Advice required: I feel like I can't get passed my starting point. Help please.

Options
Almost everyday I give in to extra calories. (It's only been 5 days of calorie counting) I just feel like I am failing already, like today I ate 800calories of jumbo cookies! I even knew what I was doing but it didn't stop me, I just don't have any self-control. I have a lot of weight to lose too, so I really can't afford to keep eating like this. Anyone else have this problem? I am desperate to lose weight but I am hopeless at this, some help and advice please, I really want to get this ball rolling!
«1

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Options
    What did you set your weekly weight loss at? Do you eat protein at every meal. Protein helps keep you full.
  • pilotsroo
    pilotsroo Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    What did you set your weekly weight loss at? Do you eat protein at every meal. Protein helps keep you full.

    I was hungry and was in the bakery and got the cookies at lunch time :neutral: Maybe that is a important thing to remember...the protein.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    It's been five days. Stop being so hard on yourself. Log what you ate today, and try to plan differently for tomorrow. This whole thing is about finding balance. I used to eat in the cafeteria even when I brought food. I realized at some point that it wasn't helping me achieve my health, weight loss, or financial goals. I take and eat my lunches nearly always now. If I decide to eat in the cafeteria, I try to make better choices. As queenliz said, protein helps you feel full. Fat can also do this. Veggies can give you lots of bulk for few calories, but I find they don't keep me full for long. The do add to the fibre intake. Play with different foods and meals to see what helps you. Allow yourself a treat without the guilt. Don't go grocery shopping hungry, take a list with you. DO NOT go into the bakery hungry (a least not at this time, until you adjust).

    ETA: You do have self-control, you just don't know it yet.
  • TxLisa251
    TxLisa251 Posts: 152 Member
    Options
    Getting started with nutrition was the hardest part for me. I was so hungry the 1st week, but I just refused to let myself exceed my set calories for the day. After the 1st week, it started getting easier. Green tea helps with hunger and also making sure I'm drinking water throughout the day. Once I started seeing the results after making it through that 1st week really motivated me to continue.

    In the meantime, stay out of those bakeries. ;)
  • heartkermit
    heartkermit Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    It will come with time! Don't worry about that. I had a hard time as well. Remember that it was today and tomorrow is a new day!
  • pilotsroo
    pilotsroo Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    I'll have to send hubby in to buy our bread lol (it's cheap and we get the low cal kind) I just wish those cookies wouldn't grab me! I will do my best tomorrow and on-wards...I guess it takes time to get used too.
  • cheryldowney86
    cheryldowney86 Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    I loke to deink crystal light flavoured water whn im feeling hungry and dont want to over eat. I also like to think about where i will be in 3,6,12 months if i can keep gling with my goals and where i might end up if i dont.
  • cheryldowney86
    cheryldowney86 Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    *like to drink*
  • A_New_Creation
    A_New_Creation Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I found that I am most likely to give into bad food choices when I am hungry. To avoid this, I make sure I do not get to the point where I am so hungry that I have no self-control. So, I keep myself full. When I crave something salty, I'll try to make kale chips, or add garlic salt to my salad. If I want something sweet, I'll eat some fruit or mix it with Greek yogurt.
    I also eat almonds daily, and add 1 tbsp of chocolate chips to them so I can have some sweetness.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    Options
    high fiber, high protean foods and lots of water. Bring your own foods so you are not buying food at bakeries etc.. You can do this!
  • debbysatit
    debbysatit Posts: 125 Member
    Options
    Did you log those cookies? If so that is great. Before you may have eaten them mindlessly and not known how many calories you had. If you tracked it you are aware and can look back on it. Baby steps, this is a long jouney, small steps forward will lead you to victory! I find being hard on myself leads me to make poorer choices, I will say "hell with it" and eat more. My wt. Loss is very slow but I am trying to focus on small things...like logging exercise for the first few weeks, then added logging exercise and breakfast. Just was proud I could stick to those as I slowly add to it or if I find I need more time making it a easy goal I take longer. This is a journey not a race is my new motto. And the weight did not come on in a week so it is not going to go away in a week. Good luck, keep at it,you can do it!
  • pilotsroo
    pilotsroo Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    debbysatit wrote: »
    Did you log those cookies? If so that is great. Before you may have eaten them mindlessly and not known how many calories you had. If you tracked it you are aware and can look back on it. Baby steps, this is a long jouney, small steps forward will lead you to victory! I find being hard on myself leads me to make poorer choices, I will say "hell with it" and eat more. My wt. Loss is very slow but I am trying to focus on small things...like logging exercise for the first few weeks, then added logging exercise and breakfast. Just was proud I could stick to those as I slowly add to it or if I find I need more time making it a easy goal I take longer. This is a journey not a race is my new motto. And the weight did not come on in a week so it is not going to go away in a week. Good luck, keep at it,you can do it!

    I guess I need to keep going trying a wee bit harder each day. I logged the cookies but I did not log the crap I ate later on...... very small baby steps...
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Options
    pilotsroo wrote: »
    debbysatit wrote: »
    Did you log those cookies? If so that is great. Before you may have eaten them mindlessly and not known how many calories you had. If you tracked it you are aware and can look back on it. Baby steps, this is a long jouney, small steps forward will lead you to victory! I find being hard on myself leads me to make poorer choices, I will say "hell with it" and eat more. My wt. Loss is very slow but I am trying to focus on small things...like logging exercise for the first few weeks, then added logging exercise and breakfast. Just was proud I could stick to those as I slowly add to it or if I find I need more time making it a easy goal I take longer. This is a journey not a race is my new motto. And the weight did not come on in a week so it is not going to go away in a week. Good luck, keep at it,you can do it!

    I guess I need to keep going trying a wee bit harder each day. I logged the cookies but I did not log the crap I ate later on...... very small baby steps...

    I know it can be daunting to log everything, especially the stuff you are not proud of. I log it anyway, because I can look at trends over time. I can see if I have been at 1200/day for too many days and then find myself eating with reckless abandon. I can see when I am meeting my protein and fat macros. I can compare this to when I feel stronger, when I am having losses, when I have changes in my mood. I can also see when I am meeting my micronutrient goals such as iron, and the vitamins that this site tracks. It can be very insightful and help change the way I am choosing my foods. The other thing it shows me is that if I have a couple high calorie days each month, that as long as I am striving toward my goals the remaining days, it really doesn't set me back by much. Just a blip. These are my reasons. You need to do what is right for you. Just make sure that you are not equating choices that do not support your goals one day as being a failure. These are completely unrelated concepts. You are human, and cookies are delicious (I have some staring at me today, I may have to fit a couple in).
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    Try eating a big veggie/protein/fat meal, like chopped veggies and an a 2-egg omelet made with coconut oil
    Or chopped salad with fish or chicken or beef.
    Then if you still want a treat, you won't be so ravenous.
  • xKoalaBearx
    xKoalaBearx Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    What you can also try is to plan your day in advance. I always try my best to plan every single thing I'm going to eat for the day. This way, I make sure to include my cookies and make them fit into my calorie budget. And knowing what I will eat the WHOLE day, and not just logging as my day goes along, also prevents me from going off plan. So if I didn't plan it, I'm not eating it.

    Good luck!
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    Options
    Have you found that you are actually eating more than before you began counting calories? It may be worthwhile spending a week just eating what you used to eat and logging it, to give yourself some perspective when you begin to eat less.
  • KittyInBoots
    KittyInBoots Posts: 226 Member
    Options
    I actually had this issue for awhile. i decided to allow myself one daily "treat" and eat atleast one super healthy meal per day. The healthy meal is low calorie, allowing for more calories elsewhere, including the treat. And this way you look forward to the treat, making it something to strive for, and you will appreciate it more. Since you like cookies, allow yourself for a treat of two cookies or something. So if they are 200 calories, include that in your calorie total and adjust around that.

    You can really do this! Good luck!
  • pilotsroo
    pilotsroo Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    @nutmegoreo Thank you for your replies. I found it hard to log the extra calories from yesterday, (Just a bad day I think..) not only because of the shame but because I didn't know how much or exactly WHAT was in the food I was eating, (I had pudding at my parents house), berry and apple pie with a couple generous tablespoons of ice cream. A good handful of strawberries and dipping chocolate. Some grapes. And the a snack of chips and dip. Perhaps I could have logged it...but the shame was holding me back! :/ I am terrible at this! @xKoalaBearx I like the idea of planning. Especially planning in the treats! lol. @oolou I find when I log how much I eat "normally" I eat a horrendous amount! I am terrible on junk food if you can't tell already :#
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    Options
    If you used to eat a horrendous amount ordinarily, then try to keep some perspective when you eat more than you intend now. You're already doing better than you used to! That is a start :) As has been said, log it all, even the days you want to forget. Yes, some days may mean you go over your target by a lot, but it may not be as bad as you always think. If you over eat, for example, by 400 calories one day, but you had set your target to have a deficit of 500 calories ... well, that still means you are eating less than maintenance. Don't give up and do plan your indulgences and the food you like into your day. Imma having pizza tomorrow! Pizza! Yum. :)
  • Bluejedi79
    Bluejedi79 Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    some advice for you if you have space in your car to help combat munchies while out and about:

    Invest in a good portable lunch type cooler. Throw in there 6-8 single serving bottles of water or low sugar/sugar free box juice things kids drink. Then toss in some single serving sizes of pretzels, fat free/salt free baked potato chips, packets of dried fruit leather (usually found in the produce section where I live) or even single size servings of dried fruit (either packaged single servings or stuff you've put in smaller, quart size ziplock easily sealable baggies.) Keep it easily accessible and keep it well stocked. So when you do start feeling hungry (so do spouse/kids) when the but my tummy says I'm STARVING mode kicks in there's water/juice and some snacks on hand to help combat eating several jumbo size cookies.

    Also make sure your drinking enough water-I've found staying on top of my water intake has made me less hungry.