How to break the yo/yo dieting cycle??

mymission92

I have been in a horrible cycle for a while now and i'm so fed up. One week I eat so little (as im restricting carbs) and exercising then the next i'm eating aload of crap, then I go back to eating less, then it happens again...
My question is, what is the best way to break this? As I have just ate crap for a few days now and have the urge to go back really strict but I know this will happen again!!
advice/suggestions?

LoraF83

Is there a reason you are restricting carbs?

Why not just eat sensibly to fit your calorie goal? That would pretty much break the cycle. Eat whatever you want (as long as you aim for healthy foods most of the time) - much more sustainable.

mymission92

Not really. A trainer pushed it on me so I tried it as I thought he would know best but it has led to months of this and it has really started to get me down. I didn't have much to lose in the first place and now i'm worse off!!
I feel I used to have a healthy diet and this has totally messed me up as to what is even healthy!

Duck_Puddle

Quit dieting-that will stop the cycle. In my experience, any time I have tried to restrict what I am allowed to eat-it turns into an epic fail. I stopped restricting my food choices-opting instead to make better choices overall with a sprinkling of crap - just enough to NOT feel "restricted" and thus preventing a massive binge on whatever it is that I was restricting. You'll have to find what works for you.

mymission92

Yes, I think it's just this whole thing has left me doubting my idea of a healthy diet. I used to think things such as grains, fruit etc where good for you but since the whole 'low carb' thing, i'm sure. But I do know it doesn't work for me as it leads to binges.

sherronh

You have to think about it as a life change. Your not going to eat healthy for the next 90 days you want to eat healthy for the next 90 years. Try not to think that results are just going to smack you in the face. Find out what kind of eating works best for you and stick with it. For example will you just keep eating the same things and portion control or do you want to revamp your total quality of food and eat your way towards nutrients. Once you truly commit to a healthy life style and stop seeing it as a temporary diet and start seeing it as just the way you choose to eat things get way easier!

If your weak around certain foods you might want to get rid of them for the time being. I know it was hard for me in the beginning to eat chip or crackers because i ended up eating way more than 1 serving. I stopped eating them for a while because I knew it was just hurting my progress. Now when I go to parties its easier to have 6 crackers but concentrate more on the plates of veggies. YOU CAN DO THIS (:

LoraF83

Yes, I think it's just this whole thing has left me doubting my idea of a healthy diet. I used to think things such as grains, fruit etc where good for you but since the whole 'low carb' thing, i'm sure. But I do know it doesn't work for me as it leads to binges.

I know a lot of people do low-carb. There are a lot of books, programs, and even doctors that tell you carbs are evil and you need to avoid them.
In my opinion, carbs = energy. I need energy! I try to look for good sources of carbs (fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc) but I'm not about to avoid them.
And if it is just leading you to eat like crap every other week, maybe you shouldn't be avoiding them either!

Try just following MFP for awhile. Be under your calorie goal. Try to meet your macros. Don't stress and just eat what you want (that fits in to your MFP goals). It will work itself out.

mymission92

Thanks. You're right, there is no point in eating a different diet every few weeks. I guess I need to focus on a slow approach and find something that works. The problem is finding something that works lol, I do prefer to eat nutrious foods as I have more energy and generally feel better. Previously when I ate grains (oats, couscous etc) I was able to stick to it for long and enjoy it. It was only since trying to eat low carb that this has happend and I feel out of control with my eating habits!

mymission92

Yes, I think it's just this whole thing has left me doubting my idea of a healthy diet. I used to think things such as grains, fruit etc where good for you but since the whole 'low carb' thing, i'm sure. But I do know it doesn't work for me as it leads to binges.

I know a lot of people do low-carb. There are a lot of books, programs, and even doctors that tell you carbs are evil and you need to avoid them.
In my opinion, carbs = energy. I need energy! I try to look for good sources of carbs (fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc) but I'm not about to avoid them.
And if it is just leading you to eat like crap every other week, maybe you shouldn't be avoiding them either!

Try just following MFP for awhile. Be under your calorie goal. Try to meet your macros. Don't stress and just eat what you want (that fits in to your MFP goals). It will work itself out.

You're right, there is no point in eating like that only to binge the week after. Last week for instance, I ate no more than 10grams a carb a day and was exercising. - I was like a zombie the whole week, hardly spoke to anyone. The this week I have totally craved and ate alot of sugar!!

It was just that when someones pushing it on you who you think is a professional I thought I should try it. But it obv isn't for me. Thanks for your reply.