8 Year-Long Diet - No Success Yet

CarrawayShore

Tips? Food and Exercise Plan?

I have been on a VERY long diet since I was 10 years old. At the beginning, I lost weight, but I gained it all soon after I lost it. Everything I try since then does not really work. I have gotten so discouraged that I have really have not had any diet plan for the past year.

I don't want to be skinny. I just want to be healthy.

160 lbs now. I would like to be 120 lbs. It's not a large goal, but a goal all the same. I want to finally reach that goal that I have strived to reach for 8 years.

Now that I am a freshman in college, living on campus, and depending on college food ( which is never healthy ), it is so hard to find any time to exercise and find a healthy food plan. The only time I can actually eat healthy food is when I go home, which is not often. ( I did exercise quite a bit before college. Now, all I have time for is studying and classes. )

Any tips, ideas, plans?

I am glad to be here.

theCarlton

What has been your diet all this time? What were your fitness habits? Did you count calories?

KaitDW

There are often healthy options that you can find even at the college. Feel free to add me and we can chat!

katy_trail

depending on frame, muscle, body fat ration, healthy diet, regular exercise...160 could be a very healthy weight.
without knowing more about you it's hard to say if 120 is too low or not.

I second that we need to know what you're doing now.

there are very few people that can really say they have no time for exercise,
you don't need to go to the gym or workout for an hour everyday.
a few mins at a time through out the day is better than nothing
and if you fit in a couple of strength training workouts
the walking you're doing on campus is enough cardio right there.

Contrarian

This sounds better than the 17 day diet.

Warchortle

Well, the fact you admitted that you don't really eat healthy I wouldn't call that a "diet" at all. Wanting and doing are 2 separate things. I lost weight when I was a freshman and didn't need to starve myself or really worry about the food. The food was so bad you never really went back for second + I didn't drink very much. I worked out quite a bit, but I don't see how you can say that you don't have time for exercise... Literally college has more opportunities for exercise than almost any other time of your life. Being active with student life whether it's playing ultimate frisbee. building houses, volunteering... all those things that keep you up on your feet while not in the class room will help keep your TDEE relatively high.

Most colleges get their food provided by only 2-3 major food suppliers and you can find nutritional information that way. You could ask if there are vegetarian options that may help you keep your fiber high and limiting a heavy fat diet where it's hard to count calories. I think when you say things like "I can't find time" you've already given yourself an excuse for failure. Make time.

myofibril

Yeah, you know what you have been doing for the last 8 years?

Don't do that.

Try something else. Be consistent. If it fails to produce results after 3 months try something else. Be consistent until you find something that does work....

curvygirl77

When I was in college I set up my all classes M W F when ever possible---if I had to take a class on tue/thur---I made sure it was only one and I aimed for an evening class whenever possible. ----Also I always made sure to include at least a two hour break between some courses--so I might have taken two courses early in the morning --break so I workout and shower --followed by one or two more classes. My diet was never great but I was so small back then I did not worry about my diet.

Tricialew32

The thing I miss most about college is the free REC center with indoor track, gym and lap pool. Also a lot of campuses have free classes like Zumba. I know it's hard to find time to exercise so my friends and I made it a social event. Swimming was the best stress reliever and the showers were usually cleaner than the dorm showers (YUK!)

Without knowing what you've been eating it's hard to suggest anything and I realize campus food has a lot of empty calories. It may be as easy as giving up a few things in your diet and replacing them with better things. Don't get discouraged. For some people it's a lifelong struggle and joining MFP is a positive early step!

traceytwink

That's so sad that you have felt the need to diet since you were 10 have you ever been shown how to eat on a budget, you can have lovely food that's not too expensive and healthy, google it, you can also fit exercise into your daily life if you really want to I have 2 kids as well as look after 10 others, I have to cook clean and I study too, I'm sure you could fit something in even if its walking, diets don't work you just need to change the way you think good luck xx

ghhosstt

other people have said very encouraging things. besides that, when you are trying to lose weight your frame of mind is really important. i'd be discouraged too, after all that time, but did you try crash diets or did you work hard to integrate a healthier lifestyle? if you have limited options you can still make a plan and work with it and stay positive. does your college offer a salad bar? i'm not quite sure but i thought most did. get familiar with nutrition so when you are faced with choices you can pick what is healthiest. learn proper portion sizes as well, and try to do little things like take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk wherever you can if your campus is large. if you've genuinely been making an effort in the past but your weight had a hard time budging, you may want to get your thyroid checked to be on the safe side.

Rho_Ro

Hiya and welcome!

It has taken me 3 1/2 years to lose 90 lb and I'm just over half way to goal. My previous history has been calorie counting, WW diet, cabbage and onion soup diet one week every month, cutting down and in all those attempts I have put on every lb I've lost plus. My best advise is DON'T.

About 3 1/2 years ago I finished work and my weight started changing with little effort. About a year ago it was going up and down which is why I joined MFP. I realised then that I want to be a "normal" size where I can go into clothing shops and choose ANY item off the rack - not just the few that will fit me. I WANT THIS FOR ME!!! And I have found that is the key.

I think calorie counting is the way, plus the support of others. Coz when u think "Oh I can sneak this", the guilts come in and you double-think. Of course u go over sometimes but someone will put a friendly comment and once again u will double-think what you've done. BUT never be so hard on urself that it unsettles you, just think that u'll try harder next time. After all time is on ur side.

And lastly, although u say uv been on an 8 year long diet, most likely uv been doing what I did- diet, spell, diet, spell, cut down, spell. So realistically in those 8 years uv been aware of ur food intake between say 4 and 8 times. So take the guilts off - u don't need to feel that uv wasted all those years, they were ur growing years, ur maturing years and of course u would have put on weight. I doubt anyone at age 18 wld weigh what they did when they were 10 years old. So chill, relax, think carefully about ur reasons for losing ur 40 lbs and go for it. And remember, the very best and only reason is FOR YOU!!

Boogage

When I was at college I was in 4 days a week from 9-4. I was also taking an evening course and looking after 2 toddlers but I still managed to find time to study at home and workout after the kids were in bed. I used to take my own healthy lunch and snacks to college and go for a walk at lunchtime.

If you want this bad enough, you can lose weight while at college.

You need to work out if 120 is a healthy goal for you taking into consideration your height ect
Log and scrutinize everything you eat to see if you are really eating as healthily as you think you are (I have been so shocked how calorific some foods are)
Work out your TDEE and minus 15-20% to work out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight
Fit in some exercise-this could be walking to college instead of getting the bus or getting up earlier and sticking a workout DVD on.

Losing weight doesn't have to be hard, you just have to have a plan.

CarrawayShore

Well, it was a very healthy diet, exercise and food, before last year. It was last year I got really discouraged by not losing any weight after all those years. I think the kinds of activities and community groups I am in unfortunately do not offer those opportunities. Really the only time I am able to exercise at all is on the weekends, which is not enough.

Well, the fact you admitted that you don't really eat healthy I wouldn't call that a "diet" at all. Wanting and doing are 2 separate things. I lost weight when I was a freshman and didn't need to starve myself or really worry about the food. The food was so bad you never really went back for second + I didn't drink very much. I worked out quite a bit, but I don't see how you can say that you don't have time for exercise... Literally college has more opportunities for exercise than almost any other time of your life. Being active with student life whether it's playing ultimate frisbee. building houses, volunteering... all those things that keep you up on your feet while not in the class room will help keep your TDEE relatively high.

Most colleges get their food provided by only 2-3 major food suppliers and you can find nutritional information that way. You could ask if there are vegetarian options that may help you keep your fiber high and limiting a heavy fat diet where it's hard to count calories. I think when you say things like "I can't find time" you've already given yourself an excuse for failure. Make time.

CarrawayShore

Thanks, everyone for your encouragement. These are really good tips. Thankfully, the summer is coming up so I can real work through a plan and take it to college.

leadedge

I have tried everything over the years and finally have figured it out. The diet that worked for me was Ideal Protein. It is a pretty tough diet but if you are committed and want to lose weight fast it works! I started Jan 21st and I am down 47lbs today. I'd check it out, it definitely worked for me!!

lotsoflovelivvy

Hi, I'm new here and I have similar issues, have you had your thyroid tested? If you've been trying really hard and not seeing results it may be a medical issue. If you have any other symptoms of an underactive thyroid or a history of it in the family it's defiantly worth getting it checked out. I have an appointment with my doctor as I started gaining weight when I was about 6 and no matter what me or my family did, I couldn't stop gaining weight, so I know how tough it is.

__RANDY__

Stolen from another thread same question courtesy of BurtHuttz

Diet Plan.
This: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
Eat whatever you want.
If you want to build muscle, skew your macronutrient balance toward protein (1g/lb of body weight minimum.)
Once your noob gains are done, the only way your body will begin muscle protein synthesis is with a calorie surplus. You will also gain some fat if your 'bulking'

Workout Plan.
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/
You'll need a bench, a squat rack, a barbell, and plates - or a gym. Invest in a personal trainer who knows weight training to help you with your form - better than youtube, a bit.

Combine these two and you will have a dangerously fantastic body.