First week hard

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alexcope1
alexcope1 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
This is my first week day 4 and it’s hard. No alcohol and half the food :#
Has anyone got any advice to make life easier on a diet over the next few months ?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Why have you gone so drastic? What are your stats?
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    If it is so hard it is unsustainable long term. My suggestion is to start small, making changes you know you can stick with long term. You are better off losing weight slowly and keeping it off rather than quickly and regaining because you made changes you could not stick with.
  • jdubois5351
    jdubois5351 Posts: 460 Member
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    The most important thing for me was to not view it as a diet. A diet in the classic sense is not sustainable. You need to make serious life style changes, if you want to lose weight AND keep it off.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    As others say, maybe you have made some drastic calorie cuts that aren't sustainable or even necessary?

    However, the start of any eating in calorie deficit takes a bit of getting used to - we're used to eating more so our tummy's protest, but it will get easier.
  • skinnyone2012
    skinnyone2012 Posts: 85 Member
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    The reason I do low carb, is because I can eat if I am hungry. I have tried almost every diet out there and just cant last long if I cant eat when I am hungry.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
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    Do you plan on never drinking alcohol every again?
    Do you plan to eat 'half meals' and consequently being hungry (and no doubt miserable) for the rest of your life?

    If you answered 'no' to either of those questions then unfortunately you're likely aiming for short term success but ultimately, setting yourself up for failure.

    One of the biggest differences for me this time round which has helped me stick with it longer than a month or two and gain the success I have (9 months and 36kg/80lb lost with about another 20kg/45lb to go) is that with every change I make I ask myself the question 'Is this forever'. If I can't honestly answer that question 'yes' then I don't make that change and look for something else or amend the change so that it IS something I can do 'forever'

    To give you a couple of examples.
    - "I'm gonna cut out pizza" (forever?), "No, but I can choose a thin crust pizza and maybe eat a slice or two less so that it fits into my calorie target"
    - "I'm not gonna drink alcohol anymore" (what? Never?), "No, but I can monitor my alcohol consumption and log my drinks so that I stay within my calorie target OR ", No, but I'm going out this weekend so I'll try and bank some extra calories during the week so I can drink them while I'm out"
    - "I'm gonna have 3 meal replacement shakes every day" (forever?), "No, but I can add meal replacement shakes to my normal eating habits so that they're useful when I'm short on time or just want something super quick"
    - "I'm gonna join a gym and lift 4 days a week" (forever?), "No, probably not, I really don't enjoy the gym environment but I like cycling and can do bodyweight exercises at home so I'll do that instead"
    - "I'm only gonna "eat clean" and avoid processed foods" (forever?) "HA! get real idiot. Think of something else =)"

    A sensible and most importantly sustainable approach beats a drastic short term change everytime. Remember this isn't a race and there (usually) aren't any deadlines.

    G'luck.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    It's not necessary to cut out alcohol, or anything else, to lose weight. It's all about the number of calories you consume. I don't know exactly how much 1/2 the food you normally eat is, but if you're trying for too drastic of a calorie deficit, you risk not being able to sustain your weight loss, and derailing yourself.

    Other than that, hang in there, you can do this!

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