Worried I'll regain every time I slip up...
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Francl27
Posts: 26,371 Member
I swear I must have issues... but I gained a pound in the last 2 month (comparing my lowest this month to my lowest two months ago), even though I had enough deficit to lose 2 pounds the month before that...
I know it's mostly because I always end up overeating during PMS week because I'm just so hungry, which means I have to eat less the rest of the time... but if I have a bad day or there's a special event or something and I end up over that week, I'm just terrified I'm going to gain another pound and it's just going to creep up... Like two days ago I was ravenous all day and today I was sick and ended up having a little bit too much ice cream... and now I know I'm going to end up over this week again because of Memorial Day.
How do you do it? Do you have times when you're just hungrier and end up eating too much? How do you deal with it? The idea of cutting calories more to make up for those times is seriously dreadful to me, as I already get hungry a lot as it is (I keep a 300-400 calorie deficit to make up for PMS week and still managed to gain a pound).
This is just so stressful, sometimes I just don't know how I'm going to live like this forever. Ugh.
I know it's mostly because I always end up overeating during PMS week because I'm just so hungry, which means I have to eat less the rest of the time... but if I have a bad day or there's a special event or something and I end up over that week, I'm just terrified I'm going to gain another pound and it's just going to creep up... Like two days ago I was ravenous all day and today I was sick and ended up having a little bit too much ice cream... and now I know I'm going to end up over this week again because of Memorial Day.
How do you do it? Do you have times when you're just hungrier and end up eating too much? How do you deal with it? The idea of cutting calories more to make up for those times is seriously dreadful to me, as I already get hungry a lot as it is (I keep a 300-400 calorie deficit to make up for PMS week and still managed to gain a pound).
This is just so stressful, sometimes I just don't know how I'm going to live like this forever. Ugh.
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sigh...
one word.. discipline or two words... self control..
Having anxiety over food can't be good for one's health.. I would loose my mind if I was already dreading a holiday because of food..
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First of all, quit stressing. Stress does a lot of negative things to our bodies including being part of the cause of weight gain. If you have a day where you go over your calories, just remember tomorrow is a new day. It's a clean slate. You can start fresh. Don't beat yourself up over it. Don't make yourself feel so guilty. You can't live like that. One pound is not the end of the world. Just get back on track and forget about yesterday. It's over and done. Are you exercising regularly? That helps me relieve lots of stress and it's burning a lot of extra calories at the same time. Exercise also releases endorphins, which are happy chemicals in the brain. That always helps me stay positive!0
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sigh...
one word.. discipline or two words... self control..
Having anxiety over food can't be good for one's health.. I would loose my mind if I was already dreading a holiday because of food..
Not helpful... I actually do fine with discipline 90% of the time. It's the last 10% (typically PMS related) that totally do me over. I wish I was one of those people who don't gain anything when they go over 'just one day' but unfortunately it's not the case.
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Why not just eat at maintenance around PMS time? You won't lose, but you won't gain. That's what I do. And one lb is nothing. It's more than likely water retention and will go away.0
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For PMS specifically, I have tried to lay in a store of exercise calories the week before. Your BMR is actually higher during that time.
I don't know what to tell you. I've been eating at my supposed maintenance and holding steady for a few weeks now. I just cannot eat at a deficit to get the last few pounds off. Too hungry.0 -
You're trying to maintain, right? Nobody has an exact maintenance weight -- you have a maintenance range. Staying the same weight really means staying within your range, which is usually 2-5 pounds or so. One pound is within that range, so statistically speaking, you're at the same weight as you were a few months ago.
The bigger issue seems to be your hunger. If you want to live hungry for the rest of your life, go for it, but that sounds like an awful idea. What's making it so that you're that hungry so often?
You can't go for the rest of your life afraid that you'll gain weight if you eat too much ice cream. That sounds like a scary, stressful place to be.0 -
You're trying to maintain, right? Nobody has an exact maintenance weight -- you have a maintenance range. Staying the same weight really means staying within your range, which is usually 2-5 pounds or so. One pound is within that range, so statistically speaking, you're at the same weight as you were a few months ago.
The bigger issue seems to be your hunger. If you want to live hungry for the rest of your life, go for it, but that sounds like an awful idea. What's making it so that you're that hungry so often?
You can't go for the rest of your life afraid that you'll gain weight if you eat too much ice cream. That sounds like a scary, stressful place to be.
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I feel like getting to that point a lot. I can only say what has helped me and hopefully some of it will help you too.
I keep logging. I have been pretty diligent about my logging in the past, and knowing I have to write what I eat down keeps me accountable for what goes into my mouth. Also, if there is a holiday or a get together with a lot of food, I just take a little bit of everything onto my plate and savor the taste (after eating a lot of "health" foods, heartier foods taste even more amazing anyway). I log what I can, even if I am eyeballing it. It's better than nothing.
As far as stressing about the one pound, just stop. You are not making it any better by worrying about it and the good news is you can change it! You can lose it. Just keep pushing forward every day and doing the best you can.
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This is my first post but I have been following different forums for a little while. I have noticed you on a particular forum that I feel has not helped me at all but has undoubtedly set me back a good two months. Since I stopped reading about people eating pop-tarts and adulterated Oreos I have been eating much better myself. I am not judging anyone but I feel that as adults we should all be able to have wonderful and satisfying lives without having to have food treats daily. There are a lot of delicious things that you can eat that will allow you to feel more satisfied and you shouldn't have to confess to eating any of them.0
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I stress too. I don't like to see that scale creep, and most of my stress comes from the fact that I'm ticked at how low my TDEE is and don't want to believe it. I'm no help.0
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This is my first post but I have been following different forums for a little while. I have noticed you on a particular forum that I feel has not helped me at all but has undoubtedly set me back a good two months. Since I stopped reading about people eating pop-tarts and adulterated Oreos I have been eating much better myself. I am not judging anyone but I feel that as adults we should all be able to have wonderful and satisfying lives without having to have food treats daily. There are a lot of delicious things that you can eat that will allow you to feel more satisfied and you shouldn't have to confess to eating any of them.
What?0 -
What do you do for exercise? Have you considered lifting? I won't preach on the benefits, but I will say I regularly see women who weigh more and are more fit and shapely because they lift weights, heavy ones. I am personally aiming to become one of those.
Also, please measure in different ways. The scale is just ONE measure, albeit an easy one...just like we don't say one standardized test defines how "smart" our kids are (I hope you don't, anyway) there are other measures. How do your clothes fit? How big around is your waist/hips/thighs/etc?
This fitness thing is a journey, and I hope you figure out how to enjoy it. I have to say while I don't ALWAYS enjoy it, and sometimes I STILL stress over the darn scale (old habits die hard, huh?), I have learned to like how I feel and how I look for the most part. And some days I still suck (like today
) but tomorrow is another day... 0 -
This is my first post but I have been following different forums for a little while. I have noticed you on a particular forum that I feel has not helped me at all but has undoubtedly set me back a good two months. Since I stopped reading about people eating pop-tarts and adulterated Oreos I have been eating much better myself. I am not judging anyone but I feel that as adults we should all be able to have wonderful and satisfying lives without having to have food treats daily. There are a lot of delicious things that you can eat that will allow you to feel more satisfied and you shouldn't have to confess to eating any of them.
Personally what someone else eats has no effect on what I put on my plate or in my mouth.
Me neither. Or I'd still be over 200 pounds, considering what my husband eats every night next to me.HappyCampr1 wrote: »I don't stress because I know that the worst that can happen is I gain a couple pounds and it might take me a couple weeks to lose it again. I've lost the weight once, I can do it again. I'd rather cross that bridge when it happens than worry about a single pound every single day. Your weight isn't going to suddenly go back to where you started. As long as you pay attention, there's nothing wrong with waiting for 5 pounds and then dealing with it.
That's the thing though. I've done it before, but I didn't have those hormonal issues every month when I did. It started like this a few months ago... So that's the main issue, I'm not actually sure I can do it again, as I can't even seem to be able to even eat at maintenance during that week.FitNFiesty044 wrote: »What do you do for exercise? Have you considered lifting? I won't preach on the benefits, but I will say I regularly see women who weigh more and are more fit and shapely because they lift weights, heavy ones. I am personally aiming to become one of those.
Also, please measure in different ways. The scale is just ONE measure, albeit an easy one...just like we don't say one standardized test defines how "smart" our kids are (I hope you don't, anyway) there are other measures. How do your clothes fit? How big around is your waist/hips/thighs/etc?
This fitness thing is a journey, and I hope you figure out how to enjoy it. I have to say while I don't ALWAYS enjoy it, and sometimes I STILL stress over the darn scale (old habits die hard, huh?), I have learned to like how I feel and how I look for the most part. And some days I still suck (like today ) but tomorrow is another day...
I lift, but not as much as I should because I absolutely hate it. As much as I'd love to like it, it's not happening, after one set I'm bored out of my mind and I'd rather go do dishes (which I hate too, to give you an idea!).
And yeah, I know, my clothes still fit well, and are looser than last year, just not by a lot. And I know I'm getting fitter. But still. Still not satisfied with the way I look either but it's been such a struggle maintaining, I don't think I can lose 5 more pounds.
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arditarose wrote: »I stress too. I don't like to see that scale creep, and most of my stress comes from the fact that I'm ticked at how low my TDEE is and don't want to believe it. I'm no help.
I also feel this way. I am so active, yet my TDEE is so low and I get frustrated.
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Way to shift the blameThis is my first post but I have been following different forums for a little while. I have noticed you on a particular forum that I feel has not helped me at all but has undoubtedly set me back a good two months. Since I stopped reading about people eating pop-tarts and adulterated Oreos I have been eating much better myself. I am not judging anyone but I feel that as adults we should all be able to have wonderful and satisfying lives without having to have food treats daily. There are a lot of delicious things that you can eat that will allow you to feel more satisfied and you shouldn't have to confess to eating any of them.
EVERYONE on the Confessions thread should hang their heads in shame.
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I do have times I am just hungrier and eat more. I don't worry about it though. On the days I eat over, it is never by THAT much or for TOO many days out of the month. My situation is different than yours. If I do get hungrier during PMS, it is only for one day or two at the most... and it only happens once in a while, not even every month. My problem was never PMS, it was sugar binges that happened at any time during the month.
The strategy I came up with was to stop eating foods that tend to cause binging in me. That completely fixed my problem, and that was the only food thing I stressed about. With no sugary snacks in the house, I never stress and never binge.
So...when I do "overeat" now, it is an extra serving or two of almonds or peanut butter. These foods don't cause me to go too overboard, so instead of overeating by 1500 calories like I used to, I "only" overeat by 200 or 300, and I don't even worry about that since it is infrequent. I don't even try to make up for it later because eating a few hundred extra a couple of times a month just isn't significant. It usually balances out for me, and I have lost successfully doing this. And I don't stress about it.
I'm not saying you should give up ice cream because I did. This is just the strategy I came up with that best fits my situation and preferences. However, you do need to come up with SOME strategy to better deal with your PMS week, since it sounds like THAT is the root of your problem. If you are dealing with this for an entire week every month, a few hundred calories a day for 1/4 of the month CAN be significant and does mean you need to eat less the rest of the time. I understand why that stresses you.
Just a few ideas: First, talk to your doctor. Is it normal to have food cravings for an entire week every month? Even my friends who have worse PMS issues than I do usually only deal with that for a short time. If that is normal, then:
Maybe you keep lower calorie snacks handy that week..substitute some veggies or yogurt and berries for the sugary sweets just for that week. If you want something sweet, high quality dark chocolate might satisfy that craving for a relatively small number of calories since a little goes a long way. A few squares of chocolate is much less than a cup of good ice cream.
Or a different approach is to change your macros to eat more protein and fiber and less other carbs during meals that week. It might keep you fuller on the same calories, lessening your need to snack. Or maybe try eating smaller meals, so that you can reserve more of your calories for ice cream and other snacks that week. You don't necessarily have to eat the same way every week.
I have no idea what your exercise habits are, but a little extra exercise could partially offset the eating. But I understand that there are limits to that.
There are probably a lot of different ways to handle it, but you need to come up with some strategies that work for you. Try different things until you figure out what fits best for you.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »I do have times I am just hungrier and eat more. I don't worry about it though. On the days I eat over, it is never by THAT much or for TOO many days out of the month. My situation is different than yours. If I do get hungrier during PMS, it is only for one day or two at the most... and it only happens once in a while, not even every month. My problem was never PMS, it was sugar binges that happened at any time during the month.
The strategy I came up with was to stop eating foods that tend to cause binging in me. That completely fixed my problem, and that was the only food thing I stressed about. With no sugary snacks in the house, I never stress and never binge.
So...when I do "overeat" now, it is an extra serving or two of almonds or peanut butter. These foods don't cause me to go too overboard, so instead of overeating by 1500 calories like I used to, I "only" overeat by 200 or 300, and I don't even worry about that since it is infrequent. I don't even try to make up for it later because eating a few hundred extra a couple of times a month just isn't significant. It usually balances out for me, and I have lost successfully doing this. And I don't stress about it.
I'm not saying you should give up ice cream because I did. This is just the strategy I came up with that best fits my situation and preferences. However, you do need to come up with SOME strategy to better deal with your PMS week, since it sounds like THAT is the root of your problem. If you are dealing with this for an entire week every month, a few hundred calories a day for 1/4 of the month CAN be significant and does mean you need to eat less the rest of the time. I understand why that stresses you.
Just a few ideas: First, talk to your doctor. Is it normal to have food cravings for an entire week every month? Even my friends who have worse PMS issues than I do usually only deal with that for a short time. If that is normal, then:
Maybe you keep lower calorie snacks handy that week..substitute some veggies or yogurt and berries for the sugary sweets just for that week. If you want something sweet, high quality dark chocolate might satisfy that craving for a relatively small number of calories since a little goes a long way. A few squares of chocolate is much less than a cup of good ice cream.
Or a different approach is to change your macros to eat more protein and fiber and less other carbs during meals that week. It might keep you fuller on the same calories, lessening your need to snack. Or maybe try eating smaller meals, so that you can reserve more of your calories for ice cream and other snacks that week. You don't necessarily have to eat the same way every week.
I have no idea what your exercise habits are, but a little extra exercise could partially offset the eating. But I understand that there are limits to that.
There are probably a lot of different ways to handle it, but you need to come up with some strategies that work for you. Try different things until you figure out what fits best for you.
90% of the time, I can do moderation just fine. But when I restrict myself, I end up binging every single time, so it's not the solution for me. And when I get hungrier, it's not sweets I crave, but complex carbs and fat. And I've tried the low calorie, filling meals approach and it doesn't help at all.
But yes I'll talk to my doctor, just not sure she'll be much help.0 -
Seeing the scale creep up a bit is always stressful though I know logically it's normal to bounce around. I understand how you're feeling.
Yesterday my diet was horrible: pizza, beer, ugh. I just try to remember my successes and put my chin up.0
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