Trying to diet (yet again)

douglernerold
douglernerold Posts: 57
edited September 22 in Introduce Yourself
Hi, people. I am a very overweight, single guy, 54, living in Tokyo. Over the years I've managed many times to lose over 100 lb during the course of 2 years and get down to a normal weight, just to see it slowly rebound again. Very depressing.

This year I thought I had a good start and lost about 22 lb by summer. But after a U.S. trip and returning home, my weight this morning is more than 10 lb higher than it was at the beginning of the year! (sigh)

What can I do but try again?

I've tried all sorts of diets that don't require journaling (Atkins, Dean Ornish, WW Core/Simply Filling) but the truth of the matter is that only journaling calories has ever worked for me for losing weight. I'll try again, though I'm not confident what will happen regarding rebounds.

Anyway, I believe in conservation of energy :) and tracking energy in (what you eat) vs energy out (base metabolism + exercise) so here I am trying again.

I like reserving a bonus of 1,000 calories to spread over the week, so I can "save for a special day." I don't think this site has feature in their tools, does it? It's like have a bit of a "reserve" so you're not faced with a looming calorie limit every day. I usually don't dip into the "bonus points reserve" but it's psychologically reassuring knowing it's there. And it's also nice to be able to apply exercise calories toward the bonus as an extra incentive to do more exercise! Is that possible here?

But this site does let you add your own foods to the database, which is very useful since I live in Japan. And I'm downloading the iPhone app, which looks convenient too.

So ... here I go again. For the zillionth time. But what can one do but try again and again?

Anyway, hello everybody.

doug

Replies

  • Bosslady11611362
    Bosslady11611362 Posts: 35
    Welcome to MFP! Dieting can be hard, but this isn't a diet thing, it's a life style change. Change is good, yes? Good luck on your journey. :smile:
  • FitnessSista
    FitnessSista Posts: 28 Member
    Okay, now just do it. I too, have been on a zillion diets. I too, have failed miserably in the past. I am determined that this time will be, and is different. There is so much motivation on this site. Get you someone in Japan to also help motivate you, to walk with you, to go to the gym with you. I love journaling my foods. I did not know that potatoes had so much carb and calories until I started with MFP. Today I actually walked 4 miles and enjoyed it. At one time I could only walk to the refigerator!

    It is not easy. It will not happen overnight. It took me a long time to gain this weight and it will take time to take it off.

    Enjoy the journey.
  • brirva
    brirva Posts: 10
    Welcome!

    I'm sure you can do it again. I just started here today hoping to lose my first 100. The journey begins, looking forward to seeing your progress!
  • jrkingery
    jrkingery Posts: 107 Member
    Welcome Doug.

    I understand how discouraging it can be to see the pounds slowly creep back on after losing so much. The yo-yo effect of dieting was making me miserable. But this time I decided that I'm NOT on a diet, I'm on a budget. What hurt the most in my previous attempts was having to deny myself some of my favorite foods because they "weren't on my Diet". Now I eat pretty much whatever I want in moderation and count every bite that goes past my lips. I was surprised at how little I wanted some of my former comfort foods when I realized the caloric impact they had on my daily allowance. Now I would much rather eat a bowl of steamed sliced carrots over a half a bag (or more) of corn chips with Queso dip. Not only are the carrots better for me and more filling, but they're a fraction of the calories I was getting from the chips and dips I used to gorge myself on.

    Don't get me wrong, I still have a snack from time to time. I simply refuse to deny myself any food that I want to eat because in my experience that road leads to cheating and ultimately failure. If I want some chips I grab a small bowl and have some instead of grabbing an entire bag to munch on while watching television. It's all about self control sure, but constant denial is not self control. You should be able to eat what you want within reason. Moderation is the key here. Given some time your tastes will change and you will find yourself looking for mostly healthy foods.

    As far as banking calories throughout the week. I don't know how well that would work. I see each day as a fresh start, yesterday was yesterday and any left over calories are gone, not to be saved for a splurge later in the week. IF I want to be able to eat more then I exercise more that day. I'm now going to the gym 5 days a week, strength training for a different part of the body each day, three days of running and two days of elliptical for 40 minutes a day of cardio, minimum.

    But I'm no expert by any means, i can only relate what has worked for me. So far I've managed to drop over 80lbs since last November with less than 20 to go to reach my final goal and 100 lbs total lost.

    Good luck and don't get discouraged! If you are serious about losing weight and are honest with your food journal you will succeed!

    If I can do it anyone can!
  • JosephTucker
    JosephTucker Posts: 65
    I too have been on the diet roller coaster and pray that the life Change is real now!! I have lost 83 pounds. I have learn not to deprive myself, stay under 1800 calories a day and try to get in the gym 3 times a day and walk on my breaks at work when I can. my wife is on the change with me and she has lost 120 pounds. we also think of this as a life style change. It is so hard to do this by yourself. you need somebody to cheer you on... welcome to MFP!!!!!!
  • douglernerold
    douglernerold Posts: 57
    Wow. So many replies. And so quickly too. Thanks very much people!

    Some comments:

    1. To me: They do let you count exercise calories here toward your daily limit! Yay! That is a great incentive to exercise! (Now if the iPhone app sync just worked!)

    jrkingery, I'm going to take your advice about "banking calories throughout the week" to heart. On the one hand, it always seemed like an extra "security blanket." On the other hand, it never made complete sense to me to use them because sometimes I would accumulate a couple of thousand calories by the end of the week. It's better to just let them go towards weight loss. A new variation to try this time!

    I think the fact that this site also lets you count calories towards your daily limit is a great incentive. That has always been part of my own personal diet journaling, and I'm glad it is used here as well.

    I also like your statement, "If I can do it anybody can." I used to say the same thing to people while I was losing weight!

    The problem for me is that it seems I can stay on a diet for about 700 days or so without going off even once. But then "something" happens and I just start going off, a bit at a time, rationalizing that "there can't be that many calories in this" and it's like watching a car wreck in slow motion. I know what's happening, but can't stop. So while dieting to lose again, I still have to figure out how to avoid rebounds.

    My starting weight is now a bit more than yours was - 286 lb. And in 2007 before I started rebounding I had gotten down to 173 lb - below your goal! So why did I regain it all. (sigh). Anyway, thanks for the nice greeting message and encouragement!

    Yoshehey, I need to walk more too! Ever since my dog passed away at the end of 2006 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g13g-ceuEZo) I've hardly got any walking done at all. I work at home, and even take my moped the 5 blocks to the supermarket. Very bad habits!

    And thanks for your kind messages of support too, brirva and bosslady1!

    doug

    p.s. Is there a way to get email notifications of replies?
  • douglernerold
    douglernerold Posts: 57
    Thanks, Tuck. You, and so many people, seem to be doing real well. That is a great encouragement.

    I've actually been feeling unbelievably depressed over gaining all my weight back yet again. It's hard to shake yourself out of depression and lethargy and start again. But really, what other choice is there but to try again.

    I appreciate your comment.

    What a nice group of people!
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