Those who've been successful at weight loss

Jbarbo01

Emotionally I am tired of fighting the little child that wants to eat all the things, I've been sitting at work for the past 3 hours fighting it. Trying to keep busy, drinking tea, having small snacks, and STILL I can't stop thinking about just eating all the food. Did you or do you not feel this way anymore? Or did you just fight the cravings bravely every time they came? How did you stay on plan to get to your goal?

thavoice

Emotionally I am tired of fighting the little child that wants to eat all the things, I've been sitting at work for the past 3 hours fighting it. Trying to keep busy, drinking tea, having small snacks, and STILL I can't stop thinking about just eating all the food. Did you or do you not feel this way anymore? Or did you just fight the cravings bravely every time they came? How did you stay on plan to get to your goal?

I have been a master at losing weight.

It has been keeping it off that has been the problem.

You just gotta take it one day, one meal at a time in the beginning. It does get better and easier once you stick to it and see the results. Once the positive results start showing there is nothing more motivating than that.

I am not sure how long you have been on your current plan but the so called experts say it takes at least three weeks of doing something consistantly to make it routine. Fight through it early. Best bet is to find some low calorie snacks to get you through those tough times.

Goodluck

SKME2013

I have been dieting since November and I lost 8 kg in the first 12 weeks. I am doing the 5:2 Fast Diet (you can google it) and frankly the beauty of it is, that it does not cost you anything and you do not feel deprived.

Two non consecutive days per week you are eating under 500cal and the rest of the week normally, up to your TDEE. So if I can not have the cookie today, I can have it tomorrow.
Stef.

thavoice

I have been dieting since November and I lost 8 kg in the first 12 weeks. I am doing the 5:2 Fast Diet (you can google it) and frankly the beauty of it is, that it does not cost you anything and you do not feel deprived.

Two non consecutive days per week you are eating under 500cal and the rest of the week normally, up to your TDEE. So if I can not have the cookie today, I can have it tomorrow.
Stef.

I am on the same thing. Have you joined the group on here for 5:2?

I absolutely love it and have been doing more of a 4:3 with it being M-W-F. I found the beauty of it by doing it for 24 hours on, 24 hours off, so you never really go a day without eating really and then a somewhat normal day.

Works wonders.

scraver2003

Why? Why do you want to eat all of the things? Why? Are you TRULY hungry? Are you bored? Are you feeling anxious about a meeting or deadline? Are you restless from sitting too long?

I have not yet been successful with losing weight... but I have FINALLY come to a place of peace. I have lots of tools lined up to help me now with my weight loss journey.

FOR ME, when I have the munchies at work, 80% of the time it is boredom. Boredom is the worst. I just want to eat things to pass the time. I had to practice at basically getting over it. I focus on my work, talk to a co-worker, go get some tea. Boredom is not a reason to eat. Period.

If I am truly hungry - I have an emergancy pack of beef jerky in my drawer.

If I am anxious about something - I talk to someone or get up and take a trip to the bathroom or furthest away water cooler. That usually helps me hit the reset button.

Look at WHY you want to eat everything, then deal with that issue.

wyattj99

I had that day yesterday since I was home sick but on a good day no since I eat every 2/3 hours and I preplan my logging with what I'm going to eat I don't get cravings. If and when I do I try to find a healthy version.

Jbarbo01

It is absolutely boredom. I'm so happy to have a job in this day and age but mine isn't the most challenging or even busy right now. I am not swamped or overwhelmed, of course I have things to do but there isn't much challenge to it. So sometimes as Im staring at yet another spreadsheet I just want some fritos or candy to liven up the day. It definitely sounds childish when I write it out haha. It feels like an itch I can't scratch, I've done all the things youve mentioned today. Gotten up for a walk, talk to a coworker, concentrated on work, had a small snack, and still childish me wants to eat for fun. Uhhh these are uplifting tips though, I shall press on and keep trying!

mlanders22

I take time to think about if I'm actually hungry or just bored.
I also pre-plan my entire day so if I am getting antsy about food I know I have a snack planned in a couple hours.

The biggest thing that has helped me though is knowing that no food is off limits. If I truly want something, I plan my day out with it as part of my macros. If I really want a donut and can't stop thinking about it I'll put one into my food journal for tomorrow and plan out the rest of my day accordingly.

_Zardoz_

Emotionally I am tired of fighting the little child that wants to eat all the things, I've been sitting at work for the past 3 hours fighting it. Trying to keep busy, drinking tea, having small snacks, and STILL I can't stop thinking about just eating all the food. Did you or do you not feel this way anymore? Or did you just fight the cravings bravely every time they came? How did you stay on plan to get to your goal?

My first thought reading this is that maybe your calorie goal is too low and aggressive? Personally i never really have any cravings I just over ate because it was there not for any specific reason by calorie counting this has enabled me to control that

lizzyclatworthy

If I am writing an essay I get like this so I drop my meal calories back down to as low as possible and allow myself to snack back up to my calories. some days I exercise to get extra and other days if I know it's going to be bad (deadline days) I upped my calories to maintenance and just sucked it up

Branstin

Are you drinking plenty of water? It helps me a lot.

krawhitham

The two things that have helped me are
1. Low to NO stress life
2. Timing of meals ex: breakfast 9 am 1st lunch noon, 2nd lunch 3pm and dinner at 8 or so.

Fortunately or unfortunately at this time in my life I dont have a pesky job to get in the way of my two successful wweight loss rules.

GiveMeCoffee

I don't have this issue, because I don't restrict my diet, if I want to eat something I fit it into my day, just smaller quantities (usually) than I had in the past.

In the past when I use to "go on a diet" I would cut calories way too much, restrict all the delicious foods, and I would get cravings like you are having, give in to them... and quit

Yesterday this picture below was 1 of 2 desserts I shared and it was AMAZING

pobalita

sugar-free gum can be a good distraction

Flabby_2_Fabby

sugar free hard candies - suck on them

dried fruit - it's crunchy like chips

Nabisco 100-Calorie Packs

twinteensmom

I have a little brat like that inside me, too. She is the one who whines "why can't i have just one candy bar? Why do THEY get to eat whatever they want and I can't? IT"S NOT FAIR!!!" To tell you the truth, I don't really know how I shut her up. I guess I just had to make my will stronger than hers(I sound like Sybil, I know). I know that once the weight started to come off and I had to buy new clothes cause the ones I had were falling off, that helped me find even more strength to shut her up! The thing is, my little brat is still there. She might be mostly muffled but, she still finds a way to speak up once in a while. Most of the time, I can ignore her but some days....not so easy. This is a long journey and I have discovered so much about myself along the way. Hang in there. Eventually, you will find the strength to shut up your child like I did. Add me for a friend, if you would like.

bajoyba

I take time to think about if I'm actually hungry or just bored.
I also pre-plan my entire day so if I am getting antsy about food I know I have a snack planned in a couple hours.

The biggest thing that has helped me though is knowing that no food is off limits. If I truly want something, I plan my day out with it as part of my macros. If I really want a donut and can't stop thinking about it I'll put one into my food journal for tomorrow and plan out the rest of my day accordingly.

This has kind of been my approach as well. I don't usually pre-log a day in advance, but I always have an idea of what my day is going to look like. I always try to get as much protein as I can (to stay full) and I always plan to have some form of dessert (to stay happy). Eating what I like and staying full has helped prevent snacking and straying too far outside my calorie goal. But sometimes I just get the munchies and want to eat something, in which case I'll opt for low-cal snacks like celery, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, popcorn, or string cheese.

It's been a process, but what has ultimately made the difference is a shift in the way I think about food. I still love food and eat it for enjoyment, but now I also eat it because of what it can do for my body. Paying attention to my nutrition along with my calories has really helped me make better decisions about what I eat, so I now tend to tweak my favorite meals and snacks so that they still taste awesome but also are more in line with what I need to hit my macro goals.

lyzmorrison

You have to remember why you are doing this. I have gone from a size 14 to a 6 b/c I kept myself inspired. I read the success stories on MFP. I read success stories on-line. I looked up exercises. I planned my fitness routine. I watched videos about how to swim better or run better.

Remain committed to your goals and do what you have to do to stay inspired. Every challenge you overcome will feed your internal motivation.

SLLRunner

I don't have this issue, because I don't restrict my diet, if I want to eat something I fit it into my day, just smaller quantities (usually) than I had in the past.

In the past when I use to "go on a diet" I would cut calories way too much, restrict all the delicious foods, and I would get cravings like you are having, give in to them... and quit

Yesterday this picture below was 1 of 2 desserts I shared and it was AMAZING

You didn't save any for me? :bigsmile:

OP, sounds like you are not eating enough. What is your calorie intake?

WendyTerry420

Look at WHY you want to eat everything, then deal with that issue.

So much this!!!!!!

Binge-eating and bored-eating are my two biggest foes!

Shaky44

I found the secret was to just log the food. Did I backslide? Yes. But if I knew I was going to log something, I was a lot less likely to eat it. Here are the two most common mistakes I think people make:

1) Set an unrealistic calorie goal. Calorie goals that are under BMR aren't necessarily dangerous, but they are difficult to maintain.

2) They stop logging on days they binge. You should DEFINITELY log your binges.