Losing the dieting mojo :(

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HannahMLove81
HannahMLove81 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing MFP since the beginning of May and combining it with a new exercise regime. But in the last few weeks I have really struggled to keep my diet on track and I just cant understand why I find this so difficult.
I have been seeing good results - 23 pounds lost and 4 inches off my waist since May. I feel so much fitter and healthier and I also have PCOS which makes any weight loss so much harder. Despite seeing such good results I cant seem to stop myself from letting the bad foods creep in. i started to have a treat day on a Friday, and this is now spilling over to Saturday and Sunday too. I dont have any problems keeping motivated with the exercise, but excercise alone will not help me shift the other 19 pounds I have to lose. i can already feel my weigh creeping back up.
Does anyone have any wise words on how to get through this? Is anyone else where I am and struggling also. i just find this so hard and I dont want to lose all the hard work I have put in :(

Replies

  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    For me, reading success stories helps a lot. The 'women lifting heavy' threads in the success stories section makes me feel pretty energized, like a good reminder that what I'm doing isn't hopeless.
  • CindyMarcuzAdams
    CindyMarcuzAdams Posts: 4,006 Member
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    Maybe you should stop the so called bad foods for a while. They seem to be a trigger for you to lose your way. Its not easy that's for sure but it may help.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Are these "bad" foods, triggers for overeating? (you can't have just a small portion...it starts off small but before you know it, you've had 2-3 servings)

    Or are they creeping back in because you have over restricted yourself for so long? Could you find it ways to add a few of these foods into your everyday calorie goal and be content?


    For me, well this isn't about dieting, but about a lifestyle change. Something that I can keep up with long after I have reached my goal weight. Because of this, I don't like to cut out any foods (well unless of course I find them nasty...then those foods can just stay far far away) and try to make the majority of my choices nutrient dense foods with a little room for the umm..not so healthy food choices.
  • DellaWiedel
    DellaWiedel Posts: 125 Member
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    Are these "bad" foods, triggers for overeating? (you can't have just a small portion...it starts off small but before you know it, you've had 2-3 servings)

    Or are they creeping back in because you have over restricted yourself for so long? Could you find it ways to add a few of these foods into your everyday calorie goal and be content?

    I agree with this. I don't think any diet is going to be sustainable long term if either A. You're restricting yourself from ever having foods you like, or B. You are trying to eat foods you don't like just because they are "good" foods.

    I would suggest trying to figure out how to eat the things you like, but in moderation- fitting them into your calorie goals, which might be more successful in the long term than simply trying to avoid them altogether.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    You might want to stop thinking of yourself as dieting and start thinking of yourself as making a sustainable lifestyle change. If I had been trying to "diet" I'd never made it this far and done this well. I couldn't imagine life without any treats at all or without the occasional unfettered day of eating what I enjoy when I'm out with good friends. Making my changes permanent ones, such as learning new foods and new styles of eating that I enjoy, combined with my ice cream (which I can't give up, but have reduced) means that I will have more success sticking with things in the long term.

    By the way, "trigger" foods are just foods you haven't learned moderation or self-control for yet. Eliminating them will make them that much more desirable and will make it far easier for you to binge on them when you finally give in to having them.

    Good luck!
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Ditch the notion of "treat days" and incorporate a moderate amount into every day instead.
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
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    In order for it to stick, you have to be doing this for the right reasons, not because you feel like you should. Only you can answer what the right reasons are for you, but ultimately that's really important to figure out. I have PCOS too and know how hard it is - I also recommend suspending "treat days" and either incorporating those foods into your everyday goals (aka removing the "bad" stigma from them) or not eating them until you feel you can in moderation. Good luck!
  • veephil31
    veephil31 Posts: 53 Member
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    I went through the same thing after about 4 months. I was still seeing a loss though I was just not that into it anymore and tired of tracking everything I ate. I took a break from it all, and came back when I was ready. Though I was still watching what I ate I was not keeping track. For me it worked, I lost for about 2 weeks after I stopped tracking everything and then maintained for about a month. Now I am back on track and seeing the results because of it.
  • Jordancsmith99
    Jordancsmith99 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm in the same boat as you. I've lost a lot of weight since the new year, and I am around 15-20 lbs from my goal, yet this past month I have just been eating a lot more junk, mostly chocolate, luckily I have maintained my weight for 4/5 weeks rather than gained but I'm still gonna have to get out of this rut and start losing again somehow.
  • HannahMLove81
    HannahMLove81 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice, it is really helpful. :)
  • hmroebuck
    hmroebuck Posts: 64 Member
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    I agree with others about forgetting the notion of "treat" days. By doing so, you are giving power to food. You need to take back the control.

    We should eat healthy nutrient rich foods to keep our bodies running their best, but what you eat is just a part of being fit. Though I'm not condoning it, you actually can keep losing regardless of what you eat. If you are going over calorie goals and having trouble getting them back in line, you've got to exercise more. Calories in - calories out.

    Think back to when you started this journey and try to remember what motivated you to start it.

    Buy a goal-weight fall outfit and hang it front and center in your closet.

    Stopping buying unhealthy choices. If I buy it, I'll eat it. If there was a carrot cake in my house, no amount of willpower I can muster would stop me from devouring it. There would be no such thing as moderation. Whatever those kind of things are for you, stay away from them! You are obviously not ready to have them. Acknowledge that maybe someday you will be able to moderate better. For now, find tolerable alternatives.

    There have been studies that show the addictiveness of processed foods. When someone quits smoking, but 2 months later starts allowing themselves a cheat day once a week chances are they are going to fail at quitting. While it may be possible for some, the majority of people would do the same thing you are doing with food, slowly letting those treats sneak into other days. Until they are smoking all the time again. Just because you've read that "treat" days work for some people, doesn't mean they will work for you.

    The good news is that you acknowledge what is happening and posting for help. It proves you really do still want to do this. People are here for you. You CAN do it!

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