Hi! I'm struggling.. :(

Istekat
Istekat Posts: 13 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi everybody!

I'm new on Myfitnesspall since of today, because I feel I really need a community to help me to keep me on track!
I'll tell you somthing about myself :)

In september I started living on my own, and it's been quite the struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I've always found it difficult to eat healthy and exercise, but since I live on my own.. I totally lost track. I gained 20 pounds and I can't get myself on the right path!
I feel really discusting and I just found out I got even more stretchmarks than I had before :(
I'm addicted to carbs (bread, pasta) and fat (sausage, chips,..). A complete disaster! I just can't seem to make that click you need to feel really motivated! The most difficult thing is that I can't moderate. OR I eat REALLY healthy and excercise daily.. OR I go completely loco and eat everyhting in sight. There's just no grey-zone.

I weigh 209 pounds, and I'm 6 ft 2 (tall girl here!). I don't want to be skinny at all.. I just want to be healthy and feel confident, and not discusting. My goal is to weigh between 165 and 176 pounds..

What are your tips and tricks/experiences to help me make that "click" to really get going.. and to MAINTAIN a healthy lifestyle?!!
Could really use some help :(

Hope to hear from you guys!
Thanks!

Replies

  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    I love carbs too. I could eat a pound of pasta all on my own without even thinking about it. Obviously that isn't an optimal diet to follow haha. You need to really become conscious of what you're eating. Write it down, keep track of it. You don't have to start counting calories right away. You just need to understand what you are putting into your body so you can really see what it is doing to you. What time of day do you crave the carbs? Morning or night? Is there a food you eat that makes you go wild and eat even more (chips do that for me)? You want to lose about 40 pounds which is difficult but not impossible as long as you set reasonable goals and follow a sustainable path.

    If you like exercising...do it more! :)
  • scottkjar
    scottkjar Posts: 346 Member
    Step 1: Track everything.

    When you track everything, you can start to see exactly what your consumption patterns are.

    Step 2: Make small, simple changes.

    With your tracking, you will see some places where you can make a few simple and easy adjustments that might make a big difference. For example, one pat of butter is about 100 calories, so if you have a couple of pieces of toast with butter at breakfast, you are already over 300 calories. If you cut back from 2 pieces to 1 piece, you have already made a big change.

    Step 3: Add more protein.

    Protein helps you feel full, and protects you against carb cravings.

    Step 4: Add more crunchy vegetables

    Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, celery, carrots, etc., help you feel full. A handful of crunchy veggies at the beginning of each meal will help you reduce your overall consumption, help you feel full, and help you hit your caloric and macro targets.
  • litchfieldd
    litchfieldd Posts: 43 Member
    Other have more experience so I can only speak as a newbee and I have no tricks. All I do is face the cold hard truth of what I eat and how much I move by logging each bite and each exercise! Although I've exercised on and off over the years, and had some idea what a reasonable diet was, it's easy to slip into unhealthy living without realising it. Thinking I'll do some exercise on a tomorrow that never quite arrives and barely noticing the food I was shovelling down between meals, let alone having any perspective as to how much food should be on a plate. Now I know exactly what is happening!

    Although this logging business does feel a bit unatural still to me, there was nothing remotely right about my previous ignorance and I need reprogramming. That process is definitely ongoing, but the committment to do my upmost to stick to calorie goals has come easier than I expected. For me it's been reinforced by my falling weight, improving health and fitness, and most suprisingly of all my renewed love of food as my diet is starting to change and transform without giving up any of the naughty things I enjoy. I know I'm in the early days when weight is a little easier to lose, but even so, I'm sold on the basic maths - if you eat less than you burn its got to come off in the end!!

    I recommend you give it a serious try, log your food, set a viable and healthy weight loss/calorie goal, get some friends on here to support you and try for at least a few weeks. When you slip up (and you probably will and why not - you can't be perfect!) just log it and keep going. You will lose that weight in the end if you do it - I wish you the very best of luck.
  • Erinelda
    Erinelda Posts: 96
    This may not help you but it helped me. When I started I was terrified of being hungry. All I ate was carbs and sweets. Huge bowls of pasta here. Like 3 or 4 big human sized bowls in a mixing bowl.

    When I started eating fruit and vegetables in the same potions, at first I had a few cravings. But after a couple weeks my body demanded less food and I only get cravings when I am hungry and when I eat they go away.

    What I am suggesting is you may be vitamin deficient like I was. Your body will demand more and more food until you give it vitamins. You will reach for a quick fix, carbs and fat. But your body doesn't have use for it and will keep nagging for vitamins, then you will eat another bowl of pasta. It is a bad cycle.

    I didn't think I could get full without feeling stuffed. But the other day I got thin person full. I was eating my second grapefruit and breakfast and all of a sudden it felt weird in my mouth and tasted bad. That's how most naturally thin people know to stop :)
    But getting there took two months of consistent healthy eating.

    A couple more things that helped me:
    Find healthy food you actually enjoy! Don't have crap in the house because when you are hungry you will want a quick fix. If you can't eat breakfast because you feel ill or not hungry in the morning, do fruit. Fruit is easy to eat and it will make you ready for lunch. If you have a big appetite, try eating mostly fruit and veg.. you get way more food that way.
    400 cals of pizza is 1 slice, 400 cals of broccoli is a massive bowl WITH 1tbs of butter.

    Edit: Oh yeah and weigh and measure everything and log it, no matter what. I didn't say that because others have it covered but it was huge in my nutrition accountability.
  • Istekat
    Istekat Posts: 13 Member
    Today I had such a bad diet day, so in stead of totally ignoring it, I started to count what I had eaten.. oh boy.. My eyes really opened up. What I thought being a moderate lunch, resulted in 900 calories.
    So you're all totally right.. I need to get my feet on the ground and accept that what I'm eating is not moderate or a bit more than average, it's COMPLETELY wrong and very unhealthy. I tend to eat a lot too.

    My cravings usually occur when I just got home from college, which is 3 - 6 pm. I think I don't snack healthy foods enough. My day consists of 3 very heavy meals, no snacks. The crunchy vegetables are a very good idea. I looove cucumber, carrots, broccoli,…

    It'll be so hard to let go of the pasta (I like the pasta :wink: ).
    I'll get into that vitamin deficiency information! Cause it IS a fact I crave carbs the most.

    Thanks for your tips and information! It's a huge help and it motivates me like crazy just to see people have the same struggles as me. Tomorrow will be a better day :smile:
  • SunnyGal2014
    SunnyGal2014 Posts: 18
    You're not disgusting at ALL! You sound like a beautiful person inside and out. Don't focus too much on counting calories. Do some exercise, start from something you like such as swimming for example. Also you can try 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels - you can find it for free on Youtube.
  • Erinelda
    Erinelda Posts: 96
    I didn't think I could live without the pasta either.. until I seen how many calories it is. Cook your normal portion, weigh it and then Google how many calories it is, it is really bad. I'd rather have a huge salad.

Categories