Going backwards......

ezalicat81

Hi Im Alex,

About 4 years ago I weighed in at 203lbs, after that I went on a 1200 calorie a day diet and was very strict. 5 months later I was down 63lbs!! Now I have gained 20lbs back in the last year. I really need help. I feel horrible and uncomfortable. Cannot find the support or encouragment I need. I am literally obsessed with food. All I can think about is what Im going to eat next, especially fast food. Any suggestions?

DrBorkBork

1) Stop eating fast food. You can make it at home. It will be cheaper, taste better, and be healthier!
2) Get back to tracking your calories. What worked before can work again.
3) KNOW that you can get the weight back off, work hard at it, and also know we're all pulling for you!

dferrara

What worked for you (as far as motivation is concerned) just isn't working for you now. That's very normal. It's easy to beat yourself up, we are all our own worst critics! Shake things up a bit! Do something new!

*Try a new sport or class
*Go shopping and buy yourself a dress that is one size smaller than you are now and put it up on a hanger, near the fridge!
*Call a friend who lives nearby and ask if he/she would like to start walking with you or do something else active
*Make a new workout music mix

Don't forget, it's very normal to need new motivation to keep you moving in the right direction! You can do it and you are a beautiful strong woman!

LoRo

First and foremost, Great Job on losing 63lbs. That's not a small feat and you should be very proud of yourself for accomplishing that.
I'm new to MFP and new to this "healthy" way of life minus the excercise (haven't quite got there yet). I've always been the person to eat whatever I want and however much of it I want. If you're craving fast food try a healthier alternative like a home made extra lean ground chicken, turkey OR if you MUST beef burger and if you must have cheese have light varieties. Also, instead of regular fries, try yam/sweet potato fries. McCain's has some in the grocery store now OR a cheaper and even healthier alternative would be to make your own. Buy one sweet potato and cut into wedges, you can add a little EVOO (olive oil), rosemary is sometimes good too, maybe a little garlic powder if you like garlic, and/or some pepper and if you must, use sea salt instead of regular salt. They're soooo good and you won't feel as guilty about eating them AND it's way less fat etc. than fast food goodies.
Don't forget, you can treat yourself once in a while, but try to stay away super greasy fatty foods.
As for the food obsession....I've heard that one of your biggest meals should be breakfast because we have all day to burn it off. That's fine and dandy but if you're like me, night time is when the snacky urges emerge. I would say eat lot's of protein and healthy carbs (complex)/calories to help you fill up.
Remember, you always have support on MFP!!!! Keep up the good work and if you absolutely feel like you cannot curb some of those cravings then just bump up your cardio/excercise. Also, try and keep yourself busy and distracted that way you might not think about food. Drink lot's of water and even chew gum if you have to. I find that sometimes helps.

Hope this helped a little.

~Lauren

tlblood

I think this site is wonderful and the iPhone app is awesome for letting me count calories on the spot, as I'm eating something. Being able to track food and exercise and water on the spot for some reason has me motivated.

I would recommend browsing some healthy cookbooks (weight watchers, cook yourself thin, etc.) and websites (sparkrecipes.com) and find some recipes that sound good to you. That way you can get excited about what you're going to eat and you know it will be delicious and healthy. I found a recipes for Crispy Ranch Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas on sparkrecipes.com that I can't wait to cook this week!

As far as the fast food, my only good trick is stocking up on Taco Bell sauce so that I can add it to my homemade tacos and burritos. That usually will take care of my Taco Bell cravings.

cplus

my only suggestion is to find out the reasons you're obsessed with food. What else might be going on that you might be using food for. If you're eating enough (and I'll assume you are) then you shouldn't be so overly hungry that you need the food. For instance, tonight I was so tired that I would have much rathered order a nice greasy pizza then to eat the baked fish and rice that I had planned for dinner. I didn't though, I ate the fish and now I'm going crazy because I feel I need something... the reason I think I'm going crazy... I have a headache and I want to feed it. I want to feed it with food that is comforting to me... greasy pizza. Instead I'm sipping a diet coke to at least appease that sense in my mind that I'm getting something.

It could also be that you're just in the habit of eating junk at certain times and need to replace those habits. It also sounds like you're making dieting your life, when really it just needs to be a part of your life. In order to be sucessful long term, you're going to have to learn to live with a new way of eating.

Either way, you have to look inside yourself for the answers. All we can offer is suggestions! Good luck this time around and congratulations on the weight you've kept off!!

dferrara

First, increase your calories. 1200 is borderline starvation... you don't want a plan to take the weight off quickly, you want a plan to take it off permanently! At 1200, you are in starvation mode and your body is holding onto your fat for dear life... knock it up to 1300. Next, try some new healthy recipes you might enjoy. I just bought a Vitamix and I'm experimenting with dozens of new, healthy recipes! I also have a Pintrest account and I'm constantly on the look out for new vegetarian meals to add to my families menu. Just recently made falafel with cucumber sauce (which I made in the vitamix). I have another friend who also bought a blendtec, and we love to exchange recipes. EAT...COOK... HAVE FUN... your whole life can't be about depravation. Find healthy low calorie, low glycemic recipes you might enjoy and experiment. Have a dinner party for friends where everyone brings their favorite healthy recipe for everyone to try, along with copies of the recipe card on how to make it! Another helpful hint... vegetables... lots and lots of them. Cut up and ready to snack on in your fridge, in snack bags or tupperware, ready to travel with you, at all times. If you want to eat all the time right now... listen to your body and do it. Just make good choices. Celery, cukes, tomatoes, peppers... with a side of cucumber sauce to dip in (make it yourself with spices, fat free yogurt and cukes blended in a vitamix or blendtec blender). I also just saw, on pintrest, a recipe for pizza made with a cauliflower pizza crust instead of pizza dough... can't wait to try that tonight!