Contradictions EVERYWHERE

maab12

Its OK to feel negative at times its hard doing this as time goes on it gets bearable and than easier and eventually a long time from now youll enjoy eating healthy. 500-900 calories a day is way to little. making a life style change takes a lot of work. some people who are well meaning just dont know how to keep their mouths shut. when you joined up did you find out how many calories your supposed to eat in a day? stick to that. when it comes to finding out what is healthy for you it will take time to find the foods that are good for you and that will fill you up. the craving for fast food never goes away but it doesnt mean you cant have it at all anymore it means that as your starting out mabey you cant have it now but in 3 months as you learn more about your body and as your jouney progresses a one night out is not such a bad idea. telling yourself you cant have it at all from now on is one way to make sure that you will fail completely. I am just resarting after 2.4 years of false starts and failings. I realize that if i start talking to my self how this time is no different than all the other times and that im just not ready yet ill never be.
im also morbidly obese add me as a friend and when your feeling down just send a message and ill respond and vise versa.
you can do this just relax take it not one day at a time. but hour by hour. until it becomes easier than take it by half days, whole days, and than weeks and months.
you can do it.

LoveMyLife_NYC

I agree that small changes are the way to go. Log what you would normally eat, then see if you can clean it up a bit. Did you eat a meal at a restaurant? How many calories was that vs. how many calories would it be if you had cooked it yourself? Did you eat junk food for a snack? How many calories would it be if you swapped that junk food for some veggies and hummus, an apple, or some nuts?

1200 calories is generally recommended as the lowest daily caloric goal for anyone on this site. Below that can be unhealthy. But if your starting weight is higher, perhaps your daily caloric goal should be something like 1800 calories. Or maybe your doctor can help you set a goal. Setting it too low, like you are already finding out, is a recipe for disaster and will lead to failure.

Exercise is key, and if it's brand new to you then start with a walking 30-60 minutes a day. Get those nutrients flowing through your system.

The weight should come off slowly. You didn't gain it in a day, and it will take a long time for it to come off. Be patient with yourself and know that the small changes you make will make a big difference in your health in the long run.

You ARE ready for this journey. You signed up for MFP and you asked for help. That already speaks volumes about your determination. You just need help getting started, like most of us did. :flowerforyou:

rosesigil

Sorry you're feeling bad. This is a very difficult thing we are all trying to do here--struggling every day with our food wants. The thing is though, that you CAN have anything you want--just not EVERYTHING--and not all at once. I know you want it to be like it was before--where you could just eat whatever, whenever, and however much you wanted without worrying. But--that has changed. You now know that you cannot do that --ever again--and sustain the changes that will enhance and improve your life. It will never be the way it was. You need to just accept that--and move on. Move on to a different kind of eating---healthy food, yes, but not boring. Have your favorite things--but in moderation. And yes, you have to count every calorie you eat. AND--you should be eating over 500-900 calories every day. MFP (this site) can figure out how many calories you get each day. The best part is that you can "earn" some extra calories by exercising and logging that in also. Some people don't eat those "earned" calories back--some do, and you can. It is hard but you will lose weight and that IS important---especially to your physical health, but also to your emotional and spiritual well being. People here understand and support you--you CAN do this!:flowerforyou:

lamby284

Sounds like you need to make the mental change into believing that it is possible to change your habits. Your username doesn't sound supportive of yourself at all either. No offense intended. As for the calorie deficit, a rule of thumb for adults is to never eat less than 1200 calories a day. I suggest trying to stick to 1800 for a start. Its usually a matter of kicking the food addiction to start learning how to eat sensibly and still be happy. And don't listen to what random people tell you about your diet, I usually don't (unless its from someone on MFP). Eat what works with your body and cut things that make you feel like crap. For me that's red meat, greasy food, and dairy. We call it a journey for a reason! Hope I could help

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I actually find that logging food is sustainable. Now that I'm on maintenance and have been logging for a long time I can pretty much guess how many calories things have when I go out to eat or go to someone else's house. I am of the belief system that you don't have to cut out any foods, you just figure out how to fit them into your goal. That said, the most sustainable plan is the one that works for you.

Although I don't think 500-900 cals is it, for what it's worth. You could easily double the high end of that and be just fine. Actually better than fine, since you're more likely to stick with it and less likely to plateau.

bgegli2013

I have admitted to myself that I have a food addiction. For example, if I eat an apple, I don't have any desire for another one. But if I eat cake, pie, ice cream, (you get the idea) I want more and more. My weakness is sweets, but I also have found I just feel better not eating flour of any kind. Try it for one week. You'll lose weight and feel amazing!

Firefox7275

You need macro and micro nutrients - many amino acids, certain fats (eg. omega-3s), all vitamins and minerals are classed as essential, only crazies will tell you that you don't need these. You won't all these that on such a low calorie intake and you will indeed be cranky and craving - so you've learned that a starvation diet is no use. For the most part good nutrition is not about individual foods, it's about combinations of foods your whole diet, there is a reason the official guidelines recommend a number of servings from different food groups, that supplies at least a minimum of each nutrient. Since each food has a different nutrient and antioxidant profile you benefit from a wide range of different foods not just a handful of media 'superfoods'. You should not eat as much of any one food as you want because that is not a balanced diet and won't supply all the nutrients you need for health.

Perhaps your research is telling you that either your philosophy or research techniques are flawed, make better choices on who to trust, there is an awful lot of totally unscientific unsubstantiated rubbish written on the internet in the name of health and nutrition, some of it the total opposite has been proven in studies!
Good sources of each nutrient http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-search
Index of published studies, what people should be basing their opinion on
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Cravings don't go away for everyone but I am not sure I have ever met anyone for whom they have not reduced massively IF the person is eating enough food, enough overall calories and a balanced nutritious diet. If you starve or deprive your body you will continue to crave fatty and sugary foods, that is your survival instinct because these foods supply plenty of energy. Concentrate on a balance of wholefoods, some will have negative effects alongside the positive ones but because you are only eating one serving of each food these will be 'diluted' by all the other wholefoods you will be eating.

jaymek92

op, what is your point?
you're not asking questions. you don't have a tale. you're not willing to accept advice or make changes. you're just being a grump because you're hungry and you have seen that people lose weight on very low calorie diets and others lose weight on higher calorie diets.
are you just trying to get attention for your very low calorie diet?

shandybrown

I have to agree with the others - you are not eating enough. I understand the pressure you feel since you have loved ones who are concerned. But keep in mind that even people who have your best interest at heart can drive you crazy! Everyone seems to have advice but you have to decide what works for you. Please don't damage your body by eating too few calories just to start seeing results quickly and quiet those around you. You are far too important to put your health aside to please others.

Also , have you gone to the doctor recently. I used to struggle with craving foods that were ,shall we say, less than healthy. After seeing my doctor it was discovered that my thyroid was not functioning properly. Once I started the medicine for it my cravings were not nearly as bad. Now I find I only "crave" those foods when I am struggling emotionally. It didn't resolve my cravings completely but it definitely made a huge difference. It also improved my energy and that made it easier to get up and move. Just something to think about.

As far as what is OK to eat and what isn't , you have already found out that will change according to where you get your advice. If you want to live an enjoyable life and in your opinion it does not include severe restrictions then so be it! You have to make your own decisions and figure out what you are content with as far as diet and exercise. Allowing other people to decide for you takes away your power and sets you up to fail. I know several people (myself included) who have thrown out all the micromanaging techniques for weight loss and just try to eat well, exercise and forgive ourselves for the ocassional diet faux pas.

Hang in there! You are worth figuring this out! And for goodness sake - eat something!

NCchar130

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

There's a whole lot of people on this website who have proved you can and will.

Pandorian

Have a look at the sources for the "research" you're reading too. Anti-milk data? Pro-milk data? which one's from the dairy farmers united...
eggs good / eggs evil? which one is from the poultry association OR which one wants you to buy their highly processed alternative to a natural item.
They come and go it was in the 80's that eggs were evil due to cholesterol... 90's was "fat is evil" 00's and on it seems to be carbs getting the bad name.
A FOOD as close to its natural state as possible shouldn't be "bad" for you depending on YOUR health issues, someone that reacts to nuts knows not to eat them, someone that can't have fish... well you don't hit the sea-food hut.

ravenchick

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

I lost 116 pounds by measuring every little thing that goes into my mouth. I can appreciate a good rant but maybe if you didn't try to live on 500 calories a day, you would be able to think a little clearer!

meshashesha2012

Just log in what you normally eat for a couple of days. Don't make special adjustments. That should be an eye opener for you.

this.

start off logging what you normally eat even if it's 20 bic macs. log for a week or 2 and dont even worry about the calories.

then at the end of that time print out your logs and go through and highlight a few things each day that you can change.

sillygoosie

First of all, consume more calories!!

Second, you're right, you have to do this in a way that is sustainable for you. At the same time, you'll never really know what you are really consuming until you keep accurate track of it. You may not have to do it forever but you have to do it for a while. Eat the foods you love, just eat less of them. No one person on this site has all the answers for you. Everything is trial and error but the most important thing is not to quit. Quitting will get you absolutely nowhere. If you really, really want to succeed you can, but I would suggest a change of attitude pretty quickly. May I suggest changing your screen name to something that doesn't make you feel like *kitten* every time you have to see it or type it?

rml_16

In my home, except for non-starchy vegetables, I weigh or measure everything I eat. When I eat out, I do the best I can to guesstimate calories based on the best sources I can find (either a restaurant's website or something similar in database like MFP's).

I don't believe that you have to give up any particular food to lose weight. You just have to eat less overall. I still have my treats and enjoy them. I lost an average of 1.8 pounds per week and three dress sizes over three months doing that and kept it off for two years. I regained due to birth control, but I'm losing again following that same method. Add in exercise and you can have a little more.

If you make the right choices and know or learn how to season food so that the healthiest meals are still incredibly yummy, this is easy. I LOVE eating salad. The right dressing is key. I actually crave it. I've found a great dark chocolate that is very rich so a little goes a long way. I eat cheese and peanut butter every day. Today, I ate cheese and veggie enchiladas at a restaurant.

I eat at home more than I eat out, but I don't sacrifice anything except large portions.

ravenchick

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

I lost 116 pounds by measuring every little thing that goes into my mouth. I can appreciate a good rant but maybe if you didn't try to live on 500 calories a day, you would be able to think a little clearer!

I am pretty sure he's saying it's not practical to count calories every place you go, at every moment of the day. It's not. There was a lady talking about bring food scales to restaurants. Calorie counting is good to teach you how much to eat. WHat is over eating and what is not. You learn to have an intuition about it.

This is why I don't eat at restaurants.

SkimFlatWhite68

PLEASE read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
and do the sugggested calculations. This post is a saviour to us all.

I totally hear what you are saying, understand and sympathise. I have been exactly where you are, but there are better ways to go about it and "eating clean" for one person is not the same as eating clean for another.

No one ever got fat eating good whole produce and foods. If it doesn't have a bar code on it then it looks good to me. Bananas are better for you than a packet of CC's.

Please read the road map and follow it, stay positive and eat some food. No wonder you are cranky and probably have no energy. Again, I have been there - but this is a life journey, not a flash in the pan diet.

Best wishes.

Natihilator

I have nothing to add to all the excellent information and advice above, except

Dawn_Batchelder

Remember that a calorie is a unit of energy not a fat cell. To successfully lose and maintain weight, you need to break habits. Starving yourself is just as harmful as overeating. Start looking for things to exchange: fried chicken for grilled chicken, potato chips for baked sweet potato chips, etc. Watch your portions. Once you start to drop the pounds you will be on a mission to get better at eating healthy.

MochaMixAZ

Hi, Really. I think you hit it on the head... it sounds like you just may not be ready to make a change. Change will come when the benefits of that change outweigh the benefits of status quo.

As I read your post, I sympathize. I was where you described. Ten years later, I no longer am... but it was hard, arduous, and dissatisfying for a REALLY long time before it was anything positive. But I was ready for change and nothing was going to stop me.

I gently challenge a lot of what you said. I actually do measure and count every ounce that goes into my mouth. With great effort sometimes, but I do it. I travel quite a bit for work, and with forethought and planning, it can be sustained on the road. You just have to want to do that more than not.

Contradictions do exist. I believe in balance and portion control overall.

The calorie limit you've constrained yourself to is a problem. When I started my weight loss, I CUT BACK to 3200 calories a day. I had a lot to lose and that's where I started. I still have weight to lose, but now I eat about 2000 a day. If I maintain that, I lose.

I also had horrible cravings for everything that wasn't good for me - especially fast food. That took 2 years of healthy eating to abate. Two long years. And if I smell it now, I still have thoughts about the deliciousness. However, giving in sets me up for a spiral I don't enjoy... so it benefits me more to skip it. Usually I can do that. Sometimes, I still can't. And then I find it takes a week or two for me to get over a series of intense cravings all over again.

I'm not in agreement with people who beat up or are negative toward where you are or how you feel. It's how you feel. It's a vicious, painful cycle to be in. Eventually, I hope you find something that is worth the effort for change. I think you'd find some benefits in the change. But, I understand you may never find that something.

Whatever the future brings for you, I wish you the best. I'm sending you positive thoughts and a hope that you will find what you're looking for.