Im quitting even before i have started

va_va_voom

i want to stop them full stop. i work in a shop that has all the bad things i eat and i cant resist to buy and my boyfriend always wants munchies so i get tempted. im going to quit them though i need to or junk will take over my life

Tell us some of the things you like to eat and let us find healthy alternatives for you. That way, you can take them with you and NOT eat what's at work (or eat the healthy alternatives at home, so you're not tempted to eat them at work).

I have modified just about every recipe I love - I'm a serious foodie and can cook/bake very well. If I didn't have healthy alternatives, I would not be able to control my weight well at all.

auntiebabs

I've become a little bit of a zealot... Sorry in advance for all the long-windedness

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

---

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

---

I naturally tended to do 2-4 days between 1200-1300 cal then a day at about 1500-1600 cal then back to the 1200-1300 cal.

--As long as I stayed under the top of my range I should continue to lose, even if it is at a slower rate.
--As long as I don't go past my safety valve I shouldn't gain.

BUT... The closer you get to your goal the smaller your range. (frustrating)


6) I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )

Food is not the enemy.

Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.

Good Luck

littlewords

Don't try to cut out all the foods you love (JUNK!) all at once, it will just drive you insane.

I used to eat chips and salsa or bread and dip or cheese and crackers EVERY DAY. AS much as I felt like eating.
I didn't just try one way to stop. Some days I still had the delicious snack that I wanted, but I made sure to only eat ONE portion (for instance, usually about 13 corn chips) rather than as much as I wanted. ONE piece of bread with spinach dip or butter or whatever. Only ten crackers with cheese, instead of 15, 20, 30, who knows.

Or some days I chose the healthier item over the not-so healthy ones - cheese and crackers was probably the best for me, and the hardest to access, since I'd have to slice cheese, AND it was easy to sub in a healthier lower cal cracker for whatever the heck I ordinarily would have had.

Eventually, I stopped having them EVERY day. Now, I rarely have them at all. I've lost 29 pounds since the days when I would eat all those junky things as much as I wanted. There's been more to it than that, but the more distance you put between yourself and even one bad habit, the better you'll do. It doesn't get totally easy, though. I still want CHIPS!!! all the time. At least now, though, if I have some, usually one serving does it for me, I couldn't actually eat a whole bag like I might have at one point.

jaguilar333

If I were you I would add some MFP friends. When you see everyone else making healthier choices and exercising daily its pretty inspiring. Track your food for the next 2 weeks. Log everything. You dont have to concentrate on limiting your calories but at least you will get into the habit of logging everything. Try walking on your lunch break. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep building on your progress. Good luck to you.

nell1972

I've been exactly where you are, several times in fact. You're stuck right there in that rut aren't you - you long to be slimmer and fitter, but junk food is more of a comfort right now than the idea of changing your habits.

Don't set yourself impossible goals, or try to do it all at once. Why don't you start by "tuning in" - eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and laze around on the sofa while you're doing it if you must - but become acutely aware of what you are putting into your body, and stop for a minute to find out why you really want to eat. I'm willing to bet, you're not hungry about 99% of the time - you're eating for some other reason, probably emotional (hormonal??)

"Tuning in" like this teaches you things about yourself....and without feeling forced to ban all junk food from your lips forever, all you're doing at this stage is learning what motivates you to cram it all in.

I'm a comfort eater and a binge eater, no question, and I learned by tuning in that I very rarely "need" the food I crave. It was a very strong starting point, and now here I am.

mondragon91

i wanna start dieting or whatever you wanna call it but i have no support what so ever:(

ninerbuff

Ive been telling myself im going on a diet and going to exercise to get fit and i still havnt done anything. all i want to do is eat and its not healthy food either. I dont know how im going to get over this eating problem. I really need some help. Where do i start???

Well if you're here you have an interest. But honestly, you really got to WANT to do it. If it ends up feeling like a chore, then chances are you won't complete it. So it starts with your motivation as to why you would do it in the first place.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

DippyD87

First of all, you have used the word "but" in almost every post on this thread. Delete that word from your vocabulary completely - it will make it harder for you to keep making excuses.

Second: start smiling. You do have a gorgeous smile and using it will automatically brighten you outlook.

Third: if you want it, you'll do it. It might take you breaking down until you can't stand yourself anymore. It might take someone saying something ugly. It might take you realizing that you're cheating yourself out of the amazing body that is rightfully yours. It may take you realizing that everything changes when you get healthy.

Lastly: if you're doing it to get attention (be it for progress or failure) it won't work. You have to be able to do it for yourself.

TheOriginalGinging

I know how tiring small children can be! I raised three and tried to walk with them, go to the park, etc. But you also may need time to yourself. Just walk. Start with 20 minutes. You'll be surprised how much longer you'll be able to go before long. You're "motto" says it's time to get fit. Once you've gotten exercise you'll want to make better nutrition choices, too. I don't know how that works, but it just does. Your children will be better off with good choices, too! Best wishes--add me if you'd like!

hdmamma09

I just started a couple of days ago. Something I do also is look at my food diary and see what i could change. My first few days have been rough because i had to wait for pay day to go to store for better choices. Don't give up, bettering your health is a positive thing for your life. I am 303 pounds as of yesterday. Down from 306. Don't give up take one meal at a time.

myfitnessnmhoy

im struggling because i love to eat and i wouldnt say im that active either, i work but thats as much activity i do

I love to eat, too. I stayed at an unhealthy weight for years. My trigger was nearly failing my first FAA medical exam and almost losing my chance to fly. I immediately jumped in and overdid it, of course, like we all do, and starved off 20 pounds, which I very promptly gained back. Then I got a little smarter. Fast forward ten years, and I was down 60 pounds. Hey, I only said a LITTLE smarter.

The only way to do it is to do it, and start now. Don't change anything you eat yet, just log it. Log everything. Be honest. Start tracking calories, fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. Adjust the foods you eat so at least you are getting fat/carbs/proteins in a reasonable balance, even if you are overeating. Heck, add some foods that have what you need even if you still eat junk. Start drinking lots of water.

Give that a few days to a week. See if you start finding the cravings for the addictive junk food subsiding now that you're giving your body what it NEEDS. Then start substituting some of the junk for healthier foods, one at a time. You don't have to give up the junk completely, just don't make it a staple of your diet.

But you have to want to do this. Think of what you'll be able to do with more energy. Think of what you'll be able to do if you live longer.

MrsMonk1010

Look at pictures of yourself that make you feel sick to your stomach. You will change your life! hehe!

DippyD87

First of all, you have used the word "but" in almost every post on this thread. Delete that word from your vocabulary completely - it will make it harder for you to keep making excuses.

Second: start smiling. You do have a gorgeous smile and using it will automatically brighten you outlook.

Third: if you want it, you'll do it. It might take you breaking down until you can't stand yourself anymore. It might take someone saying something ugly. It might take you realizing that you're cheating yourself out of the amazing body that is rightfully yours. It may take you realizing that everything changes when you get healthy.

Lastly: if you're doing it to get attention (be it for progress or failure) it won't work. You have to be able to do it for yourself.

Ilike ur comment it put a smile on my face and im not an attention seeker far from it, i just needed help

jennkain97

But its easier said then done, im honestly failing and cant seem to get out of this deep hole

Do you know why you're struggling? If you can answer that question, great! If not, then that's where you need to start.

If it's because it all seems overwhelming, start by making small changes. Add exercise to your routine. Once you get that going, then start working on portion control. Then, move on to making changes in the foods that you eat. After that, add more things to your exercise routine to vary it.

Breaking it down can help make it not so overwhelming to make the changes. Usually, people will fail b/c they go all in and it's too much change all at once to manage (physically, emotionally, or demand on time, etc.), so they feel like they're failing and they give up.

Wanted to add that if you DON'T know why you're struggling, you really need to answer this question before you will ever see any success. Are you eating the unhealthy foods to satisfy emotional needs? Is it physiological (sugar/salt cravings)? Do you just not know what you SHOULD be eating? Are you dealing w/ stress or depression that need to be addressed? Each of these problems would take a different approach to overcome.

Definitely start out by simply tracking everything you eat/drink. For me, I thought I was eating pretty well, but was shocked to see the amount of calories I was actually consuming. I would go out to eat, and order a salad w/ chicken or steak-- until I went to a restaurant that listed calories on the menu, and found that it was over 900 BEFORE DRESSING!!! Nutritionally good, but caloric suicide!!!! When you realize just how much you're really eating (and especially drinking), you'll want to cut back the amount, even if you don't make any changes to what you're eating.

Once you start holding yourself accountable (tracking), the next best thing you can do is find some friends, either on here or in real life, to also hold you accountable. Search the groups for one that suits you, and stay involved. You're here, so you obviously WANT to do this. Now you just need to do some soul searching, and "get with the program". I'd be happy to help, so feel free to add me

myfitnessnmhoy

i wanna start dieting or whatever you wanna call it but i have no support what so ever:(

That's what this site is for. Get yourself set up on a plan, find supportive people, and set them up as "friends" on the site.

You have to start yourself. We can help keep you going.

beckyinma

Read this, every single word.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/beckyinma/view/that-lightbulb-moment-256704


Then decide if you are the one who wants it, or the one who is putting up walls and excuses, and looking for people to validate your excuses for not getting it done. Honestly not being intentionally harsh, but sometimes that's what it takes.

thepanttherlady

I was someone who ate fast food 2-3 times a day, almost 7 days a week. Once I "wanted" to do something about my weight and health I had the mindset that I'm not on a diet and if I chose to eat at McDonald's for lunch, I wasn't failing at anything or anyone.

I would suggest maybe starting with one meal at a time. For me, I used to stop at Del Taco for breakfast. I would buy a macho Diet Coke with 3 tacos and 3 chocolate chip cookies, or a crispy shrimp taco combo. I started there. I started bringing breakfast to work with me (I can't eat before I get there because I'd be starving in no time if I did. I think it's a mental thing to be honest but if I wait until I get to work, I don't get hungry sooner). I brought in frozen, microwaveable meals for lunch. I still ate out at dinner. Slowly, I've started replacing the eating out with healthier choices.

First it's mindset then it's actions. You CAN do it. When you're ready to commit.

Edit to add: I'm getting myself to eating out with the rugrats every two weeks and am working towards once a month where I can have the whole day instead of just a meal. I enjoy it so I don't plan on giving it up completely, just less of the "norm".

Also I would do the following as eye openers:

1. Log an average day of what you eat. I did and about had a cow. Literally. I was consuming well over 3000 calories a day and my sodium intake was in the high 6000's. MFP set me at 1750 calories when I started. I'll let you do the math.

2. Have your blood work done at your doctor. See where your cholesterol, blood glucose etc are. I'm fortunate that the years of bad eating habits hadn't put me into diabetes and high cholesterol, I actually caught mine in time. I can't imagine where I'd be a year from now if I hadn't commited to bettering myself.

stephenatl09

Only YOU can change YOU !! I don't mean to be rude or anything but it seems you are just making excuses. IF you want it bad enough you will do it !! Do some serious soul searching and ask yourself how bad do you want it. GOOD LUCK !!

DippyD87

I am going to do this, i want to be healthy so i will be healthy

DippyD87

Day 1 tomorrow of a new me

beckyinma

Day 1 tomorrow of a new me

That's the spirit. Now to make your actions speak volumes.

FloraSin

What this sit/app has really done for me is act as a reminder that I need more vitamins and also made me really consider what I'm about to eat before I eat it.

It stops you from overeating when you hold yourself accountable for it.

And I make better decisions as an end result. EX: Snacktime.... 28 dorritos or 3 cups of Smartfood popcorn? Makes life so much easier. lol

I look at it like money I have to spend that day. If I overdraw my bank, I've got to work my *kitten* off later to pay it off.

FloraSin

I am going to do this, i want to be healthy so i will be healthy

You totally can do it. Stay positive. Do you have a person outside of MFP who has a healthy lifestyle goal too? My family eats garbage, but my boyfriend is really great at helping me stay motivated.

meshashesha2012

Day 1 tomorrow of a new me

great decision!

now just take it one day at a time. just think about what you need to do that day to keep you on your path

annabellj

i want to stop them full stop. i work in a shop that has all the bad things i eat and i cant resist to buy and my boyfriend always wants munchies so i get tempted. im going to quit them though i need to or junk will take over my life

I work in a bakery with the best cakes ever, its very hard, i eat some, but i put it in my diary, and the caterer is awesome also, i make sure that i dont bring home anything i want to eat, and i get some extra exercise. you can do this!

myfitnessnmhoy

Day 1 tomorrow of a new me

Get a few friends on the site to help hold you accountable. And good luck to you on your journey.

nheilweil

Start by figuring out if you really want to get in shape and eat healthy foods. It's OK if the answer is "not really".

If you've decided that you really do want to change, then give yourself a break, forget about the past and what you haven't been able to do, but instead bring your A-game and start! Not tomorrow but right now.

Commit to a couple small things and don't make excuses! Can you eat a small salad every day? Can you take a 15-min walk every day? Can you commit to track everything you eat, even if it's "bad"?

We're all here for you and want to support you...but you need to do the work! :-)

DippyD87

Day 1 tomorrow of a new me

That's the spirit. Now to make your actions speak volumes.

i will hun thank you for showing me that blog i understand what i have to do

DippyD87

I am going to do this, i want to be healthy so i will be healthy

You totally can do it. Stay positive. Do you have a person outside of MFP who has a healthy lifestyle goal too? My family eats garbage, but my boyfriend is really great at helping me stay motivated.

not really but that is where i need to be strong minded

kennethmgreen

Just log your food and stick to your calorie goal. Don't worry about WHAT you are eating, just worry about HOW MUCH you are eating. Once you get a handle on that, you can start looking for different foods, and slowly swap out some of the "junk" for healthier foods.

Don't do it all at once, take it one step at a time. Also, don't get rid of all the junk, as that's just asking for failure, 10%-20% of your diet can be horrible junk food, and you will still be perfectly healthy as long as the other 80% is good.

^^^^ THIS.

I totally get the urge to make a big dramatic shift in your life, wanting to say "OK, RIGHT NOW MY NEW LIFE BEGINS!!" This works for some people. Others spend much of their lives waiting around for that moment.

Getting fit doesn't require drama, explosions and background music. You just need to do something different. Later, follow that with doing some more things different. Pretty soon you are doing a lot of things different and you're seeing the results of making different choices than you used to make.

I know about the desire to change everything about your life tomorrow. I've been there. In my experience it is a setup for failure. Just change something tomorrow. Decide to log everything you eat. Commit to that. Log it all. If it goes in your stomach, you make sure it's in your food log. Just doing that for a week will give you a foundation of habit. Then you can build on that.

You do realize you aren't going to get fit in a couple days, right? If you're like most of us, it's going to take some time. I beleive there is a greater chance for success when we approach diet and fitness with long-term goals, thinking in terms of weeks and months rather than days.

i want to stop them full stop. i work in a shop that has all the bad things i eat and i cant resist to buy and my boyfriend always wants munchies so i get tempted. im going to quit them though i need to or junk will take over my life

You cannot remove all temptation from your life. It just won't happen. If your boyfriend really wants to change his eating habits for you, fine. But you are planning to go outside, right? You do watch TV, listen to the radio, see movies, right? You gotta learn to make different choices in the face of temptation. That's it. There is no other way to word that.

It's why tigersworld advice is spot on. Rather than try to drastically change everything about your eating tomorrow, why not log everything, and consider smaller portions? There are some incredibly fit people on MFP that regularly have ice cream, bacon, cake, pie, etc. They manage it because they plan for it and log it. Crazy thing about MFP... you *can* have your cake and eat it too. I love the reply above from the woman who works in a bakery. She eats some, logs it, and exercises! That's MFP in a nutshell.

Planning a super restrictive and/or vastly different diet when you are already struggling with motivation seems like a recipe for failure. And you can do this. Don't make it unnecessarily hard on yourself. Pie is delicious.