Can't get back on track

daneejela

I hate to be the whiny one who constantly rants and does nothing, but looks like that's exactly what I am doing these days.

I've lost 20 lbs this spring, mostly through diet and occasional work around the house and at the garden. It felt so effortlessly, easy and actually enjoyable.

Then summer came, with all those hot days and summer fruits I got back to my old habits of eating more then I need. At one point I accepted that my body maybe needs some time to relax, and I gave it two, three months of very relaxed eating, planning to get back to loosing another 20 lbs in September.

But now I am really struggling to get back to that wonderful spring behavior. I start each day with high ambitions, and it lasts until lunch, I eat decent breakfast, I eat good lunch, and then I just break into eating whatever is there
I am not sure if I need to hear that I can do it again or I need some "hard love". I would really appreciate any help.

P.S.
I am positive that I am not in any starvation mode, because i really eat like crazy and I eat everything, not excluding any food group.

scarlett_k

Make "whatever is there" better choices to fit into your goals.

capaul42

daneejela wrote: »

P.S.
I am positive that I am not in any starvation mode, because i really eat like crazy and I eat everything, not excluding any food group.

Of course not, starvation mode doesn't exist. Have you looked at your macros? I find if I have a meal with a good amount of protein, I stay full longer and snack less.

Or is it more a matter of boredom eating?

tinkerbellang83

Don't have anything there that you don't want to eat is a good start, I only buy in what I have in my meal planner, it gives me a bit of structure. If the kind of foods you binge on aren't there, you can't eat them. Meal prep and planning isn't for everyone but it can be useful to some like yourself who kind of go off the rails when left to their own devices.

Agree you definitely are not in starvation mode - like @capaul42 says it doesn't exist.

Anna_137

Try not to make huge changes. In the beginning when you're really enthusiastic it's easy to start making massive changes right away.I did the same but it's harder to maintain long term. Think about what your usual eating habits are and try to make your 'diet' as similar as possible while still keeping in your calorie limit. If you don't like breakfast then skip breakfast. If you like to snack in the evenings then save some calories for an evening snack. I eat the same food as I did before, just in smaller portions, and if I can find lower calorie substitutes (like swapping soda for diet soda) I swap for them. Make big changes gradually.

Also adding friends and joining groups on MFP helps with keeping motivated!

sherryheyer

I have lost 87 pounds but it's taken me five years. I follow my fitness pal counting calories if I get bored and tired of it every so often so instead of giving up I just try a different way of dieting whether it be Atkins for awhile or intermediate fasting.. normally I get bored with dieting and I stopped and I gain back what I lost this time I'm not giving up when I stop losing with one way of dieting I'm going to try something else

PepeLPew

Been there too.
Both a family member (old) and a young colleague passed away in August. Prior to that losing weight was a matter of aesthetics and convenience. Now for me it's a matter of making choices to be healthy and appreciate health and life in general. Seeing death made me appreciate life all the more. With my first born 10 months ago and an amazing spouse, I want to be able to say that I loved life, took care of myself, was productive and appreciated everything. Eating healthy and being responsible for a healthy lifestyle is one thing i can control.

rlmiller21

It seems like I have biggest problems on the weekend. I can do good during the week, but Friday--everything is out the window!! Then it's start over, back on track--but by this every weekend an extra 20 pounds came with what I was already trying to lose!! I have to figure out my weekends. Any suggestions???

daneejela

capaul42 wrote: »

daneejela wrote: »

P.S.
I am positive that I am not in any starvation mode, because i really eat like crazy and I eat everything, not excluding any food group.

Of course not, starvation mode doesn't exist. Have you looked at your macros? I find if I have a meal with a good amount of protein, I stay full longer and snack less.

Or is it more a matter of boredom eating?

Last month I've stoped logging my food, because I hoped it will help me to mentally reset, so I don't know for sure, but I think I eat enough proteins, since I do eat a lot of meat, all sorts of cheese, fish..
I also eat a lot of veggies (big salad with every meal), seasonal fruits (currently figs and grapes), carbs..
I very rarely eat junk food, but my problem is that I overeat the regular, "good" food.

I guess it's more a matter of boredom eating.
I work from home and food is available to me all the time. What previously worked the best for me was to have 3 good meals a day and staying away from the food between meals. I am trying to get back to that habit, but somehow by the 3 PM I fail the day.

tinkerbellang83

daneejela wrote: »

capaul42 wrote: »

daneejela wrote: »

P.S.
I am positive that I am not in any starvation mode, because i really eat like crazy and I eat everything, not excluding any food group.

Of course not, starvation mode doesn't exist. Have you looked at your macros? I find if I have a meal with a good amount of protein, I stay full longer and snack less.

Or is it more a matter of boredom eating?

Last month I've stoped logging my food, because I hoped it will help me to mentally reset, so I don't know for sure, but I think I eat enough proteins, since I do eat a lot of meat, all sorts of cheese, fish..
I also eat a lot of veggies (big salad with every meal), seasonal fruits (currently figs and grapes), carbs..
I very rarely eat junk food, but my problem is that I overeat the regular, "good" food.

I guess it's more a matter of boredom eating.
I work from home and food is available to me all the time. What previously worked the best for me was to have 3 good meals a day and staying away from the food between meals. I am trying to get back to that habit, but somehow by the 3 PM I fail the day.

Intermitten Fasting 16:8 might work for you, essentially skipping breakfast and having more calories to play with in the afternoon/early evening.

heylance

Just start with one day, then build on that. For me, it helps to focus on doing good and hitting my goals for one day, then carrying that momentum on to the next day. If I was under my calorie goals yesterday, I want to overeat less today so I don't undo the sacrifice (snackrifice ) I made the day before.

vikinglander

You're right.
Stop whining.
You KNOW what to do.

clayelliott847

Go the grocery store once a week, so you have healthy stuff at home to eat. You may even want to include some indulgences like ice cream, just in smaller portions. That limits going out for Junk food.

katsheare

Along the same lines as @vikinglander : If you want the progress you had doing what you did during the summer, then by all means keep going. If you want the progress you had this spring, do what you were doing this spring.

Full disclosure: I'm back on MFP after a 3-year hiatus. I'd reached my GW, lost almost 25 kilos over 3 months, I thought I had everything sorted. I'm back on because over the course of the 3 years I was away, I gained almost all of it back. What I did while I was here the first time worked, and it will be a long-term thing for me. It will have to be. I had a pretty stern talk with myself about it, and we agree: if the only way I'll be able to keep from turning occasional indulgences into habitual problems is to track what I eat, boy howdy I'm gonna track what I eat.

You know what to do. This summer was not failure. Having the tools to fix something and not using them? That's a bit closer to failure, IMO.

MegaMooseEsq

rlmiller21 wrote: »

It seems like I have biggest problems on the weekend. I can do good during the week, but Friday--everything is out the window!! Then it's start over, back on track--but by this every weekend an extra 20 pounds came with what I was already trying to lose!! I have to figure out my weekends. Any suggestions???

Try averaging your goals by week instead of day. My biggest struggle in losing weight is going out to eat, which I was doing 3-4 times a week when I decided it was time to get my weight gain under control. At this point I usually budget two nights out a week where my goal is higher than the other five days, but averages out to a deficit over the week. It took time and experimentation to get there, but trying to "be good" all the time wasn't going to happen, so I just kept trying different options until I found what works for me. I still have periods where I end up in maintenance for a week or so, but that's better than gaining! Good luck!

cs2thecox

You say you break into eating whatever's there... If you're aware of it, you can stop it.

Do you really want that chocolate/cake/extra portion of potatoes more than you want the end result of shifting the weight?
Really?
Will the food actually make you feel better in the long run?

Ask the question, have the conversation with yourself (in the mirror if that helps), make your decision, accept the outcome.

I'd post an article that my trainer wrote on his blog about this exact thing, but I'll probably get flagged for marketing or woo at the very least. But his point was about choices relating to food and exercise coming back to comfort. If you are sufficiently uncomfortable with where you are now, then you will choose the initially difficult option to start controlling your food again. If you are more comfortable with where you are now than you would be with making the effort, then you need to accept the implication of that..
Tough love, but if you want it enough, you'll make the effort to do it.