Feeling like I'm falling off the wagon. Please help
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dice80
Posts: 84 Member
So, I have lost approximately 130 pounds total within a year, on my own and through the help of mfp and my doctor prescribed me phentermine. Well, I am now feeling like the medication which is supposed to help curve my appetite is not working. At first, I logged my meals for two weeks and did a pretty good job of sticking to what I had logged. Well, now I have been eating so much and not logging it and not sticking to my meal plans. Do any of you have anything that has worked for you that I could try? I would like to get off the medication completely. I just really don't want to gain back the weight I have worked so hard to lose through diet and exercise. Please help.
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Replies
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I log consistently and accurately.
I prelog most of the week knowing that sometimes things can change which is fine...
But I want this and use my will power not to go back to my old habits.
The only suggestion I have is want it bad enough and you won't gain it back.
But to be honest this is one of the reason's I didn't do anything like take pills etc to lose the weight...I wanted to know that this was something I could sustain for the rest of my life....
Appetite vs hunger is one of those things you have to be able to deal with.
Hunger means eat...appetite means want to eat and that is on you to decide not to do...not sure any pills really work that well.9 -
You just have to tweak your meal plan and play around with meal timing and food choices like the rest of us
As you've been overweight, you're probably used to a certain feeling of fullness, and anything less than that can feel disturbing. You need to get used to the new normal, which is the amounts of food that keeps you on a normal weight. Also remember that appetite is good, it's not the same as hunger, and you don't have to act on every impulse to eat. Do you prelog? Do you log and eat food you like? Do you buy just the foods you intend to eat? Have you checked out "the hunger scale"? 3 -
Have you thought of taking a break from dieting? Try eating at your maintenance calories for a couple of weeks. See if you can wean yourself off the Phentermine in the meantime.5
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I'm experimenting with pre-logging and finding that once I see the day's food, I stay compliant to it. Can't explain it, but it's working.
That's a whopping load of weight you've lost - congratulations!
Is there anyone you can talk to about your fears of regaining? A counselor might be invaluable at this time.3 -
Your mistake is that you stopped logging. Log everything. It really helps.8
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Were you on the phentermine for 1year? If so that's probably why you haven't learned how to eat without the help of the appetite suppressant.
Your body is probably use to the med. Were you on any kind of group or individual food educated plan?
You're going to have to learn how to control your eating without the medication. You say its not working anymore and you want to get off it? Well nows the time to learn. You cant stay on the medication forever.
The first step is logging and weighing everything you eat. Try to fill up on fibers and proteins which may keep you feeling fuller between meals.
If you want to eat more, move more. Get some walking in or whatever you can do to get moving. This has to be a lifestyle change otherwise you'll be back at it again.1 -
Hitting a few bumps along the way is fine, it's normal. The real problem is not getting back up and sticking to logging and exercise. That use to be my problem...I would fall off the wagon and stay off for a really long time...now I have a different mentality...if I eat poorly I still hold myself accountable.
Start logging again...and keep logging!2 -
So, I have lost approximately 130 pounds total within a year, on my own and through the help of mfp and my doctor prescribed me phentermine. Well, I am now feeling like the medication which is supposed to help curve my appetite is not working. At first, I logged my meals for two weeks and did a pretty good job of sticking to what I had logged. Well, now I have been eating so much and not logging it and not sticking to my meal plans. Do any of you have anything that has worked for you that I could try? I would like to get off the medication completely. I just really don't want to gain back the weight I have worked so hard to lose through diet and exercise. Please help.
Congratulations on your weight loss! That is amazing!
It's a good idea to get off the diet pill. In fact, the only reason it has worked is because you ate at a calorie deficit. Otherwise, it would not have worked. This means that credit for that weight loss goes 100% to you and 0 to the pill.
Steph is spot on with her advice. I also weigh my solids, measure my liquids, log everything I eat. I also eat exercise calories back, with burns I get from my heart rate monitor. Pre-logging is a big deal for me too, as I will generally stick to the plan, but sometimes leave some extra calories for something extra that might come up.
As for you, do you need a diet break of eating at maintenance and logging all your food? It might be a good idea.
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Log log log. Logging and facing what you eat is the only path forward IMO.
Focus on how you feel when you want to "go off the rails" and remind yourself that if hunger isn't the problem food isn't the answer. Staying busy and productive can help here.
IME, when eating was your biggest best habit/ friend there is a fair amount of unpleasant white knuckling you have to do to break the old habits. In your situation the drug has masked that for you and now you've got to do it if you want to keep the weight off. I'm not trying to be mean, btw. I'm walking right here next to you struggling along to do it too.2 -
You have to look at this as unwiring your bad eating habits and wiring new, better habits. It can take a long time and require a lot of repetition. There are tools (planning/logging) you may have to use forever. Accept that. Figure out what tools and habits help you maintain a healthy weight. Practice them every day. Accept you will make mistakes some days, but get right back on track. For me, the four key habits I have to do daily is: Planning my meals for the next day, logging every single thing I eat, exercising daily (some days light, some days heavy), and keeping foods that tend to trigger overeating out of my house.2
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Congrats on your 130 pound weight loss! I lost 60 pounds with Phentermine (and Fenfluramine) and learned nothing about developing healthy eating habits as my appetite was artificially suppressed from taking a legal amphetamine-like drug and a happy pill. I didn't have MFP then and gained it all back.
Do go back to logging your foods - even when you go over. Especially when you go over.
When I focus on foods that satiate me like protein, fiber, and fat, and get happy hormones from exercise, it's easy for me to maintain a calorie deficit. See http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
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The best tip I've gotten so far, is to eat till about 60% fullness. At that point, put down the fork, walk away and STOP EATING. It will be uncomfortable at first, but change doesn't come from being comfortable.1
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No magic pills! Just so NO..
What you did was stop logging, got off the structure.. get back on it. Just that simple!0 -
Thank you all for your words of wisdom. I did go through a learning program to eat healthy and I do exercise almost daily. I have decided today that I will no longer take the medication as I don't feel they are working anyway. I am going to do my best at logging everything. It's hard when the rest of your family is not on board with you. I do pre-log all my meals, its just that I am having a hard time sticking to it.0
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Wait, I'm confused. What does the rest of your family have to do with whether you log? Is it because other people make food for you and won't let you weigh the ingredients?0
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stephinator92 wrote: »The best tip I've gotten so far, is to eat till about 60% fullness. At that point, put down the fork, walk away and STOP EATING. It will be uncomfortable at first, but change doesn't come from being comfortable.
I am having a hard time knowing what is and isn't hunger.
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I am having a hard time knowing what is and isn't hunger.
That can be tricky to learn. The brain can mistake thirst, boredom, sadness... all kinds of things for hunger. I'm gonna be honest (also, I used to be morbidly obese), I stopped trusting my brain on this account long ago. It simply lies. Instead, I look at the clock. Let's say I ate a 200 calorie snack an hour ago and now I feel something that seems like hunger. I allow about 100 calories per hour. So if I ate 200 calories and it hasn't been 2 hours, then my brain is LYING about being hungry. Or a 500 calorie lunch. If I feel "hunger" 3 hours later, either I ate the wrong 500 calories (as in, not enough fat and/or protein in the meal <-- this is more important than you think) or my brain is lying because it's a dirty liar.
So, I drink some water or broth. If the feeling doesn't go away AND I get light-headed, then maybe a hard boiled egg or piece of string cheese or 14g of nuts.4 -
Wait, I'm confused. What does the rest of your family have to do with whether you log? Is it because other people make food for you and won't let you weigh the ingredients?
It has nothing to do with whether or not I log. It's just hard when your trigger foods are being brought into the house because other people buy them and bringing them in. I guess I need to work on my will power. I did great with it in the beginning but I have been having a harder time with it lately.0 -
Wait, I'm confused. What does the rest of your family have to do with whether you log? Is it because other people make food for you and won't let you weigh the ingredients?
It has nothing to do with whether or not I log. It's just hard when your trigger foods are being brought into the house because other people buy them and bringing them in. I guess I need to work on my will power. I did great with it in the beginning but I have been having a harder time with it lately.
I know I can come across harsh and critical, so I don't mean it that way at all. One of the smartest things you can do is log all the trigger foods. No matter how much it is. Log it. Be honest. Sometimes once you see the numbers, they can get easier to moderate. Just be honest with yourself, even on the bad days (though goodness knows I should take my own advice more).
You deserve to feel good about yourself and also have a treat now and then. Just log it. Good luck, I'm glad you're getting off the med.1 -
I am having a hard time knowing what is and isn't hunger.
That can be tricky to learn. The brain can mistake thirst, boredom, sadness... all kinds of things for hunger. I'm gonna be honest (also, I used to be morbidly obese), I stopped trusting my brain on this account long ago. It simply lies. Instead, I look at the clock. Let's say I ate a 200 calorie snack an hour ago and now I feel something that seems like hunger. I allow about 100 calories per hour. So if I ate 200 calories and it hasn't been 2 hours, then my brain is LYING about being hungry. Or a 500 calorie lunch. If I feel "hunger" 3 hours later, either I ate the wrong 500 calories (as in, not enough fat and/or protein in the meal <-- this is more important than you think) or my brain is lying because it's a dirty liar.
So, I drink some water or broth. If the feeling doesn't go away AND I get light-headed, then maybe a hard boiled egg or piece of string cheese or 14g of nuts.
Thank you so much!! That is awesome!! I had never thought that way. I do drink a ton of water though. I drink over 130 oz in a day. But I need to remember to drink more. I also need to stop eating even though I don't feel hungry to keep on a schedule. The last two days, I have not been hungry for lunch so I'm experimenting not eating. It's when I get home that I have the most difficulty. I don't feed my kids all the same foods that my husband I eat because they whine (I know, I know, they'll eat if they get hungry enough).
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