not eating...

MammaCase

ok so i have been on here for 50 days, well just a bit over.. ive been doing good but I have gotten into a slump of not eating. i hate forcing myself to eat. i was always forced to eat as a child. to finish everything on my plate and I had to sit at the table unil everything was gone. As ive gotten older i usually just eat when im hungry. but what happens when im not hungry??? Ive been trying to eat better, or at least not just globbing a bunch of food on my plate and eating till im so full i cant move. Ive been following serving sizes and so far ive lost like 12 inches. im very happy about that but i hate that sometimes its a fight (internal of course) to eat 3 meals a day or even more by eating little meals.
The last few times ive attempted to diet ive done the slim fast diet where I would have a slim fast in the am, some kind of 90 calorie snack 2 hours later, another slim fast 2 hours after that and so on.. just alternating between a 90 calorie snack and a slim fast until 4 hours before I eat dinner. Then eating whatever for dinner. Not bad food just not measuring out and such. Both times that has worked. Although both times I ended up pregnant. Also doing it that way gets expensive. I wanted to try something different, and as I said so far im doing good but ive hit a spot where i dont feel like eating. which i know is bad..
I guess im just looking for some kind of motivation to keep going. Ive gained like 4 lbs back over the last few days. which im not happy about, ive also but back on my water intake ugg.. im faltering big time. (
Ive been walking about 2 miles a day with my kids so im getting far more excersize than ive gotten in the past. I know 2 miles isnt probably a lot but walking with a 4 yr and an 18 month old isnt easy when I only have one stroller.
So any hints, motivation what ever that can be given i will appreciate it thanks for reading

SaraTonin

I know what it's like to not feel hungry, I have to force myself to do breakfast! My trick is to keep nutrition shakes around the house. When I don't feel like eating, I down one of those to help me meet calories.

It's important to keep that metabolism boosted!

dlaplume2

The thing you need to be careful of is, If you are not hungry, is that because your metabolism has slowed down. You should be getting hungry every few hours. Maybe you need to look into some more appealing creative snacks.

Make sure you eat enough and get creative, maybe you are just bored and you tastebuds needs some pepping.

rfcollins33

You need to realize that just because you've slipped up and just because you've gained 4 lbs, does NOT take you out of the game. You can turn it around right NOW if you really want to. From this moment on. How do you think people who are so overweight get the motivation in the first place? They have to start somewhere. That's how it was with me facing 60 lbs of weight I needed to lose. I do not suggest slim fast, just measure your servings, do 1200 a day or more if you work out. You CAN do it, you just have to make the decision to. Good luck, I believe in you and I know you can do it!!

Lollyvoddy

That is tough! I understand where you are coming from. Last week I struggled to get my calories up, and this week I promised myself I'd eat at least 1300 a day. Yeah, it seems silly to eat when you aren't hungry, but I know I can't trust the interpretation of my bodies signals...they lead me too obesity afterall! So, a bit like medicine or vitamins, I'm viewing food as a fuel, and my body needs that fuel whether I want it or not. Maybe try some smaller high calorie snacks, like protein bars or similar. And of course drink that water up Take care and good luck!

DianeAuger

Hi, I would suggest maybe small meals every few hours. That way you are getting something or you could try smoothies with protein powder. I do Almond Milk or soy, whey protein powder, and Energe-C packet with just a little honey. There are a lot of the B vitamins in the Energe-C and you get your protein. It sounds like your body is going into starvation mode and will hang on to every calorie until you start eating again. Hope that helps.

Puggled

First off I would like to say congratulations for loosing twelve inches in 50 days. That's not even two months. You've done fantastic to do that in such a short time. It's time to give yourself a big old slap on the back. You seem a little down about it so take a minute and just think about what you've done. Twelve inches in fifty days WOW.

I don't have kids but I can only guess at how hard it is to fit things like exercise into the mix. My friend who had two kids put on weight and then like one of those pop stars you see dropped it off within months. They said they didn't have to try. They spent their time with the kids playing with kids. Playing games like hide and seek, running around the garden pretending that kind of thing. It's the fittest they had ever felt. I don't know if that's of any use but whatever you do it stick at it. You can't let all that great work go to waste. Think of what you can do in another fifty days.

good luck

fadeedaf

The only thing I can really stress is stop dieting. Make it a life change. Slim fast, etc, isn't going to work in the long term. I've done it all as well.

This is how I handle most of my days and some days I find it a bear to eat so many times..

8:00am - Protein shake / 3 Eggs w/ veggies & 2 slices of bacon
10:00am - Almonds
12:00pm - Chicken/Pork & veggies
2:00pm - Piece of fruit (Apple, Staweberries, etc..)
(workout)
4:00pm - Protein shake (Whey Protein & Milk/water w/ banana blended in if it's milk)
6:00pm - Lean red meat (Hamburger 90/10, Steak) w/ veggies
8:00 pm (if I need it) - Cottage cheese

It's okay to not get hungry, but it also is defeating the purpose if you don't eat. It sounds dumb but you have to eat to lose weight. You are getting more exercise, less water, and not eating as much. Of course you are going to gain weight. Your body is storing what you do have to use it for all the energy you are burning having fun with your kids.

If you eat more protein you won't get those hunger pangs between meals, you also will feel more full as well so you don't eat as much. If you adapt your body to eating small meals every few hours you eventually will just eat out of habit because your body will tell you it's time. Some days though, you will not eat anywhere near what you should. Some days you will pig out and eat two steaks.

As long as you keep your calories around 1800, keep up the exercise and keep moving, there is no reason why you can't lose weight! Keep it up, 12 inches is awesome! Don't worry about four pounds either. I go up and down 2-6 lbs on a daily basis only to wake up at my lowest each morning. Good luck!

morganadk2_deleted

think about changing to a healthy way of eating, i see you have 2 girls , you want to help them have a healthy attitude to food , i grew up in a home were you had to finish what was on your plate! i used to feel guilt if i left anything on the plate, now when my son, says he can't finish what on his plate , i just if you it it or it goes in the bin its gone, don't worry.

you need to find a healthy balance , under eating is not good for your long term health and neither is overeating.

As to exercise if walking 2 miles is all you can do for now, its a good start, put music on and dance with the children! do an exercise dvd when the children are in bed, build healthy habits a few at a time,you will get there!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)



Good luck on your journey

jlcampbell2008

:happy: Sounds a lot like me! I can't seem to get it just right! Either I'm right at my calorie goal or 600 calories under. What I would recommend is finding your absolute favorite foods and cut the portions down if you have to, and eat them up. I really like smoothies and they are just right for a meal replacement from time to time. I did one this morning and it was like 223 calories. It was so yummy.

You know what else, maybe you need to try new foods! Go to www.thegraciouspantry.com and see what they have. Also, maybe do something like Shakeology, just to mix things up a bit.

I know that my metabolism is down a bit right now, I'm not quite as hungry as I usually am. What's weird for me is the more water I drink the more hungry I get. Right now I am on my 3rd 32oz cup of water (I have a favorite cup I use).

You can do it, don't give up. This is just a little bump in the road to your final destination, it's a mole hill not a mountain. Just step right over it!

Starshine05

Don't stop eating - it's a slippery slope to poor physical and mental health. :sad:

Some pointers: eating regularly (3 times a day), and including foods from all food groups at each meal (protein, starchy carbohydrate and fruit/veg) actually stimulates the appetite, and definately makes your metabolism more efficient. But it can take time to get into this routine. Try to change one thing at a time (e.g. make yourself have 3 small meals a day, then gradually impove the balance of the meal; or start having a healthy breakfast for one week, then add in a healthy lunch etc.....whatever woks best for you).

Putting your body through the stress of starvation is noooooooo good for you in the long term - and ultimately screws up your metabolism if you keep doing this.

Sadly you've leaned the hard way that "diets" don't work. It's not long before you revert to old eating habits because the diet is (e.g.) dull, expensive and/or simply completely different to other people you eat with. It's far better to start trying to eat more healthily, making gradual changes which you can stick to. It's not as exciting as a diet which tells you that you can change your whole body shape in micromoments - but it works!!

Why not consider asing your GP for a referral to a dietitian? They might be able to get you started, then you could use this website as a support.

Hope this helps a bit :happy:

juliapurpletoes

Hi - I want to really urge you to eat!!

I didn't for a few years........just drank a coupla protein shakes.......and water and basically thought that would be good. I did lose weigh at first....then plateaued and got stuck. It killed my metabolism and whenever I tried to eat normally, I gained, so then I stopped - it was a nerve wracking cycle.

But the worst that came out of it was that because my stomach was so empty alot of the day, the normal acids constantly refluxxed up and created a ring of scar tissue at the bottom of my esophagus. Becasue of this scar tissue I now have to take a acid control pill every day FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! It is expensive and could have been prevented.

I did all that damage because I kept telling myself - I wasn't hungry! it killed my metabolism, scar my body permanently.

I'm better now, metabolism is working again - but until there is a surgery to remove scar tissue in throat, i will have to eat slowly, carefully, and softer food a certain times................

so please do yourself and your kids (they notice everything) a long term favor and..........eat!

KELM0710

YAY!!! 12inches!!! Fantastic!!! Good Job!!! I'm sooo proud of you!!! You are doing such a good job. You cant let the 4lbs get you down..I know I am trying not to let weight gain affect me. You said you go walking everyday..You might be gaining a bit of muscle from walking :)

A good snack that I like is Planters nut and chocolate trail mix. I think its perfect..plus its got lots of goodies in it for you.. :)

You can do it!!!! I know you can!!! We are in this together :D:D:D:D:D WHOO HOOO

If anything I know this will make you smile so my work is done. hehehehehe talk to u later

MammaCase

thank you all for your replies.. i have to get back on track.. im going start back tomorrow.. im not giving up and as i said initially im not going back to slim fast at least not the way i used. went shopping today so i got some more things.. i do have to get some things to make shakes.. thank you all
ps and yes Kate you did make me smile