Is it worth it

Shalaurise · June 2014

So I have been on and off trying to get my weight under control since my first kid. I have actually been using MFP consistently for the last month or two and making slow but steady progress. What I can't seem to do is not be hungry and be anywhere near my daily calorie goal. I wake up with my tunny talking to me and I get to listen to it all day. As such I have noticed my moods are way worse too. Sure, I am down a few pounds, but I can't remember the last day I didn't loose my temper at my kids. My ability to look at the car covered in soda and calmly tell them to get a towel is gone and replaced with screaming things like "Clearly you are to f****** incompetent to have a cup in the car. No more drinks in my car ever!"

Is it worth it? Is it worth being constantly hungry and grumpy and stressed and tired all the time just to loose weight? So far the journey has brought me nothing but constant frustration from not being able to pull out of my PMS type mood for over a month to irritation with the "good" things, like my pants being looser thus needing to be pulled up constantly. What good does being healthier and living longer do if to be healthy and live longer the sacrifices you have to make to get you there make you miserable?

4legsRbetterthan2 · June 2014

Yes and no. Is losing weight and being the healthiest you worth it, YES! Is being sane and happy while you are working on that important? YES! Looking at your profile and calorie goals you have set up a pretty large deficit. Try slowing down your loss some, eat a little more, and stay a little more sane.

rifadiva · June 2014

It is worth the journey! But starving yourself is not going to make you believe it is worth it! If you have to up your calorie intake, do it! If you don't, choose food with lots of protein and fiber to keep you fuller during the day. Keep on fighting! Becoming healthy is a great step!

SezxyStef · June 2014

That is not hungry that is hangry....

why are you hungry and grumpy all the time?

I am looking at your diary...

4 cookies @ 1800 calories? yah that wouldn't keep me full either

There are lots of days with cookies, chips etc where you are way over goal or you eat steak and chips are within goal but so little food...

I don't say this very often but you need to look at your food choices...fast food is one thing but everyday? yah you are going to be hungry with so little protien and filling foods.

For example yesterday you had tea and 5 hour energy in the morning, apple juice for dinner, then a slurpee...food was a bun, raisinettes and half a bowl of teriyaki chicken...holy heck.

Start eating real food...don't drink your calories with slurpees and eat cookies all day.

I while losing weight at 1600 -1700 calories most of the time (TDEE so that includes exercise) and I was never hungry...ever because I chose lean meat, lots of protien, filling veggies even when I ate out. Lots of greek yogurt, eggs, bacon, toast, cereal milk etc.

zoeysasha37 · June 2014

This!!# I rarely comment on diets, but you should probably think about eating a more balanced diet.

RinnyLush · June 2014

Mmmmmm... That is some delicious tasting TRUTH, right there. ^^

larrodarro · June 2014

I started in September on the 5-2 fasting diet. That is where you have 600 calories {500 for ladies} on two nonconsecutive days per week, but eat whatever you want the other five days. By eating lots of stir-fry and other low calorie dense food, I was never hungry on my low calorie days. I had lost 40 pounds by the New Year doing this. But by then I was working out too much for the 600 calorie days, so I have left it behind me. I have lost 25 more pounds since then, by counting calories everyday. Just last week I reached my goal weight of 176, but I still eat lots of stir-fry, green bean and mixed veggies.

I am still a big eater, and often have to do extra cardio before bed to end the day in the green. But I have never felt better in the last 30 years. I just hate that I waited so long to start a healthy lifestyle.

My advice would be to eat very little of the calorie dense foods, just enough to keep from craving them. And add lots of veggies, lean meats and whole grains.

I all but gave up milk and bread when I was trying the hardest to break my bad habits. Now I'm slowly increasing my consumption, but I can tell when I have too much. I feel bloated and heavy after too much bread. So far 6 oz of milk is the most I've had. For months I only had 1 oz per day.

Hope you have better days, and good luck in your lifestyle change.

Larro

peleroja · June 2014

If you're for real, then...what everyone else said. If you get some actual nutrition (vitamins, minerals, etc along with a decent proportion of fat and protein) you won't feel awful.

jkal1979 · June 2014

For me it's a lot better than being as uncomfortable and miserable as I was at my highest weight.

SezxyStef makes a really good point about your food choices. Protein will help you feel full.

It might also be a good idea to reevaluate your calorie goal.

Here are some links that will help you get started.

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

lemurcat12 · June 2014

What SezxyStef said. It's a matter of finding a balance of foods that keep you full at your calorie goal. If you can't, maybe your goal is too aggressive and you should try losing at a slower rate, but based on my skimming of your diary I'd be starving too, so you should try changing around what you eat first.

Just to start, eating a high calorie bun for breakfast is just asking to be starving a little later.

KylaDenay · June 2014

Yes I agree!! Listen to this

healthygreek · June 2014

YES!!!!!

Tla0126 · June 2014

I looked at your diary and I'd be hungry, too!

I started my weight loss journey at 268 lbs. What I've learned along the way is how to choose what foods will satisfy me. Ya know... How to get the most bang for my buck!!! I don't always make the best choices, but when I don't, I know it and I regret it!!

For Example - Your 220 calorie oatmeal cookie can get you 2 eggs and a 5.3 ounce container of Greek yogurt. That will fill you up for quite a bit longer than a cookie.

meritage4 · June 2014

You are ready for a total redo of both your diets and your children.
Why are they drinking soda in the first place/ It should be a very occasional-couple times a year-treat.

gypsy_spirit · June 2014

Is it worth it? Only you can answer that question. You can get all the information, support & help this site has to offer - but if you don't have the fire to make it happen - it won't happen for you.

Read these links. Educate yourself about how to have a healthy body. Learn all you can and then do the work.

The choice is yours. Will you decide you are worth it? Only you know.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

ETA: I'm sure you are not happy with the way you are treating your children. With kids, you never get a do over. Make some changes or talk to some one about your anger.

askeates · June 2014

Looking at your food diary, I think part of the issue may be with what you are eating.... You may want to consider changing the items you are eating. It looks as thought the majority of your food is fast food and highly processed foods. Try adding some fresh fruits and veggies, more protein (like some greek yogurt, peanuts, etc). Do a little reasearch on healthy foods that keep you full. Your calorie goal looks reasonable!

_HeartsOnFire_ · June 2014

This...

and...

GiveMeCoffee · June 2014

Definitely this! I'm usually the last one saying to switch out the cookie but I'd be starving and miserable eating that little. Check some food diaries get ideas. You shouldn't be this hangry and making everyone around you miserable.

Annesoucy1957 · June 2014

Yes it is worthed, you are only 32 and you have a long life ahead of you dont you want to grow older being able to be active, travelling, enjoying life or taking pills for high blood pressure, diabetis and the list can be quite long, being left behind because you cannot follow.

There are many forms of hunger and that growling stomach is the easiest to deal with and the one generating the least emotions. Hunger is just a feeling, something unpleasant but you get use to it with time you adapt. Hunger feels better than back pain or knee pain or being out of breath.

Emotional hunger is another beast that one can turn into anger, find something to replace the food that was dulling your emotions, walk, talk to friends, create something, take boxing but do something about it.

Are you angry at yourself for being where you are now, I know I am with myself for gaining weight. All that crap I ate was not worthed to hard work I must do now to undo my mistake. I get angry at myself not others since it was all of my doing. I go vent at the gym.

Beleive me food is overrated :0)

Calliope610 · June 2014

I'm usually not one to bash fast food, Taco Bell and Starbucks, but you may want to re-think your food choices.

xcalygrl · June 2014

Agreed.

When I glanced at your diary, I saw fast food after fast food and lack of real food some days (like apple juice for dinner). Plus, your sodium and sugar are way high. If you get a little more nutrition, you'll feel fuller on less food and not get so hangry.

SnuggleSmacks · June 2014

I'm all for making room in my caloric budget for treats, and in fact have taken a break from worrying about it the past couple of days (pizza and ice cream and buffalo chicken, oh my!) because I'm celebrating an anniversary with my beloved.

That being said, it does seem as if you're spending an awful lot of your calories on what may be less than optimal choices. It looks as though you're a busy person who eats out a lot rather than cooking, and that's fine. One thing you might want to do is look up the nutritional info for your favorite restaurants, the ones you frequent, and see if there might be some better choices.

For example, at Taco Bell, the Dorito tacos and the chicken soft tacos are about 200 cals each as long as you don't ask for supreme. At Starbucks, the oatmeal without all the dried fruit, or one of the egg white sandwiches, would be a much better choice.

I'm not saying you have to make the better choices every day, and give up all the foods you love, but maybe stick to one high-calorie item per day, and eat sensibly the rest of the day. That will make it much easier to fit more nutrition and bulk into your diet, keep you full, and still be happy and not feel deprived.

MelodyandBarbells · June 2014

Running your numbers you could do 1850 calories per day and lose 1 lb a week. 1600 per day 1.5 lb. add in exercise calories and you'd be able to eat so much more food than 1400 calories per day and still lose at a comfortable pace. I hadn't reviewed your food choices which could maybe stand to be improved, but I almost feel like I eat more food than you and have less weight to lose. If there's a quality of life issue here, as someone else suggested I would change to a less aggressive weight loss goal than 2 lbs a week and if there's anything exercise related you've ever wanted to do, try that out and eat back about half the calories from the exercise as a starting point (MFP estimated exercise calories can be a bit high)

AliceDark · June 2014

Your diet would send me on a blood sugar roller coaster -- I would be starving and murdery, just all the time. Adding in some protein and cutting down on the sugar will really help you stay full longer and should help even out your moods.

bookworm_847 · June 2014

This along with what the others have said.

You can still make room for the goodies and have a good diet... balance is the key.

Also, OP, this is totally off topic, but my husband has the same pic as the background to his phone that you have in your profile pic. I don't know what it's from, but just thought it interesting.

Good luck to you!

Meerataila · June 2014

:laugh: Me too. And this is why I had to switch over to healthier food choices. Jail would suck!

woodml1 · June 2014

There's lots of great advice for you regarding food choices in this thread. I hope you take it to heart because it *IS* worth it :flowerforyou:

jstout365 · June 2014

QFT - and not even sorry for the huge quote again.

I think at this point you need to decide for yourself if you are willing to make a bigger effort to eat healthy to minimize the Hangry Monster that you feel you have become or just continue to eat the same foods, but to a point that you might be eating over your maintenance, and potentially start gaining weight again.

This whole food thing comes down to choices. You can eat calorie dense foods that put little in the way of volume or nutrition into you, be hangry all the time because your body thinks it still needs more, or you can decide to put the effort into eating foods that fill you up and provide the nutrition you need. I could easily eat a Dunkin' Donuts Bacon Egg & Cheese biscuit (470 cal) with a large Iced coffee with Cream and sugar (250 cal) for breakfast, Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich, medium fries, and medium sweet tea (970 cal) and leave myself with 110 calories for the rest of the day if eating at 1800 calories. Would I get hangry doing this....you better believe it. Instead, I chose to make most of my meals and eat an egg white, bacon, cheese and avocado breakfast sandwich for breakfast, chicken, quinoa or beans, and 100+ grams of veggie for lunch, 100+ grams of meat at dinner with salad or veggie, dressing, sweet potato. All that AND I still have between 400-600 calories left in the day for additional snacks like quest bars, smoothies, fruit, chocolate, and even the occasional ice cream. So much food, so little hunger.

You don't have to give up the foods you like, but you do have to use some decision process and decide if eating that particular food is in your best interest at that point of time.

TL:DR - you can either eat like crap and get little food or decide to eat healthier foods and eat to fill you up.

devil_in_a_blue_dress · June 2014

All things in moderation.

I don't see a ton of moderation in your food diary.

Nothing is worth being a nasty jerk to your kids.

JustSomeEm · June 2014

Definitely what Stef said. Start eating some veggies and fruits, and drink water... and coffee.. I'd kill someone without coffee. But you would be absolutely amazed at how much you CAN eat, and how satisfied you'll feel if you cut out some of hte sugary drinks and add in fruit and veggies. You can still have the sugary stuff, just not so often.

I'd be cranky too, if all I got to eat were some raisinettes and a bun in a day. :flowerforyou:

MelodyandBarbells · June 2014

Calories are calories and protein is protein even when it comes from Taco Bell, right? Except when it comes from Taco Bell :grumble:

Is it worth it

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