Feeling depressed and like I don't care

xabcx

of course meal timing does matter. the purpose of having an 8 hour feeding window is so that you are not tempted to eat everytime food is offered to you. it is an easy rule to follow to avoid eating more than you really want to. furthermore it makes it more difficult to eat too much if you only eat 8 hours out of the 24 you have. it does not matter what the 8 hour window is. 12 to 8 is what works for my schedule. others may prefer 10 to 6 or 8 to 4. choose it....makes that simple rule...and stick to it. from personal experience it, i assure you it works. it works because whwn you are offered food outside your feeding window, you handily reject it. you will be surprised how often you reject eating using that simple rule.

office worker brought free donuts today...it is 9 am. it is outside my window. i reje t eatung the donut. i just saved 400 calories.

as for 1200 calories....i assure you as a 6 foot 2 male that 1200 calories a day is enough for sustennce as long as you are eating logical balanced meals.

xabcx

oh...as for the sad life part...

while you are losing weight you should not consider food as a social activity. once you reach your healthy goal....then yes, of course, be social.....in moderaration.

losing weight is not easy. be around people and do activities that help. drinking buddies are not what you need now. tell your friends and family to go on a social run or bike ride instead of a social lunch.

i tell you this all from personal experience.

Graelwyn75

For me, the middle ground is this (and it works for me):

1. Every day is a new day and every meal is a new meal. Sometimes I'll eat foods I normally don't eat, but the next meal I get right back on the wagon.
2. This is not a race. I'm not trying to lose weight on a deadline.
3. I exercise because I WANT to exercise. I take a day off because I WANT to take a day off. And I do the exercises I WANT to do, WHEN I want to do them. I'm in charge of my own fitness.
4. I don't get down on myself for anything. This is my journey and I own it.
5. I take the long view, and I am patient through plateaus. Yeah, it's frustrating sometimes, but it's not discouraging.
6. Isolation does not stop me from eating right and exercising. I find what works for me, which is having exercise equipment that fits in my home office. (I'm a caregiver and work at home -- things like trips to movies and the beach are long gone.)
7. I make it as easy as possible for myself. My healthy meals don't require cooking. I rely on a lot of fresh produce that I eat raw. The rest I just toss in the microwave. I live in Florida, so we have a lot of heat here.
8. The same goes for exercising. I use fans in addition to A/C.
9. I don't get questions on how my diet and exercise are going (due to our isolation), but it helps that I'm part of a couple of online groups where we check in with and support each other (similar to MFP). My idea of a comeback line for those kinds of questions is something along the lines of, "Still fighting the good fight. Thanks for asking!" In other words, be proud of what you've accomplished, even if it feels hard right now. Because you HAVE accomplished!

Also, take care of your eye. I would rest if I had headaches, too. (I get an occasional migraine that sends me to my bed.) Since I started this weight loss I've had one bad cold that put me out of commission for about a week. That's one week in the past 44, and I was thrilled to get back to my regular routine when I felt I could. Again, each day is a new day.

Have faith in yourself. Be kind to yourself. You are worth the effort.

Fantastic post. Good advice.

xabcx

oh i forgot my other important rule...

9. don't drink any calories. no soda. no alcohol. no juice. only drink water and unsweetened iced tea.

follow those simple rules and you will have success.