Mad at myself. I need help!!

s50s
s50s Posts: 138 Member
I am really struggling to lose weight. I can have 2/3 good weeks like the last couple week. I lost 4 pounds. Then I have a couple of BAD days and I put that back on plus some. Can anyone help me to understand why this is happening. I crave chocolate sooo much. I am either on or off. No in between. I am also wondering how much lack of sleep has to do with this. I am up by 4:30 a.m. and go to bed around 9:00 but don't sleep good. Wake up 4/5 times a night because of shoulder pain. Please don't tell me I need to have willpower, because I don't know how to find it!! So frustrated right now
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Replies

  • khadijak17
    khadijak17 Posts: 393 Member
    unfortunately your going to have to want to lose weight and be dedicated to doing so, make sure you understand that you're not on a diet but changing your habits for a lifetime.
    You can still have chocolate, you can have anything as long as it fits into your macros.
    Take small steps and you will get better good luck :)
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    I do it too & I think for me I'm just slack....I get a loss or someone mentions I've lost weight & then it's BAM - something in my brain clicks over & I think it's ok to have a little bit of this & a little bit of that....
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Work the chocolate into your calorie goal. Problem solved. No more binging.
  • kriskris92
    kriskris92 Posts: 190 Member
    I've switched to dark chocolate. A couple pieces of that at night satisfies my sweet tooth and I can't eat too much of it because of the bitterness!
  • glitzy196
    glitzy196 Posts: 190 Member
    you can have roughly 30 chocolate chips depending on brand for 70 calories. why do you even have chocolate in your home or on your person..? if it is a problem eliminate it!!!

    tough love--weight loss really is a battle of willpower.

    fit it into your daily goals--and log your food!!!!
  • michelleintx
    michelleintx Posts: 24 Member
    I try and do some kind of trail mix with dark chocolate, nuts and fruit when I'm craving chocolate. Seems to work :-)
  • JoJo__Fit
    JoJo__Fit Posts: 258 Member
    Sleeping is so important, That's when you body is repairing itself and getting ready for the following day :) I guess that's an easy way to put it.

    Important things to keep in mind that actually has help me stay on 100% On

    1. Always hydrate yourself first when you feel the need to hit the kitchen, most of the time you can confuse thirst for hunger.

    2. You have to be creative in the kitchen. ( I have to always look up on a daily basis for new meal ideas).

    3. You have to want it bad enough. If you don't feel that urge to want it bad enough, make yourself :) Motivate yourself (Write a list of why you want to lose weight). That's what has worked for me in the past, Also I would try on something I would never wear and I hated myself for it when I looked in the mirror and I set a goal to look good in it. So I would buy it and 3 months later, I rocked it :)

    4. Trader Joe's has this dark chocolate 50% cacao, that is called Simply Lite. It's low carb, sugar free, gluten free and No trans fat that always does the trick for me. It taste like milk chocolate :) doesn't have that bitter taste that dark chocolate does :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    It's simple. If you really WANT to lose weight, you are going to find a way to keep your calorie intake to a healthy and sustainable level.

    Anyone can workout for an hour. Controlling what goes in your mouth the other 23 hours is the real hard work.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    don't deprive yourself. get some small chocolates and allow yourself one or two a day. put the rest in a cupboard out of reach. LOG your food.

    this is a long haul not a short jaunt. I have a square or two of chocolate daily. once or twice a week I have half a bottle of wine.

    it's a lifestyle.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    You lose 4 pounds in 2 weeks and then gain more than 4 pounds back in a couple of days? It sounds like it's not fat loss and gain, but something else. It could very well be water, glycogen stores, etc.

    Make a plan to stick with for at least a month. Look at your calorie goals and make sure you aren't being too aggressive (51 years old, 1450 calories a day … looks good on the surface at least, so that's good :wink:) Plan out what a few days will look like. Make sure you are getting vegetables, fruits, protein, and possibly whole grains (some people will tell you yes, some no on that … I don't cut them out, but it's up to you) then see where you can add in a few treats. You mentioned chocolate (I love it too!!) Try allowing yourself I small chocolate treat daily -- dark chocolate in small amounts can be very satisfying. If you mess up, just move on and stick with the plan for the whole month and see how you feel. (EDIT: also pay attention to serving size!!)

    Also, add in exercise and eat back those calories. A brisk 30 minute walk could give you 150-300 more calories (depending on your speed, your size, etc). Exercise may also help curb some of the impulses to overeat.

    Drink plenty of water. Water is good for your body. And again, it may curb some of those impulses to overeat (and sometimes thirst disguises itself as hunger).

    Just remember, it's not about not falling down. It's about getting back up and moving forward one more time and one more time and one more time.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Diamond_lucy
    Diamond_lucy Posts: 89 Member
    I do it too & I think for me I'm just slack....I get a loss or someone mentions I've lost weight & then it's BAM - something in my brain clicks over & I think it's ok to have a little bit of this & a little bit of that....

    I used to do that too, in fact, it got so bad I was paronoid about weighing as I knew if I had lost weight I would eat crisps and chocs wiping out any loss.
    Thankfully this time around I have got my head around the good aspects of losing weight and feel stronger in my resolve. I'm convinced I was just scared of losing weight. Weird .....:huh:
  • I had that same problem for sooooo long...............I finally just gave up and ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and as much as I wanted. I am an emotional eater and there is enough stress in my days to justify the "need to feed" almost constantly. Finally, I woke up out of an ice cream, sugar, burger and fries, fried everything, donut, etc, etc. induced coma enough to realize the harm that I was doing my body, mind, soul, and spirit. On that day I realized I was FED UP with being fat and that there was NOTHING that wasn't worth giving up in the pursuit of a new healthy, skinny me!! Now there is no middle ground. It is all or nothing!! I am a foodaholic so a "little bit" of this and that as I am frequently told by those around me that I can have and lose weight is definitely not alright for me. No cheating for me because one slip will send me down the road of no return into the land of "if it tastes good eat it" and totally derail me. This is truly, as someone else said, a new life, not a diet plan. There is nothing that tastes as good a being skinny (and healthy) feels!!!! I hope you do really well with your weight loss and that you will come to believe that nothing can stand in your way if you area REALLY ready to change your life.
  • One more thing, if you are addicted to food like I am, a food related reward is NOT what you need when you have success. Reward yourself for success in non-food ways such as a manicure, a new piece of clothes, a new book, or anything that you like and makes you feel good as long as it is NOT FOOD!!!!
  • That happened to me too, I exercise and eat healthy five days a week, but then Id go visit my family on the weekend who are all obese and love to eat whether it be emotionally or not. Last weekend was my last time going to visit them for a while. I just work too hard all week long to let myself join in on the food fest and then get down on myself every sunday. My boyfriend who is all about fitness and health has given me the tough love I needed to make this decision. Good luck on the will power, it has taken me about a month to finally say enough. Its hard, but I see results every week and then bam there gone. I want to keep seeing results so I need to keep doing what im doing and not break it for a weekend. Good Luck:)
  • j3bean
    j3bean Posts: 24 Member
    Lack of quality of sleep could definitely be the culprit. Perhaps you would do best to address why you are in so much night time pain. Perhaps you need a new mattress? When you get a few solid nights of sleep you may see an improvement. I know from experience that a few nights of not sleeping well will trash my ability to resist treats. Makes sense since willpower requires energy, and if you have no energy then willpower goes out the window which is why you reach for the sweets- for more energy.

    Good luck!
  • shamrock9010
    shamrock9010 Posts: 3 Member
    I was having trouble eating chocolate and just more food then I could burn, but ya chocolate is a lot of peoples weakness. I had lost 50pds and then I had a series of unfortunate events happen to my family and I gained it back because I turned to food for comfort. I couldn't seem to get myself motivated to even start dieting, but then I read something on a friends facebook. It said, "GET DETERMINED!! Nobody achieves their dreams, sort of going for it." Throw out the goodies and be realistic with yourself. I work for heart doctors and everyday I see people really out of shape with major heart problems. I don't want to suffer the way I see those people suffer and neither do you. You don't appreciate your health until you don't have it anymore. Once you have a heart attack or stroke then it's a 1000 times harder to recover your health. My Dad had a stroke in his 50's and he was really overweight...he died in a nursing home unable to move at age 67. He was trapped, confined inside his weight....that's not going to be me. You've got to make a choice, make your decision of how you want to live this life. Get busy living or get busy dying.
  • NatalieHutt
    NatalieHutt Posts: 1 Member
    My inspiration is always that number on the scale and the fact that I'm out of breath during a normal walk with my dogs. I've started and stopped too many times since I joined. Finally saw that number on the scale that scares me, so starting again. What helps me more than anything is logging everything I eat. It's amazing to see how such little things add up quickly and there are SO many other better choices out there. Chin up and believe in yourself.
  • Bj0223
    Bj0223 Posts: 133 Member
    It's simple. If you really WANT to lose weight, you are going to find a way to keep your calorie intake to a healthy and sustainable level.

    Anyone can workout for an hour. Controlling what goes in your mouth the other 23 hours is the real hard work.

    Awesome note!
  • s50s
    s50s Posts: 138 Member
    Lack of quality of sleep could definitely be the culprit. Perhaps you would do best to address why you are in so much night time pain. Perhaps you need a new mattress? When you get a few solid nights of sleep you may see an improvement. I know from experience that a few nights of not sleeping well will trash my ability to resist treats. Makes sense since willpower requires energy, and if you have no energy then willpower goes out the window which is why you reach for the sweets- for more energy.

    Good luck!
    '

    I have tendonitis, and when I roll over it hurts.
  • goldengirl111
    goldengirl111 Posts: 684 Member
    I'm upset too!:blushing:
  • SurfyFriend
    SurfyFriend Posts: 362 Member
    I find that the more greens i get, the less chocolate cravings i have. Magnesium anyone?
  • SmarTam
    SmarTam Posts: 35 Member
    It's simple. If you really WANT to lose weight, you are going to find a way to keep your calorie intake to a healthy and sustainable level.

    Anyone can workout for an hour. Controlling what goes in your mouth the other 23 hours is the real hard work.

    Awesome note!
    Thats it. Sums it up!
  • maryann9wood
    maryann9wood Posts: 75 Member
    This is a great web-site. YOU are not using it. You are not logging food. Oh yeah, I see you log some calorie burn occasionally. That's not how it works. I know it does work - I have lost an average of 1 1/4 pounds per week since January. I love chocolate - but 6 Brookside pomegranate drops will do it. Once in a while I have a brownie or a chocolate chip cookie. I don't waste calories on Chips Ahoy or anything not fabulous. You can do this - but do it right - it only works that way.
  • maryann9wood
    maryann9wood Posts: 75 Member
    Oh, by the way - I'm 50, I have a bad back, and my mother died last December. Just get started!
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
    Not sleeping well, craving chocolate, not being able to control your eating. These things all go together and are not just coincedence. If you have vitamin and mineral deficiences, and/or hormonal imbalances, I don't care how much will power you have, it will let you down eventually. The key to losing weight and staying at a healthy weight is not being tough or strong but getting healthy. Chocolate cravings and trouble sleeping could be an adrenal problem, or estrogen dominance could be causing a deficiency of magnesium. A deficiency of magnesium will cause chocolate cravings. One symptom of having estrogen dominace is having difficult periods.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I would bet a lot of it is psychological.

    If you lose 4 pounds in 2-3 weeks, it's damn near impossible to gain 4 pounds in one week. You'd need to eat about 14,000 calories over your maintenance amount to actually put on that much fat.

    What's probably happening is that you lose a couple pounds, possibly by over-restricting yourself, then because you've felt deprived, have a bit of a binge. Then your body retains a couple pounds of fluid from extra carbs it's not used to, and you think, "Ah, crap. I blew it and gained it all back," and feel defeated, when you didn't really gain it all back. You didn't fail, but you think you failed, which is just as bad.

    Try more moderation. Make sure your calories are set appropriately (ie, to lose .5 to 1 pound a week), eat most of your exercise calories, and be sure to work in some treats into your meal plan so you don't feel deprived and cave.

    I like having a couple of fun-sized candy bars a day. I look forward to them, I stick with just one or two (maybe three) and it's about 150 calories. Sometimes, when I can find them for a good price, I have a chocolately protein bar instead. Still satisfies my chocolate cravings, while giving me a little extra nutrition.
  • Maryaly40
    Maryaly40 Posts: 551 Member
    It's simple. If you really WANT to lose weight, you are going to find a way to keep your calorie intake to a healthy and sustainable level.

    Anyone can workout for an hour. Controlling what goes in your mouth the other 23 hours is the real hard work.

    I agree 150%!!! Controlling your food intake is the most difficult!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You didn't gain 4 pounds in a few days unless you consumed 3,500 x 4 calories more than your maintenance cals in that time. Perhaps you did. But it's a lot. So if your maintenance calories are 2,000 for example, then you ate 5,500 for 4 days.

    I doubt you really did that. But, what you ate may have been heavy in sodium which would cause you to gain water weight.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    4. Trader Joe's has this dark chocolate 50% cacao, that is called Simply Lite. It's low carb, sugar free, gluten free and No trans fat that always does the trick for me. It taste like milk chocolate :) doesn't have that bitter taste that dark chocolate does :)

    I have actually tried this delicious chocolate, it is amazing, so +1 on this ;)

    They also have seaweed snacks with salt, if you're feeling like having something different :)