Determined not to be fat!!!help meeee!!!

elliehale

Hi there,

Not sure if anyone will respond to this but I could really do with some support.
I am so determined this time I'm really going to lose weight.
I have 20kg to lose.
Normally I lose 5-7kg then reach for the cake...!!!

I've tried every diet.


I wondered if anyone had any tips for me.
I'm currently doing 1200 calories a day and trying to do at least 30mins of exercise a day but the weight isn't going down :-(
Thanks for your time.
I really appreciate it :-) xxx

charbear94

hi there!
first of all you can do this!! everyone slips now and then. I have already hit my goal weight and use MFP to maintain, but there are days I totally mess up and over eat or eat bad foods but instead of staying down just get back up and try again the next day even if you do eat cake one day, that doesn't mean you can't stay on your diet and try again the next day! and btw, we ALL cheat at some point and eat cake ;p

as for tips, i had the same problem when i first began MFP. I was exercising every day, counting calories but the scale didn't budge. I started looking closer at my food diary. I would be at my calories worth mostly, but the foods I was eating was not the best. I was still trying to work fast food into my diet. Once I cut it out completely, the pounds starting falling off! Also, I only drank waterr (still do). No diet soda, no tea, no nothing BUT water. again, the pounds started dropping a lot quicker. I even quite exercising when school began (I'm in college) but since I cracked down so hard on my food I still lost 20 pounds without exercise.

I do exercise now though, to tone up my muscles and I love it

I hope I encouraged you a bit! Sorry if my tips aren't the best, lol but I hope I helped somehow

elliehale

Oh thanks so much love!!
Drinking water is such a chore... I literally have to force myself.
Wa there anything specific you cut out?? Or just general bad stuff?

How muh did you lose? Well done on hitting your goal!!
Xx

charbear94

you are welcome
Oh yes, drinking only water at first was hard for me, but it helps so much! It helps keep my digestive system regular. I have had problems with that since I was a child, and eating more fiber and taking medicine never helped. Since I started drinking water on my own, it has fixed that problem completely! I was amazed.

What helped me drink water though was buying a special water called Propel. You have probably seen it in stores! It has flavor, and is enriched with vitamins and minerals. It is zero calories but has great taste. That's all I drink at home!

I cut out french fries entirely so sad but that was my biggest help! I also cut out all fried chicken--only got grilled. And instead of using ranch on sandwhiches or salads, I started using honey mustard. cutting ranch out of my diet=huge help!

oops forgot to add my ticker when I posted so you could see, lol, I lost 20 pounds


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

FitnActiveMom

Hi there! I would love to help you on your way! You can do this! Sending friend request now!

phylliskboston

You can do this!!!
Try to take it one step at a time. Make small changes first, and set realistic goals each day/week/etc that you can achieve.

For me, getting to the gym is impossible. I'd always say "i'm going to go at least 3x a week" but that never seems to happen. So I tell myself, I'm going to go at least once a week. Once I've managed to go once a week for a few months, I'll up the goal.

remember, you can do this -- and no one is perfect. You'll have good days and bad days but keep your eye on the prize and you'll get there!

elliehale

Ahh thanks you guys!!!

I just have trouble with moderation.
I'm an all or nothin kind of girl- can never have one biscuit I have to have the whole packet.

Really want to get my confidence back though.
It's been missing while these 20kgs have been hanging about xx

Krebeccaa

I can definitely relate to what your going through. Find people you can be accountable to and put down the darn bat when you make a mistake. My trainer gave me the best thing to think about.. anytime your shopping or about to eat think to yourself "Will this put on weight on me or help me lose weight?" Made alot of sense to me. YOU CAN DO THIS. WE believe in YOU.

charbear94

i think we all go through the all of nothing phase sometimes. I am that way with a bag of doritos! seirously, i won't buy them because i know i can't just eat one! lol

but having encourgaing friends helps so much! I'm sending you a friend request now, would love to help encourage and motivate!

danimal97

I'm just starting out...again. My perfectionist personality has made it hard to succeed in the past; when I made a poor food choice I would tend to give up completely. This time I keep telling myself, "a thousand little choices a thousand times a day". It is my mantra. I don't even try to set daily goals, or hourly. I just remember that every single little choice...stairs or elevator, grilled or fried, with or without dressing, makes a difference. I don't have to make perfeft choices every time, I just need to recognize the power of the choice, and make progressively more good ones.

MountainManMatt

Lots of good advise so far. Here is my little tips. These are specific, but maybe you can tailor them to fit your habits/situations.

1. Cutting sugar from drinks is huge. It seems hard at first because our palettes get used to it and unsweetened beverages taste bitter or bland. I have never been big into soda, but I would down 3 or more Arnold Palmers (Ice Tea and Lemonade) in one sitting. What I did was slowly cut back on the lemonade till I was drinking just unsweetened tea. I realized that once my palette got readjusted to low sugar I actually enjoy the tea alone.

2. You have to avoid buying your go to snacks. My demise was always chips. I could down a bag of chips while watching TV if I wasn't careful. Obviously everyone who has ever lost weight will tell you, cutting things completely out of your diet will only cause a craving to build up until you binge. What I found was that if I bough tortillas that I used for meals that I had planned ahead of time, if I wanted a few chips to snack on I could bake a few tortillas in the oven, and use salsa to add flavor. This helps control the temptation to binge because you have to actually take a little time to prepare them before you can eat them (you're not just opening a bag filled with calories), this allows you time to plan out how much you are going to eat (its not open ended).

3. Eat enough to feed your body. 1200 calories is OK if you are sedimentary, but what you want to be careful of is putting you body into starvation mode, in which it stores calories as fat and burns muscle. If you exorcise at all on a 1200 calorie diet, be sure to eat back the burned calories. The temptation is to eat less, loose weight, then eat normal again. You have to be very careful in the transition phase when eating a low calorie diet, if you up your calories you will start to gain weight, so it has to be controlled. Adding exorcise (even if its just going on a walk) can help when getting off a low calorie diet.

4. When at all possible cook your own meals. Meal preparation can make a huge difference in calories, that you may not know about. If you cook with fresh vegetables and unprocessed meats and keep track of the oils/butters used while cooking you are more apt to accurately *kitten* your calorie intake. Also eat things you enjoy while loosing weight, if you don't like a low calorie food while on a diet, you will just go back to the higher calorie equivalent after you loose the weight. Try to enjoy the calories you eat so it can be a long term change in eating habits.

Permanent weight loss requires life changes. It takes a lot self-evaluation and determination. Try to avoid the temptations of quick weight loss, take your time and make small adjustments that last. The sad truth is there will never be a time that we will be at a weight and health level in which we can eat whatever we want.

You can do this! You are in the right place. Use the support of MFP to motivate you.

ka97

Some thoughts....
-I looked through the last few days in your diary. Are you logging EVERYTHING? If so, you are not eating enough. You don't want to go under 1200 calories. I understand not wanting to go over, so if you are going with a goal of 1200, you need to get as close to that as possible. If you exercise, eat back most if not all of your calories.
-What is your weight loss goal set to? If you reduce from 2lbs per week to 1lb, or from 1lb to 1/2 lb, it will allow you more calories to play with. You don't look like you have all that much to lose.
-Consider tracking your sodium. Too much sodium can make you hold onto water.

Some tips - based on what worked for me. It may or may not fit your needs or lifestyle, but it did help me to be successful.
-I'm an all or nothing person. I initially completely eliminated all junk food from my house. So if I really wanted something, I would have to go out and get it. That would at least make me stop and think how much did I really want that ice cream or chips, and was it really worth it. Most of the time I decided no.
-Initially I avoided eat out/take out as much as possible, except for special occaisons. When I need to eat out/take out - research the menu ahead of time and choose lower calorie healthy options. I've reserached the nutritional content of all the fast food restaurants in my area, so that ina pinch if I need to pick something up while running errands or coming home late, I know ahead of time exactly what to order.
- I also had to figure out good substitutions that would work for me. For example, I went from potato chips, to pretzels, to carrots with hummus or celery with salsa. From ice cream, to sugar free jello, to yogurt, to greek yogurt.
-Eat three small meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Get fiber and protein at every meal - it keeps you feeling full.
-Get at least one serving of fruit at breakfast and am snack, and at least one serving of vegetables at lunch, dinner, and afternoon snacks. I've since been able to progress to some veggies in my am snack, but that took work.
-No white sugar or flour. Look for 100% whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. They can still be high in calories, so eat in moderation.
-Stick to non fat dairy.
-Eat only healthy fats - olive oil, avacado, nuts - but again high in calories so eat in moderation.
-In the beginning, I did strength training 2x/week, and 30-45 min cardio (usually walk/run) 3x/week.
-Most recently, I've turned to making large batch meals and freezing individual size portions. My schedule nowadays with work and training/workouts is crazy and I'm often just too tired to cook when I get home. It has been a huge help to be able to grab something out of the freezer that I know tastes great, and is also healthy. Eatingwell.com and skinnyms.com have some great recipes.

It's a lot to think about, and it takes time. Try to tackle one or two steps at a time. Get consistent, and then try to improve on that. It's not a race. Make gradual lifestyle changes that you can keep when you get to your goal weight - no point in losing just to go back to old ways and gain again.

elliehale

Cheers guys, you have given me heaps to think about.
Yes I am logging everything. Maybe I do need to eat more of the good stuff??
I have often thought I might be hanging on to water.
Never add salt to anything though and drink heaps of water.

There's clearly something I'm soon wrong though basic maths- calorie in versus calorie out mean I should be losing weight but I'm not :-(
Just don't want to be disheartened and reach for the cake (or cider!!)

The only time recently I've seen any results is doing Atkins, and that is just no way to live.

dnish53

There have been some really good tips given to you. Water is very important and you should try and I would recommend you drink at least the equivalent of 12 glasses a day. Also, you may want to check and see how much fiber you are getting and how much sugar you are consuming. Sugar is hidden in everything. Low fat usually means high sugar. It has helped me in losing 53 lbs. to get rid of all the tempting "junk" food in the house. That way I really have to decide if I want to eat something.

Also, the sad but harsh truth (it has taken me a lot of years to accept this) is exercising 30 minutes several times a week will not help you lose weight. Reality is you need to starting working towards 60 minutes. This really stinks for women but it is the truth.

RuthSweetTooth

Eat two fruits, 2 vegetables, and 1 salad a day. I see you are eating none of these foods. They are vitally important to your health and most of them take more calories to digest than they contain. So I suggest you increase your calories and start adding those items to your diet and try to get to more like 1400. You can look at my diary if you like and I will be happy to be your friend. I have lost 40 pounds before so it's not my first diet. I am also very interested in nutrition. By the way, I had chocolate mug cake tonight for 200 calories or so. I don't believe in abstinence, because you need to eat right forever. You can make a cake with splenda and cut many of the calories out and there are even diet frostings, or just skip them, but a small piece of cake is always possible. You could literally have one little brownie every day, as long as you work it into your calories.

Ruth

bethbournias

Hi! You can do this!!!! Don't reach for the cake!!!! Add me as your friend - we can talk through the cravings and get you there!!!

joann1948

Take this one day at a time. I lost almost 75 lbs. on this website since last April 2011. I was never able to keep it off and I have. I took a break for a while but did not gain. I am now back to loss the last 30 lbs. I followed a 1200 calorie, drank almost 12 glasses of water a day and put flavor in it, it is much easier to get down, and started exercising. I have a bad knee, and back but I was determined and recieved alot of support on here. We are all here to help you in any way.......Do not ever hesitate to reach out......We are all in this together..............Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Odyssey_Star

I've tried many things in the past but nothing has ever stuck. There's been some great advice from you guys and I hope it helps us all. Good luck on your journey. If its OK I'll add you