Just started and already failed

carrieandersonreichelt
carrieandersonreichelt Posts: 2 Member
edited November 21 in Motivation and Support
a couple years ago I lost about 30 lbs and kept it off for a year but then gained it back when my kids started baseball season and we ate out too much because of our awful schedule. I gained 15 back. This is my first time trying this and I already feel like a failure.

Yesterday was a hard day with the kids and I ate way too much junk, then today I ate so much for lunch that I had about 60 calories left for dinner. I had some pears.

What do you do when you have nothing left at the end of the day but are hungry? And I don't mean just hungry, but I'm shaky. But with my big overage yesterday, I don't want to do further damage.

Replies

  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
    Honestly? I'd sleep xD.

    It's either that or eat something like a couple of egg whites, then take some fiber (someone mentioned in another thread that taking psyllium husk keeps them full, I tried it, and works for me too). Because eating a full meal again would mean I'd have to workout hard the next day, which I'd rather not do.

    In all honesty though, you HAVE to start exerting self-control. Bring less calorie dense snacks instead of 'junk' if you can't fit them into your calorie allowance for the day.
  • Unknown
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  • alise_lmx
    alise_lmx Posts: 292 Member
    drink a lot of water! and yeah I would try to go to bed. But don't feel bad if you have to eat before bed, just make it as healthy as possible! and you'll only "fail" if you give up for good. Tomorrow is another start :)
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    edited July 2015
    Your story is similar to mine. I lost 27 pounds a couple of years ago (my pic is me at my goal weight from then). then I slowly gained 13 of it back. Then I found MFP and have been losing s-l-o-w-l-y but steadily. You can do it! Some days will be better than others . Don't give up! You only fail if you quit. Just keep on it. It will happen if you stick with it! Read the Success Stories forum for inspiration.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    You only fail when you give up. Dust yourself off and try again. You will find your balance. If you have a crock pot that is one way to make great healthy dinners and do a prep day, one day a week you prep all your food for the week. Google is great for recipes and ideas.
  • SharonBrobst
    SharonBrobst Posts: 62 Member
    I agree with those who have already said that you have not failed. Failure is giving up. I too have had days that I have made poor choices and end up with little to no calories left. I eat a big healthy salad and call it a day. Then tomorrow start fresh.

    Now I have less of those type days because I refuse to have any junk or processed food in my house. It's just easier that way. I carry fruit or nuts with me to munch on if I have a crazy busy running around kind of day.
  • susanlouise
    susanlouise Posts: 18 Member
    If you are hungry, EAT. Use this as a learning experience. How are you going to manage these situations in the future?
  • Elisaielle
    Elisaielle Posts: 3 Member
    Giving up is the really problem. I'm working with some high school students this summer and this week is the final trip for them and I went more than double my needs for today. But it's just one day of many. The overall pattern is what matters.

    You can and will do this.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Losing weight isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. You're going to make mistakes. An absolutely essential part of success is learning effective way of dealing with making them.
    Essentially, you have 2 options. You can either go ahead and eat (recommended, especially if your are shaky hungry) and return tomorrow to your regularly scheduled calorie deficit, or you can stay hungry and keep your goal for today (not recommended since it can lead to out-of-control eating due to extreme hunger).
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
    I'm wondering also why you were "shaky" hungry. For me personally that means I've eaten something earlier that's mostly just simple carbs -- cereal, toast, etc. -- and not enough protein. Then I get the blood sugar crash that brings on the shakes. If this is the case for you see if you can plan snacks that have enough protein in them. So maybe a hard boiled egg, or sliced lunch meat, or something like that. I find that when I do this I don't get that shakiness, but only regular hunger when it's time for the next meal. That helps me to stay on track for that meal.
  • LiveLoveLift48
    LiveLoveLift48 Posts: 379 Member
    I would have just made the best salad i could and gotten lots of veggies in. Whatever that puts you over will not do any harm. Also having a bad day or two wont mess up your plans. You just have to not let it keep happening and start fresh as soon as you can. I find that if i plan my day the night before and i am prepared i have less days to screw up. " Fail to plan, plan to fail"
  • Sweetgirl10
    Sweetgirl10 Posts: 13 Member
    allaboutthefood wrote: »
    You only fail when you give up. Dust yourself off and try again. You will find your balance. If you have a crock pot that is one way to make great healthy dinners and do a prep day, one day a week you prep all your food for the week. Google is great for recipes and ideas.

    'You only fail when you give up.' - such great advice & so true!

    Many have bad days or even perfect weeks but no scale movement....but just get back on the horse tomorrow!

    My best niggtime tactic is just to brush, floss, & rinse & get physically separated from the food.

    Good luck!
  • zinaramos
    zinaramos Posts: 13 Member
    Eat, don't starve yourself. Tomorrow is a new day, learn from today. Plan better for tomorrow.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    edited July 2015
    It isn't failure it is learning. You have to learn how to manage your calorie budget just like you had to learn how to manage money. If you run out of calories you go to bed hungry. Accept that being hungry is uncomfortable but not fatal. Think about your choices and how you will do it differently tomorrow.

    Now I also want to ask this. You only have 17 to loose according to the limited amount of information in your profile. How much per week are you trying to loose? I am guessing you set it for 2 pounds, since it seems that most people are in a big hurry to loose. If this is true you should reconsider this goal as it is to aggressive. Set it for .5 pounds. Are you trying to live on a 1200 calorie a day plan? For most people, especially busy moms this is very unrealistic, hard to do long term and is essentially setting yourself up for failure. Want real success? Slow it down, take your time, and learn from your mistakes instead of letting them make you give up.

    Learn from your children. How many times did they fall down before they stood up and walked? How many times did they fall down even after they had walked successfully the first time? Did they give up just because they fell down? Nope. Well neither should you.
  • QueenKM1
    QueenKM1 Posts: 2 Member
    I use the Plan, Prep & Prevent method. I plan my food choices according to my day, prep that morning or night before and with the planning and the prepping to you prevent yourself from making bad or spontaneous food choices. So try taking your food with you and see how that works for you. It keeps me away from fast food while i'm out.
  • carrieandersonreichelt
    carrieandersonreichelt Posts: 2 Member
    THANK YOU everyone! I know these things in my head...it had just been a particularly stressful couple of days, which wasn't great to have when starting something like this.

    I actually set my goal at 1.5 lbs a week knowing 2 would be difficult. As of this morning my weight is still the same.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    carrieandersonreichelt wrote: »
    THANK YOU everyone! I know these things in my head...it had just been a particularly stressful couple of days, which wasn't great to have when starting something like this.

    I actually set my goal at 1.5 lbs a week knowing 2 would be difficult. As of this morning my weight is still the same.

    Weight loss is not linear. You may lose 4 lbs your first week. Or you may lose nothing the first, 1 lb the second, 2.5 the third, you get the gist.

    As stated by a previous poster, 1.5 may still be too high if you really just have the 17 lbs to lose. You should probably do 1 lb at the most.

    As for lunch, maybe a bit more planning? Pack a lunch or some snacks? If you will be going out to eat afterwards, try to think in advance what you'll be getting? That sort of thing
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    edited July 2015
    Wow, I have never been shaky from hunger. I would probably be so scared that I would eat. Do you have any blood sugar issues? Oh, and slipping a day here or there is totally normal.
  • JasonUMcDaniel
    JasonUMcDaniel Posts: 17 Member
    You're the only one who can do this. Either you stick to it or you don't. No amount of encouraging words will change that. It is as much an exercise in willpower as it is anything else.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    carrieandersonreichelt wrote: »
    I actually set my goal at 1.5 lbs a week knowing 2 would be difficult. As of this morning my weight is still the same.

    Right and for someone who only has a few pounds to loose this is much too aggressive. You could be eating more and still lose. There is no good reason to be restricting that severely to lose just 17 pounds. Reset your weekly goal to lose .5 a week of this problem persists.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    It's only failure if you don't learn from it.

    So what will *you* learn from this?
  • eddiecoffin1
    eddiecoffin1 Posts: 6 Member
    Youre not shaky because your body is starving, you had 1200 cal and that's plenty for the day and you just started your diet, it's all in your head so just keep that in mind. If you REALLY feel you'll cheat if you don't have something soon, maybe make a big as plate of something without too many calories or not particularly tasty like steam veggies. Then tell yourself if you were really starving you would eat that and if you're not eating it then is not that bad. And if you end up eating it a 200 cal plate of vegetables is still not gonna wreck your week. Good luck
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    With only 17 pounds to lose, you should have your settings to lose a half pound a week, not 1.5 lbs a week. No wonder you're shaky and hungry and burn out all your calories by lunch. You created too large of a deficit. :)
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