What's my problem?

TMHoy

Well, I think I know. But the real question is, can I fix it, can I really lose weight???

I've been struggling with my weight for years. It's getting tiring. Often I just give up and eat crap food. I'm 40, am 5'2" tall, and weigh about 160 lbs. I'd like to lose 20 lbs. My short term goal is 10 lbs, which is seemingly impossible.

Most days, I eat oatmeal with berries in the morning, then a light lunch (small salad made from home, tomatoes, roasted turkey, feta, light dressing). Dinner is cooked at home as well, often a meat with veggie, starch. Thing is, I know what's in the food calorie-wise, I spent at least 6 months measuring/weighing my food, logging cals, etc.

About 3-4 times a week, I go to the gym and attend one of their classes, which are pretty tough. Barbell strength, 50/50 (weight training/cardio), CRT (cardio/resistance/training). I FEEL much more tighter, leaner. My clothes seem to fit looser. Although I put on some capris this morning from last summer and they were tight! I was expecting them to be looser!

So...the weekends are my downfall. I def blow it then. I've been known to eat total junk food, pies, McD's. I know that's probably what's setting me back, but I have a nearly IMPOSSIBLE time of not eating it!

What to do? Thoughts, suggestions??

melaniecheeks

Step 1 - set your diary to public so that we can make some informed suggestions, rather than just guesses.

Are you measuring all your food, or just guessing?

jacksonpt

If you can't control what you eat, can you control how you shop?

Personally, once it's in my house I have almost no self control, so the best thing for me to do is not buy it in the first place.

TMHoy

OK, I can do that. I haven't logged my food for quite some time. At this point, I am making not just guesses on measuring food, but educated guesses. As I said, I spent at least half a year diligently measuring my food, and I know understand what it weighs/measures.

I think what I'm really getting at is how to stick with it. How to stay motivated and not cave in and eat McD's. How to live normally. My husband and I go out every Friday. Tonight it's PF Chang's. I understand that if I eat McD's, I will not lose. I can work on avoiding that, but I also can't spend every day on my diet and not living a regular life with my husband (i.e. eating out).

TMHoy

If you can't control what you eat, can you control how you shop?

Yes. And this is part of the problem. The Marie Calendar's pie was not a good shopping choice. We shopped when hungry, which we both know is a #1 no no.

TMHoy

My diary is now public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/TMHoy

I will start logging again to see if anyone has any suggestions as to why I'm not losing weight (other than the obvious - Marie Calendar's). I'm also wondering if my 3-4 days a week at the gym is not enough. They are not light workouts by far, they are bootcamp style and I LOVE them.

RunForChai

Hi,
You really can do it, but getting started.....I wonder if you need to eat more protein for breakfast and start cutting down on the carbs [oatmeal is great but lots of carbs). How about eggs or lean turkey bacon or non-fat greek yogurt for breakfast? I find that if I make myself eat a high protein breakfast and then plan meals for the rest of the day I do better. So I'll cut up celery and carrot sticks and put them into baggies for munching on throughout the day. I slice an apple into thin, think slices and have them in my bag for a snack. I count out 12 almonds, then eat them very slowly. Also I make enormous salads which are mostly lettuce or spinach with sliced bell peppers, onions, a tiny bit of low-fat feta----and any other vegies you love---sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. It is really filling.

TMHoy

shoney: You know, there was a time I was eating greek yogurt every morning. But then I began to experience acne!! At 40 yrs!! I read that dairy aggravated it, so I had to quit. I hate breakfast, so thought oatmeal would be ok. I struggle with foods in the morning. I'm eating pretzels right now. You think I should cut down on carbs and add protein? I eat salads with 1 oz of lean meat, and add things like dried cranberries and low-fat feta. I do think I tend to eat my cals back after working out hard.

melaniecheeks

Keep your exercise routine as it is - it's fine, and to be honest your nutrition is more important. You can fine tune the exercise once you've got your foods right.

Get back into logging. Then analyse. Dont feel that breakfast is comulsory, as long as skipping it doesnt lead you into bad habits later in the day.

TMHoy

Alright, I suspected the same. I don't skip breakfast, because I do get hungry eventually, just much later. I'm one of those weird people who don't like eggs. I can't have yogurt. So I have to find an alternative. I'd like to eat tuna/triscuits, but there are the carbs again.

potluck965

I am about the same height and starting weight as you and to complicate things further, I am about 20 years older than you.

If I did it, you can. You just have to want to badly enough.

I was able to lose around 30 pounds that I had been stuck with for decades. I can't exercise a whole lot and not strenuously. I just had to apply myself to realizing how many calories over what I need I was stuffing down my throat and do something to correct that. I also had to get used to feeling hungry. I used to feel that if I was really hungry I must need to eat. Nope.

Once I started weighing and measuring food and counting calories and logging, I was able to lose at a decent slow and steady rate until I achieved my goal. I still argue with 4 or 5 pounds up and down, but that's because after a couple of years I get lax about counting and logging.

I agree that you need to make better shopping choices. You can choose not to go out to the junk food restaurant, but once you let stuff in your house it is too easy to give in to temptation.

You can do it, you just have to really want to.

SarahBeth0625

If I have cookies in my house, I will eat them (even if they're Back to Nature Classic Cremes -- "healthy Oreos"). My solution is to surround myself with healthy snacks and drink a lot of water. If I feel a craving. I drink 20 ounces of water, give it a few minutes, and see if I'm still hungry. I snack at work on oranges, apples, salted whole almonds, rice cakes (Quaker makes a chocolate crunch one that's really good and only 60 cals per cake), etc.

fitbum19

Maybe your body needs a "reset" Have you looked into Beachbody's Ultimate Reset? You should. I can't put the link here, bu tif you are intereseted, you should message me. I did it, and I lost 12 pounds in 21 days and 8 inches total. Its a very well-planned out detox for 21 days.

TMHoy

I am about the same height and starting weight as you and to complicate things further, I am about 20 years older than you.

Thanks for your inspiring post. I don't want to spend another 10 yrs gaining. I see older folks at the gym and think, wow, I don't want to be there, trying to do this bootcamp class. I want to maintain my fitness so I can age well.

I also had to get used to feeling hungry. I used to feel that if I was really hungry I must need to eat. Nope.

Really? So how long are you supposed to be hungry? I think this is a weird line for me. Knowing when I'm hungry, really hungry, or just wanting to eat for the sake of eating. I'm also an alcoholic, so letting myself be hungry can be dangerous territory.

Spartan_Maker

You know the answer: Just eat less of that stuff on the weekends. Be as vigilant about tracking the weekend intake as you are tracking the weekday intake.

If you do overindulge, promise yourself that you'll walk for an hour at some point on Saturday or Sunday.

Best wishes.

bpotts44

I weigh in on Mondays which helps me stay disciplined on Sundays because I don't want to blow my weigh in. I also make Saturday my big exercise day. I don't know how your schedule works, but try to do some outdoors activities like hike, bike, etc to occupy your time with something other than food on the weekends.

libertygirlfla

Alright, I suspected the same. I don't skip breakfast, because I do get hungry eventually, just much later. I'm one of those weird people who don't like eggs. I can't have yogurt. So I have to find an alternative. I'd like to eat tuna/triscuits, but there are the carbs again.

All carbs aren't bad. Triscuits are whole grain and not nearly as bad as those pretzels you were munching on (empty calories). The sodium may be a bit high if you tend to retain water, but otherwise, tuna and triscuits is a good meal/snack in my opinion.

TavistockToad

Well, I think I know. But the real question is, can I fix it, can I really lose weight???

I've been struggling with my weight for years. It's getting tiring. Often I just give up and eat crap food. I'm 40, am 5'2" tall, and weigh about 160 lbs. I'd like to lose 20 lbs. My short term goal is 10 lbs, which is seemingly impossible.

Most days, I eat oatmeal with berries in the morning, then a light lunch (small salad made from home, tomatoes, roasted turkey, feta, light dressing). Dinner is cooked at home as well, often a meat with veggie, starch. Thing is, I know what's in the food calorie-wise, I spent at least 6 months measuring/weighing my food, logging cals, etc.

About 3-4 times a week, I go to the gym and attend one of their classes, which are pretty tough. Barbell strength, 50/50 (weight training/cardio), CRT (cardio/resistance/training). I FEEL much more tighter, leaner. My clothes seem to fit looser. Although I put on some capris this morning from last summer and they were tight! I was expecting them to be looser!

So...the weekends are my downfall. I def blow it then. I've been known to eat total junk food, pies, McD's. I know that's probably what's setting me back, but I have a nearly IMPOSSIBLE time of not eating it!

What to do? Thoughts, suggestions??

you know the answer.... you spoil all your hard work through the week by eating junk all weekend....

so, what do you want more, the junk on a weekend or to lose 10 lbs?

TMHoy

Yep, I'm very vigilant about eating right during the work week. It's when I'm not at work and lounging on the weekends that is my downfall.

TMHoy

I want to lose 10 lbs!! I thought the pretzels were ok due to the calorie content. At least I counted them, so didn't go crazy on them. How about popcorn?

cmeiron

You CAN eat McDonald's or go out for dinner on the weekend, BUT you have to plan for it, log it, and adjust the rest of your daily intake (and extra calorie burns via exercise) around it accordingly. If you don't log all your food, it's very easy to avoid being accountable. If I know I'm going to have junk food, booze or take out, I log it first thing in the morning (I've got wine and cheesecake on the menu today, for example), then plan the rest of my day around it. I might end up going over a little, but it won't be a blowout because I'll have a plan in place to manage it. I also find that logging it helps keep the indulgence in check a little - because I really do like to eat - like all day long - and if one giant bunch of fried food at the end of the day is going to blow my daily goal, I'll probably scale it back a bit so I can still eat something else earlier in the day.