please help. any and all advice appreciated

Lmerlini

why can't i do this? why is it SO HARD. i've been battling this for years. i try my hardest with little results so i quit...then i start...then i quit.....then i start. you get the idea. it's my body so you would think that if i tell myself "no" i should be able to obey, but i don't. i'm so addicted to food it's ridiculous

g4genn

Because it's hard, really hard. many of us are addicted to food yet we need it to function anyway. It does get easier but in three months, sometimes 6 months, sometimes a year.

Help yourself by taking all processed food out of your house and all sugar food out. Keep dark chocolate, berries and low fat yogurts on hand as treats. And no more restaurants for a month.

make a schedule of 1 minute work outs you can do throughout the day. (ie 1 minute of burpees, 1 minute of jumping jacks, 1 minute of squats, pushups, sit ups, lunges, stairs, run around the house, you get the point) and do those 10 X throughout the day.

Make a commitment to yourself to walk 15 minutes throughout the day, break it up into 5 minutes if you want but walk quickly.

And remember why you are doing this. Why do you want to be fit? Acknowledge that it's hard and frustrating and giving up is so much easier. And track your food honestly and thoroughly (everything you put in your mouth counts). Who are you accountable too? Do you share your diary?

Don't give up on yourself. You are worth it. Change your mind tune as well. Pick one thing you love about yourself everyday and tell yourself about it. You are wonderful and amazing. Keep your chin up.

g4genn

by the way, feel free to add me to your friends list if you share your diary.

cmriverside

Losing weight is hard.
Making exercise a regular routine is hard.
Being fat is hard.

Pick your hard.

mgobluetx12

It IS really hard, so you're not alone there. You just have to be willing to change your relationship with food for the rest of your life. I've been overweight my whole life and have lost and gained so many pounds, it's ridiculous. Just since June I've decided to change for good and it hasn't been easy. You just have to believe that you're worth doing this because it's super important for your health. You can still have your favorite foods, just in moderation. Don't think of it as a diet where you have to only eat veggies and workout for hours a day. Make it a lifestyle change where you eat healthy most days and get in some exercise. Start slow and you'll keep getting better and better at being healthy, I promise. Feel free to add me as a friend if you need support. You CAN totally do this!!

G4 - beautiful cat!!

Lmerlini

just these few replies have been a great help already. gives me a lot to think about. i have a few questions: what exactly is considered processed food? doesn't everything have sugar to some extent? and what are your opinions on the "a calorie is a calorie" debate. that's what i've been following off and on. i'll eat junk but stay under. good idea..bad idea?

g4genn

Bad idea. IMO.

Your body needs nutrients to function, lose weight, be healthy. Would you accept your child or your elderly parent being feed the same food as what you eat? Why not?

You are also more likely to continue to retain fat around your waist when you eat refined food.

An processed foods are food which contain elements of food that have been repackaged as food. Such as hot dogs, chips, cookies, packaged cereals, frozen entrees, ice cream, chocolate bars, condiments, multigrain bars) Read the label. If you can't identify the ingredients, it's processed.

Try to eat like more earth foods like vegetables and fruits, lean meats, eggs, whole grains like large flake oatmeal, and brown rice, quinoa. It's not easy to make your food. It's easier to drive through a fast food counter but think of it as an investment in you.

And you don't need to make fancy meals, especially in the beginning,

try an oatmeal breakfast with nuts, fruit and yogurt.
A cheese snack with celery and cucumber
A nice whole grain bread sandwich with chicken breast, romaine lettuce, tomato slices ,sweet onions and a touch of miracle whip and a pear with an ounce of dark chocolate.
Hummus with red peppers and a few whole grain crackers.
A boiled skinless boneless 4oz chicken piece with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.
For desert, whip 1/2c cottage cheese, with a 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, top with 10 chippits.

Add 12 glasses of 6 oz of water and you have had a great nutritious day.

Vary for pleasure by exchange the veggies and fruits and meats.

HTH

MaleyaB

Hello! Dieting is hard. When you fully and actually want to do it, you will. If this is the time for you to be serious about it, then you will stick with it. It is great that you are seeking help to learn from other people.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories to function. It also needs other things like vitamins. It is impossible to cut out things you like and makes you more likely to stop. So what I did was to prepare myself mentally. I would say, "I really want a piece of pizza tonight" so I would eat healthy for the rest of the day and plan my meals so I could have enough calories and fat leftover for the pizza. You can't go on binges and completely fall off the wagon (meaning, "oh, I am already over my calories, so I might as well eat ice cream and cake and pizza and McDonalds"). A great thing I have found is eating several times a day to get my metabolism going constantly so I will burn calories. I eat five times a day and it helps me so I am not starving and waiting five hours between meals.

Your biggest thing right now should strictly be counting calories and labels. Read labels... watch your portions. And log everything in your diary because it keeps you accountable. By monitoring what you are eating and seeing what is in stuff, you will learn, "wow, that extra slice of pizza was not worth it" and you will soon make other changes to get you on the healthy side.

Good luck! You can do it!

keithjones1

A few years ago I picked up the Mens Health magazines abs diet book. It has a book completely dedicated to easy meals and this will give you a good idea of what to have in your kitchen and what not to have. I like the idea that has been mentioned of kicking out all the junk food and having berries and dark chocolate. Personally Ice cream was my vice, i switched it out for Greek Yogurt with some fresh berries thrown in. But by far the best piece that got me thinking on the right track was the book!
You are right though when you say it is hard, being addicted to anything is a hard thing to break, but drink lots of water and maybe even some herbal teas (green tea has been shown to aid in fat loss), the water will also aid in helping you feel fuller for longer.

ElphieTMoLM

Developing self control is a major part of not only getting fit, but gaining a healthy lifestyle. I'm working on this myself. I've tried to loss weight with some success and then had lulls.

Identify your triggers for emotional eating. Knowing what sends you to the fridge for your comfort food will help you know why you're wanting to eat & when to pick a healthier activity to distract yourself or make you feel better. (remember that ice cream can do wonders in the moment to make us feel better, but worse in the long run).

That being said, find things to use as treat to keep you motivated. I love having a flavored yogurt (nonfat plain yogurt with strawberry preserves). Treats can also be a spa day, new haircut, or a new outfit (whatever you've been wanting to do ) for meeting fitness or health goals.

TheRealParisLove

You can look at my food diary for ideas, if you need some help coming up with meal options. I recommend that you try to change only one really small thing a week. For instance, try adding in some fresh fruit for breakfast every day for a week.

It took me months of daily logging to finally start losing weight. It's your eating habits that need to change, and that can be done, just not all at once.

Remember, a year from now, you'll wish you had started today.

Lmerlini

thank you so much everyone. i got some great responses!!! more helpful than you know!

zachatta

You have to want to change permanently.

If you don't make the lifestyle change, you will either gain your weight back, or fail.

"Diets" aren't temporary changes so you can go back to eating how you want once you lose a little bit.

You simply have to decide how you want to live. You cannot stay at a healthy weight, and eat whatever you want without moderation.

MelbourneBelle

For me planning is key - pack all my snacks for the day in my lucnhbox, plan all my meals for the week on Sat morning and only buy what I need for the plan.

As others have said, it is hard, but it's worth it.

Good luck.