Don't know where to start! Addicted to takeaway food and miserable about weight!

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  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    aylajane wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    stucks7udent wrote: »
    I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
    Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.

    this.

    Yes. And get some bloodwork done - low Vit D, for example, can lead people to feel depressed, tired, unmotivated. Such a simple fix. Wont help you lose weight, but may lift your mood enough to get yourself moving.

    Also this! Low vit d kicked my *kitten*.

    yes- vit D deficiency is extremely common in the northern US at least.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    Hey OP. I know it can be difficult having an less-than-ideal relationship with food and it's also difficult to not have an affinity for fast food in today's landscape (I'd love to go out and grab taco bell for lunch instead of what I brought from home).

    I've been a user here since late 2011/early 2012 and think it's a great tool. I came upon the site after I'd been in a new job for about three months and gained at least 20lbs. It was the first job I had that involved any travel and it was oh-so-easy to find a favorite restaurant after a long day and take down an appetizer, burger, beer, and maybe even dessert on the company's dime. I knew I needed to make changes, but those changes had to be sustainable to make any lasting impact. I took a scientific approach when I started and logged everything I ate. I was floored with just how many calories I was consuming, even from my "healthy" choices from Subway or similar. MFP paired with a very half-hearted run of P90X (never did any workouts beyond the first month's set, probably only averaged 3/week, stuck with it for maybe three months) led to me dropped below the weight I was when I started that job, bottoming out around a pretty lean 160lbs (guessing about 12-13% body fat, down from ~25% at 185-190lbs).

    That learning period was critical, it's vital to know oneself and the problem areas that prevent success; which it sounds like you've already identified some, now you just have to learn to defend against them. As others have mentioned, this looks differently for everyone. I had to stop carrying small bills or change with me so I wouldn't hit up the vending machine for garbage when I was bored (switched from traveling for work to being at my desk 99% of the day). My wife and I also grocery shop together to keep each other accountable about the sort of foods we buy ("oooh look, Oreos are on sale!" ... "Put them down, we don't need those, we'll just eat them", etc.).

    You mentioned something else which I sure resonates with great deal of users, because I see it posted and discussed frequently; Motivation. Motivation is great, it's the catalyst which brings us to action, it's what drove you to log on to the website or download the app in the first place. The problem is that it's often fleeting and doesn't sustain actions. Cultivate structure and discipline around your goals to help you hit your marks daily and not succumb to your temptations to hit the drive-thru or order takeout, skip workouts, or any other decision that takes you further from your goal. A great deal of that may take some trial and error, I know it has for me, especially with my workouts. Empirically, it's a no brainer question; would you rather workout for 30 minutes 5-6 days/week in the afternoon, or 60-90 minutes 5 days/week at 5am in the morning? I tried the former when a friend loaned me P90X3. I figured, the original worked ok enough a few years ago, the latest and greatest at only 30 minutes a day should be cake. However, I thought the workouts were gimicky and traded quality for efficiency to get done in the allotted time. I also rarely felt like working out when I got home from work, especially to do a program I didn't like. I then tried BuiltLean, which focuses on more traditional weightlifting and got hooked. I read more about weight lifting and expanded my home gym equipment, and my workouts got longer. I was constantly excited to come home and lift, but as my workouts lengthened they began to cause a problem with when we could have dinner. I started having to cut workouts short when the wife would come home and ask "Are you close to being done yet?". My alarm is now set for 4:30am daily so I can workout before work and not interfere with dinner. I lay my workout and work clothes out the night before and have my pre-workout ready to mix with water as soon as I get up (methodology I instituted after rummaging around in the dark a time or two for my shorts). Removing as many obstacles as possible has been key to my workout success; I'm far stronger now, have more muscle mass, and can't remember the last time I skipped a workout because I just wasn't feeling like it. There have been more than a few mornings my alarm has gone off and I've said "ugh, I don't feel like lifting today... but now I'm up... and don't have to be to work until 8" so I worked out anyway.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP. since you've mentioned now that you just started logging,my suggestion is to stop thinking of foods as good and bad, and start logging.

    I still eat fast food, takeaway, icecream, pizza, etc I just eat less than I used to and less often. This doesn't work for everyone, but I wanted to give you another perspective.

    The beauty of logging is that you can start to see what the calorie-cost of your food choices are and adjust accordingly. I am a late-night snacker, so I save 100-200 calories every day to eat @ 10PM. I choose what I'm going to snack on based on how many calories I have left. There are some foods I used to eat all the time at 10PM, that I don't keep in the house anymore because they cost too many calories. But there is other yummy stuff that fits just fine, so I eat it with no guilt.

    The key is to log EVERYTHING, even bad days, so you can start to see the pattern of what works and what doesn't. And you have to stop feeling guilty about your choices. Maybe start looking at it as a puzzle you need to solve.

    Pre-logging can also be a big help. I log what I feel like eating, and then play around with the portion size or individual foods to make them fit. Seeing how what I feel like eating will affect my numbers sometimes makes it easier to stay on plan.

    Having said all that, it really does sound like you could use some counseling for your feelings around your self worth and food, so do please continue to push for that.

    So my suggestions are to start logging honestly and consistently, stop placing moral values on foods and food choices, and find ways to fit some of the foods you love into your plan. And hopefully you can get referred to a counselor soon. Good luck!
  • davidylin
    davidylin Posts: 228 Member
    So, the good news is that almost without exception, everyone really wants and likes calorie dense/rich food pretty much at the first thought/smell/sight of it. I'm not even British (or one of those rare other stone-unit-of-measurement using people [ps, I'm a 'murican]) but just reading your post is making me think about dipping a classic sarnie into my take out curry for the sauce and washing it all down with some chips and vinegar.

    :X

    It was a good survival instinct before people had regular, steady access to as many calories as they could desire throughout their entire lifetimes, as well as a powerful survival motivation. When a packet of shelf-stable pastries that pack 1/4th of a day's worth of calories in a single serving is in the corner shop under your flat for less than a pound, however... Sometimes that instinct works against us, like, four stone against us.

    The good news is that this can be fixed. The bad news is that, like everything worthwhile in life, this will take some work. We can address this problem by attacking it from both sides: reduce the severity, intensity, and frequency of the cravings while simultaneously building our discipline to resist it. Like brand-new runners don't start their training routines by running a marathon off the couch, unless you have tremendous discipline and are a glutton for self-punishment (some people are), you should probably start off making sure you can walk well for a sustained period of time.

    I would suggest that you seek to stabilize your diet and to understand what it is you are consuming every day to be the weight that you are. This might take a few days or a week - just get to know yourself, see what you eat, understand the story of who you are (and feel free to make healthier adjustments if you're feeling gamely for it, substitute things, add fruits & veg if you want, you know, whatever you're comfortable with). Armed with that knowledge, like knowing you can walk brisky for half an hour without dying - you can start to jog.

    Knock out some of the worst of what you eat. Figure out the healthiest things you actually like and start adding more of it. See what you can do. Get to a nice jogging pace every once in a while.

    Once you can jog, you can start to run. Really get to know yourself as you change. Feel the way your feet hit the pavement (food hits your stomach). Make the changes you can deal with. Help yourself.

    And you're going to hit some road blocks, backwards steps, and etc. Injuries happen. Sometimes the weather is just unusually cold and icy for a week and you won't be able to get outside. Some days you just have to eat that whole box of take out curry. Don't let it stop you from getting back on the horse at your next opportunity.

    Learn to walk with your diet. Learn to jog with your diet. Then learn to run. It's all progress and in time, it will all become familiar. One day you'll get a strong craving for some fatty, sweet food and you'll decide to indulge in just a scoop of ice cream (and it does the trick), you'll know that you've got a strong running game.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    aylajane wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    stucks7udent wrote: »
    I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
    Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.

    this.

    Yes. And get some bloodwork done - low Vit D, for example, can lead people to feel depressed, tired, unmotivated. Such a simple fix. Wont help you lose weight, but may lift your mood enough to get yourself moving.

    Also this! Low vit d kicked my *kitten*.

    yes- vit D deficiency is extremely common in the northern US at least.

    I don't even liven in the northern US - just work an office job and tend to stay covered/use sunscreen when I am outside to avoid burning (pasty, to say the least :smiley: ) Still, I was a bit surprised mine was so low. Luckily supplementation is easy and effective.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Good morning. I thought this comment insightful.
    I really REALLY want too but I won't be tonight.

    You acknowledge the feeling, and temporarily put it to bed without giving in to it. This is a neat psychological trick. You are giving yourself the power to order the takeout if you really want to, but "not tonight". Tonight was a victory. That's 500 calories you didn't need.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    How about making a few baby steps. I would recommend:

    Find a healthier versions of your fast food. For instance a veggie burger and baked fries instead of takeout burger.

    Try one prepackaged salad.

    Exercise for 30 minutes instead of tv or computer.

    Next week.... Find 3 more challenges.

    Big changes can be overwhelming. But three small low risk challenges....not so bad.
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