What is wrong with me?!

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Gerkenstein
Gerkenstein Posts: 315 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know my cycle (of gaining weight) has a lot to do with self-loathing, so that is not what I'm participating in when I say, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!? lol

I joined MFP last Friday, 5/21/10, and have been doing a lot better for me. But my doctor put me on a 1800 calorie diet on Monday and I can't stay under it! After lunch and dinner I feel like I want something sweet and in the mornings I'm so used to picking up something on the way, I have yet to plan out a day! I'm making my food diary public hoping this will add some motivation to avoid those "bad" foods. I just love McDonald's breakfast biscuits and Subway's double chocolate chip cookies, don't know how to avoid these or gain some self-control! Also, when I've bring snacks to work to avoid the vending machine, I'm struggling all day not to eat the snacks constantly, especially when I know I'm not hungry! Even when I think about all of my reasons to lose weight (and there are MANY), I still can't seem to talk myself out of it.

Anyone else really struggle with this in the beginning? If so, how do you overcome it?!

Replies

  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    I struggle with dieting really bad. I could have been 30 pounds lighter by now but the last couple months I really slacked and kept cheating and I did not lose any weight in fact I gained 8 pounds back. Its frustrating I know. What I found that really helps me is exercised calories. Exercise and eat those calories they will help you make it through the day and you will still lose weight. After time it gets easier. Once the new habbits take place. Good luck and don't give up.:smile:
  • shadows1177
    shadows1177 Posts: 33
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    I know my cycle (of gaining weight) has a lot to do with self-loathing, so that is not what I'm participating in when I say, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!? lol

    I joined MFP last Friday, 5/21/10, and have been doing a lot better for me. But my doctor put me on a 1800 calorie diet on Monday and I can't stay under it! After lunch and dinner I feel like I want something sweet and in the mornings I'm so used to picking up something on the way, I have yet to plan out a day! I'm making my food diary public hoping this will add some motivation to avoid those "bad" foods. I just love McDonald's breakfast biscuits and Subway's double chocolate chip cookies, don't know how to avoid these or gain some self-control! Also, when I've bring snacks to work to avoid the vending machine, I'm struggling all day not to eat the snacks constantly, especially when I know I'm not hungry! Even when I think about all of my reasons to lose weight (and there are MANY), I still can't seem to talk myself out of it.

    Anyone else really struggle with this in the beginning? If so, how do you overcome it?!

    So when you go through McD's get a fruit and yogurt parfait instead! Its really yummy, sweet, filling and its low in fat and cal's! At subway get your sandwich and apples or just the sandwhich, if you cant stay off that cookie then make sure to do a lot of cardio to work it off. Vending machines often have fruit snacks, cereal bars, and nuts, or just bring your own snack and you dont have to worry about it. Thats what I have been doing and its working great! (I love McD's and subway too......)
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    :) I know exactly what you are talking about....

    I really think the key is planning. Log your meals the day prior, you'll be less likely to cheat. Only bring one day's worth of snacks to work at a time. Let other people know you might need help so they don't keep junk food out in front of you.

    Really, though, I'm sure you know all of this. You know what you need to do, it's just putting it all together that's difficult. Take baby steps. Improve your breakfast first, cut out McDonald's and plan something else. Once you've got that down, move on to improving your snacking.

    It's a huge lifestyle change, it's not going to happen overnight!! Set goals that are reasonable and do-able, and achieving the mini-goals will help you want to attack the bigger goals.
  • sjcply
    sjcply Posts: 817 Member
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    I have always had a sweet tooth! LOVE LOVE LOVE CHOCOLATE!! one thing that has helped me is eating pure protein bars, they come in different chocolate flavors, I now have one of those in place of my chocolate and it really helps and they are very filling.....plus when I find that I want to eat non stop, I get my butt up and have a kick *kitten* workout! It takes my mind off eating, plus after working my *kitten* off, I dont want to ruin it by eating bad.
    Just take it one day at a time and cut back slowly! Figure out what works for you and try new things to help fill you up!
    Good Luck!
  • wolfie209
    wolfie209 Posts: 11
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    I got on an 1800 calorie diet when I was pregnant and gaining 6 to 10 pounds a week. My metabolism just went wacko. I had a super rough time. I failed a lot. Right now, as I have dieted off and on and starved my body by only eating 2 times a day and completely the wrong food, I have gone over to the notion of eating every two hours. It is hard to do. Still cant get myself to drink (drinking water will help a lot!) but, start off with a good protien and some starch to get your metabolism up and plan to eat : breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Eating all day!! The Mc'ie D's is easy to duplicate without too much fuss. Get egg whites, or the premade egg white mix. Make a small egg circle, get extra lean turkey bacon, and a low fat whole wheat bagel. Use like half of it for an open faced sandwich. Tastes yummy and doesn't have anywhere near the calories or sodium Mc D's does. That is the worst place to eat! I got a biggest looser book that has wonderful light meals. There's all these 100 calorie snacks all ready to go these days. I'm watching carbs and calories.. I have a hard time since doing this program even getting the calories, cuz I found all these great veggie dishes and snacks. Lots of protien and veggies! Oh cookies!! my downfall.. but there are some wonderful reduce fat or vegetarian versions that I am experimenting with. BUT if you do the diet every two hours and put in lots of veggies and exercise, you can still have a cookie every couple days!! Imagine that! Once you get your metabolism reved up and your body knows its gettiing food you will feel better! I have so much energy the past couple days. I have forced breakfast down, but am really feeling I will make it this way. GOOD LUCK sorry for rambling on. :smile:
  • calicowgirl0582
    calicowgirl0582 Posts: 89
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    It's always a struggle. I tired and tried to gradually go into it, but that never worked. I'm trying this detox from a friend of mine that just because a personal trainer. Its REALLY hard, but it works. I'm eating all day long and dropping pound. Granted I have to eat things that are on the detox. So for example, I just had a snack . .. a big bowl full of broccoli (my co-workers love me :laugh: ). For breakfast I had a bowl full of fresh strawberries and some yummy almond butter. For lunch, I'll be having some salad and some soy beans. Let me know if you want to see the detox and I'll email it to you.
  • jolene1
    jolene1 Posts: 28
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    I'm totally in the same boat. First off...it all takes time. Try making changes slowly. Like drinking skim milk rather than 2%. Eat frozen fruit when you have those sweet tooth cravings coming on. When you go to McDonald's don't get the meat on the breakfast sandwiches. Every little bit counts. When I first started out I hit 1200 calories by lunch time. So I know what you're going through. So you have 1800 calories...divide that up by 4 or 5. If you eat 5 times a day...eat 360 calories for each meal. Plus when you exercise eat those calories too. It does get easier. Good luck!!! Jolene
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    I know how it can be I worked for McDonalds for 7 years love the BEC biscuits nobody has a better biscuit. You just gonna have to just drive by after a few times you'll be ok. Have you tried the new breakfast sandwiches at subway? Try that and look away from the cookies. Try and set a time for your snacks or leave them in the car and get them when its time good luck
  • Chelsinicole63
    Chelsinicole63 Posts: 62 Member
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    Yep. The first time i tried this site i found it hard not to snack all day. The second time around i found it easier, i just picture myself getting on the scale and seeing my goal weight. That helps me turn down that food.
  • norbel_shumon
    norbel_shumon Posts: 41
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    There is nothing wrong with you! We have to choose to make better choices in order to lose weight and have good health. The truth is, you could probably have all of the “Have to Have” foods on your list…but will they be filling enough, so that you are not hungry again in the next 10 minutes. What I learned to do is never allow myself to get hungry. I eat every two (to two and a half) hours. So if you are on an 1800 calorie diet, break it up and eat six 300 calorie meals during the day. And if you exercise BONUS (eat the extra calories you gain by exercising). It worked for me, I hope it helps!

    Shadows1177 gave some great advise on substitutes when dining at your fav spots! Good Luck! We will be here for support.
  • Alysgrma
    Alysgrma Posts: 365 Member
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    Before I started on MFP I would get a sausgae,cheese and egg biscuit from McDonalds EVERY morning. For lunch it would be fast food again. Supper would be either fast food or frozen pizza or something along that line. I am a lone and no need to cook since it was just me right?
    At first, I craved the food!!! It wasn't so much the food as it was just stopping off and getting something to eat. Carbs are my downfall....any carbs, breads, pasta, crackers..any.
    The first 2 weeks I went cold turkey and cut all carbs, everything out of my meals. Once my body got rid of the carbs it started to
    respond to the veggies & fruit.
    I no longer have the desire for all the carbs. I treat myself sometimes and really have to make sure I get right back on the healthy meals right after I eat it, but I am 100000% better then what I was before.
    I now fix my meals in the slow cooker where I have food ready either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I pack my lunch the night before and I don't have anything in my house that I can not eat....no chips, no cookies nothing. If it is not healthy I don't have it in my home!

    I hope this helps!!!! Hey if I can start to lose I know you can too. I was a worthless cause before....but now I have the desire to do better, not just for me, but to be here for my granddaughter who needs me....
    Mary
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
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    I completely understand where you are coming from. I have been at this over 3 months now and only have 7lbs gone to show for it. I have had A LOT of changes going on in my life, but I'm confident that number would be higher if I would exercise more control. My weakness is a glass of wine or sugary treat.

    For you I would suggest getting something like Jimmy Dean's D-lights, they have turkey sausage & egg crossaints (sp?) and thet are yummy and 290 calories. For your snacking purposes only take low cal foods with you like cottage cheese, string cheese, yogurt, Luna Bars, etc. Sometimes if I feel snacky I try to drink more water to see if I'm really wanting a snack or I may chew sugar free gum. Then sometimes I just have to give in but try to make it something relativley healthy like fruit or yogurt.

    Don't be so hard on yourself, you literally just started and you are working towards making life changes. You will get it, just stay with it!
  • prettylyzard
    prettylyzard Posts: 98 Member
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    It's always a struggle. I tired and tried to gradually go into it, but that never worked. I'm trying this detox from a friend of mine that just because a personal trainer. Its REALLY hard, but it works. I'm eating all day long and dropping pound. Granted I have to eat things that are on the detox. So for example, I just had a snack . .. a big bowl full of broccoli (my co-workers love me :laugh: ). For breakfast I had a bowl full of fresh strawberries and some yummy almond butter. For lunch, I'll be having some salad and some soy beans. Let me know if you want to see the detox and I'll email it to you.


    I totally want to see the detox!
  • stephflo33
    stephflo33 Posts: 160 Member
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    I think right now, you are fixated on the fact that you can no longer have certain comfort foods. Just stick to low cal snacks throughout the day and that will allow you to eat smaller meals. Reward yourself with a cheat day after you reach your first mini goal. Once I lost my first 10 pounds I starting allowing myself a cheat meal once a week (usually Saturdays) Good luck!
  • skyisthelimit25
    skyisthelimit25 Posts: 37
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    wow, everyone has a lot of great tips.!! which will help me too!
    also -- dark chocolate is apparently good for you for different reasons, so if you're REALLY craving sweet, allow yourself a little piece of dark chocolate here and there.
    don't forget, once you've started and are well on your way, you're going to be a lot less likely to crave sweet and salty things.. it's amazing how addicting these things are !!! but our bodies DON'T need bad things like these.!
    (a few years ago i did a detox that didn't let me eat bad sugars, fried foods, or much salt.. . eventually, i lost ALL cravings for things like cake, choclate, fries, chips, etc.. i mean, these things DID look good if they were right in front of me, but i didn't go crazy NEEDING to have them.). i can't wait to get myself back to that point!! it does take hard work. but it feels SO INCREDIBLY GREAT to have that much control of what you eat.!
  • NaturalMom
    NaturalMom Posts: 85
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    I know it is hard, but you can do it. Start with small changes in your lifestyle. One thing that I have noticed is that eating those "bad" things makes your body crave even more of them. When I first started dieting I needed a lot of help understanding what a good diet looked like. I joined Weight Watchers, did Nutrisystem and the Body Makeover, and even worked with a nutritionist for awhile. My favorite book was The Beck Diet Solution workbook, though, since it addresses emotional eating (my problem). I learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way and slowly cut out "fast" food. Now I am working on cutting out all pre-processed foods. For the first 70lbs, though, I definitely relied on protein bars. And at one point, under medical supervision, I ate only protein shakes and bars (600 calories per day). [I would not recommend this approach to anyone, though, because it is not healthy.] I definitely crave the late night sweets still. I used to have a cup of diet hot chocolate and marshmallows (fairly low cal) that would help. Now, though, I try to have fruit and a protein (like an apple with a little bit of PB). Cutting out alcohol helped a lot, too. You can rack up a lot of calories that way and it lowers your inhibition and reduces your willpower. I also agree that exercising makes a huge difference in my appetite. I try to practice at least 20 minutes of yoga daily to stretch and relax along with 10 minutes of sit-ups/push-ups/squats to burn some calories. Feel free to friend me and look at my food diary/exercise log. Good luck!!! :)
  • tammy4720
    tammy4720 Posts: 11
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    I think the best thing you can do for yourself is plan, plan, plan! I know that's easier said than done, believe me. But if you make a list of healthy meals and snacks and pick them up at the grocery store, you will be so glad you took the effort to do it. This will also save you some money by not visiting the drive-thru lanes every day. You can buy yourself some new (and smaller) clothes from the money you save! :happy:
  • Gerkenstein
    Gerkenstein Posts: 315 Member
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    It's nice to know I'm not alone with these feelings! It's hard to let myself off the hook when I'm starting out because I'm so afraid of falling back into my old habits. I'm just so afraid of this turning into a "failed attempt." Going to spend this weekend doing some major planning and doing my best until then to keep moving forward and making better choices.
    I'm doing some kind of physical activity everyday (mostly walking for a min. of 30 minutes). A friend of mine just bought an 8lb. medicine ball which is A LOT of fun to play with! If anyone has good medicine ball exercises with a partner I would love to know them!

    diamon- I would love the detox, if for nothing else some good ideas and goals to strive toward!

    Thanks, everyone, for all the encouragement.

    Mini-goal#1- No fast food for one week 5/27/10-6/2/10
  • JillieHobbs
    JillieHobbs Posts: 20
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    Different Little Tricks:

    McDs - eat light for breakfast and lunch and eat just a happy meal.... you will get the taste of McDs with less calories and your whole day wont be thrown off because you prepared by eating light earlier.

    Subway - Maybe if you know you are going to go there, grab something that is chocolate (but small - like one Hershey Kiss has 25 calories or something like that) and suck on that while you are down paying (near the cookies) - it will curb that choco craving ESPECIALLY while you stand in front of the cookies - then when you leave you will feel so proud you were able to bypass them! Also, maybe get some viactiv choco chews (extra calcium is good!) and eat that in line - you get calcium, choco flavoring and LOW calories all at one time!

    As far as work, I agree with you! It is hard... my job has massive amounts of sweets and snacks sitting out all the time - it definitely takes willpower but make sure you have some healthy snacks at your desk or in the fridge like 100 calorie packs and apples or oranges....
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    When I cook and eat homemade food, I find it difficult to reach my calorie goals. When I eat out... it is almost impossible to stay under them!

    A few things I've learned along the way...

    1) Meal plan!!! It is okay to go out to eat, but plan for it. Many restaurants have nutrition information online and that helps immensely in planning for meals out.
    2) Replace what you would eat at a restaurant with a healthier homemade alternative. For example, I had an addiction to Egg McMuffins for a while. What I learned was that I could make an even tastier sandwich at home -- toast a whole wheat muffin, add one egg fried medium in a tsp of olive oil, add 1 slice of 2% American cheese... I omitted the ham because I never cared for it anyway). I can't remember what that comes to calorie-wise but it is better than McDonald's!
    3) Drink more water. If you don't like water, add lemon or lime to it or something else to help. I promise, if you start drinking water you will start to crave it instead of other drinks.
    4) Portion control is the key. Don't deny yourself treats... but work them into your plan. Savor what you eat. (I used to eat tons of Hershey's kisses. I discovered that if you actually take a while to eat one you don't need as many... even on those crazy hormone days) :)

    You can definitely do this! I'm glad you made your food diary public, that accountability will help a lot. Mine is public as well, for that very reason. :)

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