How do I stop the yo-yo cycle?

mgobluetx12

This is me since I gained back 70 of the 80lbs I lost a few years ago:

April 2016: 259
May 2016: 273
October 2016: 252
November 2016: 264
January 2016: 248
Currently: 257

It's like I'm super dedicated for awhile and the. I just stop caring. Losing weight has been a lot slower than it was when I lost that 80lbs in 2014, so I'm frustrated. I also have been on several trips that I indulged big time and regretted it. I can't seem to keep it going for more than a month or two and then I go overboard and overeat every day.

Any advice? Thank you!

Lillymoo01

You need to make changes to your lifestyle that you can stick with for life. If you make too many restrictions that you can not commit to you will just go back to how you were eating beforehand and the weight will come back on.

For me I found making small steps helped. Keeping within portion control while gradually removing less healthy options and replacing them with something more nutritious. I found exercise I enjoyed and gradually increased the time and intensity. Think of it as a marathon rather than a sprint.

kommodevaran

What are you doing when you are super dedicated? And if that gets you super dedicated, why aren't you super dedicated about it all the time? Weight loss is slow, but time passes anyway.

mgobluetx12

After I gain a bunch of weight back, I'm really motivated to take it off. The 12lbs I gained from October to November took me 3 months to lose and that was frustrating.

MFP gives me 2000 calories to lose 1lb a week because I am 6'3 (female), but I think that seems way too high, so I eat closer to 1300-1500 and I feel hungry. If I eat more, my weight stays the same. I do have hypothyroidism, but had it checked in August.

I also have no motivation or energy to exercise. I hate it. I've never found anything I enjoyed. Taking my dogs for a walk is all I do and they stop about a
million times, so I don't get much cardio benefit.

I really feel hopeless.

150poundsofme

You know how to lose weight. When you "feel the need" to eat, try having a portion of what you want. Only buy single portion items. If a large bag of chips, box of cereal or a box of crackers is in my house, it is too easy to partake when I am having a weak moment/craving.

Rebecca0224

150poundsofme wrote: »

You know how to lose weight. When you "feel the need" to eat, try having a portion of what you want. Only buy single portion items. If a large bag of chips, box of cereal or a box of crackers is in my house, it is too easy to partake when I am having a weak moment/craving.

You could try dividing the chips/ cereal/ crackers into individual servings as soon as you bring it home then put them on a high shelf/ not easily accessible area. Just a suggestion.

kimny72

It sounds to me like you hit the gas and go from 0-60 in 5 seconds, then hit the wall and gain everything back while feeling disappointed.

Stop going on a "a diet". Start slowly but surely making small changes that you can stick with for the rest of your life. If MFP gives you 2000 cals, eat them! Take the time to play around with your food log to figure out which foods make you feel good, make you feel satiated, are easy to prepare. Focus on getting a little bit more exercise, not starting the most time consuming, sweaty workout program you can find.

The issue for most yo-yo dieters is they want to lose the weight NOW so they drastically cut their calories, they drastically increase their activity, and they feel guilty when they have one bad day and disappointed when the weight doesn't drop off. So stop doing that

1. Get a food scale.
2. Log everything accurately and consistently, even when you have a bad day.
3. Stick to a 1 lb per week plan, eat your darn calories, but make sure you use the food scale for a few weeks at least to make sure you are measuring your portions correctly.
4. Move more - it doesn't have to be "exercise". Take an extra walk without your dogs. Dance around the living room. Do jumping jacks during the commercial breaks.
5. Look at it as a long term process to move you to a place where the way you eat supports you at your goal weight, while keeping you satisfied and enjoying your food. There is no end date. Take the time to figure out what way of eating hits the sweet spot for you.

Don't feel hopeless. Losing weight is a math calculation, you have probably just been working with wonky numbers and a skewed point of view. Good luck :drinker:

Rebecca0224

I was this way also and have changed the cycle in the last 6-8 months. Instead of making big changes I made small changes. I switched to Pepsi max instead of regular pepsi because I needed more caffeine to help with migraines and that was an eye opening moment. I was able to see the difference a small change could make. I have lost 26lbs most of it since October. Try just making one small change and don't jump in the deep end to start with. I have personally found that when i change to much to start with I'm super motivated the first few weeks and then lose motivation once everything is not new and exciting anymore. I've started moving more, cleaning the house every day (I mop clean floors lol) and walking to the mailbox that is at the end of my long driveway. If you want to stay motivated try small changes. Change one thing and once that change becomes normal change something else and just keep improving yourself. Good luck and you can meet your goals just be patient and love yourself.

BonnieDundee78

kimny72 wrote: »

It sounds to me like you hit the gas and go from 0-60 in 5 seconds, then hit the wall and gain everything back while feeling disappointed.

Stop going on a "a diet". Start slowly but surely making small changes that you can stick with for the rest of your life. If MFP gives you 2000 cals, eat them! Take the time to play around with your food log to figure out which foods make you feel good, make you feel satiated, are easy to prepare. Focus on getting a little bit more exercise, not starting the most time consuming, sweaty workout program you can find.

The issue for most yo-yo dieters is they want to lose the weight NOW so they drastically cut their calories, they drastically increase their activity, and they feel guilty when they have one bad day and disappointed when the weight doesn't drop off. So stop doing that

1. Get a food scale.
2. Log everything accurately and consistently, even when you have a bad day.
3. Stick to a 1 lb per week plan, eat your darn calories, but make sure you use the food scale for a few weeks at least to make sure you are measuring your portions correctly.
4. Move more - it doesn't have to be "exercise". Take an extra walk without your dogs. Dance around the living room. Do jumping jacks during the commercial breaks.
5. Look at it as a long term process to move you to a place where the way you eat supports you at your goal weight, while keeping you satisfied and enjoying your food. There is no end date. Take the time to figure out what way of eating hits the sweet spot for you.

Don't feel hopeless. Losing weight is a math calculation, you have probably just been working with wonky numbers and a skewed point of view. Good luck :drinker:

This is all excellent advice. Good luck! Enjoy those 2000 calories (I am jealous...) and stop being so hard on yourself...

seska422

mgobluetx12 wrote: »

After I gain a bunch of weight back, I'm really motivated to take it off. The 12lbs I gained from October to November took me 3 months to lose and that was frustrating.

MFP gives me 2000 calories to lose 1lb a week because I am 6'3 (female), but I think that seems way too high, so I eat closer to 1300-1500 and I feel hungry. If I eat more, my weight stays the same. I do have hypothyroidism, but had it checked in August.

I also have no motivation or energy to exercise. I hate it. I've never found anything I enjoyed. Taking my dogs for a walk is all I do and they stop about a
million times, so I don't get much cardio benefit.

I really feel hopeless.

"Seems way too high" might just be because you haven't been accurately logging to see what that amount of calories really entails. Have you tried 1600-1800? That might be a more sustainable daily range for you to try for a while if you don't want to try 2000. Think of the long term. If you lose half a pound a week, you'll be 26 pounds lighter this time next year rather than yo-yoing up and down.

Don't stress about exercise. Exercise is great but not required for weight loss. As long as you consume fewer calories than your body uses, you'll lose weight. The hypothyroidism may mean your body uses fewer calories than average bodies. Log for a while so that you get some data to see your personal calories out and adjust your intake so that you are below that number.

It's not hopeless. You need to experiment to find a sustainable way of eating that works for you.

Small changes pay off in the long run. Log your normal way of eating for a while and then try smaller portions of calorie-dense foods and/or satisfying substitutions so that you are as close to your normal way of eating as possible.

noobletmcnugget

Maybe you need to take a gentler approach. Aim to lose less a week so you can have more calories, restrict types of food as little as possible, make sure you love the food you're eating and don't pressure yourself to do too much exercise. I think that being overly strict makes you far more likely to give up (and makes it SO much harder to recommit, because you know how tough it's going to be).

elisa123gal

I'm sorry you gained weight back after losing so much, I understand how hard it seems to do it all over again. I say lose it in five or ten pound goals. Then maintain for a few weeks or a month..then tackle the next five or ten. I bet when you get 25 off you'll start feeling more motivated.

You did it before.. you can do it again!

JstTheWayIam

Don't set any goal weight.... Don't set any goal weight... Don't set any goal weight...

Plan on trying to improve yourself, everyday for the rest of your life...

Some days you will, some you want, but you never plan on stopping

nowine4me

I'm the same way, up and down. Here is something specific that has helped me.......

set calories meal by meal and set them up exactly as you wish. So for example, at 2,000 calories you could do: breakfast (400), snack (250), lunch (500), snack (250) and dinner (600). Then have 3-4 options that are already calculated for each meal. Pre-log each day and pack your entire meal (except dinner) and only eat what you pack. You can quick add dinner at 600, then delete and log what you actually ate. This has helped me stay on track, but have some variety day to day.

If you eat at 2000 for two weeks with consistent exercise and don't lose, cut by 250 and go another 2 weeks. Eventually you will get it dialed in. Consistency is more important than perfection.

mgobluetx12

So grateful for all the advice. I just need to do something. Maybe I will try getting closer to 2000 cals and seeing how I do. Small steps. I am so tired of working so hard over months and months to lose and then gaining it back within weeks.

I will try to have more willpower as well and not give in to every craving. It just sucks because I lost 80lbs in 2014 without even trying very hard. True, I'm two years older, but has my metabolism slowed that much?

The other problem is that my husband is always bringing home candy, cookies, chips, etc., and it's hard not to indulge. I just have to remind myself why I'm doing this and keep moving forward.

nowine4me

No, your metabolism has not changed that much. Find Lower calories substitutes for the foods you crave. If you share the top 3, we can provide some ideas. Or if you really have to have something specific, just eat it, track it and move on. Once my husband realized I was serious, he's been great about keeping sweets out of the house.

seska422

Willpower is finite. You need to experiment to find a way of eating that will work for you without much effort but has fewer calories than your old way of eating.

I build treats into my day as about 20% of my calories so that I don't feel as deprived.

As for your husband, you might want to clear out a cabinet for him and ask him to store tempting things in there rather than out in the open.

kshama2001

mgobluetx12 wrote: »

This is me since I gained back 70 of the 80lbs I lost a few years ago:

April 2016: 259
May 2016: 273
October 2016: 252
November 2016: 264
January 2016: 248
Currently: 257

It's like I'm super dedicated for awhile and the. I just stop caring. Losing weight has been a lot slower than it was when I lost that 80lbs in 2014, so I'm frustrated. I also have been on several trips that I indulged big time and regretted it. I can't seem to keep it going for more than a month or two and then I go overboard and overeat every day.

Any advice? Thank you!

A synonym for "super dedicated" could be "overly restrictive", as in the Restrict part of the Restrict > Binge cycle.

Eat those 2000 calories! (Use a food scale.)

kshama2001

mgobluetx12 wrote: »

So grateful for all the advice. I just need to do something. Maybe I will try getting closer to 2000 cals and seeing how I do. Small steps. I am so tired of working so hard over months and months to lose and then gaining it back within weeks.

I will try to have more willpower as well and not give in to every craving. It just sucks because I lost 80lbs in 2014 without even trying very hard. True, I'm two years older, but has my metabolism slowed that much?

The other problem is that my husband is always bringing home candy, cookies, chips, etc., and it's hard not to indulge. I just have to remind myself why I'm doing this and keep moving forward.

Naw, something was different in 2014 other than your metabolism. Medications? Less trips? Less treats?

kshama2001

mgobluetx12 wrote: »

After I gain a bunch of weight back, I'm really motivated to take it off. The 12lbs I gained from October to November took me 3 months to lose and that was frustrating.

MFP gives me 2000 calories to lose 1lb a week because I am 6'3 (female), but I think that seems way too high, so I eat closer to 1300-1500 and I feel hungry. If I eat more, my weight stays the same. I do have hypothyroidism, but had it checked in August.

I also have no motivation or energy to exercise. I hate it. I've never found anything I enjoyed. Taking my dogs for a walk is all I do and they stop about a million times, so I don't get much cardio benefit.

I really feel hopeless.

Your dogs stop a million times because you let them. I say this as the former owner of a rescued husky who was the worst ever on the leash until we worked and worked and worked with him. OMG did he used to pull! Fortunately for my desire to get a decent walk, we were more stubborn than he.

I found Cesar Millan aka The Dog Whisperer helpful as well.

IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt

JstTheWayIam wrote: »

Don't set any goal weight.... Don't set any goal weight... Don't set any goal weight...

Plan on trying to improve yourself, everyday for the rest of your life...

Some days you will, some you want, but you never plan on stopping

I struggle with the yo-yo cycle, too, and I've never once thought to not set a goal weight. That really is a tremendous concept. I keep thinking about the words you shared and the implications of what life would look like without a goal weight, it would shift the mental anguish that is 'the scale' to something far more positive (a healthy life). Simple, yet not. Thanks for sharing.