How is it so easy for so many people to eat less?

Poisonedpawn78

kavahni wrote: »

How do they do it? They are cyborgs. I don't get it either. Anyone who can blithely say, "log it!" or "it's all mental!" Doesn't understand the complexities of what you and I suffer from. And what so many other people suffer from.

I dont know if this happens to you, but for me when i go grocery shopping, that junk pop/chip/candy isle calls out to me constantly. I would try and avoid the isle but In the past i would cave and go get something every time. For every healthy choice i made, i would say, i could totally get a pop or some chips too.. we all know how that ends.

The last 2 months I have gone to the isle and stared at every single thing that i wanted and mentally said to myself. I love you, but i will NOT buy you today. Forcing myself to stare "the devil" down.

everher

Here's my advice:

1. Just log everything you eat for a week or two. Consistently and honestly. Weigh your solids and measure your liquids. After logging your food becomes second nature move on to step two.

2. Enter your stats into MyFitnessPal. Set a low goal. I wouldn't start with more than a pound a week loss, which is 500 calories less than your body needs a day to maintain its weight. I say start with a pound and not half a pound a week loss because this gives you some room for logging errors and some overeating, but still the ability to lose weight even if it's small at first.

3. Look back at your diet from the past week or two and see where you can make changes or substitutions. The goal is to get the most bang for your buck so to speak. If you're using up a third of your day's calories on sweets for example of course you're going to be hungry. You want to figure out how to stay within your calories, but while also hitting your macro goals. This will likely mean changing some things.

4. This isn't a linear process. It's most likely going to take some experimentation, but that's okay. Maybe eating several smaller meals a day will help you with hunger or maybe the key is eating three larger meals but allowing rooms for snacks. You might find that meal timing helps you also or saving most of your calories for the afternoon. You'll most likely have to experiment with your macros too to find what really fills you up and keeps you satisfied.

5. You will be hungry at first. I am not going to lie to you. I have been on many a diet in my lifetime and every time I first start eating in a calorie deficit I am hungry. It usually passes after the first week or so. It's not extreme hungry or unbearable, but it is a noticeable thing that I have always experienced at the onset of a diet. The good news is it does pass and being hungry is totally okay. Being extremely hungry and it not going away is likely the result of eating too little or a change in macros or meal timing needing to be made.

Just know if you keep going despite the bad days, and you will have bad days, eventually you will make it to your goal. My last piece of advice is don't try to change everything at once. I would focus on getting my eating under control before adding exercise to the mix. Just focus on one thing at a time.

SafioraLinnea

It's not easy. It's very hard but I am committed to my health so I do it in spite of it being hard.

I will keep my suggestions short and sweet and to the point.

Ensure your TDEE calculations and modifiers are accurate.

Set a reasonable goal. Even 150 calories below your TDEE will result in changes over time. Small changes can lead to big results if you stay committed.

Pre-log your food to prevent going over your calories. Log honestly and accurately, measuring food with a food scale.

Exercise. Unless you're a quadriplegic, you can exercise your body.

Practice confident self talk: I can do this. I am worth it. I am strong.

ninerbuff

AniaMania81 wrote: »

I need help. I'm starting to think that I will never be able to lose weight. I've been trying to lose about three years now but it's not working. I lose a pound and quickly gain it back. I can't seem to stick to eating less, I will do it for one or two days at a time (three for the most) and then I get hungry and eat too much. I started off wanting to lose 25 pounds three years ago and since then I have gained another 30 pounds. I am 5'9" and currently 215 pounds and need to get to 160.

I think my maintenance is about 2250 but I normally eat about 2500 so that is what my body is used to. I try reducing to between 1750 and 2000 and to exercise consistently. I'll make it a few days and then feel crazy hungry and overeat again. I tried IF 16:8 and that helped a lot but again, hard to stick to.

On average I eat probably 100 to 120 grams of protein, maybe 100 grams of fat and about 300 grams of carbs. I know it's a lot. I normally exercise about twice a week and with this I gain about a pound a month.

I eat healthy foods everyday - fruit and vegetables, a variety of meat (not processed), beans, oatmeal etc but I eat a lot of unhealthy, high calorie foods too.

Anyone else experienced this and overcame it? I would really appreciate and welcome all thoughts and advice. Thanks for reading.

Habitual behavior takes more than a week to learn. And that's what you have to do and what people who eat less do........................change their habitual behavior. So how bad do you really want it? If you could earn $10,000 to do it for a month, would you? And if the answer is yes, then you just need to find the motivation within yourself to decide to do it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kommodevaran

I think a lot of it is about how you frame it, how you choose to understand things and words, how you structure your life and surroundings.

For me, eating less is easy in some ways, but hard in other ways. Adjustments to my schedule and home environment makes eating less easier, but it still takes effort and commitment. I plan my meals, and I shop guerilla style, I cook most of my meals from relative scratch. I still have to say no. I still eat more than intended occasionally. The big difference is that I own it now. I eat for pleasure, not to ease emotions or because I'm bored, or just because there's food around. I don't continue to overeat just because I overate. I don't let others tell me what to eat, I decide what I want to eat and eat that.

I don't eat so little that it makes me hungry. But I do accept hunger as normal, natural, a reminder to eat. I like to wait until I'm really ready for a good meal, and then enjoy it.

I accept that temptations exist. I acknowledge that my body needs fuel, and that my brain is programmed to seek out easy calories. I acknowledge that food manufacturerers' job is to sell food, and thus will make an effort to make food tempting and available, and are using (exploiting) our natural instincts. But I also acknowledge that it's my job to feed myself properly, and that I am capable of making my own decisions, independently. I am offered food, intently, but not forced to eat. It's is a big difference there.

I have struggled with overeating, overweight and fear of food and weight for 20 years. Now I've finally lost my excess weight (50 pounds) and I've kept them off for 2 1/2 years. The way I'm eating and moving now, is something I think I can continue doing forever, at least I want to. I am eating, moving, thinking and feeling like a normal weight person. I have lost weight before, but I kept the overweight mindset. This is different. It doesn't feel like much, but normal doesn't feel like much either.

amusedmonkey

If you're wanting it to be completely effortless, you need to adjust your expectations. People can make things easiER for themselves by discovering their own food quirks and satiety, but it's never effortless. Some days we feel hungry, some days we don't, some days we give into cravings, other days we don't. Hunger isn't scary, and feeling stuffed to the brim 24/7 is not what you should expect. You just accept that there will be challenges to your plan, be it internal (hunger and rationalizations) or external (temptations and triggers). You accept this will always be the case, and that it's normal to feel hungry/tempted sometimes. You just need to make more calorie decisions that push your weight in the right direction than decisions that push it in the opposite direction, while continually learning about yourself, and you will eventually get where you want to be.

nutmegoreo

everher wrote: »

Here's my advice:

1. Just log everything you eat for a week or two. Consistently and honestly. Weigh your solids and measure your liquids. After logging your food becomes second nature move on to step two.

2. Enter your stats into MyFitnessPal. Set a low goal. I wouldn't start with more than a pound a week loss, which is 500 calories less than your body needs a day to maintain its weight. I say start with a pound and not half a pound a week loss because this gives you some room for logging errors and some overeating, but still the ability to lose weight even if it's small at first.

3. Look back at your diet from the past week or two and see where you can make changes or substitutions. The goal is to get the most bang for your buck so to speak. If you're using up a third of your day's calories on sweets for example of course you're going to be hungry. You want to figure out how to stay within your calories, but while also hitting your macro goals. This will likely mean changing some things.

4. This isn't a linear process. It's most likely going to take some experimentation, but that's okay. Maybe eating several smaller meals a day will help you with hunger or maybe the key is eating three larger meals but allowing rooms for snacks. You might find that meal timing helps you also or saving most of your calories for the afternoon. You'll most likely have to experiment with your macros too to find what really fills you up and keeps you satisfied.

5. You will be hungry at first. I am not going to lie to you. I have been on many a diet in my lifetime and every time I first start eating in a calorie deficit I am hungry. It usually passes after the first week or so. It's not extreme hungry or unbearable, but it is a noticeable thing that I have always experienced at the onset of a diet. The good news is it does pass and being hungry is totally okay. Being extremely hungry and it not going away is likely the result of eating too little or a change in macros or meal timing needing to be made.

Just know if you keep going despite the bad days, and you will have bad days, eventually you will make it to your goal. My last piece of advice is don't try to change everything at once. I would focus on getting my eating under control before adding exercise to the mix. Just focus on one thing at a time.

This^^^

And for those who are discussing the "it's all mental" responses, that doesn't negate the complexity of it. If anything it highlights how complex it is. There are many deep seated beliefs we hold about foods, diets, and what's right or wrong. Challenging those concepts is an uncomfortable process. When I first had a change in my viewpoint was when I threw out everything I thought I knew about losing weight. It's still a challenge because life happens, stress happens. But I no longer beat myself up for eating ice cream. It's ridiculous. This whole process is hard enough without making it worse by placing all these unecessary rules in it. Can't eat this, must eat that, must do this, can't do that.... just adds stress.

OP, just start with logging and see what you find. You might be surprised. Log the good, the bad, and the ugly. Own it and evaluate it, then make small changes. It will suck sometimes and you will be hungry sometimes. You will learn a lot about yourself along the way, which is progress.

Etsar73

For me l don't like breakfast so l just have a coffee. Lunch is rice thins with tuna. I keep it the same everyday. I don't love lunch but it satisfies me through the day. Dinner for me HAS to be good. I use minimal oil and less meat and more veggies to bulk but l eat whatever l want. I like dinner to be huge!! I would be sad and hungry at the thought of a small dinner. Maybe make one meal your focus big meal. Keep the rest small and simple. This is the only way l could get through this keeping calories down.

nutmegoreo

Also, just because you don't see the struggles, doesn't mean others find it easy. They may just be choosing to not voice their frustrations. Not saying that you shouldn't vent your frustrations, just that some won't so it seems like they aren't having issues.

Lounmoun

This is going to take time to make lasting changes. You will not be perfect everyday. If you go over calories one day then the next day try to do better. Look at your weekly calories as well as daily.
Go slower. If you normally eat 2,500 try reducing to 2,250 first. When you can stick to 2,250 for a couple of weeks then reduce to 2,000. When you can stick to 2,000 drop your calories to 1,750.

Get in the habit of logging everything. Notice your patterns. Look at your log and see what foods helped you and what foods made it more difficult to stick to your goals. What time of day do you get the hungriest? Reserve more calories for that time. Do you do okay on weekdays but lose it on weekends? Maybe more structure and routine on the weekends would be helpful.
Are you an emotional eater? Do you eat when you are bored? Work on different coping skills that are not food or drink.
Try prelogging your food for the whole day. Plan your eating and it may be easier to know what portion size is okay or to just say you don't want something because you have a plan.
Don't radically change your diet overnight. Make sure you get enough protein, fats and fiber to help you feel more satisfied.
Put more low calorie vegetables on your plate. Have a salad with your meal.
Cook more. Look up nutritional info for restaurants.
Don't buy foods you have trouble moderating as often or buy them in a single serving container.
Switch to lower calorie or no calorie drinks and have more calories for food.
If you have eaten to your goal and still want to eat then try drinking a glass of water or cup of unsweetened tea and waiting 20 minutes to see if the feeling goes away.
These are things people do.

Losing weight is work. How you lose is simple but the process takes a fair amount of effort for most of us. If you want to lose and maintain at a healthy weight you will eat fewer calories, get more exercise or do both. But you might have to start with smaller changes.

inertiastrength

When I was your weight I used to cut on 1800-2000ish calories. Now I cut on 1500. I also took a yolo break over the winter where I was probably eating 2500 calories and had to reduce that to 1550 to cut. It's a big adjustment because you get used to eating at a certain time, or certain things... those are all habits you need time to adjust. Hunger is a normal feeling, and you SHOULD feel it... but also be mindful that you're not losing too quickly because that is an indication that your calories are perhaps a bit too low. Everyone is different and I can tell you I cut on this, and someone half your weight may have cut on that... at the end of the day if your data is good the answers you need will be right in front of you

Good luck!

mortuseon_

YMMV, but I find that eating more fat helps me a lot, especially at the end of the day. Fat is associated with satiety so it might help to replace some of the carbohydrates you're eating with fats.

Running_and_Coffee

First of all, the feeling of NOT being stuffed is a great feeling. It means you didn't over eat, you're on track, you have fueled your body properly. I think NOT being stuffed is pleasurable, similar to that post-workout feeling.

It's also very different from hunger. Not being stuffed doesn't mean your stomach is growling and you feel weak or cranky--those feelings are hunger, and you want to eat to avoid that by choosing fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and small amounts of healthy fat.

But I think a lot of it is just learning to embrace leaving a little room. I'm around 135 and maintain at 1600, lose at 1300, and truly and honestly am never hungry (unless I'm at an 11 am meeting that's running really late and I feel better after lunch!!)

Need2Exerc1se

I agree with those saying it's mental. The mental part is the hardest part. Those that succeed do it through determination. Most have hungry days where they overeat along the way. But they get back to it. Giving up because of a bad day (or week) solves nothing. Get back to it. Keep getting back to it. Every time.

kittybenn

So many great ideas here. Wondering if you could be at peace with including your favorite foods, maybe one a day, and just very small, carefully measured portions? I find I have to have something I love every day, even it's only one small piece of chocolate. As they say, the first couple of bites are the best anyway. Maybe that way you could slowly wean yourself from the larger portions - just knowing you don't have to deprive yourself completely of your favorite foods.

BoxerBrawler

You have to find that reason or that motivation to stick with it. When losing weight and/or getting fit becomes as critical as breathing air... you'll be able to do it.

peckchris3267

I don't think it is really "easy" for anyone, it's just a matter of getting used to it.

CSARdiver

For me this was all about learning when I am actually hungry and when I'm bored and just mindlessly munching. I identified habits that led to overeating when I wasn't hungry and replaced these with better habits that don't lead to eating.

I started drinking a glass of water 30 mins prior to every meal. I never eat out of a bag and pour a serving size into a bowl or plate. If

You're body isn't used to anything. This is behavior and if you want to change the result you need to change the behavior that provides the result.

Sounds like you tried to stop bad behaviors, but didn't replace these with good behaviors. Our minds are not wired that way. You need to identify habits that lead to overeating and replace these with habits that lead to something else - anything else.

Try this exercise - write down 5 "bad" habits related to overeating. Prioritize these 1 through 5. Scratch off 2 through 5. Identify a behavior you can replace with #1. Keep doing this until it becomes part of your daily routine. Repeat this exercise.

Long term success comes from small changes that have dramatic impact in the long term. Drastic changes rarely lead to success.

H_Ock12

I had to get used to being hungry and the people around me had to get used to me being the north end of a southbound donkey. Some things that helped me stick with it until it became a habit....
Pre-log your day (or week) with a meal plan and only purchase the foods on your meal plan.
Don't carry extra cash with you so that you aren't tempted to stop and purchase more food.
If you eat all your calorie by noon, be done for the day...it's the hard way, but it quickly taught me to regulate my intake.
Reducing my intake of soda and sweet tea.
If 16:8, works for you...use it! Putting the time restriction on my intake helps me psychologically prepare for how my day of training and eating is going to go.
If you have a small treat and go over calories, it's not the end of the world...spread it out into calorie burn with walking or running over the next few days.

WinoGelato

Weight loss is simple: create a sustained calorie deficit according to the equation CI<CO.

Weight loss is not easy: there are myriad complicating factors that make it challenging to stay the course.

Making a series of small changes that you can build on over time is something that many people have success with and see slow, steady progress that they can stick with. Going for big, drastic changes and looking for significant short term results often is a recipe for failure.

When I started here on MFP about 4 years ago, I quickly realized that cutting things out was not going to be sustainable for me. Instead, I decided to add things to my lifestyle: More protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise, more every day activity, more sleep. By doing all this, a little bit at a time, the healthy habits and choices took precedent over the less healthy habits: but by not restricting things I love I was still able to fit in things like ice cream, cookies, pizza and wine in moderation. I lost the weight I set out to lose in about a years time, and have been successfully maintaining since; and never felt that the process was particularly hard or challenging to sustain. Not that there weren't setbacks, there always will be, but by having a reasonable plan, when you get off course it's relatively straightforward to get back on track.

Good luck OP. Just keep swimming!