Keep on and off dieting. How do I stay consistent?

You just stay consistent. Stop giving up. Allow yourself a few of whatever your "unhealthy" foods are and remember that no food is unhealthy in the context of a balanced diet. Use a food scale. Log every day, every meal-even when you go out to a restaurant. If you have a bad day, log it, move on, and try for a better day next.

What I've learned is that the only way to stay consistant is to want it badly enough. When you get to the point that you are sick of feeling uncomfortable with your weight and ready to really do something about it, you will find the willpower to stick with it. My weight has fluctuated over the years because every time I had success I would get lazy and gain the weight back. This time is the first time I truly feel like I've changed my lifestyle for good and I'm NOT going to back to feeling how I did when I was my heaviest. You have to find that point for yourself.

As for cravings... some of us will always have them. I've heard people say that after a while of eating healthy they don't even like junk food any more, they would rather eat fruit than a candy bar or ice cream. That is not true for me, never has been and probably never will be. I will always crave ice cream over fruit. So, I find a happy medium. Sometimes I have the fruit, sometimes the ice cream. It's about balance, and it's about realizing that going over your calories sometimes or eating something "unhealthy" will not ruin your progress as long as you're being consistant overall.

I've been on and off the wagon for about 6 years now. I've gone through two cycles of massive weight loss and then gained it all back. The last time I had to go back and buy fat jeans I looked in the mirror in the changing room and said never again. Its all a learning experience. I'm down 104 lbs and this time I've learned what works. I'm 15 pounds from goal. I've been here before more than one. I weigh and log religiously and I budget for treats. I treat myself to skinny pop every night. I eat a huge chipotle burrito twice a week after a hardcore workout.

You just gotta be tired of being sick and tired. Look at where you are. This is the sum total of the decisions you've made thus far in your life. Own it. Put yourself first. Plan a menu out in advance. Do a weekly grocery haul. Have healthy food readily available so it become second nature. You can do this!!!

It is not all or nothing about eating "healthy" foods. Preplan your day 24 hours a head of time that include different kinds of foods.

Whatever you're doing isn't sustainable. You need to find a way of eating that youre willing and,like able to stick with for the rest of your life.
The great thing about losing weight weight through simple calorie deficit is that you don't have to give up any foods. You just have to eat fewer calories.

Go for -0.5 lbs a week instead of anything more aggressive, much easier to comply. Shoot for a balance (80/20 or 70/30). Go for higher protein/fat/fibre, so you're more full on less, and learn some new recipes.

Two helpful ways to deal with the food that gets me off track are
- getting single serve portions and eating them out of the house. I just don't have them inside
- avoiding having really moreish things like chips or whatever 2-3 days in a row (gets a bad pattern started)
- making the next meal something I think of as nutritious and "on track", instead of punishing myself.

McDonald's quarter cheese combo for lunch? That's ok, it tasted good and I wanted it. I'll have roasted chicken with greens and chickpeas for dinner. Btw that involves going over my budget for the day - because on days I have the McD's meal I actually want from McD's, I am definitely going to be over my calories. (Because there's no way for me to stay on track and not get a headache, I'll be hungry at dinner with what's left). I'm not going to set myself up for an even harder day the next, either.

But in making the chickpeas and greens and chicken, which have all kinds of good stuff in them, I'm affirming that I value my body, as well as my tastebuds, and that I am making choices. It means I'm still in control. That McD's doesn't mean "I'm on a downward slide and what the hell might as well just go for Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner", it just means I felt like a cheeseburger, and now I'm having chicken & greens & delicious chickpeas.

Only two things you can do really:

1.) Put less food restrictions on yourself, there is no need to eat only items you hate to lose weight.

2.) Want it more, if you want it enough, and you have reasonable expectations, it will happen.

I would also say, if you have a bad day, just log it, learn from it and move on - each day you get a clean slate
and try and move as much as possible til it becomes a habit

Forget about being consistent. When you say consistent I see eating x-calories every.single.day. Not going to happen.
So definitely prep meals; prelog; don't be too strict on your food choices; add veggies, your best friend to feel full; DO have treats or foods you like; keep treats out of the house if too much temptation... but at the end of the day, unless you have iron clad will, you WILL fall off or just plain decide to have a higher calories day. So forget about being consistent: Just don't. give. up .

Sometimes it's about doing what is sustainable. A lot of people will start really aggressively and eat 1200 calories a day for a while. Most people don't find this sustainable and will soon binge and "fall off the wagon". Not everyone but for many people this is true. It would be better to lose slower than to lose quickly, not be able to sustain, and gain it all back.

taracan25 wrote: »

Sometimes it's about doing what is sustainable. A lot of people will start really aggressively and eat 1200 calories a day for a while. Most people don't find this sustainable and will soon binge and "fall off the wagon". Not everyone but for many people this is true. It would be better to lose slower than to lose quickly, not be able to sustain, and gain it all back.

Yep.

Reasonable goal, none of that 'clean eating' nonsense, but instead eating a balanced diet that is sustainable in the long run, and eating what you like in moderation... that's how you do it.

And logging everything helps too - easy to see that even if if you have a bad day, worst case you undid a couple days of deficit, it's not the end of the world at all.

I have found that some people treat weight loss as a personal punishment for being so fat/lazy/whatever. I don't think these people will ever truly succeed in weight loss until they are able to forgive and love themselves. You are doing this FOR yourself, not TO yourself.

missblondi2u wrote: »

I have found that some people treat weight loss as a personal punishment for being so fat/lazy/whatever. I don't think these people will ever truly succeed in weight loss until they are able to forgive and love themselves. You are doing this FOR yourself, not TO yourself.

Love this!

Sometimes I think I have over eaten, but when I log it, at least half the time I am still within my calories. It's been a good learning experience to just be honest, log the food and get on with it!
MFP is the first healthy lifestyle change (I'm not calling it a diet!) that has truly worked for me, because I finally have an understanding about calorie intake and output. When I know how hard the 45 min spin class was, I'm less inclined to over indulge.
Also, one thing to try might be to tell yourself that you can't have "junk food" every single day. Even saying no to yourself every other day can be empowering. And when you do have it, measure and log it properly so you don't view it as bad. It is just part of your calories that day.

MasterVal wrote: »

Completely eliminating foods never worked for me - cravings can only be suppressed for so long. I love burgers, pizza, steaks, and cheesecake and tried in the past to completely remove them from my menu - it's hard and never worked. This time around, instead of eliminating, I incorporated my favorites foods - planed them into my days to make sure I stay within my budget.

When I start feeling to have a burger, I plan one either for tomorrow or day after - it's close enough to help me with the willpower and does not wreck the budget.

This plan worked excellent for me - I've lost almost 50 lb out of initially planed 30 and now in the best shape of my life. Darn it, even when I was in HS/college I didnt have abs- I do now (25 years later)

I've been following the same plan in my maintenance.

OP, you got to treat this as a lifestyle - if you treat this like a weight loss diet then you will plan for it to end. And then what? Eating as before? Eating as before is the reason why you're here, and it will get you to the same place again. Treating this as the permanent change to you lifestyle, will (should) teach you how to eat the foods you like in moderation.

I wish you success.

There's been a LOT of great advice given by everyone on this thread, but I wanted to repeat the bold above. I think this is a great tip for long-term success. We teach our kids to not expect instant gratification, but we also need to remind ourselves of it regularly as well. It's not denying the craving, but learning to manage it.