In need of advice/encouragement, anything. Just help.

nevergiveup66

I've been trying since I was 16 to lose weight. I noticed a cycle. I do really good for about a week or two eating fruits and salads, veggies and protein. Cutting out sweets, fast food and junk. I shed off a bunch of weight and then. I start to crave stuff. First it's something little. Like a cookie. Then it turns in to two. Then I crave fast food. I start out just having something maybe once a week. Then it turns in to almost every night but a couple. Then I get depressed. I get mad at myself. I start to hate myself because whatever weight I just lost, I gained back most of it. Then I get discouraged and I binge. I probably had about 4 cupcakes, 1 ice cream bar, a bunch of chocolate and even now while writing this post I'm thinking about getting up and going and getting McDonald's. I know the risks of my obesity. (Highest weight 350) I'm sick of the way my body feels because of my weight. I just feel like there's no hope. I feel like I'm going to be big forever.

Jruzer

There is hope, and a way to break the cycle!

Count your calories, eat at a moderate deficit, and allow yourself to have occasional (even daily!) indulgences as you lose weight. You don't have to give up sweets, fast food, and "junk". Just have less of them, and fit them in (when you can) to your daily eating plan.

This was the huge revelation for me - you can do this in a reasonable way that allows you to eat and live like a human, without forcing you to deprive yourself of everything you love.

Set up your goals in MFP to lose a reasonable amount - say a pound a week - and just eat within your calorie budget.

You can do it!

snowflake954

Well, I would say that this happens because you are not changing your eating habits for life. You are dieting. So change your mindset. You need to eat in a way that you can sustain for years. Start by plugging your stats into MFP. Get your daily calorie goal. Get a digital food scale. Start weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink. Stay within your calorie goal everyday. This means that you can eat the foods you love, as long as you can fit them in. You'll find that fruits and vegetables have less calories and you'll start eating more of those. This is a learning curve. You'll have to adjust as you go along. Take your measurements and keep a journal. It'll keep your spirits up later when you get tired, because you can visually see your progress. Good luck.

Panini911

it's good to realize you need to try something different, a great start.

I agree with jruzer above. stop cutting out all the food you like and eating typical "diet food". eat food you like in moderation. put in your info in MFP and it will recommend a calorie goal for the recommended rate of loss.

pick a reasonable rate of loss. something you can stick to, not a goal to lose as much as fast that is too hard to maintain over time.\

I successfully lost weight eating chocolate daily and ZERO salads!

here are two threads to read to get you started
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1399829/step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-with-myfitnesspal

and here is a post with a longer list of articles to help get you going
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

csplatt

I can relate to this. If I have one day that I give in to the chips or eat a large meal out, etc. I end up completely falling off the wagon because one cheat leads to another. I don't think you're holding out long enough to see results. If you can have more will power that lasts 8 weeks, for example, and stick to the program exactly for that long, you may be so excited by losing a few pounds that it motivates you to continue. The treats are no longer worth it. For me, getting past the first two to three weeks is the hardest. My hunger levels have to adjust, maybe there's something to be said about an expanded stomach shrinking a bit (i don't even know if that's a thing), etc. So I'd say log ahead of time what you want to eat during the day and stick to it -- and don't give in.

HeliumIsNoble

Don't beat yourself up.

This is a turning point for you. Many, many people have done exactly the same as you, over and over and over again.

Try something different. Plan your meals for tomorrow with dessert included in the plan.

cmunson1983

So...I am going to tell my story because when I was on the same cycle, it was other people's experiences that got me thinking and then doing.

Let me start off by saying I am on week six of this journey and have lost 11lbs, but I AM STILL GOING STRONG. That's impressive to me because I WAS LIVING THE SAME CYCLE. I could go a week of dieting, then the cravings slowly took over and by week 3-4, I was totally off the wagon. So, to be at week six and going strong is amazing to me, and I feel like I've finally broken the cycle this time. These have been my progressive realizations that have helped me get here:

1. I realized dieting won't fix the problem. Dieting implies it's temporary, which only temporarily fixes the problem. I needed to make changes that are sustainable for the long haul.
2. Restricting the *types* of food I can eat makes me crave them more, which leads to binging...sometimes on the food, sometimes on other foods trying resist the urge, and sometimes both. So, I don't restrict the types of food I can eat. I eat ice cream, Taco Bell, french fries, etc.
3. If I wasn't going to restrict the types of foods I was eating, I would have to restrict the *amount* of food I was eating. Enter MFP. I started with my goal at a 1lb a week loss. Then, once I realized I could lose weight by just managing the amount of food, I bumped it up 1.5lbs a week. At 1.5lbs a week, I sometimes go over, so...
4. Pre-logging is SOOOOOO important for managing my total intake. If I know I want Chipotle for lunch, I've got to log it in the morning so I am aware of how many calories I have left for the day. I have found that if I just eat the one thing I really want that day, I'm fine not eating much else or eating "diet foods" the rest of the day.
5. Finally, seeing some success has allowed me some perspective I've never had. Not every single day is going to be perfect and for the first time, I'm okay with that. This journey is about progress, not perfection.

Lillymoo01

If I had to give up foods I enjoyed there is no way I'd have lost the weight I did and kept it off. I worked out how much food I needed a day to lose weight at the desired rate and I ate that amount of food. This included weighing EVERYTHING that was solid included prepackaged food which can often weigh more than indicated on the packaging.
Sure there are foods I used to eat regularly that I no longer do but that is because I have decided that the enjoyment I get from eating that food isn't worth it compared to the calories it contains.
If you do decide to make any changes to the foods you are eating do it slowly, one food at a time, rather than all at once.

kabrina30

It helps to remember this ... Doing it slowly, in the ways the above people are saying, kinda sucks. And it takes time and it takes patience. But it works.

However, doing it the slow way for a long time is still faster than doing it the fast way for a few weeks and quitting. Be kind to yourself and stay patient. Trust the process. It works.

kirstyfoy

As everyone has said don't diet. Log your calories for what you do eat and try to stay in defect. Are you exercising? Doing some weights will help tone and cardio will allow you a few extra calories on the days you need more x

robynrae_1

First thing log your food, even if it makes you cringe a little, knowledge is power.

Second start with small changes. How about instead of all salad and veggies every day. How about one serving of veggies every day? And maybe a 5 minute walk?

Phirrgus

I have nothing to add to the great advice in this thread but a bit of encouragement - everyone here started from somewhere they didn't want to be. Read the threads posted above, ask tons of questions, and keep coming back.

Wishing you the best

Dgil1975

Just to echo, I think there are many great offerings of advice on here. I agree that it really does come down to lifestyle change and not dieting, as diet is a temporary action to meet a long term goal, which turns into a temporary action with temporary results.

Don’t beat yourself up on falling off, the most important point is getting back up, and continue the journey. Also know your limitations. There are many people on here that have been super successful with having things like chocolate and occasional fast food in there life, you may not be one of those people. I know myself, things like chocolate and fast food were like an addiction for me, I mean I just craved it constantly, so I don’t partake in that at all right now. Maybe one day I will feel comfortable allowing myself those indulgences from time to time, but I don’t trust myself to have that in my life right now. When I want something sweet I eat fruit, or a sweet potato.

Hope this helps, and good luck on your journey.

IsETHome

The portion size is important. Buy a scale, and a good set of measuring cups (I prefer the metal with the mark on the inside for size). Write EVERYTHING down in your log. Even that mint you had from the candy dish, or packet of sauce. You will be surprised on what adds up, and quickly make other choices. For example, a Chick-filla sauce packet for special sauce is 140 calories. Ya - no thanks. I'd rather use hotsauce, with 5 cals in it.

IsETHome

Oh, and based on your self-assessment, I recommend you work with a professional wellness coach (not a gym coach necessarily), but one you can work through specific goals and get past challenges. Note, I eat almost everything, but it is "portion" that is the key, as well as balanced. Eating salad a week straight would be difficult for almost anyone I think.

ConfidentRaven

I had the same issues and there are few diets that I haven’t tried, but 99% of them lasted less than a week. My longest (before now) was about a month sort of doing Jenny Craig, but only because I worked there! My highest weight was 382 pounds and I finally realized that I needed to make some serious changes.

In addition to the wonderful advice of not viewing this as a diet, but a lifestyle change, I advise to take it slowly. Make small changes over a few weeks, for example this is what I did:

Week 1 cut out sugary drinks and replace with water or unsweetened tea (keeps the migraines from dropping soda down) log everything you think you eat

Week 2 find out your calorie goal, stop getting seconds, measure and log what you actually eat (a huge eye opener for me), try to stay in your calorie goal

Week 3 start meal planning to stay in calorie goal, add in more nutrient rice foods (read veggies for me), add in 3x a week of exercise that I enjoy

Week 4 begin to identify foods or times of day that you over eat, develope a plan that makes you happy (repeat as needed)

I’m starting week 8, 22 pounds down and I still work on both weekly and monthly non scale goals. This is the most weight I’ve ever purposely lost and the longest I’ve stuck to any changes. Hang in there you have this.