Fed up of doing this

I know some of you have been doing this way longer than me. I'm sticking with it, I'm not giving up, but god I just want to eat and eat and eat! I feel like food is all I ever think about. And it's so slow, I feel like I've made loads of changes but I've only lost 8lbs in 2 months and don't seem to have lost any inches, altthough my clothes are looser. I know 8lbs in 2 months is good and I want to do it slowly so it stays off, but goodness me it's soul-destroying at times!
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Replies

  • floweredsteel
    floweredsteel Posts: 56 Member
    You can do it!

    Try to find a friend that will catch up with you on a monthly basis, either in person or on the phone. They can help by adding the wider perspective of seeing changes over a longer period of time. It's tough when the changes are so small that the daily, self- perspective seems so bleak.

    Also, I'm just guessing about this based on your weight loss tracker, but 8 pounds might not translate to a lot of inches at this point. Think of weight as a roll of toilet paper: When it's full, a lot of pieces taken off won't changed the size of the roll much. But when the roll is closer to empty, a few pieces will change it a lot. You're making progress and before long you'll see the results in your clothes as well as the scale! Keep going!
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  • lisanangel
    lisanangel Posts: 148 Member
    Hang it there...you are doing good !!! I know it's tough but it gets easier.:flowerforyou:
  • lizzynewm
    lizzynewm Posts: 199 Member
    you can do this!! it can seem painstakingly slow and be incredibly frustrating at times, that is for certain! but 8 pounds in 2 months is actually so good - that's a whole pound of fat a week! imagine how that's going to add up in a few months!

    i'm not sure if this advice is good for everybody, but i am so with you in the "always-thinking-about-food" boat. i go to culinary school and food is my life! all i want to do is go eat delicious buttery cheesy things. to keep myself in line i always plan a "cheat" (i prefer the phrase "treat yourself") day over the weekend where i go eat whatever i want! it is a lifestyle, after all, and if you get as excited about food as i do, then it's sort of a necessity to let yourself indulge every so often. it's kind of gross how much time i spend fantasizing about that food-indulgence day, but hey, it works!

    also, you can almost always make the foods you're craving, just a more-reasonable-calorie version! it doesn't have to feel like torture. there are ways of making it a lot of fun!

    best of luck to you~
  • Eserra0510
    Eserra0510 Posts: 42 Member
    I know it can be frustrating sometimes but keep at it--slow is okay. As long as the scale is moving downward whether it be slowly or in leaps and bounds, it is still a positive thing and you can be proud of it. Don't be too hard on yourself. :happy:
  • _BearNecessities_
    _BearNecessities_ Posts: 432 Member
    I know some of you have been doing this way longer than me. I'm sticking with it, I'm not giving up, but god I just want to eat and eat and eat! I feel like food is all I ever think about. And it's so slow, I feel like I've made loads of changes but I've only lost 8lbs in 2 months and don't seem to have lost any inches, altthough my clothes are looser. I know 8lbs in 2 months is good and I want to do it slowly so it stays off, but goodness me it's soul-destroying at times!

    (A) 8 pounds in 2 months is basically a pound a week. That is VERY good.

    (B) "don't seem to have lost any inches, altthough my clothes are looser" If your clothes are looser, you've probably lost inches. Good job.

    (C) Suck it up. This ain't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Permanent changes take time. But, as another person said, indulge at times. If it fits your macros, chow down!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    My sister and I were just whining on the phone to each other -- me about exactly this, her about her own albatrosses. Find someone to share a whine with. It helps. There must be reciprocal whining for it really to work well. Then quick email or PM "thank you for listenings" are exchanged to leave a nice taste in your mouth.

    Works for me. Of course, then my sister and I call our mother to whine about each other ... :laugh:
  • kaylajane11
    kaylajane11 Posts: 313 Member
    I know some of you have been doing this way longer than me. I'm sticking with it, I'm not giving up, but god I just want to eat and eat and eat! I feel like food is all I ever think about. And it's so slow, I feel like I've made loads of changes but I've only lost 8lbs in 2 months and don't seem to have lost any inches, altthough my clothes are looser. I know 8lbs in 2 months is good and I want to do it slowly so it stays off, but goodness me it's soul-destroying at times!

    (A) 8 pounds in 2 months is basically a pound a week. That is VERY good.

    (B) "don't seem to have lost any inches, altthough my clothes are looser" If your clothes are looser, you've probably lost inches. Good job.

    (C) Suck it up. This ain't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Permanent changes take time. But, as another person said, indulge at times. If it fits your macros, chow down!

    This is exactly what I was about to post. A pound a week is excellent progress, and looser clothes = lost inches.
  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
    embrace the vegatable. That is the only thing u can eat a lot of and lose weight.Try new ones,use different condiments and spices. I bought gourmet sea salt and Braggs Liquid (it's like soy sauce), try sirachi. allow 2 tablespoons of a higher calories dressing once a day. I will eat almost anything with french dressing. eat sesames seeds and bean sprouts, try everything. roasted mushrooms are incredible. Good luck! I have also lost 17 lbs in 2 months. Do I wish it was melting off my body like icecream on a hot day YES!!!! but 17 lbs mean i can walk across the parking lot with out back pain and sob. Good luck!!
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,854 Member
    Seems you are on the right track. If it was easy, every one would be fit.
  • Its not so much about "dieting" as it is making a lifestyle change. You are working on creating new and healthy habits and that takes time to adjust to. Also remember that the slower it comes off, your chances increase for it to STAY off. Keep your goal in mind EACH and EVERY time you want to "cheat" . Ask yourself if the extra calories are worth it. Planning for a cheat meal once a week can help keep you sane as well as keeping the body guessing at what you are doing, thereby getting to a sticking point much later in the process. Just dont let the cheat meal turn into a cheat day! Stick with it! ITs worth it in the end.
  • algwynt
    algwynt Posts: 76 Member
    find something that weighs eight pounds and pick it up.feel how heavy it is and think how that felt all over your body.i find it a great motivator when i get that same feeling as you.keep your chin up.
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    More protein and more fat help me with the "hangries" tremendously. :flowerforyou:
  • Hang in there!! It is hard and some days I feel the same way! You are losing about a pound a week - which is that they recommend!!! Keep up the good work!
  • Glowiie1
    Glowiie1 Posts: 85 Member
    find something that weighs eight pounds and pick it up.feel how heavy it is and think how that felt all over your body.i find it a great motivator when i get that same feeling as you.keep your chin up.

    Absolutely do this!!!!!!!!!! Then walk around with your 8 lb weight for a while, put it back down, and revel in the fact that you aren't actually carrying it around all the time!!
  • Hang in there.

    Loose clothes and weight lost is a good thing!

    I am starting back on my journey after giving up last year. I feel miserable and so unhealthy. I want to feel good again.

    Continue on your path and find new snacks that will spice up your daily menu and break the monotony and make you feel more full. If there is a craving that you have, find a sensible way to fill it. There are so many food websites out there with awesome low-fat, healthy recipes.

    Take care and I'll whisper a prayer for you today. :)

    -Shelly, Tennessee
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Don't give up! You've made great progress, and this will get easier as it becomes a habit. For now, maybe it's time to reward yourself (with something non-food related). Perhaps there's a movie you'd like to see or a purse you've been eyeing?
  • Try aiming for 10lb goals. If you do it that way you'll soon hit 1 out of about 7 of your goals. Reward yourself after each goal (something small maybe not food if you think it'll make you back track). Good luck!
  • Try aiming for 10lb goals. If you do it that way you've just hit 1 out of about 7 of your goals. Reward yourself after each goal (something small maybe not food if you think it'll make you back track). Good luck!
  • Early_Riser
    Early_Riser Posts: 127 Member
    I hear you. And I get it. Personally I think people should take breaks from time to time if they're frustrated. I know I'd have given up without my weekly cheat days.

    Here's what you do. Have a F it day. Eat all the food you've been missing skip the gym. It'll be fun, for a little while.

    Then you'll feel bloated and lazy and probably a little down on yourself. The next day you'll go back to happily logging and exercising. You'll realize a day of indulgence can be fun, but living like that all the time is what got you to where you are.

    Best of luck to you. Just don't give up.

    This +100. I really feel like cheat days are important. every couple of weeks I go nuts. Order a pizza or something, tell myself I'm going to eat the whole thing..I usually end up eating 2 pieces and then I'm full. I eat two more later, then the next day I'm ready for another few weeks.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    I thought about food the whole time too. 8lbs in two months is GREAT progress. If you keep doing what you're doing in 8 more weeks that will be 16lbs. Fat loss takes time. Be patient and just focus on that next pound. That's how I lost my inital 47lbs - one at a time.
  • jal92475
    jal92475 Posts: 53 Member
    Think of weight as a roll of toilet paper: When it's full, a lot of pieces taken off won't changed the size of the roll much. But when the roll is closer to empty, a few pieces will change it a lot.

    I love this analogy! I never thought of it before! Believe me OP, you are not alone. I started this journey a year ago and lost 20 lbs in 4 mths. I just felt it wasn't enough so I quit. Well I came back 2 mths ago having gained the 20 lbs back and now I'm starting all over again. I still feel the same way, like the weight should come off faster but if I don't do this, it won't come off at all and I'll just gain it back again. If I had kept going the first time, I would be at goal already!

    I also share your thought about thinking about food all day. It's all I think about. When can I eat next, what can I eat, will it be good?

    Just keep going! We got this. Little by little and inch by inch!
  • itayah
    itayah Posts: 3 Member
    I'm so glad I'm not alone with feeling the same way you do. I'm not obsessed with food - until I try focusing on weight loss. Then it's all I think about. And the waiting is the WORST. Waiting for your body to drop pounds is the most frustrating. Especially for people like me who have never actually succeeded. All I know is failure in this area. I'm also really, REALLY bad at reaching out to other people about it. The "find a friend" thing is so easy for me when I'm helping them with their problems, but so hard when I'm talking about my most intimate failure.

    You're down 8 pounds, though - that doesn't feel like much, but it is. Don't discount that loss - that's a great start as your body adjusts to new habits. They always say you've gotta start somewhere. And we're in for a LOT more frustration on this road. But so many people have succeeded through nutrition/exercise. We've just gotta hang in there. I'll bet you'll see another drop again soon. And until you do, at least know you're not as alone as you feel. Hang in there and try to keep your chin up.
  • dbrightwell1270
    dbrightwell1270 Posts: 1,732 Member
    Just give up. You are not worth it. Whatever it was that made you want to lose weight in the first place is just trivial nonsense. You know, the fear of diabetes or heart disease. Perhaps feeling inadequate and self-loathing. A desire to be more mobile, to walk a few flights of stairs without being short of breath or having the ability to walk further than from the parking lot to a store front. A desire to wear more fashionable clothing. Any of those desires were just idealistic fantasies that are way too lofty for reasonable expectations. Just eat the food and accept the hand you've been dealt. That is a way better alternative. /sarcasm.

    The principles are basic and fundamental: have a lower Caloric intake than you expend and you'll lose weight. Unfortunately, the execution sure as hell isn't easy. That is the case for many things. When others start to think that you make it look easy, it probably means you've been working on it for years to develop the skills necessary for it to be second nature. Stay persistent and know that a bad day or two is not catastrophic.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Lots of good advice already. I'll just add one thing: if you find yourself thinking about food when it's not time to eat, redirect the thought to something else. Maybe it will be something you can do when you've lost more weight. Maybe it's the vacation you are planning to take. Maybe it's soaking in a hot tub after a long run. The point is, you can obsess about food even if you know, intellectually, that you are making good progress. Try to obsess about something else that's healthier. :smile:
  • Everyone's given you great advice. I think you're doing great, and the key thing is that you are not only not gaining more weight; but you've taken 8 lbs off. So, it's definitely helping. Please stick with it, as you will be glad in the long run. Take care
  • bainsworth1a
    bainsworth1a Posts: 313 Member
    I have been where you are and it is hard to stay motivated when you feel the progress is slow. Take it from me though don't give up on yourself. Are you logging everything you eat on MFP? My progress has been better this time because I log everything every day. I found that in the past I was not counting everything and eating over the calorie range causes problems for me. I don't beat myself up if I eat over I just track it so if I'm not losing I can look back and say I can make a better food choice. It also helps me if I do have a special day like a birthday party and "overeat" I know exactly what I did and stop it after only one day rather than making an entire week of it.
    Good luck to you. YOU CAN DO THIS YOU ARE DOING IT!!!!!!!!!:flowerforyou:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    You're doing great. I know exactly what you mean though... that's why I still have cheat days (and try to eat less the rest of the time to make up for them). It's tough and the truth is that it's just never going to get easier (at least it hasn't for me and it's been over 1.5 year). But it's worth it... you just have to try and focus on the big picture and take it one day at a time.
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    thank you so much for your kind words everybody :flowerforyou: I'm having a cheat day today but I'll be back on the wagon on Monday (always a bit naughty on weekends)
  • Go to the store, buy 8 one pound boxes of butter. There are 4 sticks in each box. You'll have 32 sticks of butter total. Line them up in a row. That's how much weight you've lost. That's a wonderful thing.