Losing weight is hard

I grew up poor and was always reminded of that. I was admonished to eat everything on my plate because we could never be sure of when there may not be a meal to eat. That sort of stuck with me to the point where I have to make an effort not to fill my p,ate then eat it all. Yeah, dieting is hard, but if you want the weight loss more than you want whatever the food offered is, you grit your teeth and turn away. Hang in there.

I use massages as a goal reward! I never use food anymore. Also I do not try to look at as a diet. I eat what I want and when I want it and log every bite. I just make sure it all fits in my daily calorie goal!

Smaller portions, more often !

How did you arrive at your calorie goal? It seems very low for a man. It's less than I ate when I was losing.

i suggest you try this protein shake it tastes delicious:
8oz ice+water
1/2 banana
4 strawberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
3 tbs oikos fat free yogurt
1tbs flaxseed
2 stevias
its really good and it feels you up!!!

I use massages as a goal reward! I never use food anymore. Also I do not try to look at as a diet. I eat what I want and when I want it and log every bite. I just make sure it all fits in my daily calorie goal!

I do the same and don't feel like I'm on a "diet". I have had a glass of wine with my evening meal some nights too.

The general consensus is to breathe, relax, breathe some more. Changing your eating habits doesn't mean you have to be slavishly rigid, it doesn't mean you can't have sweets or have to give up certain foods or workout 3 hours a day. In fact, for most people, that kind of approach only leads to a spiral of denial, binging, and self-admonishment and hatred (which just fuels the next binge.)

It is hard, but give yourself some room to adjust. It's a process. It takes time. You'll get there.

She speaks wisdom.

Losing weight is a head game as much as it is physical work. Try to make sure you are fueling your body with enough food as you make changes to your lifestyle. By that, I mean you need to eat enough good, healthy calories to make sure you aren't tired. That means you are eating back the calories you get back through exercise.

Food = fuel
Treats = treats, not fuel. You can have them, but don't expect them to get you anywhere.

i suggest you try this protein shake it tastes delicious:
8oz ice+water
1/2 banana
4 strawberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
3 tbs oikos fat free yogurt
1tbs flaxseed
2 stevias
its really good and it feels you up!!!

I wish every protein shake felt me up. That'd definitely lead to some satisfaction!

Yes, I am agreeing with these posts here, you're not eating enough, that's why it's so hard. Instead of focusing so much on the calories, shoot more for eating healthy. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full. Put less food on your plate, so you're not inclined to clean your plate, and overeat. You can always go back for more, if you're truly hungry, but give yourself a little time to see if you're full or not. I try to drink a glass of water before and with my meals. Snack, healthy snacks, often, between meals. When you keep your self from getting too hungry, you can make better food choices. Try to include some lean protein and fiber from fruits and veggies with every meal and snack, when possible. Be creative, and find ways to sneak them in. Try to avoid "mindless eating," which is just eating for the sake of eating. In other words, avoid eating out of boredom. Stop eating before bed, I say 2-3 hours before bed, and don't eat a heavy supper. You should really try to keep from having supper being the biggest meal of your day. If you make breakfast your biggest meal, you have the rest of the day to burn it off, but when supper is the biggest meal, you don't have all that time. Really, you should just have 3 -5 small meals, rather than one big one. Try to keep it healthy atleast 80% of the time. If you're going to continue logging calories, you need to increase your intake, unless you lie around all day doing absolutely nothing, then maybe 1,200 cal's might be enough....even then, I'm not sure if it's enough, especially for a man. Also you can, and probably should eat back atleast 1/2 of your exercise calories. )) Good luck! Feel free to add me!

You're right; losing weight is hard. It doesn't have to be torture though. Too many people make it way too had for themselves and end up burning out.

I agree that 1220 calories a day sounds very low for a man who is 200+ pounds. It's little wonder that you're so hungry. I would try a higher calorie goal. I would also aim to eat back at least most of your exercise calories (you're supposed to - that's how MFP is designed to work).

You don't have to give up the foods that you like, but by making small, gradual changes, you can make it easier on yourself. I don't eat much foods from restaurants, but when I do, I find it much more difficult to stay within my limits. If you can, try to make more food for yourself, and you will find it a lot easier to control calories. I have nothing against fast food in moderation, as part of a balanced diet, but the kinds of foods you are choosing are probably not satisfying enough for their high calorie content - especially when you are aiming for 1220 a day.

Perhaps you could start by cutting down fast food meals to one per day, instead of two. Replacing one of those with a home-cooked meal will seriously make a difference to how much food you can eat for the same amount of calories.

You don't seem to be eating many vegetables, or getting much fibre in general. Vegetables will fill you up, for very few calories. They are also really important for overall health.

Hi, I had a look at your diary your cal intake is too low, but what your eating is junk, amd nothing else, your on 1200 cals and eating at mcdonalds,wendys, burger king, in every day for the last few days. No wonder your hungry. The quality of the food you eat is important, learn to prepare and cook your own food. Learn to shop and learn to avoid those places. If you cant then I guess you have to go for healthy options Subway salads everyday? Learn to make smoothies, theres heaps of free recipe sites just do a search, I like that your on skim milk well done. My tip stay away from those places, when i started i went to my local library and borrowed books on how to eat clean, theres so many give it ago. Good luck xx

^This. You need to nourish your body. Fast food should be rare, not common. Find some healthier alternatives. Maybe a lean roast beef sandwich on whole grain bread instead of burgers on tortillas. Add some veggies. Make small changes, they can make a big difference. And, don't give up! You are worth it.

It is hard no doubt about that. If it was easier than eating all the time and not exercising there wouldn't be any obese people. But as many people on here show it can be done!

Think of some non food rewards and try the smaller plate trick, it really works! Also some wise person on here (can't remember who) once said whether you throw the last pieces away or eat them, it's a waste either way. Just when it's in the bin you don't have to train it off again. Waste should be in the bin not on your butt.

Fast and junk food is designed to have this effect on you. Those f&*%ers spend billions of dollar figuring out how to give you food that won't satisfy you and will basically make you want to eat more. They want you to be obsessed with food, it is in their every interest to make you obsessed with food and it is no mere coincidence that you are, in fact, obsessed with food.

You should treat this like an addiction. Quit. No more junk food. No more fast food. If you want a burger, you can have a burger. The difference is that you have to buy some ground beef and cook it. I think you will be shocked at how much of a difference it makes, in your reliance on food for happiness and your general sense of well being.

If you feel like giving up junk food is too much to give up because you will be sacrificing your quality of life, recognize that thinking of food as a quality of life issue is precisely the problem you are talking about.

If you want to do this and you are just learning to cook, feel free to add me as a friend and use me as a resource. I love to cook and I love helping people learn to cook.