I suck at this!

amyrunningwild
amyrunningwild Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Just want to say that I eat too much! This wasn't a problem in the past, but it is true that after 40 years keeping the weight off isn't easy. Every time I attempt to lose weight I gain. The reason... I eat. I like food and I don't do well when I am hungry.

I have exercised sporadically my whole life and know that it is important to eat, but when I log my calories I think "oh my" I really ate that much today! I had 1,070 just for lunch and I am still hungry. :(

I don't have a big weight problem unless you count that I have been doing a fine job of gain 5 lbs a year for the last three. Three years ago I was in the best shape of my life. If I keep at it I will gain another 25 lbs before I am 50! Then life happened, then a bruised bone in my foot and then a severe sprain of my other foot.

Long story short I would love to lose 15, but more importantly I would like to STOP GAINING!!! ... oh, and I suck at it.

Replies

  • crazorbaq
    crazorbaq Posts: 74 Member
    Dear friend... :) Log as you go, all day long. Preplan what you will eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks and fit yummy things or "cheats" into your calorie allowance. Find low-cal items that you like! It will be a small sacrafice for a short amount of time for you, you don't have a lot to lose. Biggest thing to track is the calories that you drink, wether it be pop, juice or alcohol. Try loading up on water, you need about half your body weight in ounces per day. ie, if you weigh 100 pounds, at least 50 oz of water. You can do this, just takes some extra thought. Oh, yeah, and feel free to get a hold of any friend you might have and exercise together too......LOL ;) (oh and you don't suck, you are just on a learning curve)
  • amyrunningwild
    amyrunningwild Posts: 6 Member
    You make it all sound so easy! You make it look easy too! If it wasn't for you my nagging friend I know I would be completely hopeless! Thank you!!!
  • megan020103
    megan020103 Posts: 58
    If you are still hungry after eating that much at lunch, you cannot be eating REAL food. Real food - lots of veggies, fruits, protein and healthy fats will leave you very satisfied with few calories. I eat about 1100 calories ALL DAY and I am stuffed. Forget fast food, forget processed foods - they leave you craving more. You can do it! Just try to plan your meals out in advance. And allow yourself some "cheats". For example - I allow myself one bottle of wine each week - I buy it only on Saturdays. Sometimes I have most of it on Saturday and sometimes I spread it out throughout the week. I also allow one cheat meal and one cheat dessert each week. Knowing I can indulge a little helps with choosing the right things everyday. Good luck! It takes time and effort, but it is worth it. You can do it!
  • REDMANIV
    REDMANIV Posts: 348 Member
    Hello friend...thank you for sharing this. I also like to EAT and I have not always made the best food choices. I agree with planning out your meals ahead of time...it helps to keep me from binging. I have noticed that now that I am on the other side of 40 that I can gain weight quickly. I recently gained 15 pounds over a two month period due to not tracking what I eat. During that time I noticed that eating those big 1000 plus calorie meals tasted good at the time but were not satisfying to me. The first thing I had to do the past two weeks was to shrink my stomach back down...I had stretched it out with all of those big meals. Now that I have done that I try to pay attention to when I am getting full and to stop eating before I get stuffed. I drank a bunch of water and have been tracking everything that I put into my mouth again now. I had my first down week in a while this past week and I am looking forward to many more to come. You do not such and you can do this! Feel free to add me if you like.

    Fred R.
  • crazorbaq
    crazorbaq Posts: 74 Member
    you got this :) maybe you should open up your food diary so all of us can see what you are eating...that might help you make good food/drink choices too!! LOL oh, yeah, and don't eat back all of your exercise calories either
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
    Maybe I'm in the minority but I'm almost never hungry. I eat about 6 smaller meals through out the day and drink lots of water.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I like to eat food too and I HATE being hungry. And thankfully I finally figured out that's why diets never worked for me long term. I'd be all gung ho and be all into it and happy and then a craving would strike and I'd try to be be good but I'd end up caving eventually. So this time I refused to be deprived. I eat pretty much whatever I like, I just try to lighten it up a bit (more veg, leaner and/or less meat/dairy, less carb) and/or keep my portion under control.

    Also I exercise often to burn calories to make up the difference. And it's not just about calories burned - there are so many health benefits for staying active, especially for us women!
  • PhoenixStrikes
    PhoenixStrikes Posts: 587 Member
    Eating is fun! ;-). Maybe take a look at the particular foods you are eating and see if they are good choices, as some one said earlier, a salad will fill you up longer than a donut!
  • stevesilk
    stevesilk Posts: 204 Member
    I understand the feeling. Don't think there's anyone who really does WELL when they are hungry. The goal is to eat before you reach that point, and have a plan for how you'll respond to the in-between times. Being intentional about your eating is critical. As is having a plan over the day for each meal and snack. Leaving in the AM without breakfast and no plan for snacks or lunch almost guarantees a day off-schedule. Conversely, planned days are much more likely to succeed. Also, don't eliminate the stuff you really love, just moderate it.

    Finally, set short term goals that motivate you so that when you are faced with a decision, you can make a choice with a positive reward. I'll be happy to respond if you have specific questions.
  • VpinkLotus
    VpinkLotus Posts: 849 Member
    This is why I love this site. Because we all get what you are saying! We all love food, we all feel discouraged some days and we are all in a place where we just have to accept that we are people who just can't eat however we want anymore. We are learning we HAVE to log and we have to re-motivate ourselves every single day. Please stick around and keep plugging away. Check in during the day to read your newsfeed and what inspiring things your friends have to say. Some days it really is what makes me not shovel the cake in. :laugh: You can do this ;)

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