and lots of lean protein, plenty of fruits and vegetables, yummy FULL FAT dairy. I drink LOTS of water- with a squirt of fresh lemon or lime to flavor. I eat constantly throughout the day and have never once had a hunger pang in 4+ months.

    My insurance (I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield) pays for dietary counseling 100% (no copay!) Yours may have some benefit too- especially if you have a lot to lose. Many insurance companies now give some reimbursement for gym membership, too. If I were you, I'd get on the phone first thing in the morning and see if you have some kind of coverage.
  • intensity2020
    intensity2020 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi Nikki!

    There is a lot of great advice that's here, so I will not give you too much to confuse you on top of everything else. I will just mention two specific things that helped me tremendously with two problems that I also share: late night eating and sweets.

    My family is from the islands, and sugar is in EVERYTHING, so I have real difficulty staying away from the stuff. That said, I realized that I could get my "sweet" from other sources. I switched to natural sweeteners for my foods and drinks--stevia, erythritol, and xylitol, and stayed away from Splenda, Equal, regular sugar and other artificial sweeteners, which impact your blood sugar and insulin levels negatively. It does take adjustment, but it was really helpful for me to know that I could substitute instead of having to give up having sweet things at all. You MUST look at labels and stay away from the processed sweets because they have loads of sugar (you want 5 grams or less per serving). But I simply bake my own cupcakes, make my own tea, and make my desserts at home so that I know they are sweet, but sugar-free. It serves a dual purpose: not only does the food taste good and meet my requirements, it prevents me from going and buying sugary foods while I'm out. There are a lot of other things that you can and should do, but just an immediate fix to the sugar (which will help the prediabetes) is this one tip.

    In terms of late night eating, I now have a lean protein or protein shake before I go to bed. If I want something rich and sweet, I'll use UMP vanilla to make a decadent shake, pudding, smoothie or ice cream. It tastes so much like ice cream, it blows my mind every time. Choose a protein powder that tastes GOOD, so that it's like having a dessert every time you taste it. You can also bake with UMP, so I make protein pancakes, muffins, cupcakes, mug cakes, and other desserts out of it that taste absolutely AMAZING. Check out some of the recipes at theproteinchef.com or beverlyinternational.com. They list some pretty good recipes. Other times, if you want something savory, have a little tuna or chicken over spinach or salad with a dressing from Bolthouse Farms. Their dressings taste unbelievable and have only half the calories or less than other brands. The protein will keep you full and the dressing will make everything taste yummy (just stick to the serving size of 2 tablespoons, which is plenty)! One last tip--get boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. It's a little juicier and tastes great on salads, or just by itself.

    Weight loss is about incremental change. It's an evolution, not a revolution, so try these little things first. Yes, you need to get into the proper mindset to make a change, and yes you have to build better habits. So why don't you start by just substituting slightly healthier things for the foods you eat now? Don't try to fix ALL of your bad habits in one fell swoop. Get a little better every day, and before you know it, you'll be on a completely different path than you are now. Commit to one little change each day and see how far you can go!

    With love and light,

    Kay
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