Ugh

wannakimmy

Ugh, so this is where I am at.

I have lost 50 lbs, and am very proud of it. I feel TONS better physically and mentally... MFP has been good for me, however.... I have been playing with the same 10 pounds for like 3 months, I still have over 130 lbs to lose overall. I am just getting frustrated.

I have lost interest in tracking every little thing. I have started seeing everything as calories instead of just food. I want to take a break and just try to eat normal. I am very much more aware of what I am eating now than I was 6 months ago. I do not want to get to the point where this consumes my life. I am going to take a break from it and see how I do on my own.

If I fail, I will come back to the way things are done here on MFP. It does work, it has just been difficult lately to stay committed to it. I hate to think I will need this for the rest of my life. It feels very overwhelming to me.

I will still watch what I eat and weigh out portions, and continue to exercise, but I really feel I need to take a break from the numbers. I hope I have learned something in the last 6 months that will help me through this time.

Anybody else ever go through this?

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Sauleeh

I have the same issue. I refuse to eat some foods and am more picky about certain foods because I see them as calories. I am slowly losing and the scale is going down, but I am afraid I won't be able to eat normally after I've lost weight.

But congrats on 50lbs! You can do it, I know you can lose those last 10 pounds! Keep at it, just maybe don't count calories, just estimate. (I've gone that route, and it works for me)

Madame_Goldbricker

The thing is you've just said "I've been playing with the same 10lbs for the last 3mths". Which means you are no longer in a deficit or you would still be losing.

Now if your going to step away from that even further the likelihood is you'll gain. Estimates, guesstimates, & eyeballing is fine (so long as you're still losing).

*Adding - unless you just want to do maintenance for a bit. Which would maybe give you the break you're looking for.

Missjulesdid

I'm on a very long journey. I am able to take breaks and maintain but I never lose while on a break. While on breaks I still exercise and eat sensibly but I only lose if I'm really REALLY careful with calories.

aedreana

If you have been working on 10 pounds for 3 months, you are counting wrong/measuring portions erroneously anyway. Or perhaps, you have not adjusted your caloric intake accurately according to your present weight. And yes, it doesn't end if and when you attain goal weight. You won't have a "feel" for how much you can eat to maintain, until you have counted calories on maintenance for quite awhile-- if ever. Personally, I think logging in the food diary is fun. I look forward to it every day.

wannakimmy

yes
and it never works

good luck

Checked out your profile, job well done. Time will tell for me... I would rather try this than give up completely

wannakimmy

I have the same issue. I refuse to eat some foods and am more picky about certain foods because I see them as calories. I am slowly losing and the scale is going down, but I am afraid I won't be able to eat normally after I've lost weight.

But congrats on 50lbs! You can do it, I know you can lose those last 10 pounds! Keep at it, just maybe don't count calories, just estimate. (I've gone that route, and it works for me)

WIsh it were my last ten pounds lol I wouldn't be so frustrated. I too hope I can eat normally when all is said and done. Good luck to you as well.

wannakimmy

The thing is you've just said "I've been playing with the same 10lbs for the last 3mths". Which means you are no longer in a deficit or you would still be losing.

Now if your going to step away from that even further the likelihood is you'll gain. Estimates, guesstimates, & eyeballing is fine (so long as you're still losing).

*Adding - unless you just want to do maintenance for a bit. Which would maybe give you the break you're looking for.

I know I am not in a deficit daily, when I screw up and eat too much I log that as well. Many a days in the red, not always by a lot, but still seeing red.... in more ways than one lol I did give the maintenance thing a thought, but I would still be looking at numbers, and that is what I want to get away from for a bit.

nutmegoreo

I took a break for about two months earlier this year. For one month of that I didn't even track. I just tried to make better choices. I managed to maintain, luckily. To lose, I really do need to be aware of how many calories I am consuming. So I am back at it to continue. I may take another month off later this year. I think it is dependent what your goals are and if you are willing to take a little more time to get there. Best of luck to you.

wannakimmy

I'm on a very long journey. I am able to take breaks and maintain but I never lose while on a break. While on breaks I still exercise and eat sensibly but I only lose if I'm really REALLY careful with calories.

Wow long journey is right. Congrats on your weight loss. I hope to get there as well. Maybe this break will allow me to break this funk, and then get back on it.

wannakimmy

If you have been working on 10 pounds for 3 months, you are counting wrong/measuring portions erroneously anyway. Or perhaps, you have not adjusted your caloric intake accurately according to your present weight. And yes, it doesn't end if and when you attain goal weight. You won't have a "feel" for how much you can eat to maintain, until you have counted calories on maintenance for quite awhile-- if ever. Personally, I think logging in the food diary is fun. I look forward to it every day.

Glad you enjoy the food diary, it isn't for everyone though. As for my accurately logging, I am, never said I was staying under my calories. I know when I go over, because I have been logging everything. Just said I have been struggling.

wannakimmy

I took a break for about two months earlier this year. For one month of that I didn't even track. I just tried to make better choices. I managed to maintain, luckily. To lose, I really do need to be aware of how many calories I am consuming. So I am back at it to continue. I may take another month off later this year. I think it is dependent what your goals are and if you are willing to take a little more time to get there. Best of luck to you.

Thank you, I know this isn't a quick fix, it is for the long haul. That is why I do not want to get burned out on it. I am hoping by taking a break, that when I get back to it, it won't feel so "ugh" .

nutmegoreo

I took a break for about two months earlier this year. For one month of that I didn't even track. I just tried to make better choices. I managed to maintain, luckily. To lose, I really do need to be aware of how many calories I am consuming. So I am back at it to continue. I may take another month off later this year. I think it is dependent what your goals are and if you are willing to take a little more time to get there. Best of luck to you.

Thank you, I know this isn't a quick fix, it is for the long haul. That is why I do not want to get burned out on it. I am hoping by taking a break, that when I get back to it, it won't feel so "ugh" .

Sounds like you need a break from the numbers. That's where I was too. Plus life was hectic at the time (excuse, I know). I should add that I still checked in here daily to keep up with my friends and to read the boards for inspiration. That way, I knew that I would be returning. Take care of yourself.

levitateme

I felt this way too, OP. I was in a deficit for about 5 months and began to grow tired of being a slave to what the scale said, so I slowly upped my calories over a month. I went from 1400-1600 net up to slightly above my TDEE. I've been maintaining my weight and steadily losing bodyfat while lifting. I believe they call it "reverse dieting."

I don't think you should take a break from logging calories, just take a break from trying to stick to a deficit and see how you feel. Part of long term success will be learning how to maintain your weight, so maybe try that for a month while keeping active. Photographic results from body recomp have been just as motivating as numbers on the scale, for me anyway.

wannakimmy

I felt this way too, OP. I was in a deficit for about 5 months and began to grow tired of being a slave to what the scale said, so I slowly upped my calories over a month. I went from 1400-1600 net up to slightly above my TDEE. I've been maintaining my weight and steadily losing bodyfat while lifting. I believe they call it "reverse dieting."

I don't think you should take a break from logging calories, just take a break from trying to stick to a deficit and see how you feel. Part of long term success will be learning how to maintain your weight, so maybe try that for a month while keeping active. Photographic results from body recomp have been just as motivating as numbers on the scale, for me anyway.

Something to ponder, thanks levitateme.

MelodyandBarbells

I get to points where it's rather cumbersome to be under calories either for the day or even week, and sometimes I am not particularly rigid with that goal. But I still log. It's pretty much a habit now. I don't prelog pretty much ever, and sometimes won't get in to log my food right away, but at the end of the day or even the next day everything I can think of gets uploaded. I have even amended the diary two days after the fact when I remembered something

Do you log using the app at all? IMO finding the lower calorie nutrition options and sticking to them, finding and trying new recipes etc to keep things fresh and exciting should be the hard parts, not the logging itself. I like the app because I can scan entries whenever possible. When I do a search, I can see the calories of all the results right off, so it's easy to pick the one I want, and also whenever I start typing the name of a food the whole list shrinks based on what I'm writing. Too lazy to right? I use the siri/voice option.

Also another aspect that should be just a teensy bit harder than the actual logging is using a food scale. If you do not use one, then I recommend that you either start, or use one when you start back up after your break. The scale might help you see where you may be consuming too much food, unless you already know where to look from your current logging - I wasn't clear from your previous posts.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

QuietBloom

I have the same issue. I refuse to eat some foods and am more picky about certain foods because I see them as calories. I am slowly losing and the scale is going down, but I am afraid I won't be able to eat normally after I've lost weight.

But congrats on 50lbs! You can do it, I know you can lose those last 10 pounds! Keep at it, just maybe don't count calories, just estimate. (I've gone that route, and it works for me)

WIsh it were my last ten pounds lol I wouldn't be so frustrated. I too hope I can eat normally when all is said and done. Good luck to you as well.

The problem is that you haven't taught yourself what 'normal' is yet.

wannakimmy

Do you log using the app at all? IMO finding the lower calorie nutrition options and sticking to them, finding and trying new recipes etc to keep things fresh and exciting should be the hard parts, not the logging itself. I like the app because I can scan entries whenever possible. When I do a search, I can see the calories of all the results right off, so it's easy to pick the one I want, and also whenever I start typing the name of a food the whole list shrinks based on what I'm writing. Too lazy to right? I use the siri/voice option.

Also another aspect that should be just a teensy bit harder than the actual logging is using a food scale. If you do not use one, then I recommend that you either start, or use one when you start back up after your break. The scale might help you see where you may be consuming too much food, unless you already know where to look from your current logging - I wasn't clear from your previous posts.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

No I do not use the app. I do use a food scale and am logging correctly, just struggling with the numbers right now. I know I have been at times consuming too much food, and even know where the problem is. Just needing a break. I will check out that link, thanks

MelodyandBarbells

If you have a smart phone you should definitely check out the app. I have it with me almost all the time, so even if I only logged when bored, I would still be able to get all my logging in hassle-free

wannakimmy

I have the same issue. I refuse to eat some foods and am more picky about certain foods because I see them as calories. I am slowly losing and the scale is going down, but I am afraid I won't be able to eat normally after I've lost weight.

But congrats on 50lbs! You can do it, I know you can lose those last 10 pounds! Keep at it, just maybe don't count calories, just estimate. (I've gone that route, and it works for me)

WIsh it were my last ten pounds lol I wouldn't be so frustrated. I too hope I can eat normally when all is said and done. Good luck to you as well.

The problem is that you haven't taught yourself what 'normal' is yet.

You are right, I know I have a long ways to go with that. I did say that I hope I can use what I have learned thus far. I have been majorly overweight for most of my life. (Not everyone here understands what it is like to live this way) I am aware this is a long journey where I hope to learn much more.