At this a while and still frustrated!

Amandac6772

I kind of consider myself an old-timer here on MFP. I've consistenly logged in for 11 months and have had great success. I am the typical yo-yo dieter. I've lost the same 30 lbs about 6 times in the last 20 years. I can feel myself slipping...thoughts like "What is this little bite going to hurt" or "I deserve to eat that candy". I'll never be a tee-totaler (if that is a word) on healthy, clean eating. I'm just not programmed that way. Exercise is not the problem. I love it...even if it means getting up at 4:15 a.m. to do it. It this eating thing that I can't get a handle on. My furstration is that I know how to do this. I know what to eat. I know I need to for my health. However, it's like I am on auto-pilot some days with eating. I eat like a did when I was a teenager and could eat anything. How do you reteach yourself to eat right? And how do you teach yourself to eat out of need and not out of stress? While I'm really proud of what I've lost and the shape my body is taking I am still so mad at myself because I haven't learned to eat like I need to eat.

daybyday

I want to hear the replies you get because I am the SAME way!! I will never eat totally clean either - I love desserts and I simply won't totally give them up.

lil_pulp

Like you, I've lost a bit of weight, do fine with exercise, but struggle with my eating choices. What helps me (at least sometimes) is to plan each day's eating the night before (I actually write it down or log it here with calorie counts--this helps prove to me that it's a "normal" amount and plenty of calories to keep me going, because otherwise I tell myself I might die from under-eating), posting pictures in my kitchen of me at my heaviest and at my lightest, and staying busy. Especially the last one. HTH. Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend!
-LP

dlaplume2

Maybe what you should do it plan a day during the week that you can eat those things that you gave up. If you are feeling deprived you will have week moments and the longer you are at it the more frequently they will come.

Try to incorporate the things into you diet that you feel like you are missing and execise accordingly.

The other thing you could do-think of having to start all over. When I quit smoking the thing that kept me going was, I didn't want to have to start of with a week, then a month, then 6 months. The longer you go the harder the start over will be. You don't want to have start over and lose the first 5lbs again, or 10 ect.

One more suggestion is to come up with a good reward for maintaining your weight for 6 months

Best wishes.

momma3sweetgirls

Sometime when you stop seeing results (i.e. weight loss) you figure why bother eat properly and exercise if it doesn't even do anything. Maybe you need to reevaluate your ultimate goal and move more into maintenance? You can't keep losing weight forever, the day must come to maintain. I know for me, I'd love to weigh what I did in high school (120 lbs), but I do not have the metabolism of a 16 year old - I'm 20 years older and have 4 kids now. I might be able to reach that goal, however, I'd never be able to maintain it. I'm aiming for 140 lbs which I know I will be able to maintain. Just something to consider.

Amandac6772

Sometime when you stop seeing results (i.e. weight loss) you figure why bother eat properly and exercise if it doesn't even do anything. Maybe you need to reevaluate your ultimate goal and move more into maintenance? You can't keep losing weight forever, the day must come to maintain. I know for me, I'd love to weigh what I did in high school (120 lbs), but I do not have the metabolism of a 16 year old - I'm 20 years older and have 4 kids now. I might be able to reach that goal, however, I'd never be able to maintain it. I'm aiming for 140 lbs which I know I will be able to maintain. Just something to consider.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I've stop seeing results because I'm so close to goal. I do measure and I am seeing some results there. My original goal was 125 and then I lowered it. when I reached it I think I will move to maintenance and just be happy, work on toning up and staying healthy.

prov31ms

I think food is something I will struggle with my entire life. I grew up in a family where food was central to everything - holidays - celebrations - family gatherings - church functions - social events - emotions - everything! Plus I just love food - I am a "foodie" as they say... I am pretty sure the love of food is ingrained in my DNA! I think everyone is born with something that they will struggle with in this life and for me it is food... I think just realizing that this is my issue and trying each day to "control" it is key - and all I can do is keep working on keeping it under control... I know this is no help at all - LOL - but you are not alone! =0)

Amandac6772

I think food is something I will struggle with my entire life. I grew up in a family where food was central to everything - holidays - celebrations - family gatherings - church functions - social events - emotions - everything! Plus I just love food - I am a "foodie" as they say... I am pretty sure the love of food is ingrained in my DNA! I think everyone is born with something that they will struggle with in this life and for me it is food... I think just realizing that this is my issue and trying each day to "control" it is key - and all I can do is keep working on keeping it under control... I know this is no help at all - LOL - but you are not alone! =0)

Lol...it does help because sometimes you feel like you are the only one struggling.

P.S. I'm a foodie too and I'm always trying new recipes...healthy and not so healthy ones.

bjshields

I would LOVE the answer to the emotional eating question! I try to eat healthy and especially incorporate a lot of veggies & fruits into my diet, but I think allowing for treats & cheats within reason is just mentally healthy. I'm just starting on SOME days to be really good about moderating my treats, so I can have a little something and not feel deprived but not go overboard. (not yesterday, yesterday sucked)

You've done a great job so far, don't give up the fight!

melaniecheeks

I love food too.
But what I like about my new way of eating is that it's NOT like giving up smoking. I don't have to cut something out completely, I can just have less of it.

So - good dark chocolate, maybe once a week. Fish and chips, once a month.
My fiance remarks often that we are eating far better now than we ever did - fewer processed foods, new recipes to try out.

OK, just for today - try something different. Do a different exercise routine, take a different route to work, eat a different food.