Restrictive Dieting?

bidingmytime

I just wanted to ask the community here if they've found that the *only* way to lose weight and keep it off is to have very regimented, restrictive, and repetitive planned meals each and every day?

Also, my other question is: If you've always lived to eat, what have you done to fill in the gaps of no longer focusing on food every day? What have you discovered about yourselves by shifting to a mindset of "eating to live?"

tinkerbellang83

The only way to lose weight and keep it off, is to find a method that keeps you consistently in a calorie deficit and is sustainble long term, it also ideally needs to be a method you can carry on with into maintenance.

Admittedly, I didn't keep my weight off for a long time, just 18 months, but that was down to increased work stress triggering my binge eating and me losing all interest in keeping the weight off. I've found being regimented and restrictive to be a poor plan when trying to lose weight, because then I start craving foods that "I can't have" and leading to yo-yo dieting. So if I fancied pizza, I planned for pizza and nothing was off the menu so to speak.

I did plan my meals and continue to do so, but I am also flexible with those plans, and I find this to be far more successful. I found it important to remember That I shouldn't punish myself if I lapse and make a poor choice/binge, as that pushes me deeper into a binge/restrict cycle.

I still focus on food, probably more than other people do, but I feel now I have a better relationship with it. Instead of just thinking about what I want to eat to distract me from whatever I am stressing about, I now think about how I am going to get more fruit and veg into my meals, how I can increase my protein intake, etc and better fuel my body.

I still binge from time-to-time and I took a step back from weight loss the last few months to focus on fixing the mindset I have around my work-stress to reduce my binge eating rather than just trying to deal with the symptom of weight gain/lack of loss.

herblovinmom

So, for myself, I struggle with losing weight, even when in a calorie deficit. Instead of focusing on weight loss I changed my focus to Health. I have some health issues and sugar and gluten require me to avoid certain foods and restrict my eating. I took a Noom course to figure out why I eat the way I do and learn to change my habits. I would say it was successful. Of course I struggle sometimes but that’s life. I learned how to evaluate my food desires and replace them the appropriate alternative. Sometimes I still eat crap, but I’m mostly mindful about when and why I’m eating crap. It’s a choice now rather than an uncontrolled action. I plan meals cause I have a family. I often eat last nights dinner for breakfast and so on. If I need a snack sometimes I will make dinner early or I will eat a fruit or something else healthy within my food budget. I no longer binge at night. That was my trigger. I go to bed earlier to prevent that trigger. If I can’t sleep right away I exercise in my room or read the news in my phone. Something away from the kitchen 😉 you gotta find what works for you. And most importantly you need to know your “why”.

ladyzherra

Hey there. I struggle with emotional eating, food addiction, and binge eating. I have found that rigidity is not the answer for me. It may "solve" the problem of eating too many calories, but it does not actually solve the underlying problem associated with all of these things for me.

My goal has always been to be fluid and empowered when it comes to overcoming my problems. Natural. Easy.

To achieve that, I've had to examine the underlying reasons that I have these issues and addressed THEM. With time and commitment, it is working. But the issues are big, and so addressing them is big, too.

I have tried restriction and regiment. It "worked," but I also began counting my breaths, just as example of how obsessive it became for me. Not a path I would recommend.

alligatorob

bidingmytime wrote: »

I just wanted to ask the community here if they've found that the *only* way to lose weight and keep it off is to have very regimented, restrictive, and repetitive planned meals each and every day?

Also, my other question is: If you've always lived to eat, what have you done to fill in the gaps of no longer focusing on food every day? What have you discovered about yourselves by shifting to a mindset of "eating to live?"

Good questions, my answer to number 1 is yeah, pretty much. I have gotten better at finding variety and have less repetition, but so far my only success has been with a regimented restrictive diet. I carefully count and control calories. Nothing else has worked for me.

Number 2 is a tough one, I fill my days, but I still have a hole where the eating used to be. It was entertainment, social lubrication, and drug all in one. I have not really replaced that, but am trying.