Those who've been successful at weight loss

Lleldiranne

I'm just going to leave this here for you. Lots of good stuff, for taking off the weight, and for keeping it off.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Happy331

Cinnamon Gum works wonders. It calms cravings, has intense flavor and keeps your mouth busy.

Capt_Apollo

choose healthy snacks. right now, i'm having carrots and hummus. earlier i had two clementines. before that i had an apple.

seltzermint555

You have already been given great tips, but I just wanted to say that for me the key is in eating 3 meals per day and no snacks. And acting like my MFP-set calorie goal is *THE LAW* and not going over (hardly ever...maybe 1-2 days a month I go over).

I know everyone's different. For me, seven or eight little 100-250 calorie mini meals (for example) would be horrible. It works for some people but I would CONSTANTLY feel unsatisfied and "snacky" and be thinking about food. I currently have a pretty low daily calorie goal before exercise enters the mix, so on days I don't get any exercise (or very much) I'm at 1,270 and prefer to consume that 200/400-600/400-600. This is just what works for me. When I eat regular "real meals" I don't feel like snacking even when I am bored. But it is amazing what happens when I (for example) eat a lighter 300 calorie lunch. When I do that, I'm walking around the office daydreaming about caramels.

cmendoza13

For me, the more I think about foods I shouldn't eat, the more I want them. If the craving is really, really bad, I will go ahead and give in just because I know it's not going to go away. But I try to limit the quantity, eat it slower so that I enjoy it more and get the satisfaction that I need. And then I may go for an extra walk so that I don't feel too guilty about it. The more you restrict yourself, the more you will have the cravings. You just have to learn to eat in moderation and if you need to, try to make up for it the next day.

jbella99

If your work allows it eat sunflower seeds. I do this when I'm bored.

cwolfman13

Secrets to my success...

- maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit...I started out all gung-ho and really aggressive and soon determined that i was going to have much better consistency and thus success with a more reasonable deficit...this kept me from feeling super deprived, there's a big difference between a 1000 calorie per day deficit and a 500 calorie per day deficit.

- I am both a snacker and a volume eater; as such, I made accommodations for this behavior in my diary. I was pretty religious about pre-logging my day (though dinner would often change)...but I'd have my snacks and what not planned in throughout the day. In RE to meeting my volume requirements, I did thing like having 1 whole egg with 3 egg white scrambled rather than just two whole eggs...more food volume, less calories. I also took to adding heaps of vegetables to my meals and snacks...also adding tons of volume with little calorie damage.

- I quickly came to understand that this was going to be a process. i didn't have to do a 180* overnight. It was a lot of baby steps in the right direction that ultimately took me where I am (and I'm still and always will be learning). Just as an example, soda was a big deal for me. On average I drank between 3-6 Mt. Dews daily back in the day. When I first started out, rather than cutting those out completely I reduced my consumption over time...initially it was 1 per day (and I switched sodas)...then it was a one 3x weekly...soon enough it was one per week and then one every two weeks, etc. It was rather painless and I really pretty much got to the point where I didn't really even think about it anymore and the next thing I knew it had been months since I had a soda at all. Just a few weeks ago I had a Cherry Coke at my 4 y.o. birthday party and hadn't had a soda in about 9 months...it was so incredibly sweet I couldn't get it down...I just tossed it.

- I maintained a reasonable and sustainable exercise regimen. A lot of people really over-do things when it comes to exercise...they go from couch to balls tot he wall because they think that is what is necessary. Early on I realized that my exercise regimen had to be something that I could more or less stick with into perpetuity...not just while losing weight, but I realized it was going to be exceedingly important to my weight maintenance. Over-doing it often results in burn out and people tend to forget about having independent fitness goals...they make there exercise all about calories and forget about all of the numerous other benefits of rocking a good fitness regimen.

- I accepted the fact that there were going to be good days and bad days and in the grand scheme of things, if the good outweighed the bad, it was a net win. As time went on, I indeed had more good than bad days...as time went on, nutrition and my fitness just became more and more a part of me rather than this abstract additional chore. As these things took hold, I was suddenly less terrified of overindulging on a holiday or special occasion or going out to eat or for drinks with friends...these things did not define me and were only a small representation of what my life was becoming more and more about.

- As I dropped the weight, the scale actually became less and less important...I became much more fixated on actual health markers as well as fitness goals and hitting on those things rather than worrying about some number on the scale. Ultimately tings just sort of took care of themselves...I started eating for my health and nutrition and exercising for the sake of my general well being and fitness and the weight issues just kinda took care of themselves.

Mangopickle

Did you snack on a trigger food? There seem to be 2 types of personalities I see over and over again. The people who binge if they attempt to deny themselves a food item- for them, all things in moderation works. And those that certain foods, if eaten at all, trigger a binge or downward spiral. I am in the second category. As long as I don't eat wheat, rice or potato I don't even think about them. In fact all absorption with food or hunger between meals completely falls away. I actually become a normal person who eats normal portions of normal healthy food. Doughnuts, chips, fries, etc even when offered to me hold no allure. Some smokers can smoke a few cigs a month and never go higher. I have seen alcoholics rein in their drinking to 2 glasses a day and never stop but never go up again. For them moderation works. For me, avoidance of my trigger foods has given me so much freedom from the cravings that plagued me for 30years.

Brandolin11

You are not alone. There are hundreds of us on here who suffer from the same issue. The cravings. The obsession. The compulsion to eat. So bored, can't stop thinking about food. Always thinking about food, and dieting, and losing, and when am I going to get a snack, and I probably shouldn't eat that, but oh how I want that, and crap I just ate that, and oh why did I eat that I wasn't going to give in, and blah blah blah blah blah.......

Besides the weight gain, the toughest part about this is that this obsession never, never leaves us alone. We can't shake free of it. Sometimes we'll go for awhile without dealing with it, but it always returns. And sometimes returns with a vengeance, until we "get what we want" (by eating compulsively, or overeating (bingeing))....but in reality, we don't really want to do this, we simply want to be healthy and free. At the deepest part of us, we desire to be free.

Some of us, though we may not actually be an addict of any sort, have the *mindset* of an addict. Addicted to food, or snacking, or bingeing, or thinking about food all the time.... whatever it is, we have an addiction to some pattern of thought, or behavior. We're definitely hooked on *something*, but what???

I just want you to know that you are not crazy, and you are not alone. There are solutions, and there is help.

I dealt with this obsessive thinking for over 10 years. I binged my way from 125 lbs up to 203 lbs at one point. I am now back at about 128 and my mind is peaceful, clear, and I have next to no cravings anymore. How?

I decided to treat my "condition" like it was an addiction, even if I didn't actually have one. I found an organization called Overeaters Anonymous and dove into it - the literature, the meetings, etc. I read the AA Big Book, substituting the words, "alcohol" and "alcoholic" with "food" and "compulsive overeater" as I read it. The stories, principals, suggestions, steps, and tools in that program, when implemented, are nothing short of brilliant. The support you get from the people in the groups is like none other, because they "get it". It's a powerful program and I can't recommend it enough - esp. at least checking out the literature and seeing if you connect with it.

Another great resource is a book called "Trigger Foods" by Dr. Rhona Epstein. She is another fellow recovering compulsive overeater and has written this wonderful book that explains why we do this and how to overcome it using many cool exercises that help you delve into the mental and emotional stuff behind the behavior. It's cheap on amazon, I highly recommend.

Hopefully this is helpful. If you'd like to friend me, feel free. I post a lot of stuff about these issues and we have some good discussions among my friends. Good luck to you.

cthomas4579

I think while I was losing my first 20 pounds was the hardest.. When you think about it, it's a lot like quitting smoking. You have to keep at it. The hardest part by far is the Stubborn Pound! You'll be losing losing losing and then like someone pulled the parking brake while you hit a stone wall, the pounds stop dropping. MFP adjusts for your calorie intake while your losing but keeping to the calorie count you still lose nothing. This went on for just over 3 weeks. It was the most frustrating three weeks EVER!!!!! and then like fat magic out of the blue 3 pounds fell off over night. Just keep on doing it. Dont quit! No matter how bad you want that pizza, cookie, cupcake or hoho!

One thing that blew my mind - After about three months of eating healthy my wife had brought me to a greasy spoon for a burger - Now normally I'll take a burger and destroy it in seconds, however, not only was I unable to finish it (and it was a single!) but I thought it was disgusting. The grease literally made me feel sick to my stomach. I'm loving eating healthy now, I keep oranges and apples at my desk for snacks and that is just enough to keep the hunger gremlins at bay!

Brandolin11

Here is a link to a free .pdf version of the Big Book: http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/en_tableofcnt.cfm

And here is a link to find an OA meeting, if you're interested in attending one: http://www.oa.org/membersgroups/find-a-meeting/

Here is Epstein's book for just $6.81 used on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1617951587/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1396384241&sr=8-1&keywords=trigger+foods+rhona&condition=used

Keliandra

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?

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

^Agree with this. I had to work to retrain myself. Now, I only eat if my tummy is growling and my blood sugar is low. Figuring out the whys and whens of me emotional eating was the hard part.

Aaron_K123

Is the desire to eat all the time because you are hungry all the time or is it just an obsession with food and or cravings? One is easier to deal with than the other.

greentart

For me, it's been a two-step deal. I had to cut out completely the things that I would binge and bored eat. Which falls into the bread and processed foods grouping. So no hard candies, and its not like I want to snack on nuts all day. For me, having a piece of cake today will lead to having it tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and why not have some ice cream too this time? I've realized these flaws within my eating habits, and am changing them. Step two, is that I've come to grips with the fact that what I want NOW (that piece of cake) isn't worth my major goal. I'm stronger today than I was yesterday, but not nearly as strong as I'll be tomorrow.

Francl27

Nope, still a struggle most days. Will probably always be, to be honest. If I really crave something, and it's not a huge 500+ calories thing, I'll make room for it. I'm getting much better at moderation so I can have a couple cookies or chocolates within my calories and not eat the whole bag.

The 'why' thing for me, it doesn't matter... I'm not bored. I'm not stressed. I'm not necessarily hungry. I just want the awesome taste in my mouth.

SezxyStef

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 ate what I wanted within reasonable portions.

It's too hard to cut out things I love.

catchtheislands

You are less insulin sensitive at night.
Try working out at night with weights and then chowing down on your sweets then.
Technically your muscles should absorb all the sugar.
Obviously don't do this everyday but its a trick body builders use.

TLTucker80

I'm completely the other way. I feel that there's a skinny girl inside that the fat girl on the outside ate and the skinny girl is yelling to get out but the fat girl wont let her out lol. But have the same problems with cravings. There has been lots of good suggestions given that I will be trying. Thanks everyone.

SLLRunner

You are less insulin sensitive at night.
Try working out at night with weights and then chowing down on your sweets then.
Technically your muscles should absorb all the sugar.
Obviously don't do this everyday but its a trick body builders use.

Can you please provide legit sources that all people are less insulin sensitive at night?

If you chow down those sweets even after working out at the gym and end up going over calorie goal you will gain weight. Working out with weights at night is not a solution to binge eating.

Finding out WHY you binge and then taking care of that problem is what helps one learn not to binge eat anymore. I know, I used to binge all the time and have not done so for well over a year. I'm no longer scared of food either.

marcusriedner

I'll preface this with that I eat low carb.

I used to get vicious cravings for sugar and bread, it took about 18 months for them to fully fade away. I solved the problem with transference - when I would crave a food that was on the not-to-eat list I would eat a food that was on the list. Worked pretty good.

When our son was born my eating style went sideways, and not-to-eat list items crept back in. That has triggered sugar cravings again, which I am dealing with using transference. So far it is working all right.

Sometimes sugar cravings are a misaligned craving for fat, so one of my sugar craving fighters was to eat a piece of cheese covered in butter.