Working out isn't the problem, FOOD is the problem

fragileelegance

Is anyone else having a really hard time, and I mean REALLY hard time sticking to a good, healthy diet? I seem to do okay during the week but when the weekend comes I crave junk food and alcohol and now it's become a vicious cycle every week. A lot of times I feel hungry but people tell me it's just a mind thing.

Is there anyone else out there that can relate? You go hard at the gym but food is your weakness and you can't seem to lose weight?

Does anyone have any tips on how to stop cravings? I'm sick of this battle with food and I wondering if anyone can relate

VegasFit

That's me! I really just have to plan and not have anything unhealthy in my house helps me. Weekends are hard for me too. I find that with the workouts I'm doing lately it helps keep me on track too because I will feel like crap otherwise and not be able to perform how I want.

karlospiklington

As someone who used to eat a lot of sugar and gained weight from it, I find the trick is not to cut things out entirely but to find healthier alternatives. Usually they are a lower calorie hit so you can eat a couple of servings and not feel deprived. Plus any calories you save you can use to have a bit of the more indulgent foods you want.

I wish there were an easy answer but for me it's just been about forming habits. Maybe try to spread your treats through the week in smaller portions so that you won't feel like eating so much more on the weekends.

Cindyinpg

Have the food you love in moderation, within your calorie goal, and ideally while hitting your protein, fat, fiber and micronutrient goals. Exercise for fitness (and to be able to eat more:bigsmile: ) and weight train to maintain lean muscle mass. Do not deprive yourself. I can say no to a morning donut, if I know I can have ice cream every night.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Fullsterkur_woman

Yep, so I found a calorie limit I could stick with. It seems to be my maintenance calories too, so my weight loss is stopped, but I'm ok with that. I'm focused on getting really strong, so that's more important to me than losing weight right now. Focusing on one thing allows me to work toward my goal.

cwolfman13

I guess it depends on what you idea of healthy eating is. For a lot of people that means it pretty much has to be void of taste and or consist of sticks of celery. If that's the case, you're always going to struggle. I'm a foodie and I eat primarily nutrient dense, healthy food and prepare most of my meals from scratch ingredients...they are incredible and delicious...I therefore have not issue eating "healthy"...which BTW also includes getting in a requisite amount of dietary fat (another thing "dieters" commonly try to eliminate).

Beyond that, I maintained a reasonable calorie restriction of about 500 calories per day to lose about 1 Lb and then dialed that back to 250 calories per day as I approached maintenance. I found that to be fairly easy and not all that restrictive considering MFP allotted more calories when I worked out...I easily grossed 2200 calories per day with exercise to lose about 1 Lb per week.

spoiledpuppies

I'm a major rule follower, so the idea of going over keeps me from making bad decisions. I find that firmly making one big decision each morning--that I won't go over--makes the small decisions easier. (It also helps that I barely drink, so I don't have booze competing for calories!)

acogg

I learned this from a MFP poster last year: Eat more protein and whole seeds. After about a week of doing that, my empty hungries went away. I was eating so little protein that I had to use a protein powder supplement until I was able manage my protein intake. I got my whole seeds from a "healthier" bread that was loaded with whole seeds. Protein is slower release energy and whole seeds are complex, taking longer to digest. Good luck to you and congrats on your 25 lb. loss!

ndj1979

I drink a few times a week…if I do then I make room for it, log it, and move on …

As far as the rest, as some others have said it depends on what you consider "eating healthy"

I see one poster said that sugar "made them fat" well no, overeating food made them fat..

you can eat the foods you want, just maintain your deficit and work out…

cevalid

Weekends are my undoing.

So I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that I need to fix my weekend habits or I'll never achieve a nice steady loss.

futuremdnca

I'm sure most people can relate.

Perhaps look into some healthy snacks that satisfy your sweet tooth and keep them WELL stocked in the house. This way, you'll eat that instead of going to get something else outside of the house.
Some healthy snacks I use/have used:
- granola bars with chocolate chips
- small parfaits
- cups of yogurt
- banana slices dipped in dark chocolate
- strawberries dipped in dark chocolate
- mandarin oranges (they're pretty sweet)
- baked apple w/cinnamon
- frozen grapes
- dark chocolate
There are also plenty of suggestions online of healthy tasty snacks. Perhaps you'll find some that work for you.

For the alcohol, I'm not really much of a drinker, so I am not as familiar, but I imagine that if you make a conscious effort to drink more water and tea, you won't have much room for alcohol.

lawlorka

The past few weeks I've had events on every weekend.

What I've been doing is purposely eating 100 - 200 calories under goal Monday - Friday and that way I have a cushion when it comes to the weekend. I still average about 1600calories a day over the course of the week, but I can indulge and have a bit of fun at the weekend.

jennifer_417

If you're hungry, then you're hungry. If it's so difficult, then you may want to consider upping your daily calorie intake a bit. Sure, it'll slow your loss down a bit, but you're much less likely to stay on track in the long run. It does no good to lose weight quickly if you burn out and put it back on.

Unknown

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loveisblind1

It is for me too. My boyfriend and I like to go out on Fridays-Sundays. It usually undoes a lot of my days when I diet and workout. By boyfriend has a sweet tooth and it has been hard to say no. But, a lot of it about your attitude towards food. I'll have to think to myself "This isn't really THAT good" or "I should eat just to stay within my limit and take the rest of the food home". I'll have to tell the boyfriend to not bring up sweets, and for us to try to stay home and cook at least one of those days. I just have to tell myself it is perfectly fine to just feel satisfied and not full! For extra motivation, before I go out, I just try to remind myself of what I want to accomplish with my weight loss; or i'll look at my stats on here or Livestrong.

beckizzle

If you chose food that will keep your blood sugar levels balanced, you should have less cravings. Wholegrains, eating protein with meals and watching portion sizes will all help.

On another note if you are finding frequent sugar cravings, try taking a really good quality pro-biotic. Bad bacteria in the gut such as Candida feed off sugar, if they are dominant in the gut then the sugar cravings will kick in.

Stress and worry will cause cortisol levels to be high, this will in turn spike blood sugar levels, so try avoiding stress and take some "me time" that doesn't revolve around food or a computer screen.

CyberEd312

Stop demonizing food groups and learn to fit whatever foods you want within your daily caloric intake and then there will be no need to stress over what day of the week it is..... Nothing wrong with any foods unless you make it a problem........ Best of Luck

npayne90

Weekends and evenings have been hard. Infancy I believe the weekends have wrecked my weight loss in the past, I have learned to eat less during the day and skip breakfast so I have more calories later when I will want to eat yoghurt, beef jerky, Sharon fruit banana and peanuts, dark chocolate all at once when I come home from work. It's getting better, and I have started losing again, for lunch I will eat 2 eggs, chicken and some stir fried veggies. No bread or pasta or rice. In fact I try not to eat these for the whole day. But when I got home from work I went on a binge and at half a burger bun with cheese, 1 piece of dark chocolate, a piece of banana and about 10 peanuts, a 100g packet of strawberry yoghurt, a handful or 2 of my daughters crisps, a piece of beef jerky, 3 slurps of coke and a half a frankfurter all in about 5 mins. Mow I'm sitting here still hungry and want to stuff my face but scared of gaining lol. Help!

Blokeypoo

Hols aside, my rule is "never in the week" for extras. I have biccies etc in my 1500 a day so still have treats but only planned ones within cals. I have been maintaining since Feb having lost 2 stone by eating 1500 cals M-F and eat more freely at w/e along with exercising more to earn it; I don't really restrict myself at w/e whilst also not using it as an excuse to go mad.

I plan my food the night before and never deviate and it helps me avoid dilemmas when feeling hungry at work - I don't go to the shop, I just eat something I brought in. For me, the minute I start making excuses to deviate I know I'm in trouble so I just refuse to do it.

It works for me!

Francl27

I'm a major rule follower, so the idea of going over keeps me from making bad decisions. I find that firmly making one big decision each morning--that I won't go over--makes the small decisions easier. (It also helps that I barely drink, so I don't have booze competing for calories!)

This... I log everything before I eat it. Seeing it written in red that I'm over (which I know means not losing weight or gaining.. which I just do NOT want) is enough to discourage me most of the time if I'm not really hungry. The days I go over is those 3 days a month when I'm just totally starving all the time (and even then I try my best to stay under).

I'm also a huge proponent or eating what you want within your calories. But I hate being hungry so overall I make good choices... but if I'm craving a chocolate bar at 1pm, I'll have one (but a 100 calories one). I save myself a minimum of 250 calories for dinner (even if it has to be chicken breast and veggies). And I only eat things I really like. I don't feel deprived at all this way, and I think it's the key... I don't feel the need to binge on week ends. And 'light menus' in restaurants can be quite tasty too... no need to have a burger and fries.

I also can totally live without alcohol so it makes it easier probably.

staveshabr

just remember its a life style change so if your are doing something you dont plan to maintain then its a diet, dont deprive yourself of anything because then you will continue to binge i had to learn the hard way and started over only 16 days ago. moderation is key just make sure u are reaching daily nutrients

queenbekks

OP, I have the exact same problem, I can relate! I have found what works best for me is the opposite of "have everything, just in moderation". This is great advice for a lot of people, but everyone is different. I have to choose a few specific treat foods that I can't live without, and have those in moderation as treats (including alcohol). I have to cut out other junk foods. Once I live without them for a few weeks, I really don't miss them anymore. But if I have a little bit of something just for the sake of giving myself a treat, but its not what I really LOVE, it doesn't satisfy the craving, so I will have "just a little bit" of something else.... and then something else on top of that..... and so on!

hmaddpear

I've definitely had this in the past (and alcohol is, well, alcohol. I wouldn't be me if I didn't like to indulge in a glass or three at the weekends!). I found that when I ate diet food (lean meats, salads, veggies, etc.) everything 'normal' became guilty pleasure food. And that fed my weekend binges.

Eating a good amount of fat, a good amount of protein, a sensible amount of fibre (mileage definitely varies on this one) and not too low carb (but, in the main, complex carbs) has helped me not binge so much on the weekends. Plus I ensure that no food is off limits, so I don't get the guilty pleasure response. Sure, a whole pizza is probably out of the question (especially when they can run to 2-3000 kcals!), but a slice or two can be made to fit in. I've also trained myself to sip my alcoholic drinks slower, so I don't drink so much over the course of an evening.

While you can't out-train a bad diet, a goodly amount of exercise also loosens the restraints on what you can have.

I also tend to eat slightly less during the week (easy when I'm at work and not in easy reach of the fridge), which also gives me leeway at the weekend.

yogicarl

If you drove your car into the fuel station and there was a sign on one pump that read, "rubbish fuel", would you fill up with it?

So why fill your own body full of rubbish when it is far more important and valuable than your car?

- (and I say this to myself as much as I say it out here)

spoiledpuppies

Two things I just thought of to add...

First, I actually find weekends to be easier because I end up so busy and distracted that the days pass quickly. (At work, I find that I'm always thinking about what I'll have for lunch and snacks.) On weekends, before I know it, I have a lot of calories left at the end of the day. I'm mostly doing chores/errands vs. doing fun social things where food is served, so that probably helps. But maybe over-scheduling your weekend with fun or chores would keep your mind off of cravings.

Also, I was just talking to someone about my multi-vitamin. I have no idea if I need to take it, but I feel like it makes a difference. And even if it's all in my head, it helps! I think that sometimes a craving is really just my body asking for something it needs. When I take a high-quality multi-vitamin, my body gets the micronutrients it needs, so it craves less. (...maybe, but it seems to work for me!) I'm currently using Nature's Plus Source of Life Gold tablets.

MizJones30

I have a hard time on the weekends to stay on track with my diet and excersise...

fragileelegance

Weekends are my undoing.

So I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that I need to fix my weekend habits or I'll never achieve a nice steady loss.

That's exactly how I feel

fragileelegance

I'm sure most people can relate.

Perhaps look into some healthy snacks that satisfy your sweet tooth and keep them WELL stocked in the house. This way, you'll eat that instead of going to get something else outside of the house.
Some healthy snacks I use/have used:
- granola bars with chocolate chips
- small parfaits
- cups of yogurt
- banana slices dipped in dark chocolate
- strawberries dipped in dark chocolate
- mandarin oranges (they're pretty sweet)
- baked apple w/cinnamon
- frozen grapes
- dark chocolate
There are also plenty of suggestions online of healthy tasty snacks. Perhaps you'll find some that work for you.

For the alcohol, I'm not really much of a drinker, so I am not as familiar, but I imagine that if you make a conscious effort to drink more water and tea, you won't have much room for alcohol.

Thank you for the snack ideas!!

fragileelegance

If you're hungry, then you're hungry. If it's so difficult, then you may want to consider upping your daily calorie intake a bit. Sure, it'll slow your loss down a bit, but you're much less likely to stay on track in the long run. It does no good to lose weight quickly if you burn out and put it back on.

I've actually been thinking that I may need to up my calorie goal How long did it take you to lose the weight? I see you've lost 41 lbs