Why cannot I get into this?

jrevi001

So here it is,
A week later and I think I've only come under or at calorie twice. I'm trying to not get down on myself but there are so many issues in my life right now that maybe this isn't the right time to do this. But then again when will it be?

I am always hungry, tired, crying, and cleaning. Taking care of my newborn is my top priority followed by finding a job to help us move out of my parents house. And when I'm bored and down about one of my stresses all I can seem to do is eat to make the pain go away. So what can I do to change this? Is there anything I can snack on that will make me feel like I've actually eaten?

I feel as though it is enough that I may not becoming under calorie all the time but at least I am thiinking about and concious of my calorie intake. I'm pretty sure I've been eating close to 5,000 calories a day and now am at 3,000. :sad: But should I be satisfied by this?

Any encouragement or suggestions would be welcomed! :ohwell:

JenaePavlak

It's totally about exercise!!!! If you get an amazing, hard workout in, your not as hungry and you earn calories to eat!! So you end up actually realizing that you need to eat more in the day... When starting to get back into shape, if you just add in calorie burning workouts, you dont have to worry about what you eat so much... as you start to lose weight, then look a bit more into that but you'll see great results just by a good workout!

ThePartyGoblin

I think half of it is just consciousness of intake, so good for you on that! Also, try doing some light exercise to get you going, even if it's just a walk around the block. My vice is I'm a total snacker, and I think you're probably that way too. What I do to keep from snacking is drink a glass of water and wait 30 minutes to see if I still want it. If I do, I eat about 100 calories worth and have another glass of water.
Best of luck! I know it seems crazy hard, but it is achievable!

Nomomush

Try making small changes. For example, instead of whole milk, try 2% or skim. And instead of reaching for the bag of chips, try Sunchips or nuts. These smaller changes will make a world of difference and small changes are easier than drastic onces. take a look at your your food diary and see where you can make these small changes.

I also agree with Jenae. Add in some excercise and you could burn off some calories that you went over.

Small consistent changes=Big rewards.

Good luck to you. Don't give up!

marialy21

You CAN do this! And you are most worthy of succeeding! Try telling yourself you are worth all this effort! Taking care of yourself doesn't always come naturally so we need to make a conscious effort! You want to live a healthy life for you and your kids so that you can be with them and truly enjoy lifes miracles!

lockedonna

I literally just signed up yesterday and today was my first full day of keeping track of what I did. I LOVE to eat...absolutely love it and it doesn't matter if I'm sick, sad, happy, mad, etc...I love to eat...so I'm trying to be more active to make up for it. I'm 38 now and it's so hard to get rid of extra fat at this age. I never thought I'd say that, but I just did. I weigh more now than when I was 9 months pregnant with either of my kids and it's the bellyfat that I hate the most. I think it's great that you have cut down almost 2000 calories a day and even if you don't meet your goal right now, you are learning to understand about what goes into your body and how it all adds up and that will help when your life settles down a bit. My job is very stressful right now and I never seem to have enough money for everything, but I'm trying to focus my stress and energy into this...to better myself (since I have no control over the things causing my stress). I set a low goal of losing 1 pound per week since I figured that would be more realistic for me to actually achieve and I'm not good at dieting so if I can eat what I want and just pay attention to how much - that helps. I probably didn't answer your question, but I thought it would be helpful to know that there are more just like you that are struggling and you WILL be able to do this. I WILL TOO! Good luck!

bethvandenberg

Wow there is a lot of stuff in that post.
Ok a newborn. Wow crying and stress come with that.
Living with the folks. Ok no stress there. LOL.
Out of work hmmm

Girlie cut yourself some slack. That's a lot on your plate at once. You are just going to have to take it one day at a time.
Take that new baby out for a walk (if weather permits). Do something for yourself everyday. You have to take care of yourself to take care of others.

You can do it all you just have to really pay attention to stress signs and other ways to deal with them instead of food.

I know sometimes life seems very overwhelming but you'll survive and you can do what you set your mind too.

Congrats on the baby and I'm sure everything will fall into place

PandaBot0407

I'm a late night binger....or at least, I'm trying not to be! I totally understand the lack of motivation when you're stressed and taking care of a newborn. I have a 6y.o. and a 3y.o., I work 40 plus hrs/wk. Believe me, I'm tired! And all I want to do is watch my TV shows and eat! Funny thing is, if I make myself (not easy) get up and do ANYTHING other than watch TV, I don't eat as much!
You can do it! First and foremost, you have to BELIEVE you can.
I also live with my mom who, conveniently brings home klondike bars (my favorite in the whole world) exactly when I'm craving something super yummy and sweet. With an evil glare in my eye toward her, I munch on a sweet pear or apple! Then I get to see her rubbing her stomach from eating too much and enjoy the extra energy I have!
DON'T LOSE HOPE! THINGS WILL TURN AROUND FOR YOU! And don't forget, Carpe diem!!!!!! There's no time like the present (it becomes your past and prepares your future:)
And the best part, you'd be setting an amazing example for your little one. You will teach him/her that nothing is unattainable!
Keep up the good work....cutting down 2000 calories is an EXTRAordinary accomplishment!

Cori615

when you feel like over eating drink water!!! Sometimes you body is just thirsty but you think its hungry or cravings. Also exercise kick boxing is fun, especially if your stressed just start punching and kicking to your favorite music. Good luck

jerseyshorenurse

You're worrying me, girl. You are struggling with A LOT right now. First of all, your stress level and emotional health. Have you been screened for postpartum depression (PPD)? Your hormones have been on a roller coaster through pregnancy and after and it's not your fault if you feel like a blubbering mess all the time, especially with all the other stuff going on ) PPD is a very common experience and there is help out there. You can even talk to baby's pediatrician about it for help if you don't want to make an appointment for yourself. Or call a hotline to find out about help available.

As for diet, it sounds like you're doing some binging and definitely an emotional eater. (See the stuff above... 5000 calories is a lot, even if you're breastfeeding, but putting the pressure on yourself to suddenly cut back to 1200cal/day or something is going to leave you feeling VERY deprived which leads to failure. Make sure you research your nutrition requirements as a lactating mom, if that's the case, to make sure you aren't cutting back too extremely. You don't want to put yourself at risk. It sounds like you could work on some of the "eat this, not that" type lifestyle changes...where you don't necessarily eat a lot less in quantity, but overall you take in less calorically.

Here's a suggestion. Like a homework assignment, to help you get into the swing. Instead of emotional eating when you're exhausted and feeling down on yourself with all the stress at the end of the day, sit down with a notebook and MFP, and decide what you're going to eat TOMORROW. Not how you're going to "recover" from what you slipped on today, but a plan for tomorrow. Drink a tall glass of water before all your meals. Make yourself STOP when you've eaten what you planned to, and do something. It takes a while for your brain to get the "I'm full" signal. When you realize that the huge bowl of frosted flakes with whole milk puts you WAY over where you want to be that early in the day, figure out what you will substitute. Breakfast will be...oatmeal with some skim milk, blueberries and a couple egg whites. Lunch will be tuna packed in water made with light mayo, open face on whole grain bread, and baby carrots. Dinner will be grilled chicken, a big big portion of a green veggie like broccoli (hold the butter) and a small portion of a starch. 2 snacks during the day like a serving of 1% fat cottage cheese, raw veggies and fat free dip, whole grain crackers and fat free cheese, or a banana with a DAB of peanut butter. I can't tell you EXACTLY what to eat to make you feel full, and honestly, with a 5000 calorie habit, that may be hard to do. But if you set a plan ahead of time, and make sure that you are making balanced, lower calorie choices, you will find yourself getting closer to your calorie goal, and as your body (and stomach and mind) adapts to those changes, you can get down to the nitpicking calories. And as others mentioned...exercise. Burning 300 calories a day through exercise makes it ALL a lot easier, cut your stress levels, and just make you feel better. Empowered.

I'm always saying it...progress, not perfection. And hitting or going under calories twice in a week, well, that's progress, right? Just keep truckin along. You can do it.

Mamoonie

Hey,

I'm with most people who replied: you're really struggling with a lot right now.
My advice:
Try not to change too much at once. With all what's going on in your life, you might just fail.
Concerning you eating habits, diet, losing weight mission... whatever you call it.... here's my suggestion:
I read you consume(d) 5000 calories a day usually, and now you do 3000, and you're not able to keep up with that change.
How about taking smaller steps?!
First log what you eat... and then try to reduce that number by 500 calories per week... like... 5000 to begin with, first week 4500 calories, second week 4000 cals, 3rd week 3500 etc... I know it takes much longer to get down, but you're giving your body time to get used to these changings.
Slowly change things!
As a few people said: take a walk with your baby, you both get fresh air, and you get a workout too, giving you some extra calories to consume.
Drink a lot of water, some say they are less hungry the more water they drink.
Change one food to a healthier choice, once per week.
Set mini-goals for yourself like: this week I want to walk 15 minutes every day, or this week I want to consume 100 calories less than last week, or this week I want to exchange one daily chocolate bar snack with a yogurt.... small things that are fully doable. Just not too many and too big changes at once.

I hope this helps.

MM

Woodman725

Wow, lots going on here and it looks like you just got a lot of great advice. Not much more I can say but you can do it. Sure you might slip but it's not going to be the end of the world. It takes a while to get into a different mindset to lose weight, especially when you(anyone) have had poor habits likely for years. You didn't learn those bad habits overnight and you're not going to learn to change them overnight either. The important thing is you're trying and you want to make a change. Just do the best you can and the rest will fall into place. Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck!

jrevi001

Thank you all for all the great tips and wonderful support! I definitely love all the suggestions and will try them. I have a bit more energy today so I might take advantage of it! Again thank you all :happy: