Feel hopeless

mxburke

So, after today, I thought i had done amazing with my calories, but just so happens that once i logged in every little thing that i ate, it came up to a rough amount of 800 calories over my limit! ouch, just need some inspiration from somebody, i feel horrible about myself, and i can never seem to reach my goals anymore....any words of advice would be great, and i need some help on knowing whether or not i should be eating my exercise calories because i honestly just want a straight answer, i just dont know, and ive been at the same weight for almost a year now, originally lost 20 lbs and then splipped from there, never went anywhere, and in fact gained some weight back!

PLEASE HELP, give me all your tips, ur meal plans, your workout schedules, i honestly need help and some ideas to get back on track!

thanks

Mel

samanthadiegelman

I feel your pain. I worked out twice today and had a small breakfast and lunch so I could eat what I wanted at dinner, and I still went over by more than 400.

MsPatricia

Hi there!!!!

First of all - I know what you mean, but dont feel hopeless...accidents happen. I have a hard time with scheduling since i am a full time student and i work a full time job. i am also trying to get into law school.

In terms of food - prepare your weekly meals ahead of time, like on a sunday. Keep contains and pre-chop everything orr freeze meals.

if you have a facebook - sign up for " healthy student inc "

What happened that caused u to go over?

shelli1982

I find that logging throughout the day seems to help me... Otherwise I forget things... i.e. if I don't log my salad around lunch time, I forget to log the dressing and the cranberries and the cheese, etc... I know that's hard because we don't always have time to log every meal, but I find that it does help if you log as soon as possible....

Other than that, don't beat yourself up!!! Everyone has an off day. The trick is not to give in, or think "hey, i'm already over, i might as well indulge in something else". Tomorrow is a new day. Up your water intake too... might help you not feel so hungry? good luck, you can do it

TaraArriola

The one thing that I am starting to do is to plan my meals and add them in first so I know where I stand before I even start the day. This way not only do you already know what type of calories you are going to intake, but you can also remove things that you don't feel you need once you see how it looks on your tracker.

I would only eat have of your exercise calories unless you are doing light exercise then I wouldn't eat them if you are wanting to drop some weight. The only thing that you have to remember is that the next time you plateau, you might want to change the amount of exercise calories you eat.

MsPatricia

Samantha - I don't recommend doing that, you should eat 5-6 times a day; small meals are key and if you continue doing it that way, you may not get the results you want. I tried that for a month and it didn't work for me at all.

it wasn't until i started eating 5-6 times a day, small healthy meals, and worked out several times a week that the weight dropped. It helped my metabolism work the way i wanted it to work

Become a fan of Healthy Student Inc. on face book and you'll start seeing tips

KLCole

I can totally understand how you feel because I was there myself. I thought I had a willpower problem. In reality, I just didn't have an idea about meal planning and portions. If you are like me, it is tough and unpleasant to have to think through what you are going to eat for an entire day and count the calories. I had avoided it for years until I just couldn't seem to get past the plateau of the first 25 lbs. In the end, it is the only thing that works.

I took a few weeks and with the help of a program learned how to eat again and how to keep my calorie count down. I still make mistakes, but I learn from them and move on. You will too! Please don't beat yourself up. You are doing the right thing by just being here. I cannot tell you how much I am impressed by you putting this post on the website.

There are lots of people here, like you and me, just taking it one day at a time. You are not alone and for goodness sakes please cut yourself some slack!

sherisauer1999

Don't feel holpless Mel, you are NOT hopeless. You are doing a lot of good things and if you stay consistent, they will eventually pay off.
Don't allow any negative words to come out of your mouth....tell yourself out loud..."I can do this! I am on my way!" Being positive is a huge part of this battle we are in.
I am trying hard not to let this "change in lifestyle" stress me out. I have good days, I have bad days, the secret is getting back on track. You can do it. This sight is a great tool also. I just found it.
I am fortunate and blessed to have a terrific nutrition coach, she is showing me ways of not letting my mind and my words hold me back.
I can tell you that I eat mainly fruit in the morning, I eat two salads a day and watch my sugar.
sheri

ron2282

Don't be so hard on yourself. Tomorrow is a new day, start from there. We all have off days, it happens. I plan my meals the night before, that helps me to stay within my calories. As for exercise calories, some days I eat them some days I don't. It all depends on how hungry I am, listen to your body.

whittrusty

Ok. First of all, you shouldn't feel hopeless because you can always change yourself...it just might not happen as quickly as you'd like.

What do you have your weight loss goal for per week? If you have it set for 2 lbs/week, (Good News!) you didn't go over your maintenance calories. In order to lose 1 lb per week, you have to create a 500 calorie deficit every day.

500 x 7 days = 3500 calories = 1 lb!

For 2 lbs a week, it's 1000 deficit; 1000 x 7 = 7000 calories = 2 lbs.

So, don't get down on yourself if you have one day where you go 800 over. That being said, if you are making good choices, it will be a lot more difficult to go over your calories by that much. It's surprising how much you can eat when you make good choices! Veggies are very filling and virtually calorie free.

Track your food throughout the day; if you're going out to eat, find something that will be a good decision calorie-wise BEFORE you get there and the menu tempts you into getting something else. Make small changes: remove bacon, croutons, cheese (or cut the cheese in 1/2), get dressing on the side, go for grilled, broiled or steamed over sauteed or fried. Watch your sodium! That adds up QUICK!!

And last, but MOST important: You CAN do it. You WILL do it...if you choose to. It won't happen overnight, but if you give up because it's not happening quickly enough, it will never happen.

Just take it one day at a time. You can do it.

gardenlili

I think most of us struggle with that. When I went to my daughter's for July 4 celebration, I knew I would be over the limit. However, on ordinary days I am trying to just eat less of what I like and that can help keep you under the limit -- I mean less of a size of the food without giving it up. When you give it up totally, you start wanting it. Also, I found that I need to stay away from cereals. Almost all have too much sugar. I am better with an egg or eggbeater and it fills you up more. Also, exercise to increase the calories allowed.

Panda86

Here's what I do- I log my calories right after I eat, instead of all at once at the end of the day. That way I don't forget. Its a bit of a hassle, but its worth it because I always know how much I am taking in. And don't worry! Tomorrow is a new day! We all have days like that!

whittrusty

Oh! EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!! You can eat your exercise calories if you are still feeling hungry, but you don't have to as long as your getting 1200-1300 calories every day. I usually eat back some, but not all of my exercise calories (I stay around 1500-1600 calories on workout days.

Use measuring cups and get a kitchen scale. It sounds like a pain, but it takes about .7 seconds longer than just dishing out your food and you have a lot more control of your portions and a better idea of exactly how much you're eating!

melodyg

It really helps me if I plan meals in advance too. I leave a couple hundred calories for snacks that I don't plan but besides that I try to plan and it really helps.

I also try to log in food after the meal if I am near the computer... that gives me an idea of what I have to work with over the rest of the day.

jrich1

Plan, exercise and take a step back, and never give up, if you are having a problem, evaluate it and fix it and get back on track. You can do it!

jennk221

I try and log as I go so that I know where I stand throughout the day...If I know that I am having a pork chop and grilled veg. for dinner then I can log it in the morning and plan accordingly for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Not planning usually takes me over my limit too! Boo to that!
Look through everyone's ideas and maybe you will find a couple of ideas that will work for you! Keep your spirits up!!

alexia99

I'm over all the time too, but, I find if I actually plan what I'm going to eat, and track my whole day in the morning, I have more control. If I eat, then track my calories, I usually end up over.
This is what I do most days, go over I mean, but even if I'm over, it's usually not as much as it would be if I wouldn't track my calories at all...see, there's always an upside...

fierroday

Mel! Don't give up hope.

Try to look at each meal and see where the calories are coming from. For example, a sandwich at lunch time - take the same filling (meats, etc.) , but only use one piece of whole grain bread, not two (that saves about 100 calories, but you still get all of the fillings). Also, if you cut back on condiments or things that sneak calories into your diet, be sure to use more flavorful ingredients, like a slice of pepper-jack cheese, or a sprinkle of granulated garlic... anything to add flavor.

And drinking lots of water (I like to flavor mine with Propel or some other addative) will help keep you full and focused.

I've been reading Dr. Oz's book lately, which has been inspiring -- 'You on a diet'. It really gives good tips on things that will help keep you feeling full that are also good for you.

Just stick with it! Best of luck. Jenni

mxburke

Wow! i really couldnt have asked for a better support group. just when Im feeling down, you all, people i dont even know, come out and support me, I am so greatful for all of your tips, and i will be really trying hard this week to plan all of my meals and to maintain my exercise. it also happens that after i posted this, i kicked myself in the *kitten* and went to the gym, and burned approximately 578 calories doing cardio, (according to the machine), so i feel a little bit better about my day. I will definitely just forget about today, but also remember to keep track and to stick with what i had planned to eat during the day. it seems that at work i end up munching on other things that were not planned and thats where my calories add up! but anyhow, i have to get to bed, but thank you all for the great advice and support!

You are all so inspiring!

Mel

mxburke

oh, and i also wanted to know, do any of you take part in any support groups on here? i am in true need of a good one with lots of good ppl like you! let me know, or we could even just continue with this group, you are all so supportive, and i find that if i can talk to ppl about my journey every couple days, then it helps me keep on track!

weaklink109

Hi mx,

It appears you have about 30 lbs. you would like to lose. It is unlikely you will maintain a 10 lbs. per month loss because we lose weight much more slowly when we are close to a healthy weight. I think it would be more realistic to try for 5 lbs. per month for the next 15 lbs. and maybe 2.5/month for the remainder. I am told the last 10 lbs. are the slowest to disappear.

Good luck with your efforts. I only mention the above because I don't want you to set yourself up for discouragement.
:flowerforyou:

whittrusty

Wow! i really couldnt have asked for a better support group. just when Im feeling down, you all, people i dont even know, come out and support me, I am so greatful for all of your tips, and i will be really trying hard this week to plan all of my meals and to maintain my exercise. it also happens that after i posted this, i kicked myself in the *kitten* and went to the gym, and burned approximately 578 calories doing cardio, (according to the machine), so i feel a little bit better about my day. I will definitely just forget about today, but also remember to keep track and to stick with what i had planned to eat during the day. it seems that at work i end up munching on other things that were not planned and thats where my calories add up! but anyhow, i have to get to bed, but thank you all for the great advice and support!

You are all so inspiring!

Mel

You go girl! That's the best way to combat those negative feelings. I've become a workout junkie. I feel so POWERFUL after a hard workout. So much better than sitting on the couch staring at the cupboards filled with things I shouldn't be eating! One more thought is to get a heart rate monitor. Mine cost about $100 at a sporting goods store. Not cheap, but it's so worth it. Then you don't have to depend on the machines to tell you your calories. I also find that group exercise classes keep me moving more than I would on my own. Try kickboxing, Zumba, a spin class, or step aerobics...anything that sounds interesting. And don't be intimidated to go. There are always new people and still others who don't really know what they're doing!

I'm in the 20 in 20 group on the Motivation and Support board. Feel free to join! We're on week 4 now and we are all shooting to lose at least 20 lbs in 20 weeks.

Keep up the good work!