breaks?

I don't PERSONALLY want you to go away because then who will I walk with! But if you need to, you need to, and there's nothing wrong with that. The main thing is - are you sure you'll be able to come back? If you don't think you can come back, then stick with it.

I don't deny myself, but I limit it to when I let myself have it. I get a day a week where I can be a little bad if I want. Would something like that work for you?

I took a two month break after going hard core for 6 months. Some have negatively judged me for doing this, calling me a backslider and being lazy. i disagree. I was so mentally exhausted from doing it I needed a break. I gained 6 pounds back in those two months and I started up the beginning of this month. I have lost those six pounds and I'm on my way to losing 18 more. If you're just absolutely frustrated with doing it, TAKE A BREAK. and keep in mind that you are going to start back up and decide to make better eating choices so you don't completely gain it ALL back. I think what I did was very healthy, I took a break, fully knowing that I was going to start back up and continue on in my weight loss journey. I think if you keep all that in mind, you'll be fine to take a break for a month or two.

Sometimes taking a week off helps me get my game face back on. I've been in this game for 9 months now and it does get easier the longer I keep at it but it can be really hard sometimes (ie: every time I menstruate HA!)

scale - yah it drives me batsh!t crazy too. I only do a weigh in with a scale every 2 weeks now as a result. Especially since my weight loss has slowed down as I inch closer to my goal.

As for your cup of ice cream, I eat ice cream all the time. Would never ever buy a tub of ice cream for the freezer though. Why? Cause eventually I would cave and end up on the couch with the entire tub and a spoon, eating till the tub was gone. I buy 150 calorie ice cream treats instead. I'm a firm believer in dessert (in moderation).

Good luck.

i dont think you should have a break from trying to look after yourself but it seems that you are trying to deprive yourself of things thats making you want it more. If you want ice cream then have it. MFP is meant to let you be in control of your diet. If you log everything you eat you will soon realise that you dont need to have pudding or takeaways or anything. If you do have them then you should see that you will need to work a bit harder to burn it off. Eventually you will train your mind to not crave these bad things but theres no harm in treating yourself once in a while.

Weight loss should be a slow gradual process, and im sure if you carry on you will see results soon enough. dont give up. Dont be so hard on yourself either. )

I am getting discouraged. I am getting all kinds of different opinions. I'm not sure what I weigh at the moment, I am using inches as a guide instead of the scale because i get all emotionally wrapped up in those three numbers. At this point, instead of giving up I have deicided to go for a goal of 220lbs. I don't want to be thin. I honestly don't but I want to be healthy! I feel like I am not making progress and I know I'm not eating the best i could but i feel like depriving myself just turns me into a huge B*tch...I want what I want and i want it when I want it... i'm a full grown woman and i can make food choices I want. I live in America right? And if I want to have a cup of ice cream after dinner I am having a freaking cup of ice cream... ok sorry rant over... but I feel like this weight loss stuff is making me crazy. I am contemplating taking a mental break from it. Do you think that is a bad idea?

Why don't you try eating according to plan 6 days a week and then on the 7th day eat whatever you want? A lot of people follow this trend because it shocks the system and they don't feel like they are depriving themselves.

The excuse of being a grown woman living in america should give you a pass to do whatever you want when you want it got you in the state you are in now...overweight, obese or morbidly obese. That way of thinking has to be altered when taking on a healthier lifestyle. Its about setting limits for yourself. With the thinking you have now you will lose the weight and regain it again because you feel your wants out weigh your needs. Your need is to lose body fat and be healthier. Your wants is....well whatever you did to get to where you are now.

This is your life and you are in the drivers seat so if you want to see changes then you have to make the changes.

Nobody knows what you need better than you do...
I'm guessing you started this weight loss journey because you decided you needed to do it for you, it's hard, it's draining and from what I can see you've made some great progress, if you feel you're done for now it won't affect anyone more than it will affect you

I sooo agree. You know what's best for you.

. Its about setting limits for yourself. With the thinking you have now you will lose the weight and regain it again because you feel your wants out weigh your needs. Your need is to lose body fat and be healthier. Your wants is....well whatever you did to get to where you are now.

:grumble: um yeah thanks for making assumptions...

I am no longer a compulsive eater and i HAVE changed that mind set I am just tired of seeing my "friends" on here go around starving. It makes me angry and I refuse to suffer because its like "fitting in" or something around here. I am exhausted and hungry. I have started eating when I am hungry, listening to my body and eating what my body is telling me to eat. I am avoiding processed foods and trying to incorporate veggies. I don't always get on line and track my calories because 1. its time consuming 2. I don't have internet unless I am at school or at starbucks. 3. If this is a true lifestyle change I need to listen to my body and keep a mental track of what I am eating. I can't sit down and fuss over the computer for the rest of my life.. what kind of life is that?! My point is... I like to eat. My husband and I are foodies our life revolves around cooking good food and I reject the ideas that I have to suffer to prove that I am being "healthier" or to appease the diet gods. Which harks back to my comment about too many opinions.. There are way too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak. I am loosing fat because I am losing inches. I usually don't have a problem staying within my calorie limits per day and i do exercise. I just want to stop being a slave to thinking about it 24/7 I want this to be a true change in my thinking so I need to be able to trust myself to make the right food decisions. I refuse to be co-dependent. I need to make real change.

The assumption I made came from the information you gave in the original post. If you only give brief info and want us to to give our thoughts and opinions based on said info then you get what you get. Your OP didn't say you were starving yourself. You said you wanted ice cream when you wanted it. Which led me to think you wanted to eat more unhealthy foods when you craved then which can lead to a slippery slope. I know you were talking about taking a break but it was coming across to me that you wanted to break away from a healthier lifestyle as well.

Look, the weight thing is something that we all obessed about. It is tiring and I think it will remain that way regardless until we reach our goals. Whether you take a break or not you will find yourself calculating calories in your head and/or feeling guilty because you think you are going off the beated path. I've been at this for a while and the stress of losing weight is just as strong as the stress of being unhealthy. The lessor of two evils is what we both chose. Just know that one stress will be relieved once you reach your goal. You will eventually wheen yourself away from tracking your food totally because you will learn how to do it in your head. You will be able to eye single portion sizes without weighing them (if you aren't doing this already). I don't know how long you've been at it but if its only been for like 6 months or less just try to stick with it and continue to build on your foundation. I can tell you are dedicated to your health. I do believe if you stick with it you can continue to make progress. Losing inches is much better than watching that scale. The scale doesn't know the difference between fat loss and muscle loss. I would suggest getting a fat loss monitor. You can track your fat loss percentage more accurately.

I feel the same way!!!! I have gained four pounds and am very frusterated! I feel like taking a break also. But if I did that I think it would be very hard for me to get back on track! So I have just been trying to stick to exercising!! Need warm weather!!!

It sounds like you are starting to get more in touch with yourself and your body. You know if you need a break, the more you push yourself the more you are gonna revolt and resent the changes. Maybe you have gone as far as you can this round. I wish you luck in your future journey and hope you can reach your goals in your own way which might even include MFP again in the future, who knows.