Please Help!!! Sick of fad diets

j34lr
j34lr Posts: 32
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been trying to lose weight for a while now. I'm not at an unhealthy weight at all, and most of my friends get annoyed with how far I've taken this recently. However, I was very sedentary all throughout my 4 years of high school and accumulated more weight around my stomach and hips which I am currently trying to shed off. I'm just sick of dieting and then binging on foods I want because I never allow myself them without feeling too guilty and possibly purging. I just really would like some insight from people who have been through this process, preferably those who have had success shedding weight from their stomach areas and hips while eating healthy, and still allowing themselves what they want in moderation.
Do I have to give up what I want until I reach my goals?
Should I only have one thing I crave a week?
I feel like I'm being ridiculous but I don't even really know how many calories I should be consuming to lose weight healthily and successfully. MFP tells me I should be eating 1600 cals per day but I feel like that's an extremely high amount, even though I've been doing Jillian Michael's 30DS as well as around 45-60 minutes of cardio and abs at the gym.

Any insight would be lovely I'm just sick of reading crap online and I don't want to live my life in constant deprival...it's depressing to think I can't remember the last time I enjoyed what I ate without feeling so damn guilty.

Replies

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Try a different online calculator if you feel what MFP is giving you isn't right. Try this one, and then minus 10-15% from the total for you daily calorie goal. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/


    Eat what foods you like, just try to stay within your goal. There is no reason to feel guilty for eating foods that you like!
  • nanadayana
    nanadayana Posts: 14
    In 2009, I've lost 45lbs by restricting the type of food that I can eat. It's so miserable that I found myself having eating disorder. I feel guilty everytime I eat a certain food. After 5 months doing it, I stopped and relapsed. I gained all the weight back.

    So now, I've learned my lesson. I'm going to lose it again in a fun way. I do not restricted any food type. I do not categorized any food as good or bad. And I eat only the food that i like. The only thing that I do is watch my calorie intake. You can find how much is your TDEE by using some calculators that available online. From there I only consume 70% of it. I also incorporate zigzag diet (calorie cycling). It's sooo fun.

    This journey is not only about losing weight. Our emotional health must be stable too. We have to be comfortable doing this. Eat your food in a portion that can fit in your calorie limit. Be honest when calculating it as we don't want any hidden calories in our food diary. The most important thing, enjoy your food and toss away any guilt that you have before.

    Good luck to us! Have a nice day ahead.
  • typicallyjazzy
    typicallyjazzy Posts: 41 Member
    The beauty of MFP is that you can eat what you want as long as you're within the allotted calorie range. Don't deprive yourself of foods you want, just don't eat them in excess. Trying to avoid certain foods you love usually causes you to binge and go crazy when you do get to eat them. Eat what you like, be happy. However, if your goal is to stick to "healthy eating", go for it. A healthier or lower calorie snack is always optional. You can pretty much find low calorie versions of any food or snack out there these days.

    I lost fat around my stomach since I began dieting. I pretty much ate what ever I wanted, as long as I was at 1200 calories a day and the fat just fell off. This took about 5 months because I have a LOT of fat buildup in that area. A lot. This happened with little to no exercise (not encouraging this at all). You can do it, just stick to it and do what works for YOU. I'm still figuring things out myself.

    If you feel like you're not enjoying what you're eating or that you're depriving yourself, consider just eating normally but within a calorie range.
  • Emi1974
    Emi1974 Posts: 522 Member
    You stated that you are at a healthy weight. Please don't drive yourself mad with trying to lose weight. Maybe toning up, yoga, or pilates would be more than enough for you to feel better, but don't do any fad diets.

    I wish I would have never started with these crazy diets. Looking back I see that I was silly to go down this way. The only reason I am here today is because with every diet and weight lost I only put it all and much more back. I added to that 20 kg, 10 kg each time I quit smoking.

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