THIS is why I can't lose weight

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245

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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    What you all cooking that you eat while preparing it? Last night my supper was brussels sprouts, rice and fish fillets. Can't imagine snacking on any of that raw!
  • mommygirlx3
    mommygirlx3 Posts: 39 Member
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    I hear you there my husband went out shopping and bought 2 bags of my favorite potato chips for the kids, I took them back and got two different types for them i know they like but I dont.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    Stop buying candy in the store, stop snacking while cooking or log it. It really comes down to will power.

    this!

    I have to agree with this^^^.

    How bad do you want it? Do you want to change or are you happy with the way you are?
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    I log everything I eat, BEFORE I eat it. This keeps me from eating anything else like snacks. Not in my log for the day? Then don't eat it. Try this out. I also have a pretty strict eating schedule.. I eat before the gym, then dinner at 6-7, and four hours later my snack. (Which is more like a meal bc I need the calories but I still call it my snack)
  • Denise1224
    Denise1224 Posts: 150 Member
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    I've been doing some soul searching to try to figure out why I've been having such a hard time losing weight the last few years. I only have 10-20 pounds to lose but it's frustrating being "so close yet so far away." My clothes have been fitting a little tighter in the last couple weeks and I can't afford a new wardrobe so I've decided I need to do something about this and the sooner the better. Anyway, I've narrowed down the reasons why I'm having trouble to the following:

    - Getting older (I'm 39)
    - Snacking while cooking dinner. It's truly incessant - by the time I'm done cooking I am usually not that hungry, but I end up eating dinner anyway.
    - Impulse-buying candy - especially chocolate-y candy - that happens to be on sale. The combination of chocolate and a good bargain are extremely hard to resist.

    Getting older is something I'm gonna have to learn to deal with. Anyone have any tips on how to put an end to the other two? One thing I'm trying beginning today is to write down every time I avoid the temptation to engage in these behaviors. The idea is that writing it down is an act of recognition and reward for myself to help make up for the loss of enjoyment of the snack. We'll see how it goes.

    Also, what is stopping YOU from losing weight?

    I'm like you in the sense that I am getting older and started gaining when I was 40... I also taste test my cooking BUT I log it even if its a spoonful of spaghetti sauce it counts toward my total .... it helps me see what I'm doing so I know just how many calories are in my "nibbles" of this or that while I cook.
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
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    Eating like a moron/child, failing to stick to healthy eating, and not exercising enough is stopping me losing weight. Nothing more to it than that.
  • PibblesRun
    PibblesRun Posts: 236 Member
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    I agree that committing to logging absolutely EVERYTHING will help with the snacking while cooking syndrome. I'd also recommend cooking in big batches, as that way you don't have to face the temptation to snack while cooking on a daily basis.

    I don't keep anything that I feel "iffy" around in the house, as it's not worth it to me. If I absolutely can't live without some sort of useless, nutritionally devoid, diet-busting indulgence I will go buy one serving of it and enjoy it. You'd be surprised how much "out of sight" really is "out of mind" after a while, and also how much needing to get dressed, walk or drive to the store to buy that one silly item makes you say you can live without it.

    This! I keep any and all food out of the house that i cant resist. Much to my husbands arguments, but oh well! I tell him if he wants it go get it!
  • kaneaap
    kaneaap Posts: 13 Member
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    Have you tried chewing sugar free gum while your cooking? Especially a mint flavored one. Usually the taste of something else while chewing a mint gum is awful, the mint makes your mouth feel clean & the act of chewing gum occupies your need to chew. Another trick is try brushing your teeth before you start cooking. Most people like that fresh clean feeling and are loathe to end it so quickly. Again, use a strong minty flavor . . . kinda makes food not taste so good. Make sure you drink some water before you sit down to dinner and/or eat a small saltine to clean the flavor away so it doesn't spoil your meal. Good luck!
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    Myself is the only thing that stopped my from losing weight in the beginning. It's all about willpower. It's in your hands. You have total control. If you want to snack while you cook...snack on celery sticks or cucumbers. VERY low in calories and the celery in particular will take you a long time to chew.
  • Sarinene
    Sarinene Posts: 10
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    What helped me a lot was to replace snacking with chewing gum and diet Coke. It's really hard to get used to at first, but if you just put some will-power into it and get determined to lose weight, I think that would help a lot. Also, you should try always making a shopping-list and tell yourself that you're not going to buy anything else than what's on the list. When you've kept up not buying sweets at the store, calculate how much money you've saved and buy yourself something nice.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I've been doing some soul searching to try to figure out why I've been having such a hard time losing weight the last few years. I only have 10-20 pounds to lose but it's frustrating being "so close yet so far away." My clothes have been fitting a little tighter in the last couple weeks and I can't afford a new wardrobe so I've decided I need to do something about this and the sooner the better. Anyway, I've narrowed down the reasons why I'm having trouble to the following:

    - Getting older (I'm 39)
    - Snacking while cooking dinner. It's truly incessant - by the time I'm done cooking I am usually not that hungry, but I end up eating dinner anyway.
    - Impulse-buying candy - especially chocolate-y candy - that happens to be on sale. The combination of chocolate and a good bargain are extremely hard to resist.

    Getting older is something I'm gonna have to learn to deal with. Anyone have any tips on how to put an end to the other two? One thing I'm trying beginning today is to write down every time I avoid the temptation to engage in these behaviors. The idea is that writing it down is an act of recognition and reward for myself to help make up for the loss of enjoyment of the snack. We'll see how it goes.

    Also, what is stopping YOU from losing weight?

    Sounds like this can all be summed up as willpower. Good luck getting it under control. Wish ya the best.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Everyone can say it's just willpower that you need but that's easier said than done. To me that's like telling someone who is depressed to just 'get over it'.

    Brush your teeth before you start dinner, then chew Orbit bubblemint gum while fixing dinner.

    Use your crockpot. I don't think I'd be tempted to eat any raw food I was tossing in it.

    Tell yourself you CAN have a treat once a week. Make it on whatever day you're most likely to encounter chocolate. :) Maybe you wont crave it as much if you know you can have it in a few days.

    The next time you eat something that's high in calories and not so good for you, burn the calories. If it's a 250 calorie candy bar, you'd have to walk at least a 2 1/2 miles to burn it off. It's a lot easier to lose weight if you look at the WORK you have to do to not add 250 cals of fat to your tummy, butt, whatever.

    Getting older does make it a little harder to lose weight. I know, I'm 52. But.. we usually burn less because we dont move as much when we get older. Due to my age, and petite size, my maint. cals will be right UNDER 1200. If I don't exercise, I guess I wont be eating. lol

    You can do this, you recognized what you're doing wrong. Make a list of WHY you don't want to eat the extra calories, why you want to be healthier, etc. and put it in your kitchen, car, or wherever you'll see it when you're tempted.

    Good luck!
  • msacurrie
    msacurrie Posts: 144 Member
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    Laziness. Since I started working out about 5 months ago, I have become less lazy...but I have also slacked off from my original burst of energy. The weekends are the worst because I don't feel like driving out to the gym when I'm already home, and I don't feel like working out at home because my family is there or there are other things to do or I want to relax. I need to push myself! :) Most days, I do pretty good though :) I just know I'd see better results if I were more consistent.
  • LeidaPrimal
    LeidaPrimal Posts: 198 Member
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    What you all cooking that you eat while preparing it? Last night my supper was brussels sprouts, rice and fish fillets. Can't imagine snacking on any of that raw!

    I snack on any veggie I am chopping, even onions (and carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and onions are the biggest problem since they are high in carbs and I can't afford it), and I have no problem snacking on raw meat or fish. Raw liver is to die for.

    Often, I have meat from the broth that I need to process (strip off the bone/chop) when i cook, or the meat that is stir-fried separately from the veggies, first. Plus, when you get that roasted anything from the oven, salmon, chicken, pork roast mmgh, GOOD and it has to rest!
  • blushingmama
    blushingmama Posts: 111 Member
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    beer.

    and I'm not willing to give it up, yet
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Log every single thing that you put in your mouth. If you don't think you'll be able to accurately log something because it's too little food or whatever then don't eat it, it adds up. Burn more than you're eating and you will lose weight. If you don't, you won't.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
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    The snacking whilst making dinner thing I have conquered by having a glass of diet coke. I know it's not the best health wise but it's the only one I have a day and it stops me from scouring the cupboards. Don't buy chocolate. Take healthy snacks out with you to have instead. I usually carry an emergency apple in my bag in case I get peckish.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Candy buying ? STOP IT. Just stop it. Candy isn't a necessity and if it's a trigger food - make up your mind that you are not going to buy it. ME - I keep dark chocolate at the house - 70% or greater. One or two squares completely satisfies that choc craving. In fact, I have a dark chocolate macro that I maintain : )

    Snacking while cooking. Again, make up your mind to quit doing that. WHAT are you snacking on while cooking? I guess I don't understand this. When I'm cooking, I"m cooking. Might taste something thats going into the pot or taste while cooking to see if it's all melding together. Since you KNOW it's an issue - concentrate on changing the habit. If you are hungry and that is driving it, have a protein rich snack before you start cooking - such as a cheese stick. Protein with a bit of fat .. BAM!

    AGE. Sorry. Age just IS. And absolutely positively don't use it as an EXCUSE. Don't even get hung up on that.

    To lose weight - the first battle is being READY to do it. If you aren't READY to commit to the permanent lifestyle changes then it is probably going to be a fail. You don't have to jump in all at once with a lot of changes, or even big changes. Small steps. Small changes. Small changes morph into permanent changes.

    Perhaps for you, the first small changes is to get your candy addiction under control : )

    Good luck !
  • al369
    al369 Posts: 170 Member
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    Re: chocolate. I usually only buy the Dove promises chocolate to keep at home. It is decent quality and individually wrapped. I'll have anywhere from 1-3 pieces and that doesn't wreck my diet. And it's too expensive (on my budget) to go crazy and buy lots of it.

    Snacking while cooking...I have the same problem. I think that's common. One thing is you may be letting yourself get too hungry by the time your next meal rolls around so the temptation is that much stronger.
  • juls0582
    juls0582 Posts: 8
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    Perhaps you can snack on healthy things. Cut up some fresh veggies and put them in the fridge...measure out a certain amount of crackers to have handy. I assume if you snack before dinner, you are hungry? Maybe eat a little earlier before you are really hungry.

    As for impulse shopping, that for me is all will power. I see things I want, but I know in the end if I buy them I will eat them. Maybe just get a tiny size if you want some type of reward after a week or two of not eating sweets.

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