How do I get "me" back?

Shalaurise

As I have just started my attempt at weight loss, I have come across a few road blocks that I would love some help with. First a little background on me, as I find mindset is everything in my world and how I work. I am okay with who I am and how I am. I am okay with how I look, my *****y temper, my social ineptness, my odd sense of humor, my gutter mind and everything else that makes me who I am. I take who I am and I own it. I pride myself on being self aware, as I come to realize, most people are not. My weight loss attempt is mostly to assist with breathing as I have moved to a refinery town and suddenly caught asthma.. cause its contagious and all /rolls eyes. Would I love to be the social ideal of pretty? Yes. Am I upset that I am not? No.

So now that you know a little about me, here are my dilemmas:

If I eat over my calories for the day, even if I have more then enough exercise to counter it, I gain lost weight back. (Yes, I make sure to not go below 1200 consumed even if I have to have a snack a night)

No matter how I try to portion out meals and snacks, I feel starving all day. I have only once since starting this felt full or sated at all.

I miss who I was before. While not eating as I used to (which was terrible) I find that I am not the same happy perky me. I find my stress levels are elevated and my boss has nearly brought me to tears 4 times in the last 2 weeks. I am quiet, reserved and... well frankly, I just suck. I do not like the new and unimproved me.

I miss eating M&Ms at my desk at work rather then just staring at them and thinking... I can't afford the calories, or having frozen yogurt with chocolate chips in it after dinner. I want to quit every time I see these things cause I want my life back.

I miss being happy... but I kind of want to be able to breath with ease again cause if I have to go to the local hospital, I am sure to catch something in that filthy place that'll kill me.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

tHEdaRkLlamaXD

I eat all throughout the day. I'm certainly not an expert in this area, but I've tried to find things that I enjoy that I can snack on at intervals all throughout the day. I don't know how long you've been at this either, for a little bit obviously because you've already had some success, but part of the process is just allowing your stomach to shrink to a more manageable size because it was probably stretched out a bit when you first started this. You shouldn't feel like you're starving or you're not doing it right, and you shouldn't beat yourself up. Take it slowly, find things you enjoy, and take pride in yourself and the work you put in working out; the rest of it seems to just fall into place. Hope this was a bit helpful.

siobhano_

You'll need to let us have a look at your diary first. The reason you are hungry all the time is probably because you're eating food that is far too calorie dense. When you first start off, things like nuts and avocados are out of bounds, because you'll be so hungry all the time, you'll need to eat buckets of fruit and vegetables to feel full. However, it does get better, and you won't feel this hungry forever

Shalaurise

I apologize, I'm still trying to figure this site out. I think my information is public now.

I don't think nuts and avocados will be a problem for me cause I don't much care for them. Chocolate is my addiction... and red meat. I have the tendancy to want to save calories for dinner as I dislike most breakfast and lunch foods.

mjbrenner

Here are my suggestions, take them or leave them:

1. Eat all of your calories. You are hungry, but you have 300-500 calories left over many days. Eat them! You will still lose weight.

2. Eat more protein. You like red meat, so get more in your diet! Protein will help you to feel fuller longer, and it will also help you to not lose muscle as you lose weight. Ignore MFP's suggestions on protein and go for broke on it - it will not harm you so long as you stay within your calorie goal.

3. Ditch the simple carbs. No more Corn Chex with sugar for breakfast. That stuff, and most cereals in general, will give you a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash that leave you feeling ravenous. If you really want carbs for breakfast, think about steel cut oats with some berries. Even better, have a few eggs - the protein will be great. Eat the yolks as well - they are good for you.

4. Eat huge portions of veggies. I love big piles of food, and I have found that I can have this when I plan to have a bunch of veggies with dinner every night. I can literally fill my plate until it is overflowing and still have a very reasonable dinner. Note that my "reasonable" dinners often involve .75 lbs of steak and still come in around the 1000 calorie mark. Veggies are amazing for this.

5. Most importantly - DON"T GIVE UP! You will find eating strategies that work for you, and your body will adjust in time. Keep at it, and you will find you can lose weight and your breathing problems will ease. The only way to fail now is to stop trying. Do not sabotage yourself.

Good luck!

lukeout007

If I eat over my calories for the day, even if I have more then enough exercise to counter it, I gain lost weight back. (Yes, I make sure to not go below 1200 consumed even if I have to have a snack a night)

Are you going by the calories burned that MFP says? As far as I can tell MFP's estimation of calories burned is usually inaccurate. So if MFP tells you that after exercising you have 500 cals left and you eat 500 cals you may actually be going well over what you really have left.

No matter how I try to portion out meals and snacks, I feel starving all day. I have only once since starting this felt full or sated at all.

How long have you been doing this? This was me for the first 2 or 3 weeks. Even sometimes now but for the most part not any longer. It takes time. You'll also need to learn the difference between hungry and "not full". That was tough for me.

I miss who I was before. While not eating as I used to (which was terrible) I find that I am not the same happy perky me. I find my stress levels are elevated and my boss has nearly brought me to tears 4 times in the last 2 weeks. I am quiet, reserved and... well frankly, I just suck. I do not like the new and unimproved me.

I don't know how to do this but if you can look back at my posts from when I first started some time in the first couple weeks I posted a topic asking if it was normal to be irritable and on edge when losing weight. People really didn't understand and I kept going even though I had a sh**ty attitude. I can tell you now however more than 2 months in my attitude has improved greatly. I like my attitude much more than I did even before I started. I don't get angry as easily and I enjoy the day much more. Keep going.

I miss eating M&Ms at my desk at work rather then just staring at them and thinking... I can't afford the calories, or having frozen yogurt with chocolate chips in it after dinner. I want to quit every time I see these things cause I want my life back.

Oh I know...trust me I know. I walk into our break room almost daily and find a table full of cookies, pastries, candy, etc. It sucks...but it gets easier. Don't forget to treat yourself once in awhile when you have the extra cals to do so.

I miss being happy... but I kind of want to be able to breath with ease again cause if I have to go to the local hospital, I am sure to catch something in that filthy place that'll kill me.

You will feel happy again. It could take weeks or months. Everyone is different. It's the exact feeling you're having that made me quit the last time. This time I'm determined to not let that happen. But I've made sure that I allow myself to be happy. I'm not just losing weight I'm making a change for the rest of my life. I'm not going to go the rest of my life without the foods I love. So why should I now? Moderation is key.