I start off well but always end badly

shezzatruth19

Hi,
I've been a member of MFP for about two months (although I have had a month of absence due to my partner's operation and caring for him afterwards).
I've never been very good with being honest about what I'm eating - I will log my food (but I find myself skipping things here and there if I go over (because I'm ashamed).
I'm getting bigger and bigger and although I go out and buy healthy foods, I really do feel like I'm starving if I stick to my 1560 a day calorie limit.
Just to clarify I am 5"8 and weigh 192 lb (at last weigh in - about a week ago)
That's a lot I know.
I think I'm probably obese.
Its just depressing. There's no excuse (regardless of my stressful student life) but I just can't seem to keep up the motivation.
Please help.

bcattoes

Nobody can give you motivation. That comes from within. Either you want it or your don't.

How many calories are you shooting for every day? What type of foods do you eat to meet that goal?

diannethegeek

A couple of things that strike me from your post.

What do you have your goals set to on your profile? Most people set it to lose 2 pounds/week but that's just too aggressive for many of us to handle. If you're hungry at 1560 calories there might be a reason for it. You might try resetting your goal to 1 pound a week and see if you feel better.

Make sure you're choosing foods with plenty of protein, fats, and fiber to help keep you full and more satisfied.

Are you doing any exercise and eating the extra earned calories? It might help if you aren't already.

If you feel ashamed to log your food, would it help you to know that your diary is private right now? No one can see how much you're eating unless you want them to. I'd say keep it closed if it helps.

mytabouly

If you make your diary public maybe we can offer some suggestions to help you feel fuller?

snowboardandasuitcase

You should really try to log EVERYTHING you eat. (Keeping it off the log doesn't make it magically disappear from your mouth!) Seeing it written down is a great motivator to make better choices tomorrow, no matter how terrifying it looks today.

You could also try to determine when/why your cravings hit. For me, I know I like to snack in the evenings even after I've had dinner, so I shave off a few cals from breakfast and lunch to make sure I won't go over my goal. I also know sitting around with nothing to do results in my face in the fridge, so I try to budget cals for times when I'll be sitting around.

Also, buying "healthy" food is a great start, but you still have to be aware of cal content and portion sizes. For example, "healthy" cereal can still be loaded in cals, fat, etc. and you still need to add milk to the equation. Whereas a breakfast of egg/fruit/yoghurt/etc. can result in a larger portion for fewer calories. It takes a bit of work at the start, but once you figure out which yummy foods trump other yummy foods it gets a lot easier.

And I agree with the above that it is all about motivation from within. But even if you don't have motivation now, it's better to be trying than to just brainlessly eat everything in sight. If you just keep going it'll get easier and you'll likely become more motivated.

Good luck to ya, stick with it, you're stonger than you know!!

TonyTrink

Right there with you! I'm an awesome starter, phenomenal planner, fabulous organizer...follow through....not so much....dismount....disaster, every time. I'm back on the wagon, again, and hoping to stick with it this time. I've got tons of promises I've made myself about "this time," but the reality is, none of that really matters or makes a difference. I always promise myself this and that, I always have the best plans and intentions. None of those things have ever stopped a binge for me and I don't think they are going to magically or mystically stop one or keep me on track this time. All I can do is focus on whether or not I'm sticking to the plan today. Am I logging my food today? Am I drinking my water today? Did I get any exercise in today? If I waste any more of my time worrying about how much I'm going to suck or how badly I'm going to fail tomorrow, I swear to god I'm gonna scream. I'm so sick of putting myself in that position, so *kitten* it, I don't care if I bail about on this whole thing again tomorrow, today I don't want to and today I'm doing what I'm supposed to, to get healthier, and that's about all I have the energy to worry about anymore, what am I doing today.