Do you ever just hate dieting?

jamiesokd

I enjoy the results I am seeing, don't get me wrong, and I know it's all about being healthier...but sometimes I just hate dieting. I would love to go and grab a soda from the fridge. To get a snack without going to all the trouble of reading labels, finding portion sizes, and then weighing. To not think about and stress over every thing that goes in my mouth. To be able to cook and bake again without knowing that it will only be a temptation. To be able to eat for pleasure again. To feel satisfied every day and not go to bed hungry. Then to know I can't do anything about these things if I want any results, so then I just feel grumpy.

I can' t be the only one who feels like this. How do you get through those times when you just don't want to diet?

MityMax96

nope, I enjoy the foods I eat, and I eat the foods I enjoy

prattiger65

nope, I enjoy the foods I eat, and I eat the foods I enjoy

+1

jamiesokd

nope, I enjoy the foods I eat, and I eat the foods I enjoy

and so could I if I had a daily calorie goal like yours, lol. I only get to eat a little over half that.

mkookies

I have those cravings all the time. But then I think about how great I feel when I eat well, and how sluggish I feel and regret using all those calories on something crappy when I could have had several healthy things. You can still have crap once in awhile... just find a way to fit it in without going overboard.

I work at an icecream parlour to top it all off, and I still have icecream... but instead of having a medium, which is two soft ball sized scoops, I will have a kiddie which is about the size of a tennis ball or a mini which is the size of a golf ball. You just gotta make it all balance out. Good luck!

MityMax96

Well, we have different body types for one....

But start running a lot and lifting weights, and that would require more calories.....
Bout all I can offer as a suggestion.

Carley

nope, I enjoy the foods I eat, and I eat the foods I enjoy

and so could I if I had a daily calorie goal like yours, lol. I only get to eat a little over half that.

What is your goal intake? I made mine 1800 because I want this to be doable for life, not just now.

RunningOnWontons

I'm not big on dieting either, LOL. But what I am doing now I don't consider to be "dieting"...I tell myself I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It's just that the days of wolfing down unknown quantities of possibly delicious foods are gone for me. Does this bother me? Well, not so far it doesn't (I'm new to this)...but for example, I enjoyed pizza night with my husband last night as I usually do (Sunday night is our "date night" and we love pizza) and I didn't feel restricted at all, in the sense of being on a diet. I just made sure to eat a nice salad before digging into the pizza...and after that I found that two big slices of the pizza definitely were all I needed or wanted. It was great. And it was even greater knowing that I wasn't going to have a "food hangover" the next morning. I like finding ways to continue to eat the things I like...I'm able to make them fit into my new eating habits easily, thus far anyway. Maybe you are being too strict with yourself?

noor_v

Some days are good... some days are bad... today was a bad day for me - I had a large cookie in the afternoon and it nearly ruined my day... I did work out a little bit so that I could eat dinner....

Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day :flowerforyou:

abrar0290

Yes I do hate dieting, but you learn to pick up a few things here and there, like drinking tons of water, and I drink cold coffee which helps to supress the appetite.

Keep at it, it will be worth it in the end.

CindyMarcuzAdams

I am with you. I hate dieting...but this isnt a diet so they say, its a lifestyle change. So heres to change. For us all.

jamiesokd

nope, I enjoy the foods I eat, and I eat the foods I enjoy

and so could I if I had a daily calorie goal like yours, lol. I only get to eat a little over half that.

What is your goal intake? I made mine 1800 because I want this to be doable for life, not just now.

Its 1750, and from what I understand that number will only go down as I lose weight. It's certainly not a horrible number, and I do still get to enjoy some treats. BUT, sometimes I would like the option to not have to worry about having more. Like right now, I would love a snack (as I watch hubby eat potato chips), but I don' t have the available calories. (I have a few, but I like to come a bit under to make up for any sampling I did while cooking meals for my family, etc)

MityMax96

Yeah it sucks to watch others snack and you limited....I feel ya.

But it comes down to choices and what you want and what your goals are.....

If your goal is to lose weight, then you have to do the heavy lifting and be disciplined....
The weight doesn't magically drop off.

jamiesokd

I'm not big on dieting either, LOL. But what I am doing now I don't consider to be "dieting"...I tell myself I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It's just that the days of wolfing down unknown quantities of possibly delicious foods are gone for me. Does this bother me? Well, not so far it doesn't (I'm new to this)...but for example, I enjoyed pizza night with my husband last night as I usually do (Sunday night is our "date night" and we love pizza) and I didn't feel restricted at all, in the sense of being on a diet. I just made sure to eat a nice salad before digging into the pizza...and after that I found that two big slices of the pizza definitely were all I needed or wanted. It was great. And it was even greater knowing that I wasn't going to have a "food hangover" the next morning. I like finding ways to continue to eat the things I like...I'm able to make them fit into my new eating habits easily, thus far anyway. Maybe you are being too strict with yourself?

I don't think I am too strict, I definitely enjoy different foods (I had a "good" coffee today with sugar and milk, and a cookie). I probably do have issue with spreading my calories out during the day - I'm almost afraid to use too many for breakfast, lunch, and snacks and then I feel like I have to eat more than I would in the evening.

votkuhr

Hmm, I used to hate it when I was on a barely feasible 1200 diet. Not only was I unable to eat whatever I wanted, I felt so weak and sluggish all the time!

But I guess now that I'm on a very much sustainable 1800-2000 calorie diet, I wouldn’t even call it a diet anymore. I feel like it’s a lifestyle now. If I want to eat cake, I’d eat it and make it fit within my budget for the day.

jamiesokd

Yeah it sucks to watch others snack and you limited....I feel ya.

But it comes down to choices and what you want and what your goals are.....

If your goal is to lose weight, then you have to do the heavy lifting and be disciplined....
The weight doesn't magically drop off.

Oh, I know it doesn't happen by magic, LOL, that is why I am sitting here on MFP not eating, but feeling grumpy that I can't. lol

As for lifting, I see so many here that lift and I would like to try it - but its the matter of finding the time and money for the gym. I've been attempting to do some body weight exercises but that is about it.

hortensehildegarde

Then to know I can't do anything about these things if I want any results, so then I just feel grumpy.

I don't think this part is accurate. You can do something about some of the stuff you have described and still see results. You might not be able to do exactly all the things you want, but you shouldn't have to, for example, go to bed hungry.

One thing I do is to pre-measure snacks so I can just grab and go and don't have to think about it so much. Others pre-log their days and set aside everything they are going to eat that day so they can just take and eat as the day goes on. I know some people who bake their hearts out and the stuff in excess of what they intend to eat immediately goes out the door to friends, co-workers and family, or whatever charity is running a bake sale at the time.

My personal tactic is to just not be so serious about it. Makes for very slow going, but at least it is slow in the right direction, as opposed to me giving up entirely and gaining. If you are miserable with what you are doing, perhaps you might give yourself permission to implement more gradual changes that you find more tolerable. It's not worth being miserable over, is it?

I also like to play a little game of finding new treats that I enjoy, little things like lime in my water or whatever I would never have thought to try had I not been experimenting with my eating.

healthygreek

In the "old days" I really dieted. I was told to eat 1000 calories. I would eat and then be hungry soon after. I would lose weight and the minute I stopped dieting- I gained it all back and more.
Now I eat whatever I want in reasonable quantities and I never go to bed hungry.
I move a lot for exercise and walking and lifting so I burn a lot too.
My health, at age sixty is great (knock on wood, lol)!
I don't feel like I'm "dieting" and I have vowed never to diet again.
I've been maintaining for over a year and am very satisfied.

turniprose

I use to hate it until I changed the way I thought. Now it no longer is dieting for me but a lifestyle change. I never thought I would be the one spouting that but it's true. Mentally I think about who I want to and remember to get to be that type of person, I need to eat healthy. So that's how I think now. I do want a hamburger every now and then, but I don't want it everyday~ In addition, I don't think I eat really boring, bland food which really helps.

jamiesokd

Then to know I can't do anything about these things if I want any results, so then I just feel grumpy.

I don't think this part is accurate. You can do something about some of the stuff you have described and still see results. You might not be able to do exactly all the things you want, but you shouldn't have to, for example, go to bed hungry.

One thing I do is to pre-measure snacks so I can just grab and go and don't have to think about it so much. Others pre-log their days and set aside everything they are going to eat that day so they can just take and eat as the day goes on. I know some people who bake their hearts out and the stuff in excess of what they intend to eat immediately goes out the door to friends, co-workers and family, or whatever charity is running a bake sale at the time.

My personal tactic is to just not be so serious about it. Makes for very slow going, but at least it is slow in the right direction, as opposed to me giving up entirely and gaining. If you are miserable with what you are doing, perhaps you might give yourself permission to implement more gradual changes that you find more tolerable. It's not worth being miserable over, is it?

I also like to play a little game of finding new treats that I enjoy, little things like lime in my water or whatever I would never have thought to try had I not been experimenting with my eating.

I can say that part of my issue is I am never prepared. I feel that most of what I eat now takes much more time to cook and prepare than what I used to eat. I can't just run to the store next to my work and grab a salad for lunch - because that salad has chips in it, or I can't measure how much meat or cheese is in it to log it correctly. Shouldn't grab a sandwich from the deli for the same reason, etc.

I'm not miserable by any means, I love seeing the changes on the scale, and I continued through all of April with seeing zero change weight wise. I know I can do this, and I am doing this. Just some days I don't want to, LOL

zoeysasha37

At first it was frustrating, but after I got used to weighing and measuring, it wasn't bad at all.
I eat what I want, as long as it fits in my day.

Adc7225

I thought I would speed up weight lose by going on a diet, it lasted less than 3 days . . . I thought it would come down to having a job or not!

The changes that I made in my eating are changes that I believe I can live with long term. I have all along eaten fried foods, chocolate and ice cream. One of the first recipes I logged was my coffee, I had no intention of changing how I take my coffee so I needed to make it fit. If you want to drink a soda, drink it, work out the calories and allow yourself some joy. I weigh my food on occasion, I tend to cook so reading food labels is minimal. There is a way for you to do this and still enjoy eating but I doubt you will find that while dieting.

BrunetteRunner87

Yes I hate dieting. And yes I hate it even when it's a lifestyle change. And yes I hate it even when things fit my macros. Yeah I can have cake or a hamburger or drinks as part of my diet, but I want multiple drinks and cakes and hamburgers. I want to go on a cheese rampage every day. I want to eat piles of lasagna and loads of chicken paprikas. I want to eat brunches and then be able to go and have a huge dinner seven hours later. I want mega meatballs, apple pies, and barbecue sandwiches. I want to eat like I ate when I was in Vegas. I want to eat all day every day, and no matter how you look at dieting, whether it's staying under a certain amount of calories, a "lifestyle change," staying in your macros, etc., the truth is for me if I consumed all the food I wanted I would be like those people on the 600 pound life. I just absolutely love food. It tastes so good.


Oooh edited to add I want to eat whole pizzas for lunch and hot dogs for lunch dessert, with a post lunch pre pre dinner strawberry cheesecake snack. I'd throw some avocados and bananas in there too.

albayin

Well, we have different body types for one....

But start running a lot and lifting weights, and that would require more calories.....
Bout all I can offer as a suggestion.

um....maybe I need to lift more and run more...because I do both and still find the amount that makes me lose is very little...I really have to starve myself to see scale moving a tiny bit...

jamiesokd

In the "old days" I really dieted. I was told to eat 1000 calories. I would eat and then be hungry soon after. I would lose weight and the minute I stopped dieting- I gained it all back and more.
Now I eat whatever I want in reasonable quantities and I never go to bed hungry.
I move a lot for exercise and walking and lifting so I burn a lot too.
My health, at age sixty is great (knock on wood, lol)!
I don't feel like I'm "dieting" and I have vowed never to diet again.
I've been maintaining for over a year and am very satisfied.

That's awesome!!

I used to not be hungry at bedtime when I first started, but in the last few weeks that has changed. I just can't seem to stay satisfied. Now, in that same time frame I have started a new job which involves more time on my feet - more hunger and suddenly my weight that had plateaued for all of April started coming off. I actually wonder if I maybe need to eat more due to the change in activity level, but I also like that I am seeing that scale move again.

albayin

At first it was frustrating, but after I got used to weighing and measuring, it wasn't bad at all.
I eat what I want, as long as it fits in my day.

if I eat what I want...I would never lose...because they simply can't fit in my day...must be just me being stupid...

literaturelover25

I know exactly what you mean, for me its not feeling deprived or hungry. It's all the work that goes into the planning and cooking, I'm fine with the amount of calories i have and i workout if i need more, i just miss not having to think about what i eat. I've had this body long enough to know that i have to work to lose weight and i'm fine with that. some days i just don't want to work so hard.

BrunetteRunner87

At first it was frustrating, but after I got used to weighing and measuring, it wasn't bad at all.
I eat what I want, as long as it fits in my day.

if I eat what I want...I would never lose...because they simply can't fit in my day...must be just me being stupid...

Yes yes yes exactly that... I eat SOME of the things I want but could never even begin to fit them all into one day!

MicheleWE

Sometimes, yes, I feel the same way, but then I remind myself that no one is forcing me to do this. I choose it! I choose it because I want to wear clothes that are cute, I choose it because I want to be healthy, I choose it because I don't want to be imprisoned by fat any longer. The list is really long! Then when I focus on all the things I am free to do now, and can do now because of implementing this self control, how can I feel sorry for myself? When that fails I go ahead and let myself pig out on what I want. Then I get to feel sick for two days and retain a bunch of water and feel sluggish and tired. Then I decide what I really want and quit feeling sorry for myself. It's a bigger mind game than it is physical battle. Get your mind, perspective and focus right and it's not so hard to do.
Some tools to help when that is in place might be to find snack alternatives. While your husband is munching on chips find yourself a low calorie snack to enjoy also. I've found that I love fat free plain greek yogurt mixed with stevia, fruit, and nuts, or peanut butter, or a bazillion other things. My hubby will eat ice cream and I think, that's just fine you go ahead because I have my rich creamy yogurt! Also, I find exercise really makes eating right easier. The days I struggle the most with eating are the days I haven't exercised.

jamiesokd

Sometimes, yes, I feel the same way, but then I remind myself that no one is forcing me to do this. I choose it! I choose it because I want to wear clothes that are cute, I choose it because I want to be healthy, I choose it because I don't want to be imprisoned by fat any longer. The list is really long! Then when I focus on all the things I am free to do now, and can do now because of implementing this self control, how can I feel sorry for myself? When that fails I go ahead and let myself pig out on what I want. Then I get to feel sick for two days and retain a bunch of water and feel sluggish and tired. Then I decide what I really want and quit feeling sorry for myself. It's a bigger mind game than it is physical battle. Get your mind, perspective and focus right and it's not so hard to do.
Some tools to help when that is in place might be to find snack alternatives. While your husband is munching on chips find yourself a low calorie snack to enjoy also. I've found that I love fat free plain greek yogurt mixed with stevia, fruit, and nuts, or peanut butter, or a bazillion other things. My hubby will eat ice cream and I think, that's just fine you go ahead because I have my rich creamy yogurt! Also, I find exercise really makes eating right easier. The days I struggle the most with eating are the days I haven't exercised.

I have no problem having low calorie snacks - but in the instance of tonight, I don't have the calories for anything.

I currently don't exercise at all, so that would definitely help.

Carley

Remember it's not a diet but a lifestyle change. That helps me a lot