Anyone else have the same struggle

What kind of weight loss goal per week did you start with?

deathfromtexas wrote: »

i did 2lbs per week as my goal but i lost more like 2.5 a week or so.

Maybe your weight loss goal is too aggressive. By lowering you goal to 1 or 1.5 per week will give you more to eat. This is lifestyle not a diet. read this

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Perhaps you should look as to why what you've been doing up until now hasn't been sustainable.

Aggressive goal and cheat days raise red flags for me.

Moderation is key!

How many calories did you have then? Most likely not eating enough. Moderation is great.

I think your story will resonate with many of us, myself included.

For me, I've sworn off the "cheat day" except for pre-planned events such as a few holidays and celebrations per year. Even on those days, I try to eat in moderation.

In looking at what has worked and what hasn't, I firmly believe you should not eliminate any food from your diet that you are unwilling to eliminate from the rest of your life. As long as I meet my calorie goals, I allow myself to eat whatever foods I want. It's fine to try to eat healthier on many days, but if you want some "junk food", you should allow yourself to have some occasionally - of course logging it and still following your calorie goals on those days!

I have found that holding the overall calorie count sacrosanct and keeping other eating habits as guidelines and recommendations works well for me. So a guideline might be to generally prefer lean meat over fattier meat, and most of the time I'll do that, but I can still eat some of the less healthy meats on occasion without breaking or cheating on my diet. Or I'll have a goal to reduce the amount of cheese in my meals (one of the key things I was significantly overeating before), but I haven't eliminated it nor do I intend to.

Another thing that helps for me is planning my meals in advance, so I make all the important decisions when I'm not hungry. I don't always trust myself to make good food decisions when hungry, and it's easier if all I have to do is follow a decision I already made.

Are you guys just counting calories? I noticed that MFP gives goals for sugars, carbs, and so on as well as calories. I have also noticed that I seem to pass those goals way before I meet my calorie intake goal. Guess that means that I am eating the wrong foods to get to the calorie goal? I really did not eat badly at all... I thought?!

DeathfromTexas... don't feel like the lone ranger there. You've done it, I've done it, I'm sure everyone here has a similar story. The difference I see in the people that are most successful is that they make a complete lifestyle change. They talk about people who diet and lose weight too fast. They lose the weight and feel they can eat what they want and they forget that they changed everything inside and outside their body. St art small... what are you addicted to candy, cokes, chips, sweets? Give one of those things up and replace it with something healthier. If you love Dr pepper (and what sane person doesnt) replace them with unsweetened tea. Stay away from sweeteners even the natural kind because they make you crave more sweet. Bonus it eases the caffeine headaches. If you love sweets grab a piece of fruit. Chips are easy look for veggie chips 35 make a serving and they only have 130 calories. Plus they come in some great flavors. You're on the right track keep your head up and make the decision that today it the day I'm goin to commit. I'm here in Texas too you need support or advice feel free to add me.

I'm familiar with your issue - many of us are!
I used to engage in 'cheat meals' which lasted months! Eventually I realised that this type of behaviour was only going to hinder my progress and my goal became far too important to me for that to happen. Dig deep, stay strong and remain positive. You can do this!