No Self Control

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I just started on this site but I am not new to dieting. I am having a hard to with self control. I am always feeling hungry. And then when I look at my calories left I am afraid to eat them because I will have less for the next meals. I love that it has my carb, protein, fat and calorie intake but at the same time I am like crap I only have this many carbs left or this many calories, protein etc.. And I get frustrated. I try to balance everything but it does not work out right. I will be honest and say this is only my second day and I know I need to take it one step at a time but I just want to stick within my goals. And it seems from just these two days I have gone outside my goals. I don't know. I guess I am just really down about the whole thing. I want so badly to be skinny and healthy and to be perfectly honest I am tired of it taking so long to get there. Not that I will be done when the weight is off but I will be in better place to control what I have. Right now I feel like I have no control. Anyway sorry I guess I just need to vent and see if I am the only one out there that feels this way.. Thanks for letting me vent.

Replies

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Just start by eating smaller portions of foods you normally eat, that way if you are feeling hungry you can still have an extra snack or a little more at one meal. One thing that's really helped me is recognizing that I physically NEED to eat protein in the morning. It honestly changes my whole day.
  • dnsrmr
    dnsrmr Posts: 99 Member
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    I'm not sure if this would be something you would be interested in, but I do NOT EVER count calories. I count CARBOHYDRATES (minus the dietary fiber).
    It's much easier and you eat alot of food til you sometimes can't eat anymore and stlil lose weight.
    Go to www.atkins.com and check it out. Start the INDUCTION to jump start quick weight loss and a wonderfully gratifying feeling of feeling full, eating more and lost weight.
    Good luck and God bless you with your goal~
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
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    OK, first off, welcome. You got this, and you can do it.

    You are right about this being the very beginning and you are trying to look at everything at once. It's too much. For one thing, the MFP protein goal is really low. So don't worry if you go over that. Fat, same thing; unless you are eating unhealthy fats (ok, don't go over 30 grams EVERY day, but you know what I mean). Sugar, if you have one piece of fruit you can go over. Don't worry.

    The first things you really need to look at focusing on are 1) calories - stay within your goals 2) water intake 3) exercising.

    There is more, but keep focus on a few goals at a time, or you will set yourself up for frustration and you'll want to give up. And.. you don't want to give up, RIGHT?

    Good luck!
  • DeviantDarkwolf2
    DeviantDarkwolf2 Posts: 363 Member
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    I would suggest you maybe plan your daily meals at the start especially if you are finding it hard to stay within your goal. Also look at your friends food diaries see what they are eating it may give you some ideas on different options I wish you luck you can do it!!!
  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
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    First, you should not look at this as a diet. It is a change in lifestyle. You can still eat, just limit your portions. This will save you a lot of calories. I still eat french fries and burgers from time to time. I am a very quare eater but I am doing well since starting. Try talking to a dietition. Just remember, it's all about portion control.
  • paulagabay
    paulagabay Posts: 96
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    take it one day at a time! I feel the same way as you do. Even though I have exceeded my goal weight I now decided I want to lose another 10 lbs. Everybody thinks I am crazy but I need to please myself. The idea of small snacks is a good one.
  • helloiloveukitty
    helloiloveukitty Posts: 448 Member
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    I felt like that when I started too. It does get better and it does get somewhat easier because you get used to better eating habits but as a whole, its not easy...it may be simple in terms of knowing what you need to do but doing it...you gotta flex the will power. Its a skill worth learning, and if you are 2 days in....its so new so don't beat yourself up! My body craved fat *kitten* foods so bad when I was starting out, it was like painful but it went away. I replaced bad food with good food that was delicious too.
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
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    I only eat back calories if I'm truly hungry, weak, or feel I NEED to. You will know in time. Also, I try to plan out an entire day to make sure I get all the nutrients I need to keep things balanced. I'm still fine tuning a lot. Keep plugging away. You will find a balance soon. Give yourself time. Good Luck! You can do it!!
  • cheneghan2010
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    I just saw this on someones blog and thought it might help you





    Don't Quit

    When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,

    And you feel like the biggest failure in town.

    When you want to give up just because you gave in,

    and forget all about being healthy and thin.

    So What! You went over your points a bit,

    It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!

    It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.

    It's learning the skills to get back in your range.

    It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.

    You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."

    It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.

    You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.

    To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,

    If you summon the will to get back in the race.

    But, often the struggler's, when loosing their grip,

    Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.

    And learn too late when the damage is done,

    that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.

    Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,

    but facing each challenge will help you grow.

    Success is failure turned inside out,

    the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.

    When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,

    If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit!

    - Author Unknown

    GOOD LUCK!!!!
  • vanessamuscles
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    Stick with it!!! I agree with the previous post in that you can just start eating smaller portions of what you normally eat. It takes the stomach a couple of days to adjust back to it's normal size. We stretch it out so much by eating much more than we need. After around 3 days our stomachs will go back to normal size and you will feel more full after meals and less hungry during the day. Try not to look at the numbers on Myfitnesspal as such a hard deadline to meet. I know it can be daunting to look and see you only have so many calories left, but try to think of it as a challenge to use those calories to make the best of your meals. And when all else fails and you still feel like you are always hungry then exercise more. Then the amount of calories you can eat will go up to! Hope this helps. Stay with this, I believe in you. :)
  • janiebabes
    janiebabes Posts: 6 Member
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    When i used to look at what was "allowed" for a normal person to eat, I used to have a panic attack! How on earth could I survive on so little food? It was literally terrifying. I have horrible hypoglycaemia so I could just see me having hypos all over the place.

    What I did though was cut back on refined foods. I have whole grain everything if I can manage it, I have cut back massively on starchy foods, and I have built up muscle bulk. All of these combined have helped me get over my cravings and carb addictions. Eating small meals frequently and making sure you have a couple of protein snacks a day is a great help, too. And lots of fibre! I now eat quite happily just the right amount of food, and I don't get upset about it

    I don't think it is just a matter of willpower - I think what is going on in your body in response to the sort of food you are putting in it, is very powerful, and you need to understand the whole low GI/high GI thing and how your hunger triggers work.

    The only time "willpower" has anything to do with it for me is in the evenings when I am bored and I get the munchies. I generally try to keep my hands busy at that time.
  • caroline150
    caroline150 Posts: 53 Member
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    I tried doing something similar to MFP last summer and obsessed over how I couldn't find the exact thing I ate with the exact nutritional information. This time around I am more worried about going over my calories...there is always going to be something that bothers me. One way I combat the calorie fear is to make sure I take a walk everyday if possible. If I miss a day I walk a little further the next. You'll be amazed how many calories you can burn just walking. After adding walking to your diary you'll gain the calories you burned back into your daily allotment.

    You'll soon get to the point where you won't even want to eat junk food...you'll feel too good about the progress you've made.
  • Devinsmom02
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    Thank you all so very much!! Everything everyone said really helped me with my thinking and not letting my self get overwhelmed. Someone had asked if I wanted to give up and my answer is no! :smile: I have given up on myself long enough. And I think that is part of the problem. I don't want to give up I just want the weight to come off so I guess I am just expecting it to happen and happen now. But I know that is not realistic. Anyway thanks I plan on continuing tomorrow and using all the advice you have given me!
  • cindysharp1
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    Don't be so hard on yourself. You need to just take it one day at a time. It is an adjustment like anything else. I have been doing this for 80 days or so and I have days that I am starving and some when I don't feel like eating much. I just try and eat some protein at every meal because it makes me feel fuller longer. It will take a week or so for you to get a feel for how much you can eat and stay within your calorie goal. It is all a process and we are all here to help each other through it. I know it is hard to think about only losing 1 lb a week when you have 25 or more lb.s to lose. But I have lost 25 lbs. and have another 35 to go. You can do this and you don't want to lose to fast or you will end up with loose skin and try and work in some strength training it will make a big difference. I hope this has helped. You can add me as a friend if you would like. Don't forget you are not in this by yourself!!

    Cindy:flowerforyou:
  • shanonrogers1
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    The first couple of days are always the hardest! When I first started I felt like I was always hungry and like you, I was afraid to eat because I wanted enough calories for the rest of the day! What I found over time is that it was a mental thing, I have to tell my self no! Try to focus on something else, go whiten your teeth or put on a workout DVD and if your still hungry in 30 minutes eat something small. Remember that everyone is different and you just need to find what works for you, don't get down! its only the start!
  • 2hdesign
    2hdesign Posts: 153
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    I'm restarting here again and I plan on doing the samething I did when I started. Pick what's most important to you at the moment. For me, that's calories. So for a few weeks I'll focus on getting meeting my calorie goal. For you it could be cards, sodium, whatever. Just pick one and work on meeting that. THEN pick the second most important thing to you. For me, that's sodium. And I know it will be painful to watch the sodium number for a few weeks, but as I get the calories under control then I will start getting the sodium under control.

    We all have to start somewhere. Take it slow and do what works for you if you want lasting change. There is no one size fits all in clothing (depsite what they might tell you) and there's no one size fits all approach to a healthy lifestyle. Hang in there! You can do it!