FAILLLLLLLLL!

its all in the mind....if you have the right mind set the rest will just fall into place..great job on the exercise...but you have to get your head in the game...unless you make up your mind that this is what you want....nothing you do will make it happen cause you will sabotage yourself.....like hitting a plateau....you have to stick with it and eventually it will break and the weight will start going down. I wish you the best of luck...this site is amazing and there are some really awesome people on here that will encourage you every step of the way....you can do this!!!

I'm sorry you are so frustrated. It is very difficult. I don't do well every day, but like you, I just keep trying. I have to consciously consider everything I am putting in my mouth. I hate this, but I have some serious issues with portion control. I have decided to not limit myself as to WHAT I can eat, only HOW MUCH. So instead of feeling deprived, I am eating what I want, but I am consciously watching how much. For instance, instead of taking the bag of potato chips to the couch with me, I take one bowl and that's it. My kids and I went to Taco Bell last night and I ordered only one tostada. I did not have the option of overeating because I only ordered one. This way of thinking seems to be working for me right now. When I tried to eat only healthy foods I felt so deprived and then I would totally binge when I ate one of my favorite foods. So this time I am trying something different. Maybe that will help you? Good luck! And don't give up!

How many calories are you set at? Are you eating back your exercise calories? What types of food are you eating. It's not just the quantity of what you eat, it's the quality and often the higher quality foods will fill you up longer so you don't eat as much. It took me about 2 weeks to lose 1.5 lbs. and I had to adjust my calories and how much I wanted to lose. It is hard to change life long habits but you can do it. This is the worst time of year to try to make a change like this because there is so much non-healthy yummy food around (at least there is in my house, well, what I haven't eaten!) but you are smart to start now. Good luck, YOU CAN DO IT!!

The first question to ask is are you setting your weekly goal to high? If you find yourself on the highest or next to highest setting for weight lost per week, take it down one or two notches. This will give you an extra calorie allowance each day, which will help build up confidence. You can always choose to accelerate your weight loss later.

One thing I do is rely heavily on frozen dinners. They're quick and easy to make, so when I want to eat in a rush, I don't feel the temptation for fast food. And they give you a lot of food for not a lot of calories. If you buy healthy choice, lean cuisine, or smart ones, they're usually 250-300 calories, and they give you 10-12 oz of food.

Also, only keep water in your house. Beer, soda, gatorade, juice, etc will cause you to go over your calories easily. Drinking strictly water is not only healthy, but calorie free.

Hopefully some of this helped.

Make your diary public and we can give you more constructive feedback. It is most likely the foods you are eating (ie: they're high calorie but not that filling or can't sustain you between meals). Make your own meals - that way you know exactly what the ingredients are, can accurately track the calories, and you'll learn a lot about which foods to moderate and which you can have lots of.

A very filling low cal option? Eggplant. Sometimes I'll have half of an eggplant sliced and grilled for lunch (they turn into really tasty little chips). Alone, this comes to maybe 100 calories.

Hi Flori -- First of all, you are gorgeous. You may want to slim down and tone up for your own reasons, but you are not a Failure! Far from a failure!

Everyone has his or her own advice. Personally, I don't know why potatoes have gotten such a bad rap. A plain baked potato is actually very good for dieters. And bread and grains? Very good for you. Just be careful that you choose multi-grain or whole grain whenever possible. Not just whole wheat but whole grain. There is a difference.

Next, reach out for MFP with similar weight loss goals. They can be your age or any age. Both female and male MFP friends are great. Once you have a number of MFP friends, you can study their diaries and get ideas of how successful dieters put together their meal plans. Post a topic on the Introduce Yourself Thread and tell them you want more MFP friends. Believe me, Flori, you will get a lot of requests. Screen them if you wish, and then start interacting and studying. The answers are there.

This program works. I am on maintenance now, and have lost just 9 pounds on MFP. However, I lost 84 pounds total. This is the best program I have tried. Just give it time. I know you can do this. You are worth it!

I hear you. I'm having the same issue. I know I am doing better than I had been in the past and I MFP tells me I will lsoe such and such in 5 weeks, but I rarely manage to stay within my 1750.

TV dinners work well at school, but when I am home during the day and hungry...

when your hungry try drinking or even just smelling coffee
also try chugging a glass of ice water on top of filling you up it burns calories trying to turn the water to a decent temperature to be absorbed

I agree.... you may need to adjust your goal if hitting the calorie count is too difficult for you. Are you aiming for one or two pounds a week? If you change that, the calories will change as well. I know... you probably don't want to slow down your weight loss, but you might need to gradually cut the calories so you don't feel like you're doing without.

Also, I think it's good to think in terms of mini-goals. You've got the exercise habit down, now tackle the eating habits. Start out small... meet my calorie goal once a week and work up until you hit it daily. Give yourself a reward (nonfood, of course) when you're able to do it for a few weeks, just to keep you on track and feel like you're getting some sort of immediate gratification out of it.

Lastly, don't give up! It wasn't easy for me when I first started. I felt hungry ALL of the time, but after a while, my body adjusted and now it's no big deal.

Shannon

Minimize the white starches, maximize the veggies and don't forget the fat. You need it.

Also, DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

After a very long time of not eating any white rice, I had some. Much to my surprise, all it took was one time and all of a sudden I was craving it!

You won't be nearly as hungry if you can lose the potatoes, the white rice and the bread.

I actually added in a half a potato or sweet potato with 2 ounces of meat, and a salad for lunch. It helps me feel full, adds potassium, and has not hindered my weight loss. I found it on the 6 week plan and love it!!! As long as it comes in nature -- I eat -- unprocessed. :laugh: whoo hoo

All the helpful tips - drinking water, eating enough fiber, planning meals out in advance, etc. are great and I definitely agree with them, but you have to ask yourself WHY you are eating impulsively/uncontrolled? Are you bored? Do you eat when you're stressed? Most people have a very complicated realationship with food. When you get an impulse to eat more than you've planned stop and ask yourself why you keep sabotaging yourself.

In the end, you have to step up and realize that YOU have control over yourself and what you put in your body. If that potato salad or chocolate bar isn't in your plan for the day, then don't eat it. Don't eat because you're bored, don't eat because you're stressed. Food doesn't solve problems - it simply fuels our bodies. Treats are fun and can definitely be part of a healthy diet, but if you can't control yourself and always go overboard then you may need to cut certain foods out of your diet until you've learned how to control yourself better. Most people have a few "trigger" foods that tend to trigger overeating almost every time they eat it - For me, peanut butter is one of those foods... I can eat half a jar without thinking! I think PB is a very healthy food that can be part of a healthy diet, but for now I have to avoid it because it triggers me to binge.

Another angle - look at the ability to "say no" as a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. The more you ignore it, the weaker it gets.