diet is a 4 letter word.

MamaBadger38
MamaBadger38 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I don’t do well with “diets” in the traditional sense. I am bad about counting calories. I try to eat my veggies and make smarter choices but don’t see any results. I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out. After a few days the cycle begins all over. eat well - exercise a few days a week - record my progress - see no progress - feel like crap - pull out pizza menu - eat 3 slices of pizza on the couch with my cat - feel gross - repeat

Is anyone doing something different out there that they can recommend? I know I can do this I just need to see some type of result to motivate me to keep going.

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    You have to want it more than you want to feel "gross".

    There's no secret to it - that's it. All of it.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    Patience. You aren't giving it enough time. This isn't about instant gratification, but it all boils down to how badly you want to succeed. Change your mindset: this isn't about sacrifice and misery. It's about making better choices and taking responsibility for your own health.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    I'm not sure what you're looking for. Results take more than a very short-term and half-hearted effort.

    Smarter is all well and good, but what did you do to eat LESS?

    If you hated running, did you try cycling, walking, lifting, the elliptical, pilates, swimming, kickboxing, joining a basketball league, etc?

    You need to want to do this badly enough to find a way that works for you to make the changes to your habits necessary to DO it.
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
    I'm afraid no-one is doing any different; the only way to lose weight is to eat less than you burn. Simple, not easy.

    A lot of people who struggle recommend intermittent fasting, such as the 5:2 diet. However, all diets are just a more regulated way of ensuring you are eating at a deficit. If you don't put the work in, stick to the plan, weigh and log all your food, you will gain weight.

    As I said, it is simple but not easy, and it takes a lot of dedication and will power. Unfortunately there is no magic potion that will instantly give you will-power, it needs to come from YOU. There will be days where you just can't be bothered, where you want to sit on the sofa and binge, but you can't let those days ruin your progress, you still have to somehow find the motivation to keep going.

    Also, it is not an instantaneous process; a lot of people don't see any progress in the first week, sometimes not in the second week. I personally experience what a lot of people call 'the whoosh effect' when it comes to weight loss; I will seemingly stall at the same weight for a couple of weeks, give or take a pound even though I'm not doing anything differently, and then the next week I will drop 2 or 3 pounds. You need patience and to accept that this isn't going to happen overnight.
  • ffbrown25
    ffbrown25 Posts: 110 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    I don’t do well with “diets” in the traditional sense. I am bad about counting calories. I try to eat my veggies and make smarter choices but don’t see any results. I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out. After a few days the cycle begins all over. eat well - exercise a few days a week - record my progress - see no progress - feel like crap - pull out pizza menu - eat 3 slices of pizza on the couch with my cat - feel gross - repeat

    Is anyone doing something different out there that they can recommend? I know I can do this I just need to see some type of result to motivate me to keep going.

    Try being patient. It takes most people more than a week to see progress. If you weigh yourself once a day, maybe change that to once a week, if the idea of not seeing progress every day spooks you.

    Also: counting calories is a pain at first, but it's really the best thing you can do to lose weight. You've got to have a calorie deficit to lose -- it's difficult to know if you've got one without counting calories.

    Also also: I am a big advocate for exercise. It really helps that deficit show up, especially on pizza and wine days. Fwiw I eat pizza and wine ALL the time, I just make sure to log them in MFP so I know what kind of damage I've done ;). So: accountability, positive attitude, and exercise work for me. You can do it! :smiley:
  • lissiestel
    lissiestel Posts: 6 Member
    Look up ketosis, that is what I am doing. After many fails, I have learned slashing calories without taking other things into consideration does not work for me, I am hooked on carbs and would have sugar crashes and get 'hangry'. So I cut out carbs, right now I eat proteins like meat, seafood, nuts, cheeses, and veggies like greens, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, tomatoes, squashes, zucchini, and drink unsw. almond milk or water. It is slowly killing sugar/carb craving and quickly burning fat. Eventually healthier grains and fruits will be added but right now I am trying to detox from unhealthy carbs. It takes some adjustment but I am eleven days in and feeling much better, and crashes are almost gone with steady energy. :)
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    I don’t do well with “diets” in the traditional sense. I am bad about counting calories. I try to eat my veggies and make smarter choices but don’t see any results. I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out. After a few days the cycle begins all over. eat well - exercise a few days a week - record my progress - see no progress - feel like crap - pull out pizza menu - eat 3 slices of pizza on the couch with my cat - feel gross - repeat

    Is anyone doing something different out there that they can recommend? I know I can do this I just need to see some type of result to motivate me to keep going.

    You need to change your mindset and think about this as a long-term goal, not a few days of trying and then give up. Eating some vegetables doesn't put you on the road to weight loss.
    The key is weighing your solid food and counting calories. It really is. You have to know how many calories you are consuming, and keep that number at a deficit below what your body needs to lose weight. And stick to that.
    You can still have the pizza and chinese food, without feeling like you are giving up, as long as you are weighing out a portion size that fits the calories into the daily deficit you need to stick to. If you do this, you will lose weight.

    Also, please read the first post in this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    Yes diet is a four letter word. So just stop doing it. If it's not working for you then you're doing it wrong. Try this crazy thing. Go ahead and drink your wine with your Chinese food on the couch but this time use a smaller glass than you normally do and look at the Chinese food menu and find something on it that is not so high in calories. So one smaller glass of wine and a little bit healthier selection on the menu. And then the next time you have pizza cut it back to two slices instead of three and get the small pizza so those slices are smaller. As far as working out start off with just walking. Commit to 15 or 20 min a day. Something you know you can do without hating it. Even if it's only 10 min....just something. Do these things in small increments and slowly eating less will get easier and you won't hate the whole process. Remember the best diet you can be on is simply the one you can keep doing. And it all comes down to eating less. So just take baby steps.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    mccindy72 wrote: »
    32Gardens wrote: »
    I don’t do well with “diets” in the traditional sense. I am bad about counting calories. I try to eat my veggies and make smarter choices but don’t see any results. I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out. After a few days the cycle begins all over. eat well - exercise a few days a week - record my progress - see no progress - feel like crap - pull out pizza menu - eat 3 slices of pizza on the couch with my cat - feel gross - repeat

    Is anyone doing something different out there that they can recommend? I know I can do this I just need to see some type of result to motivate me to keep going.

    You need to change your mindset and think about this as a long-term goal, not a few days of trying and then give up. Eating some vegetables doesn't put you on the road to weight loss.
    The key is weighing your solid food and counting calories. It really is. You have to know how many calories you are consuming, and keep that number at a deficit below what your body needs to lose weight. And stick to that.
    You can still have the pizza and chinese food, without feeling like you are giving up, as long as you are weighing out a portion size that fits the calories into the daily deficit you need to stick to. If you do this, you will lose weight.

    Also, please read the first post in this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    So much this. You aren't giving it enough time, which is a common mistake. People often get frustrated when they don't get immediate results but you need to stick with something for weeks to really start seeing progress and developing those healthy habits.

    For what it's worth, I still eat pizza regularly and drink wine pretty much every night, lost my weight and am maintaining. You don't have to cut out the foods you love in order to be successful. Sometimes going to an extreme with restricting certain foods or types of foods is what causes people to get frustrated and give up.

    Read the link provided above as well as others in it. Be patient.

  • liv_namaste
    liv_namaste Posts: 10 Member
    Pick an achievable activity that doesn't sound like a challenge that you can do for 15 minutes. For me it was 15 minutes of yoga every day. The way I saw it was there was pretty much no situation where I couldn't do 15 minutes of easy yoga. Sometimes I even use it to help me fall asleep!

    It isn't so much about doing a really awesome workout every day. It is about doing SOMETHING every day. Find something you couldn't possibly say no to. Maybe it is 15 minutes of walking or 15 minutes of marching in place in your living room. Once the habit is there you will naturally want to work out harder and more creatively. But, it is important to have a fall back.

    The most important part of this is you cannot feel guilty if all you do is 15 minutes of your easy workout activity. Realize that the challenge for you isn't the workout, it is the HABIT. I would challenge you, do this for 2 weeks and you will find it so much easier to stick to your guns about getting that workout in. (and then don't stop after 2 weeks!)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    Yes diet is a four letter word. So just stop doing it. If it's not working for you then you're doing it wrong. Try this crazy thing. Go ahead and drink your wine with your Chinese food on the couch but this time use a smaller glass than you normally do and look at the Chinese food menu and find something on it that is not so high in calories. So one smaller glass of wine and a little bit healthier selection on the menu. And then the next time you have pizza cut it back to two slices instead of three and get the small pizza so those slices are smaller. As far as working out start off with just walking. Commit to 15 or 20 min a day. Something you know you can do without hating it. Even if it's only 10 min....just something. Do these things in small increments and slowly eating less will get easier and you won't hate the whole process. Remember the best diet you can be on is simply the one you can keep doing. And it all comes down to eating less. So just take baby steps.

    OP, this right here. I lost my weight while still doing things like eating Chinese food and pizza, drinking wine, and sitting on the couch. I just made sure that my Chinese food, pizza, and wine fit in my calorie goals for the day and I chose to do some physical activity to balance out the couch sitting (and you don't even HAVE to do that -- I just liked having some extra calories to eat and I like the way exercise makes me feel).

    You don't have to cut out everything that you love. The problem is the either/or thinking -- you're either ON a diet or OFF it.
  • MamaBadger38
    MamaBadger38 Posts: 2 Member
    Oh my gosh! I really did not expect anyone to actually respond. I can’t thank you all for responding and giving me the kick in the butt I needed. After reading the response, the lesson learned is
    1- eat a little less and keep making smart decisions.
    2- stop “dieting” cause that doesn’t work. Being smart works.
    3- Patience is key

    I also think you all gave me exactly what I needed - Support.

    Thanks again :)


  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    Oh my gosh! I really did not expect anyone to actually respond. I can’t thank you all for responding and giving me the kick in the butt I needed. After reading the response, the lesson learned is
    1- eat a little less and keep making smart decisions.
    2- stop “dieting” cause that doesn’t work. Being smart works.
    3- Patience is key

    I also think you all gave me exactly what I needed - Support.

    Thanks again :)


    You forgot:
    4 - read the stickied threads that were linked above and apply the great suggestions in them.

  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    Oh my gosh! I really did not expect anyone to actually respond. I can’t thank you all for responding and giving me the kick in the butt I needed. After reading the response, the lesson learned is
    1- eat a little less and keep making smart decisions.
    2- stop “dieting” cause that doesn’t work. Being smart works.
    3- Patience is key

    I also think you all gave me exactly what I needed - Support.

    Thanks again :)


    Sounds like you're getting the idea of it :)

    Good luck! This lot really is a supportive bunch-blunt, honest, but supportive.
  • SlimEsq
    SlimEsq Posts: 45 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out.

    I think most people encounter this type of struggle at some point. For me, I try to do a variety of things that I enjoy rather than simply to be healthy. For example, I am starting to ride my mountain bike that has been sitting in my shed for 10 years because it was something I enjoyed when I was younger. I also started running outdoors because I would like to run a 5K in Oct. Not saying those are what you should do but find what you do like that will keep you coming back. Maybe try yoga, swimming or some kind of organized sport? Keep looking until you find it!
  • spatulamom
    spatulamom Posts: 158 Member
    32Gardens wrote: »
    I don’t do well with “diets” in the traditional sense. I am bad about counting calories. I try to eat my veggies and make smarter choices but don’t see any results. I have started walking/jogging recently and I realized I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love how it makes me feel and hate doing it. The long and short of all this is that when I do try I don’t see any results - get discouraged - and go back to drinking wine on the couch with Chinese take out. After a few days the cycle begins all over. eat well - exercise a few days a week - record my progress - see no progress - feel like crap - pull out pizza menu - eat 3 slices of pizza on the couch with my cat - feel gross - repeat

    Is anyone doing something different out there that they can recommend? I know I can do this I just need to see some type of result to motivate me to keep going.

    Give the cat 2 slices of pizza and you only eat one. (And log that sucker!)

    (Sorry. That made me laugh a little, especially since I have a very eager kitten that bit the crust off of my pizza last weekend.)

    The advice you've gotten is great and it sounds like you're ready to make some changes. I also don't think of the word 'diet' as a negative thing - I think of it as the food I put into my body every day to live and thrive. My diet is lifelong, whether I'm losing weight or not.

    Good luck!

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