Beating the "Yo-Yo Cycle" for good this time!

Nataliea87
Nataliea87 Posts: 29 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been struggling with my weight gain ever since I was 21 years old. When I was a kid/teen, I used to show horses professionally, and held myself to a high standard of self-discipline.

But six years of college has caused my body and weight to spiral out of control. And I'm a "yo-yo" dieter and exerciser. I'll lose 10 pounds, feel great, hit a plateau and gain 15 pounds back. The result is I need to lose between 35-40 lbs to get back down to my "goal weight". As I get further away from my goal weight, I get more discouraged. I just moved from a size 10 to a size 12, and I think I've finally had enough of this weight gain and I'm motivated to actually reach out, get some support and make this happen. My mother, who is on the paleo diet, has lost 60 lbs and is now skinnier than I am, and is continuing to drop pounds and look and feel great. I just don't have the resources, or the time to commit to such a drastic diet change for myself, even though I know that it would probably be the best choice. But I'm currently a guest in someone's house for at least another month, and I have an 8x8 room, no fridge space, and a small allotted area outside for pantry, which means nothing perishable.

I also serve at an Italian restaurant known for having ridiculously huge (and unhealthy) portions. Since I'm on summer break, I'm working long hours to try and sock some cash away. I take most of my meals at this restaurant, and frankly even their salads aren't healthy (does anyone else find this to be true? When you go out to eat, sometimes the salads are as bad as the other things on the menu?). Again, strict rules about bringing in personal food and storage in company fridges is frowned upon, especially considering the wonderful management staff makes a point to feed ALL employees during the day and make sure everyone stays hydrated.

So, I guess I'm just looking for a little bit of support, and maybe to hear some of your stories? My goal is to be in a Size 8 pant by Fall, which I know is a little drastic but I think I can accomplish it. I carry ALL of my weight through my "trunk", so that has got to be where the weight will come off when it does!

Thank you!

Replies

  • malibu5880
    malibu5880 Posts: 31 Member
    Hi!
    I'm starting back up (again...for the oh, fifth time?) too. I did really well last year - was halfway to a 70 pound loss goal - when I just sort of...stopped. I'm not even really sure why. This comes after losing weight before getting pregnant with my daughter in 2010, another failed attempt in 2008, etc.

    I gained those 35 pounds back plus more. I have a serious lack of motivation myself, and I'm trying to approach things with a "no excuses" attitude. I get bored easily, and I don't really like to cook, so those are two things against me when it comes to staying on track and staying motivated. Spending an hour cooking a healthy meal vs. running up to McDonald's on the corner is a huge problem for me. (Hence my need to lose about 80 pounds now.) When I bought a pair of size 18s, I nearly fainted when I realized how huge I'd gotten, and I'm trying to really be determined to kick the weight problem for good.

    Good luck. I sincerely hope you succeed.
  • Nataliea87
    Nataliea87 Posts: 29 Member
    Thank you for your response! I hear you there. I don't mind cooking when I'm in my own space as much, but here it's an imposition and since I don't have much in the way of groceries and work long hours, I usually will go out to eat, or will stop somewhere on the way home. I have a panini press in storage that used to work effectively at curbing my "fast food" urges. I kept a bunch of turkey and chicken lunch meat around the house, veggies, and low-carb/low-cal dressing and such. I had a lot of fun whipping up new sandwich creations. My main thing is it was fast - I'd have a sandwich in about 5-6 minutes that tasted delicious with minimal clean up. I'm an instant gratification girl. I only think about cooking something when I'm hungry, and if it takes more than 30 minutes to cook/prepare, it is not something I usually go to.

    With the panini sandwiches, it was really easy to make healthy options. I'd load up on bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes etc. to beef up the content without necessarily adding a ton of fat or sugar.

    Good luck to you as well. I think simply by being on this forum and talking about it (I'm super self-conscious about my weight and my habits) is a good start for us to break the vicious cycle.
  • getting_fit86
    getting_fit86 Posts: 128 Member
    I am also a yo-yo dieter. At my smallest, I had gotten down to a wonderful 119 pounds, but ballooned up again and gained about 35 pounds. I stayed at my highest weight for a few months and am finally trying to get back on track. I find the key to avoiding yo-you dieting is so allow yourself a few treats. I am about to go off to college which is making me very nervous about my weight but with hard work I can keep it under control. I think it really is about balance when it comes to breaking the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. You have to eat healthy most of the time, exercise most of the time, but allow yourself treats and rest days.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    I have been struggling with the same thing. In the past year I have been yo-yoing between 155-160 and the only time I went below 155 was when I got the flu, I was 152. I think my problem is consistancy, since my work hours vary and I work a lot, I have had a hard time establishing a regular workout routine and its hard to find time to cook. My goal is to be more consistant in working out and eating right. I want to log all my food everyday, and not miss any workouts from now on. Sticking with it is the goal! If you are consistant with your behaviors then you should see results.
  • committowalk
    committowalk Posts: 59 Member
    It's possible to lose weight even by eating unhealthy food. I have made a lot of changes to my diet, but they have been very gradual - one change at a time. I still eat pizza and McDonalds, etc. regularly. I could go faster if I had a better diet, but if I stay close to my calorie goal and exercise, I can still lose weight. When I do fast food, I skip the French fries. No sugar soda - I just do water. I limit myself to one or two slices of pizza. Often I will eat peanut butter on whole wheat toast for lunch (no refrigeration required). If you are eating at your work, try a salad with dressing on the side. I was at a restaurant and realized that by using 1/4 of the dressing, I cut the calories from 1300 to 700 (this was with a breaded/fried chicken oriental salad - I could have cut it more by asking for grilled chicken).

    If you can, add more exercise in. Exercise will help burn off the excess calories and help you stay close to the calorie goal.
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
    As a former yo - yoer, one thing jumped out at me in your post. You've got some stumbling blocks (limited funds, access to refrigeration, etc.) that can be worked around. BUT if you really want to leave your yo-yoing behind you need to set goals that are attainable through moderation. You've said you want to be in size 8 pants by fall. How pounds is that? 30+? If you want to be in them by fall (September?), that gives you about 2 months to do it. That's about 4lbs a week! PLEASE, if you don't want to get discouraged, don't set artificial deadlines to get the weight off. Please focus on the process, on making good choices one day at a time and don't get too caught up in the numbers on the scale (or the size tag). You will get to your goal, but only if you stick with it. It's much easier to stick with it if you go slow and easy. It's taken me years to get to the point where I don't think of my body as the enemy that needs to be subdued. If you don't get to size 8 by a certain date, no big deal. You can do it!:flowerforyou:
  • RachaelStJ
    RachaelStJ Posts: 152 Member
    You and I are in the same boat! I just hit a size 12 and went home and cried when I couldn't fit in size 10 pants at the store. I'm looking to be a 6/8 by the fall as well, and I carry all my weight in my hips/thighs!

    I don't like to cook, so I purchase a lot of ready to eat stuff, like prepackaged salads and protein bars. I LOVE my Luna protein bars. I keep them with me all the time. They do have a lot of calories, but one at the end of my work day helps me not binge when I get home.

    Make sure to not eat the portions they give you! Ask for a smaller size even. Perhaps have them do the dressing on the side if you get salads.

    Sending a friend request your way, I can't wait to encourage each other!
  • Nataliea87
    Nataliea87 Posts: 29 Member
    Wow, lots of great advice and the support is amazing! I'm so glad I found this community :)

    I don't know how much weight I would need to lose to get into a size 8. I would think if I lost 35 lbs, I would be around 125...so probably closer to a size 4-6? I don't really know. I have never even owned a size 8 jeans before. I was a size 2 for the longest time, and then I jumped up to a size 5, then a size 7. When I jumped out of Juniors (because I was sick to death of "low rise" pants and the fact that they couldn't seem to hold all of me in) I went straight into a 10, and now I'm a 12 :(

    I agree though, I think a lot of what goes on with my yo-yoing is that I set goals and don't see results fast enough, and I get discouraged. Or, I'll lose 10 lbs and get excited, then hit a plateau and start panicking that it's something I'm doing, and then I end up at 2:00 AM making a frozen pizza AND finishing it because I get so discouraged. I tend to eat later meals because my hours are later, and thankfully I rarely binge like that anymore, but I wonder if the timing of it has something to do with it. Like someone said above, I work long hours, and I work a lot, and there is no consistency with my schedule. I am committed to working out on a regular basis. Between running around at my job (which I don't account for in my daily calories, I prefer to keep a calorie counter on me while I'm at work so I can keep track myself), dealing with my 100 lb cuddle bug who needs to be walked every day, and yoga, I try to balance.

    As I've been consistently tracking my calories with MFP, I notice that I tend to over-do it on sugar A LOT. And I have a hard time reaching my calorie goal.
  • Nataliea87
    Nataliea87 Posts: 29 Member
    Revisiting this post...
    Nearly a year later, and I *STILL* can't seem to break the yo-yo cycle! Fortunately now, I'm in my own space, and have an ENTIRE fridge/pantry that I can devote to my dietary needs. I also work full-time at an office job (I graduated this winter) and have cut back on hours spent in the restaraunt.

    I'm back down from a 12 to a 10, but the weight loss has been minimal (I'm down my typical 10 pounds), and this time I'm really looking to push it and keep going!

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