I feel lost.

Sailorkay

Well hello, my names kayla and I’m 24 years old. I am currently in a lost state of mind, going through a tough time trying to stick with myself and my goal. I know it’s not easy but I don’t know why I keep pushing myself further and further from that goal. I was doing so well last year I was weighing 238 and now I’m back to 270 ... everytime the holidays come is when I mess up . I get depressed and start putting excuses . I’m tired and this weight for the first time is affecting my lumbar area I have a strain and this weight is not helping because of it I want to change I need to for my own health I don’t know any more how to guide myself through I feel lost in the nutritional portion I ask myself each time what the hell am I sopost to eat everyone saids veggies and protein. But I don’t know I want more details to be honest. I know everyone goes through the same issue as I am at some point.

TavistockToad

Maybe work on what causes your depression at holiday season?

estherdragonbat

For weight loss, calories are king. Veggies are low-calorie and often high in fiber, so eating them helps you feel fuller on few calories. Protein is great for muscle preservation.

I personally find I feel less-hungry when I eat more protein and moderate-to-high carb, but this varies from person to person. Some people find high-fat, low-carb extremely satiating. I'm not one of them. Play around within your calories to figure out what sorts of foods make you feel fuller and more energetic.

Most of the time, you don't have to cut out foods you love. You may need to cut back on some of them.

Examples:

• If jellybeans are in the house, I will keep snacking on them until they're gone. Therefore, I don't buy them. Or, when I do, I buy a fun pack. However, if they're at a party, I can think in terms of '10 beans are 40 calories? I came here with 600 to spend... How many can I have?" (Note: I generally don't have a problem taking a single serving. My problem is being alone with leftovers. So, I can have one brownie or 10 jellybeans at the table. But when the party is over and there's half a tray of brownies in the fridge and a bowl full of jellybeans on the coffee table, I've got issues.)
• I keep my homemade desserts to 200 calories/serving each and I don't make desserts that I know I can't moderate.
• Not sure if this is true where you live, but here, chain restaurants with more than a certain number of locations need to list calories for everything. I'm strictly kosher. There is a coffee shop nearby that brings in bakery treats from a local kosher bakery. And, to comply with the law, even though this bakery doesn't normally put its calories on its products, it does for those bound for this coffee shop. One of their cherry turnovers is 600 calories. I can't justify that or even half that. A quarter of a turnover would be workable, but it won't satisfy me. So, I've stopped buying cherry turnovers. But I don't tell myself I can't have one. I tell myself that if I want one, I need to know I've got 600 calories available for it. And in general? I choose to allocate them to other foods. BUT if I decide that I really really want one and it's worth it to have a light lunch or cut my daily calories by 200 over the next three days or whatever... I know I can have it. So, it's not 'forbidden' and it's not a cheat. It's a choice.

I do have an open diary if you'd like to check it out. You can PM me if you have specific questions (or want recipes)!

You can do this. Slowly and surely. Don't rush to get the weight off, it didn't come on overnight either.

aquamarinex

Review other peoples diaries - I am trying less carbs more protein but still within 1250 calories daily. Never punish yourself with no treats. You can keep it simple with meat/fish dishes simply with an assortment of veg on the side.

Sailorkay

aquamarinex wrote: »

Review other peoples diaries - I am trying less carbs more protein but still within 1250 calories daily. Never punish yourself with no treats. You can keep it simple with meat/fish dishes simply with an assortment of veg on the side.

Your right, I think that’s a good idea get inspired by others diaries thank you

aemsley05

You can eat anything you like - just less than before. So long as it fits into your calorie goal, you can have whatever you want and you'll lose weight. That said, you'll find that some foods are more filling than others, so while you can eat all your calories in the form of cookies, you'll probably be pretty hungry and miserable! Different people find different things filling - for some people it's fat, for others protein, for others fiber. So you probably want to experiment with your diet and see what fills you up. Maybe take notes on how hungry you feel each day and check that against your breakdown of carbs, fat, protein etc. Finding out what works for you personally is the most important thing you can do for your own success.

There are loads of good ideas, recipes and links if you look in the recipes section of the forums so you can find whatever you like - budget recipes, easy recipes, low carb, low fat, high protein etc. If you like to cook and are open to trying new things then there's loads out there! "Healthy" doesn't have to mean "boring" at all.

lilistrawberry

Hello @KaylaPinguill - your struggle sounds very familiar to me know that you are not alone and please don't feel like you failed before, because you have more experience now and I am sure that you can go back to where you were.
As estherdragon already said: "calories are king". I think most of us here have big problems with over-eating and portion control because, well, food is yummy and all kind of "cheat day food" is lying around the house.
On beginning of January, when I got back in track, I gradually made all the food go away that wouldn't fit in my meal plan anymore , for example by giving it to friends, throwing some away and also by eating some of it. In the end, nothing tempting was left in the house when I started the diet again.
This might be a personal preference, but I feel like it helps me to fix a date for the beginning of a weight loss journey that isn't "tomorrow" (why not start 1st of february?) and to use the time before to conciously but regretlessly enjoy all the food I will have to cut back on for one last time, while also getting prepared for the upcoming weight loss (e.g. buying mealprep boxes, starting a weightloss journal).
To make everything easier I have started meal prepping with my boyfriend two weeks ago and we are really thrilled about it because it may need some organisation and keeps us busy on sundays, but we don't have to cook a thing or go grocery shopping during the week! We agreed on cooking 4 different meals that we can alternate over the week. As we enjoy tasty food, we try making healthier versions of what we already love, for example by reducing or leaving away high-cal ingredients: I started making minced meat on my own as the store bought one has around 200kcal/100g while the self made leaner one has around 120kcal/100g (ergo I can eat more of it!), I use a steam cooker instead of frying food in a pan, I will switch up the ingredients for recipes in favour of less-calorie-dense food - for example for the fish chowder I make, I will put in more cod and shrimp than the more calorie-dense salmon, I will use milk instead or cream, or when we feel like having pulled pork, which is quite caloric, the portion of pulled pork will be smaller and I'll have a larger side of stuffing greens. On the beginning it's still a lot of counting and calculating calories, but you will quickly start having a feeling for it.
Here are examples of what we are eating, so that you can see that actually, it is not the boring chicken-broccoli-combo day in and out, but pretty tasty and fully homemade food:

Breakfast:
- Smoothie (300ml water, 120-150g frozen fruit like mango, mixed fruits etc., 30g vanilla protein powder) --> 205kcal
- 200g skyr or low-fat curd with 150g applesauce --> 220 kcal
- 250g cottage cheese, 200g tomato and balsamico vinegar --> 180 kcal

Meals:
- Fish (cod, salmon,...), ratatouille (a mix of zucchini, eggplant, tomato sauce, french spice mix from Provence, olive oil), coleslaw or cabbage salad --> 385 kcal with cod, 440 kcal with salmon
- Chili con Carne (100g meat per portion, self made spice mix, canned tomato sauce (sugarfree!), canned kidney beans, olive oil) --> 420 kcal
- Tuna patties (canned tuna, egg, a little coconut or regular flour, onions, garlic) with cauliflower and coleslaw --> 400 kcal
- Cabbage soup with minced meat --> 300 kcal
- Fish chowder (mainly cod and shrimp, a little salmon, some potatos) --> 350 kcal
- Meat balls or patties, potato puree, salad --> 400 kcal
- Pulled pork or turkey, corn, green beans --> 300 kcal
- Chicken or shrimp, baked or steamed sweet poato, fresh pineapple or green beans --> 310 kcal with 150g shrimp, 380 kcal with 150g chicken

Also, I eat 4 times a day, all 3 to 4 hours - breakfast around 9, lunch around 12, a snack (apple, cooked egg, etc - whatever matches my calorie count. The snack is a bit of a "fill up your calorie or macro count"-meal) and dinner around 7. This helps me greatly staying full and not having cravings for unhealthy stuff.

Finally, I think it is important not to restrict yourself too much. I have planned cheat meals. Why should I suffer and have nothing on a night out with friends on the weekend, on a birthday party etc.? But I still try making the healthier choices when I can. I will suggest being the driver so that I can dodge the alcohol calories, I will try and stop eating when I'm full, but I will surely not say no to dessert!

All the best!