Umpteenth time trying to lose weight - need tips and motivation!

taylorsuddreth

My name is Taylor. I am 26 and a mom of two kids 3 and under. I work full time. I have been overweight all my life and have never successfully been able to lose weight and keep it off. I deal with depression and anxiety and just the chaos of everyday makes me turn to food. Ireally want to be successful this time to be healthier and happier for my kids. If anyone has any tips for me I am welcome to any and all!

SoleTrainer60

My dear Taylor, you sound just like one of our daughters. Life can be very stressful. She and her husband have 2 children ages 4 and 5, plus they each have a full time job.Many times she gets stressed, which causes her to want to eat for comfort. She has battled being over weight for quite sometime. I tell her to take a day at a time. You, as well as she, can do this. Your stories sound so much alike. She wants to feel better, so she can enjoy doing things with her kids. Is there any way you can take your little ones for walks, like a playground or inside gym. It wouldn’t have to be long walks, perhaps on weekends once in a while. Just getting away from the house for a few minutes helps. I will keep you in my prayers. 😊

moogie_fit

best luck, even if you fall of ff the wagon please keep coming back and dont giveup

llevesque16

Hi Taylor
I am in the same boat
I have tried everything and still can’t get the weight off
I need to lose about 50 lbs
I lead a super busy life with shift work
I’m a stress eater
I will keep you posted
Hopefully counting calories everyday will help
I have a doctor friend that lost 70 lbs just by counting and he recommend this app
Good luck
Counting works you just need to be honest everyday !

estherdragonbat

"Stolen waters are sweet". In other words, if you consider certain foods you love to be "forbidden", they have a way of calling out to you. I found that for me, when I got started (114 lbs over a healthy weight), I made two major changes:

1. Limited homemade desserts to 200 calories or fewer per serving
2. Walked at least 25 minutes daily

When I knew I was going into a social setting where there would be food, I logged in advance what I planned to have. I go to synagogue weekly. There's a refreshments buffet after services. I KNEW that if I skipped it entirely, I'd "reward" myself by eating a bigger lunch and then raiding the leftovers from the fridge. I also knew that if I promised myself I'd stick to the fruit and veggie platters and ignore the cookies and pastries and kugels, sooner or later, I'd weaken and then the guilt would get me locked into a spiral. I'm an emotional eater. Eat something high-cal, feel guilty, eat more, feel guiltier, etc etc. So, my first Sabbath on plan, I sat down and asked myself, "What will it take for you to feel you had a bit of a treat? What do you 'need' so you won't feel deprived?" And I thought that if I could have 2 pieces of potato kugel and a 3" frosted shortbread, I could pass up the rest or leave. Turned out that those items came to just under 400 calories. I decided it was worth it, I logged it and... somehow I got the treat minus the sides of guilt and negative thinking that had always come free with the food. I do that now for birthday parties, meals out, etc.

I'm not going to say that my emotional eating has been cured, but pre-logging has helped me get a handle on it.

Over time, my exercise has increased. I've put more effort into getting protein and iron. I've learned the foods that keep me fuller, and I've opted for more nutrient-dense snacks. Roasted chickpeas instead of Veggie straws. Fiber One bars instead of regular cookies. Fruit. But sometimes, I really just want a chocolate bar and I make room for it.

Thing is, it all started with plugging my stats into MFP, eating the calories it told me to, and a couple of small changes I could handle from the get-go.