I'm Discouraged!!!

Oh I know exactly what you mean about the sweets cravings! The way I get over it is to think about every bite I take, and to take smaller bites. Like, those super good godiva chocolates. Only get one, but make it lat through more than one or two bites. Really enjoy it. If you do that, if find that I end up getting my craving satisfied, without eating a billion calories worth of chocolate or chips :-p

don't deny yourself, but just make sure you watch how much you are putting in your mouth

as far as the working out thing, maybe walk on one of your breaks. Like the first break you get during the day, walk around while you drink some water or something. Even just adding a little bit of activity will help

Or if you know you are going to eat a whole bunch of sweet stuff or chips, then plan for it! Like, when you put together your lunch, make a really great salad, and some fruit, but throw in 5 oreos to get the sweet part taken care of!

It is really hard, but you can do it! If i can do it, then anyone can, i have the least willpower in the world!

Hi BEBE, First and foremost don’t be so hard on yourself, you can do anything you put your mind to, just having to commute back and forth to work says so much about your motivation. It took me well over two months to really start to see my weight start to drop, I think we are way to hard on "US". Give yourself a break do something for yourself. Start out slow and start to walk if you can't get to the gym it's ok because in walking you are motivating your mind, body and spirit. Here is something I do, I started out walking and them looking to see how much I gained in calories, at first I would eat the extra calories then as I walked more it became running and I no longer eat the excess calories, but find it motivates me to leave them uneaten kind of like a plate of food that you don’t finish because your fulfilled at what you have already taken in. If you see that the cravings get out of hand tell yourself that you can have what your craving as long as you earn it, walking = burned calories, look at the calorie of what you want to eat and see what you can do to earn it so to speak then if it’s obtainable allow yourself. I noticed that the more I looked at the food calories I was eating the easier it was to say no it’s not worth it right now. I hope this helps you, I know that depression is not an easy thing to deal with and the medication can be a pain, but I can’t tell you how important it is to take care of yourself and follow the doctor’s recommendation for medications. By the way walking also helps the mind set, it gets the blood to flow and stress to release. Take one day at a time BEBE, Think of this as a rung on a ladder one step up at a time and then not to be hard on yourself if some days you have to take a step down, at one point you will reach the top. I have faith in you, one trip around the block or through the mall or anywhere your able will turn into great motivation to be the best you can be, it’s like something clicks in and you would rather be moving then opening up something to eat, eating is something we do a lot of times because were over stressed and it's so effortlessly obtainable, let me motivate you to think another way, we are responsible for who we are, if we want better we have to continually work on it, that does not have to be unpleasant ,do something for yourself. Stay well and keep climbing o.k. See you on the way up!

I know the 100 Calorie Packs are more expensive, but they really help me control my portion size. Take two of those to work with you and use them for your snacks each day. Try drinking a full glass of water before you eat the snack pack. The more sugar that you eat - the more you will want. If you can't quit cold-turkey then slow it down (100 calorie packs for example). Even if you drink diet colas, they make you crave more sweets. Try the water and then the snack. Then get up and walk around the office for a few minutes. If you get yourself a pedometer, if it will make you want to walk more. Don't worry that you're not exercising an hour a day at a gym. Start slow and work your way up in exercise and down in calories! Good Luck!

Hey there! I totally know how you feel as well. I agree with some of the advice that was previously posted.... the hardest part is getting yourself back into excersising. For me, I don't have time to pack up and go to the gym either. So I wake up 30 minutes earlier every morning... do crunches and dips... and then right when I get home from work I either walk, light weights, or jump rope. Once you get into it for about a week, it will feel strange for you NOT to do it. I also find that by working out a little bit in the morning gives me more energy, and you will feel better about yourself!

Jill what a wonderful site. Thank you. I have been trying to get a balance in the things I eat but often find myself craving breads and ice cream. It looks like it has alot of different alternatives. I appreciate your sharing the site.

Eve

Radiant Recovery is the best website! I use recipes from it all the time (you can essentially print out an entire cookbook on the site)

I was recently diagnosed with a wheat sensitivity, and sense I've quit wheat my sweet tooth is seriously diminished. For me, sweets (at least the ones that I craved) contained wheat, so I think the two were tied together in my craving center.

Hi! I too suffer from depression. I know how hard it is just to make it through the day. It's like you are dragging your body through the motions of life. There are new meds out there that minimize the risk of weight gain and the other unpleasant side effects. I just want you to know that you are not alone in this fight against depression and over weight. You can accomplish your goals! Make the decisions each moment to be successful! It can be as small a thing as taking a 10 minute break at work to walk. Eat that salad. Drink that water. Opt for some healthy snack. Don't eat those last few bites on the dinner plate. Small decisions lead to big changes over time. Don't you give up! You are worth every bit of effort you put into yourself and then some!

I ALSO HAVE A VERY LONG COMMUTE. IT TAKES ME ABOUT 1:45 TO GET TO AND FROM WORK VIA BUS AND TRAIN. MY SOLUTION TO WORKING OUT, I JOINED A GYM THAT WAS A FEW STEPS AWAY FROM MY BUS STOP SO I GO RIGHT AFTER WORK, BEFORE I GET HOME AND COMFY AND LAZY. THIS WAS MY ONLY SOLUTION BECAUSE ONCE I'M HOME MY MOTIVATION TO GET UP AND WORK OUT GOES RIGHT DOWN THE DRAIN. SO BRING YOUR SNEAKS AND CLOTHES TO WORK, CHANGE, AND HEAD RIGHT TO A GYM! THAT WAY YOU'LL GET YOUR WORKOUT IN, FEEL GREAT ONCE YOU'RE DONE AND THEN IF YOU DO HAVE A SWEET TOOTH CRAVING LATER THAT NIGHT, YOU DON'T FEEL SO GUILTY.

I MEANT 3 TIMES A WEEK...SORRY

First off I would go see your doc and discuss options for medication. There has been a huge issue with drugs and weight gain, over 1000 regularly prescribed meds have been linked to significant weight gain. I see that someone else mentioned there are newer meds that reduce the risk of weight gain, look into that.

I have not had signigicant depression before but I can imagine that the added weight isn't helping. Commuting is hard. If you get a lunch hour or even 1/2 hour maybe you could take 1/2 of that time and take a walk around your work building or the block that you work on and get in a bit of exercise there. Try not to focus on the scale, hard to do I know, but you may want to focus on how you are feeling first.

A little exercise, even just 20 mins a day, will help improve your energy levels and you will start to loose inches if not weight. When your clothes start to fit different it is a whole new level of motivation to do a little bit more!

Good luck, I hope you get a little kick start and find a way to get a bit of walking in. Oh, and start packing your lunches, it will help you stick to your new way of eatting when you have the right choices in your lunch bag.