I need help and advise.

LIswimmer51

I've been on MFP for about a year and a half now. I started at over 200 pounds and now I'm 20 pounds down. I was originally almost 40 but unfortunately I have been gaining back the weight and can not find the motivation to continue. Despite the fact I still eat mostly clean and workout when I can (not a lot), I am constantly snacking. I literally can not stop, and I think it is taking a toll on my weight, despite the fact my snacking consists of fruits, granola bars, pirates booty, fruit leathers, and luna bars.

I am busy as a full-time student with an internship and part time job. I live in New York and with the weather it is next to impossible to workout outside like I usually do, and I just can not afford to join a gym right now and do not have time to use my school one. I am living in a house with five adults and have no room to work out at times. I am also way to tired to at times, which is a poor excuse.

I tend to have a sweet tooth for chocolate but I am working very hard to nip that. I have also started back on drinking water again.

When I was 100% motivated I did south beach and ketosis and during those times I saw climatic results. I can not get the motivation to start up those diets again despite the fact it was the only thing that worked after hitting at plateau at my first 20 pounds.

I have finally gotten the motivation just to reach out to fellow people who might have had a similar problem to me. I dread looking at the scale because despite my clean dieting, then numbers just keep going up every few days.


I just really need help.... nothing seems to be making the scale move south since June of last year.

DonnaJones7

If I could offer just one piece of advice, it would be: Do ONE thing better today, each day. Maybe not the best saying, but I have lost tons and gained it back and this is truly the first time I am actually making a "lifestyle" change. I could never keep up with everything when I tried to drastically improve everything at once. So each day I'm doing something better. For instance, rather than snacking and eating all day, I'm working on planning meals and eating them at meal time. I try to get enough protein that I actually feel full. I chew gum instead of eating (it might be weird, but I don't care - it really works for me. I have half a dozen flavors of Extra gum.) Depending on your fitness level, you might not need a gym - maybe just more activity. Walking around a mall or stores, a flight of stairs in your building, whatever...

It IS worth it. You CAN make a difference. Breathe and focus.

Reaching out is smart. Read some success stories. Know that others make a difference in their lives over time. You can too. Patience and Persistence.
Best of luck!
Feel free to friend me if you like.

lisabinco

DonnaJones7, great advice!
Llswimmer51, you sound pretty negative right now. I certainly understand where you are coming from. It's just a low spot, not a permanent hole. Breathe and focus. You already did the first step. You reached out.
I agree, read one or two Success Stories every time you log on MFP. I find them very inspirational and motivating.
Pick one thing to focus on, like eating more veggies, or not eating those "pirates booty" (whatever those are?). One step at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time.
One thing that helps me, when I'm wanting to snack on something, is to tell myself that tomorrow I will have that, but right now I won't. Just postpone that urge. By tomorrow, I don't want it or I've forgotten it (even better). Works really well for me.
Another thing is noticing WHEN you snack. Like in front of the TV or while reading a book, whatever the habit is. Change just one little habit at a time. I knit in front of the TV now to keep my hands busy. I don't allow myself to snack while reading anymore. I can devour an entire bag of "healthy" banana chips doing that. If I simply must snack, I put down my book and just snack. No reading. No TV. No other distraction. I am trying to teach myself "mindful eating" rather than mindless eating, which is what my snacking really is.
Most of us here on MFP really do identify with and feel your pain. You are not alone. It IS so worth it to succeed in this.

JesterMFP

Are you weighing your food with a digital food scale and logging everything accurately? Eating "clean" (however you choose to define that) really has very little to do with fat loss/gain. It's about energy balance. In your diary, you seem to have a mix of grams and ounces and cups and individual items that makes me wonder if how much you're measuring and how much you're estimating.

For the majority of people who are struggling to lose, it comes down to the fact that they're eating more than they think, or than they want to admit. If you are tracking your food as accurately as possible, check that your calorie goal is appropriate (it looks reasonable at a glance). If you're still gaining over a number of weeks, it might be worth seeing a doctor to rule out any underlying medical issues.

As for snacking, there's nothing wrong with snacking per se, but if it's making you exceed your calorie goal then it's obviously a problem. There's no one right way to eat in terms of meal timing, size and frequency, so experiment a bit to find a way of eating that satisfies you best and stops you from overeating. For some people, it's lots of little meals every couple of hours, for some it's 3 square meals and a strict "no snacking" policy. Others prefer one or two large meals in the day (look into intermittent fasting). For example, what works for me is not eating until around midday, having a light lunch and then not eating any snacks or anything until my evening meal which is large and filling. Then, I have some snacks later on in the evening. That wouldn't work for everyone, but it's what I've found works for me to keep me satisfied and not tempted to go over my goal. So, experiment!

Also, you absolutely don't have to eat "clean" or cut out the foods you enjoy eating. I think more people are successful by learning to incorporate the foods they love into their diets in moderation. I eat chocolate every day, but in an appropriate portion that fits into my goals.

Different foods will help you deal with hunger better. Make sure you get plenty of protein and fibre to fill you up, keep hydrated, make sure you're getting enough dietary fat, and that you're eating foods you genuinely enjoy. Check this out too: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/9-ways-to-deal-with-hunger-on-a-diet.html

You don't need exercise to lose weight, you can do it purely through the amount you eat. Exercise is amazing in lots of ways though, so try to find ways around that. Even if it's just a matter or getting out the front door and going for a walk. We all only have a limited number of hours in the day, and you have to prioritise that time. My exercise routine sometimes suffers when other things take priority, but I know for a fact there are countless people out there with much busier lives than me making it happen. It doesn't have to be hours a day, start with just half an hour, maybe 3 days a week and build on it. Use your school gym, go for a walk, do a free exercise video on youtube. You can't wait to feel "motivated" because it may never happen.

And sometimes, it's a matter of changing habits. You say you "literally can't stop", but a lot of the time it's just that the habit has become so ingrained that you can't imagine doing it any other way. I can relate, I have overeating habits and emotional eating habits that I've had from childhood, and it's not easy to break them. It can be done though. Try to find other habits to replace them. If emotional eating is the issue, then you really need to work on that or you're really going to struggle to be successful long term. If it's a big problem, consider getting professional help - there's absolutely no shame in that. Otherwise, there are a lot of self help books out there on the subject, and cognitive behavioural therapy might be something that could be helpful too.

The other thing I'd advise is accepting that this is a process that takes time. In fact, it doesn't really end. It's about taking charge of your health and well being, and it's not something you can give up on. It's not a case of dieting for x amount of time to lose x number of pounds, and then you're done, so you can go back to "normal". This is a lifetime thing, so don't go about making crazy changes that you can't see yourself living with for the next 10, 20, 30 years. It can be hard, and tedious, and frustrating, but the trick to succeeding is not giving up when it gets hard and tedious and frustrating. You just keep going.

sigridolsen

This is great advice...

Skrib69

There is nothing to add here really, it is all great advice. Tthe obvious thing is to start with something. Whether you want to start with a small change first that you will find easy, or go straight for the killer issue for you is irrelevant - you have to start somewhere. I find half an hour with a pen and paper works wonders for helping me to prioritise, and then I have a plan.

If you don't start somwhere, nothing happens. So just start!

LIswimmer51

I do not mean to sound pessimistic. I'm just upset I let myself gain weight. Some of it maybe muscle as I swim in college but it's frustrating because since the season ended I feel my clothes getting tighter and tighter. I am taking the measures of getting myself back on south beach and whatever I can to get back to my lightest weight


Thank you all for the lovely advice!