Why is it so hard to stick to my diet

am i the only one who has been struggling so much to lose weight? I mean i do everything wrong, im basically yo yo dieting, We try to eat healthy but it last till the weekend. I try to gym but it also lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. I have lost the same 5kg and gained it back over and over again. Worst part is when everyone you havent seen in a while go on about how much you have gained. Sometimes i really feel like just puking my heart out on them because i feel no one understands what i am really going through.No one understands how hard it is to resist something you love and then eat 5 servings of it when no one is watching.

How did you guys do it, if anyone has ever suffered from whatever illness i have, which i call "lack of self dicipline"
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Replies

  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    Don't diet. Eat food that you enjoy and fit it into your calories/macros.

    Find exercise you enjoy and set a schedule.
  • I can have some awesome great diet days..then its like the very next day i just dont give a ****. If I stop logging for teh day..I go over. Yesterday my gram brought home these little chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing..i ate FIVE!! and 2 chocolate chip cookies..the cupcake serving size was 3 so it wasn't THAT bad..but still. I shoudn't have done that. I used the weight I've lost as an occasional excuse like those calories are now freebies to eat back or something..well today i went over..welp still weigh less..and say the same thing the next day. I think once we get on a strict row of good days we'll be set once it becomes a habit!
  • Nope not the only one. I have a huge problem with will power and budget problems. I have two kids in the house and i try to have treats for them around, but i always seem to help myself to one or two!!
  • what if i enjoy chocolate, chocolate,chocolate? lol! =p
  • underwater77
    underwater77 Posts: 331 Member
    I am certainly no expert, but I have found that it's important to always recognize a slip-up as just that and get back to it. I used to constantly do the "oh, I blew this Monday, so I might as well blow the week and start next week..." thing. Now, if I slip up on Monday I just have to accept it and move on and start again THE NEXT MEAL. Not the next day. Not the next week.

    Nobody is perfect and you can't beat yourself up for those imperfections. All you can do is move forward from the moment you note that you had a slip-up.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    what if i enjoy chocolate, chocolate,chocolate? lol! =p

    Moderation! :wink:
  • nmwhitney12
    nmwhitney12 Posts: 239 Member
    Like insomnia said...don't look at it as a diet. Yeah you can't eat the same as you did before...but it's not a diet, it's a LIFESTYLE CHANGE! Find foods you like and that you look forward to eating

    Like for me, I am a BIG pasta eater...carbs carbs carbs! I used to eat it almost every night for dinner...but now I limit it to twice a week MAX and use wheat pasta instead of white.

    Small things help make wonders happen! You can still eat what you enjoy just use moderation. If you are a choco-holic then eat it once a week...there! You have your fix and you know you will get it again next time. Deprivation doesn't work because once you get your hands on it again all of your hard work is out the window!
  • purpleroses1021
    purpleroses1021 Posts: 46 Member
    Don't diet. Eat food that you enjoy and fit it into your calories/macros.

    Find exercise you enjoy and set a schedule.

    This!
  • I needed to hear this! I'm def guilty of saying I'll do better tomorrow or er next week. NOW is the best time.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    I think a lot of people on this site can relate. I always say it's not a diet, it's a life style change. Are you eating "clean"? Are you exercising regularly? What are you doing to sabotage yourself?
  • africaa
    africaa Posts: 228
    It's a lifestyle change not a diet. Find things you like that you know you'll stick to :)
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    I have been eating chocolate 5 times per week (limited amount) and I lost 35 pounds. Soooo, if you maintain your calories, eat what you please. Just do it in moderation!
  • feltlikesound
    feltlikesound Posts: 326 Member
    I don't resist anything I love. I eat fast food, I eat cheesecake, I eat calorie-heavy pasta. I track it all, I plan so that I am able to burn enough calories to keep losing. I have slowly worked towards changing some of my eating habits, but I DO NOT cut out things that I love, I don't beat myself up if I was busy at work so grabbed some McDonalds, and as a result I do not need to binge or carry a sense of deprivation.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    I definitely struggle. I had to stop calorie counting because I was becoming obsessed with it. Now, I just eat smaller portions of things I like, make healthier choices & work off a set schedule for exercise. It works for me :)

    Find what works best for you, and go with that. If that's counting every morsel you put into your mouth (what I did for a LONG time) then do that. If that stops working, try something new!
  • JinksE21
    JinksE21 Posts: 77 Member
    Venetianz, you are definitely NOT alone! I have been living like that for YEARS! Yo-yo dieting has been a way of life for me and every time I have a big weight loss, I gain it back. It's funny because I am aware of the psychological issues I have in my life that cause me to make the wrong food choices but when it comes down to it, I would rather eat those 5 servings in private than to fix my problems. Isn't that something??

    Send me a friend request if you're interested in trying to break the cycle with me because I found that I cannot do it by myself!
  • DeathKitty23
    DeathKitty23 Posts: 64 Member
    Stop thinkng about it as a diet and try a lifestyle change...
    eat foods you like in moderation
    Don't jump in a the deep end - slowly make little changes at a time
    xx
  • steph1278
    steph1278 Posts: 483 Member
    You need to change your mindset and make changes that you can live with for the rest of your life not just while trying to lose weight. Find activities/exercises that you like. I haven't given up anything and I have lost 114 pounds. I know I will make it to my goal and be able to maintain for the rest of my life because I have made a lifestyle change. This isn't a "diet" for me. If I felt like I was depriving myself, there's no way I would have stuck with it for any length of time. That is why so many people gain their weight back.
  • MJ1185
    MJ1185 Posts: 8 Member
    I know exactly how you feel. You start off so well and do everything right then somehow it all falls apart and you're back to square one. I see my weight loss as a marathon. I didn't put it on in a month so I'm not going to lose it in a month. Realizing that I'm going to have to make a long term committment was the start for me. I had to adjust my thinking.

    I also saw a councellor about my eating problems and they helped me to realize that I have some underlying issues I need to address. Perhaps the same could help you?
  • I have a hard time with sticking to eating properly too. I've found that when that starts to happen I need to add in more variety. Try soup instead of a salad for lunch or some different fruits. I also have the same problem with over doing it on things I love like sweets. To overcome the bingeing I try to keep my "trigger foods" out of the house. I don't buy ice cream or candy or chips or anything that I know I will eat 4 or 5 servings of without being able to stop myself.

    One trick you can try is distracting yourself when you feel that craving strike. Try drinking a glass of water or going for a short walk. If you do binge, write it all down anyway and move on. It happened, it's in the past and just make a better choice the next time you eat. I hope that helps a little :)
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    What you are doing is not sustainable. Stop dieting. Learn how to eat real food in proper proportions, stop starving yourself, and pick up some weights. Then pick up your scale. Throw it out the window. These are the secrets to looking better.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    So many people choose to lose weight and immediately try to become a clean eater. It's not realistic for most and sets you up for failure. I'm not sure if that's your situation or not, but as stated previously, just enjoy going out to dinner and eating the ocassional fast food burger. Don't beat yourself up and then binge like crazy because you feel deprived!
  • sullykat
    sullykat Posts: 461 Member
    Don't diet. Eat food that you enjoy and fit it into your calories/macros.

    Find exercise you enjoy and set a schedule.

    I agree with this, and would like to add: Maybe try cutting one bad thing out of your diet to start. I struggled for a few years thinking I was just going to be fat. That was it. I couldn't do it. I was just a fat person, and it must be in my DNA or something. Then I started having stomach issues. My doctor thought it might be my gallbladder, he sent me for tests that would be in a months time, and said in the mean time I should cut out greasy food to feel better. I cut out fried food for a week or two, then was tempted by some delicious tempura, as soon as I finished my meal, my stomach pains came back. That was the last time I had a completely fried dinner… it has been 5 years, and I do not regret a second of it. It started me on my weight loss path, and I have learned so much in the time that has passed. Sometimes it is just one simple thing that can start something huge.

    oh and p.s. they couldn't find anything wrong with my gallbladder. After those tests, it was just shier dedication, and determination for my own health. You need to start thinking about your own health, what it means to you, and how the food you eat makes you feel in the end - be it physically or mentally. Ask yourself, if it is worth it before you eat it. No, I do not completely cut out fried foods any more, but believe me, I have cut back huge! Don't even ask me about ice cream though. I can't even keep it in the house.
  • VanessaGS
    VanessaGS Posts: 514 Member
    You have to get yourself used to eating a certain way. Cut one thing out at a time and when your body gets used to it...make another healthy change. Seems to be working for me.
  • Maybe you should look into a ketogenic lifestyle... It isn't a hard dietary plan o follow, and you stay away from sugar and wheat, which in my book are bad news anyway.
  • Everything everyone here has said is true.

    What I found in my personal experience with willpower is simple. You have to want to be healthy MORE than you want the food. It was the same when I quit smoking 8 years ago. I finally actually, truly wanted health more than nicotine.

    I'm not saying it's easy, but it is simple.

    Hang in there! We're here for you.
  • gpoliver
    gpoliver Posts: 87 Member
    self control, and discipline are key. Nothing is off my "diet" if I want something I will fit it in... HOWEVER like yo9u, i wil binge on something if it is available to me. Emotional eating is my trigger, and when I am upset, happy, sd, angry, or bored, I can binge on something, usually sweet and or salty. What I have found worked and is a working so far, is for the first two weeks I have planned out everything and stuck to it. This helped my get back to eating healthy and not craving things so much. Next I allowed myself something that I know i would want to binge on, (for me tortilla chips) i counted out one serving, packed it up and took it with me where I was going. Once I ate it with my lunch I had an intense desire for more, but none was available so i had to live with it. I did this for two weeks (Not everyday) once you do something consistenly for two weeks, it becomes a habit. So for me now I dont have the intense desire for emotionall eating like i did before.... now i am replacing alot of that with excercise, goal setting, getting outside and enjoying something, anything, that will take my mind off the food or the desire to binge. Give it a try.... make a commitment to get to 10kg, and see what happens, I have found this place is the biggest support i have ever had so stick with us too! If you binge, or end up with a "bad weekend" simply move on from it and KEEP GOING!...... YOU CAN DO THIS, there is no doubt in my mind that whatever is going on, it is not stronger than you are!!!!!!
  • PLUMSGRL
    PLUMSGRL Posts: 1,134 Member
    Diary's not open so I'll have to guess-maybe you're restricting yourself to much.

    use this site to figure out your BMR and TDEE:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    select the amount of hours per week you work out (not how hard).

    always eat above your BMR, shoot for TDEE-400 cals for steady weight loss.

    take a "diet break" every 6-8 weeks (eat at TDEE for a week).

    eat at least your lean body weight in grams of protein (if LBW=115, then 115 gm protein).

    set macros at around 40 carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat (yes 30 fat, your body requires fats for metabolism!)

    you won't be hungry, and will have energy!
  • Dont look at this journey as a diet, and dont stop eating certain foods because you think they are bad for you. Eat whatever you want in moderation and fit it into your daily cal allowance. And most importantly, when you fall off the wagon get straight back up again, dont see it as an excuse to eat badly for the remaining hour/day/week. We are all human and all guilty of over-indulgence but then you go for a walk, drink lots of water and try to eat better at the next meal. No one lost weight over night, its a long process and you WILL lose weight if you eat less and move more most of the time.
  • RobertCu
    RobertCu Posts: 33 Member
    Stop eating empty calories. That's your problem. Your body keeps wanting more and more because what you're feeding it is not what it needs.

    http://www.choosemyplate.gov/weight-management-calories/calories/empty-calories.html
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,282 Member
    I have tried losing weight SO many times. But the only times I was really successful was when I hit bottom. When I was SOO freaking disgusted with myself that I knew I just HAD to do it. I didn't wake up one day and say, "I think I better go on a diet". I tried on a bathing suit from last year (that I bought because I had gotten fatter from the year before) and it didn't fit! THAT was the straw. That was what made me crash and burn emotionally. I said THIS is it!! I put on blinders and I haven't looked back since that day in May. The only difference between THIS time and all those other times is I am doing it the healthy way...slowly. That's how I know that its forever this time.

    You have to REALLY be ready. You have to make weight loss the priority. It has to be an everyday thing, not now and then when you feel like it. If a person cant commit, then they aren't ready....and they will get frustrated or complacent and then just give up all together. Been there.