THIS IS HARD!

peaceout_aly

joecooler wrote: »

Hello. I am not dieting. I have dieted in the past, and always regained the weight. I am making lifestyle changes - changing my relationship w/food, changing what and how I eat, and being more active. I've been doing this maybe 6 weeks now and have lost around 10-12 pounds (depends on the day). My goal is to lose 50-60 pounds so clothes will fit better and so I can be more active doing all the things I love - hiking, cycling, skiing, etc. I am pleased w/my success and willing to be patient and lose the weight slowly. I feel better and already feel my clothes fitting better. I am able to be more active than I was just six weeks ago.

But

THIS IS HARD!!! I miss the food that I love - pizza, ice cream, fast food burgers and fries, etc etc etc. I thought it would get easier but in some ways it's getting harder. I have been successful at eliminating some things from my routine completely - no more afternoon candy, no more fast food, no more pizza (for now) - but sometimes I slip, and it seems I pay such a high price for it - an entire weeks hard work erased by a single burger on the grill, or a late binge on salted nuts. How is this possible? Do I really have to be perfect to lose weight? And if so, how does one adjust to a life w/out all the foods you love?

1. ...an entire week's hard work erased by a single burger on the grill, or a late binge on salted nuts. How is this possible? I'm sure someone already said it, but I promise all of your work is not wiped away in one sitting..although it may feel like it afterwards. Did you lose this weight by eating one healthy meal? No. And I promise you won't gain it all back because of one meal either. Especially not a single burger or some nuts. A lot of the weight afterwards is literally crap within your body that you'll get rid of in 1-3 days, water retention due to sodium, etc. I eat VERY strictly. Measure and weigh every piece of food that passes through my mouth because I'm currently on prep. This past weekend, I hit a DL and squat PR on a single day, followed by a bench PR the next
and went 12 straight days of full lift sessions and extended cardio. I decided I needed to let loose for my own well being, mind set and to fuel those muscles, so I did an experiment. I weighed in at 113.4 lbs. on Thursday night. After a large dinner Friday, a big slice of pizza, stromboli & a full pint of Enlightened on Sunday (keep in mind I tracked everything else), I weighed in at 119.4 lbs. on Sunday night. Fast forward to today and I'm down to 114.2. Not sabotage. Totally healthy and normal and okay. This is a lifestyle.
2. Do I really have to be perfect to lose weight? NO! Not at all. Everyone fudges up sometimes. People go on vacation and skip work outs and drink & eat with no limits. Wanna know what you do? Let yourself have that little mini break if you deserve it and then come home and get right back on the band wagon. A lot of people who compete take 1-2 full months off in order to keep their mental sanity and a good relationship with food. It's okay to not be 100% on point at all times.
3. How does one adjust to a life without all the foods you love? No reason to live without foods you love. What are some foods that you're currently having issues with? My one love is cereal. I know I won't give it up, so I pre-log it. I highly suggest pre-logging if going out to eat or to a social setting. If it fits your macros, you can eat it...and anything can fit your macros in moderation.

moodybear2003

hipari wrote: »

Yeah... more of the same, but here’s some tricks and my thought process: if I’m not prepared to give up something for the rest of my life, I’m not giving it up in order to lose weight. This is the rest of my life.

This is the way I've been approaching it, and I agree with everyone else. The trick is balance. Not everyone can find good balance, and that takes hard mental work. There was a time I couldn't give up cherry pepsi. I just couldn't. I tried cold turkey 3 times. I slowly started replacing it with a zero calorie fizzy drink (sparkling ices), and now, I have one only once a week. I allow myself 1/2 to 1 full Sparkling ice, everything else is low-to-no sugar iced tea I make myself or water. It is like a treat to have that Cherry Pepsi, and much sweeter than I remember when i drank 2 to 3 a day.

If we're having pizza, I have one slice, maybe two, and then something else healthy if i'm hungry. Not half a pizza like before. It is hard. It takes dedication. But fitting them in keeps me from binging. It's a mental thing of "you don't have to scarf it down like you'll never have it again. Go slow and enjoy, and know you will have it again at some later date"

Optasia

I LOVE reading that other people are doing what I do! I still eat some of the same food...just LESS of it. For me, this lifestyle change is about moderation...instead of eating every meal like its my last...I know I’ll be eating again soon and will never starve. Lol. I’m down 38pnds.

I eat approx. 1400 calories a day. I walk approx 5miles a day and probably have a 350 cal breakfast sandwich most days. I also make room for a treat here and there and have a hamburger once a week.

You are doing well! Your weight loss is fabulous, but it IS HARD, but one day it will be HABIT. I’m learning to go with what I know (my plan), and not by how I feel. Some days I feel like giving up...which would be ridiculous because I’m almost half way to my goal.

We can do this!!

On a side note: I once lost 80pnds by eating one 250-300 calorie treat a day. Seriously. I read an article in Readers Digest and it was something that worked for me. To make room for that chocolate treat (that’s my “thing”), I ate very healthily the rest of the day. I planned all of my others meals, measured everything, ate all my favorite meals, but less of it.