How do you break the circle

JustGizzy
JustGizzy Posts: 38
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
OK here goes....I seem to do this all the time. I have been on and off diets pretty much all my life trying to stay with in a healthy weight or trying to look good for my hubby. Now at 53 my one most importen goal is just to lose it for health reason and to feel good about myself but I always fall off after I have lost 60 + pounds. I don't know what it is about that number but that is when I seem to fall off. I fine myself eating more of the salty foods and more surgery foods then while I was really watching. I buy nothing but low fat sugar free stuff but I still over indulge in it and go over my count. My weigh in this week was a 2.8 pound gain instead of a loss and that really woke me up a little but I get so upset with myself that I will some times say what the heck I have already messed things up so why not get that milk shake or baked potatoe chips and eat them till your sick. I love to walk and have been doing it pretty much every day some times for an hour and some times only 30 mins but most of the time its an hour. Now when I was doing the WW I never really gain much even when I went off for a bit but this time I am so now I am wondering if I should just get back on WW points program. I am a stress eater and will snack on something if I am stressed out and I am under a lot of stress right now so finding myself snacking more and more and in the late hours of the night to boot.. Any and all help would be appreciated...

Thanks
Hugz
Giz:sad:

Replies

  • kimberly428
    kimberly428 Posts: 237
    Personally I would say your problem is the whole diet idea and not doing a life style change. Dont go get all the fat and sugar free stuff, just eat what you would but in moderation and incorporate some more fresh fruits and veggies.
    I hope this time things work out better for you!
  • TruSunshine
    TruSunshine Posts: 178
    I agree (and try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day). Good luck and much success to you :flowerforyou:
  • boadicea333
    boadicea333 Posts: 12
    I'm also a stress eater, so what I do is continue to log my food faithfully even if I don't actually try to stick to my calorie goals for that time. That way I at least pay attention to what I am eating, and have a greater chance of thinking, "do I really want that, I have to log it." The other thing that has really helped me in times of stress is exercise. Even if it's just a walk around the block, something about getting my heart rate up and moving makes me feel better. My natural coping strategy is to curl into a ball on the couch and eat and watch tv, to disconnect from the world, so walking is a foreign strategy, but my husband is really helpful in nagging me until I have to get up off the couch to make him shut up, and then I feel so much better later. Plus you get the added benefit of having some of the exercise help keep off the stress eating weight. I don't know why WW would be any different, unless you're attending the meetings, which could help with moral support. A good support system always helps!

    Hope you beat your block!
    Shauna
  • mamalacroix
    mamalacroix Posts: 12
    I have the same problem with "emotional eating" and my snacks are mini-meals. I found that for me, it helps to stay away from the late night munchies if I put my focus on something productive that really needs to get done, like cleaning my house, or a craft project I thought I didn't have time for. My "distracting" myself I've managed to stay at least a little more focused on my goals (although this weekend was a hiccup). Above everything else, stay focused on the positive.

    1. Focus on the weight you have lost rather than the weight you have gained.
    2. Keep track of your measurements too, even though I gained back some weight I lost half an inch in my waist :love:
    3. Muscle weighs more than fat, so even if you gain weight if you keep chugging along, your measurements and dress size will help you see if you're actually gaining weight or building muscle.
  • paige2010
    paige2010 Posts: 29 Member
    Hey Giz,

    Sorry to hear that you're having a hard time at the minute. The only advice I can think is to remember to congratulate yourself when you've achieved something - like that you have already lost a lot of weight - there will be ups and downs, try and remember the ups when you're on a down!

    I think long term weight loss might benefit from spending sometime thinking about how you manage stress. You already know that you eat more when you're stressed, as a coping strategy - and that's great that you already notice the pattern. What other things do you do, or can you do during stressful times that would make you feel better? What about having a relaxing bath, talking to a friend, shopping, listening to your favourite music, or watching your favourite movie?

    Also, is there anything that you can do you reduce the stress levels you're experiencing? would planning your time help, or maybe sharing some of the work load!

    I eat when I'm upset, so I try extra hard when I'm upset to acknowledge that, and do something else that will make me feel better . I have some substitutes too - like skinny cow ice sandwiches, they're 99 calories and do the job in a moment of weakness but I don't feel guilty afterwards!

    hope that helps!!

    :)

    paige
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    My past has been full of "beating myself up" for having a bad day, then just quitting as the guilt was too hard to accept for making a bad choice. As a result I have been heavy for the majority of my adult life. I have come to the realization recently (and I mean just in the last year, or less) that I am human . . . and it is human nature to screw up sometimes . . . ha ha.

    I now live by the following . . . and in fact have created a few signs for home and work to "remind me" . . .

    I CREATE MYSELF WITH THE CHOICES I MADE EACH DAY
    I love that saying because the beauty of life is that every morning we can hit the "reset" button and start again, making better choices. Don't look forward any further that that day otherwise it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

    My other saying is good for avoiding temptation . . . I work at a radio station and almost every day we have places bringing us "goodies" and food and it is always the most unhealthy or greasy stuff imaginable . . . so smells amazing.
    NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SLIM AND HEALTHY FEELS!

    I have these saying posted on my fridge at home and on my monitor in my office at work, they have helped me break my cycle of "feast" and "famine" so I now have made a life change to eat better and to exercise daily . . . I am NOT on a diet . . . I am on life!
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    People that successfully lose weight and keep it off change their eating habits permanently. This is a for a life time. Not just a few months until you get to your goal. If you go back to eating the way you did before the "diet" it all comes back.

    Your original post makes me wonder if you restrict yourself too much while trying to lose weight and this is why you eventually give up. I don't know what you have your goals set at. If it is currently set to 2 lbs a week you could try changing it to 1 lb a week. That extra 500 calories a day might be enough to keep you satisfied. Maybe a goal of losing 2 lbs a week this month and then maintenance calories next month so that you don't feel deprived for too long.

    Exercise is a really great substitution for food when you are stressed. Just taking a walk and getting away from the situation for a while or punching the hell out of something really helps. Food doesn't. It just makes you feel guilty afterwards for failing at your weight loss goals.

    I like to read this post repeatedly to remind myself that weight loss comes in stages. Maybe this could be motivational to you as well. There is a point in time for everyone where the shine wears off on a healthy lifestyle. Just knowing in advance that it's going to happen might make it easier to get though it this time and stay on track.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations
  • JustGizzy
    JustGizzy Posts: 38
    Personally I would say your problem is the whole diet idea and not doing a life style change. Dont go get all the fat and sugar free stuff, just eat what you would but in moderation and incorporate some more fresh fruits and veggies.
    I hope this time things work out better for you!

    Yeah that is what my DIL is always telling me to...I really do need to get that word out of my vocabulary cause your right you do have to make it a way of life to be able to get the weight off and keep it off..Thanks for your reply and input on this...

    Hugz
    Giz
  • JustGizzy
    JustGizzy Posts: 38
    I agree (and try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day). Good luck and much success to you :flowerforyou:

    Thanks...

    Hugz
    Giz
  • JustGizzy
    JustGizzy Posts: 38
    I'm also a stress eater, so what I do is continue to log my food faithfully even if I don't actually try to stick to my calorie goals for that time. That way I at least pay attention to what I am eating, and have a greater chance of thinking, "do I really want that, I have to log it." The other thing that has really helped me in times of stress is exercise. Even if it's just a walk around the block, something about getting my heart rate up and moving makes me feel better. My natural coping strategy is to curl into a ball on the couch and eat and watch tv, to disconnect from the world, so walking is a foreign strategy, but my husband is really helpful in nagging me until I have to get up off the couch to make him shut up, and then I feel so much better later. Plus you get the added benefit of having some of the exercise help keep off the stress eating weight. I don't know why WW would be any different, unless you're attending the meetings, which could help with moral support. A good support system always helps!

    Hope you beat your block!
    Shauna

    Thanks Shauna

    I have been trying the walking and it does help a good bit but there are times when even that don't work for me..I will eat the minute my feet hit the house and I grave sweets bad for some reason..I think some times I beat myself up to bad and that to is a big damper on my weight loss...I do however keep logging my food and exercise for that very same reason..It helps to keep you on track. Then I have this evil twin inside of me that says go ahead eat it and you can always work it off later but then later never comes cause by then I am to tired and upset with myself for eating the cake or cookie or what ever it was that I don't do anything...Now I am not saying this happens to me all the time but it does seem to come in spirts with me and last for a while before I find myself asking what am I doing here...I lost about 63 pounds since last May on the WW points program but I got bored with the whole taking my trusty caculator every where I went to see if what I was buying would be low enough in points to be worth buying and then having to mark everything in my kitchn with the point value so that part would be done when I decided to have it...It was just way to much time spent with myself...lol...

    Again thanks for your imput..

    Hugz
    Giz
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