Where do I begin........literally?

I really have found that if I eat breakfast I am hungry all day, if I skip it, so I can have a bigger lunch and supper, and my evening snacks (I really really like to snack) than I do much better. I am sipping my third cup of black coffee at my desk right now and it keeps me pretty happy till lunch. That being said this is certainly not true of everyone. So if you love your breakfast oatmeal is a really good choice, but I go with the steel cut oats instead because of the added fiber, they keep me full longer. it will be a matter of playing around, finding what you like and what works for you.

I've "had a go" at this a few times now and I'm getting much better.

First thing - don't overload yourself. Build your changes up. Don't try to exercise and change your food all at once. Food is most important and makes the most difference, focus on that alone for a month.

Secondly - plan your meals the night before. Then stick to it! Make sure you're weighing food out. Planning the night before is great because you don't have to make food decisions - if you're tired, emotional, bored etc you're less likely to eat because if it's not on the days plan, you say no! Also it gives you chance to prevent going off track - if you turned down pizza but you really wanted it, plan it into tomorrow. If you know you have to eat out, you can plan a really light breakfast/dinner to compensate or work some calories off.

Thirdly - try not to restrict yourself too much. You don't have to follow a certain diet to perfection - you can swap as change. This time around I'm going to calorie count on normal weeks, but also use intermittent fasting when my social calendar makes counting too complicated. And if I want pizza, I'll have it but it might mean a small dinner or breakfast. I won't beat myself up about following the social norm of 3 meals a day etc. Every meal and every day counts!

Lastly - find some old photos of yourself when you were slim, and look at them often. It'll remind you that you were once small and it IS possible! Take the time to motivate yourself each day - read success stories, look at nice clothes, day dream, review all the new things you're doing. This makes a big difference.

And another area to think about which has been a revalation for me lately - People!

Watch the people you want to be like! Shamelessly copy them if you need to. I've been closer to three smaller women in my team lately and I've been amusing myself at work by watching them and lots of other slim women and how they eat. It's so funny when you take notice. None of them count calories. Do they eat big breakfasts? Sometimes, usually eggs on toast. Do they eat the cooked lunch option? No, actually. Rarely! The only hot food I've seen the slim women eating is soup or food they've brought in themselves and microwaved. A couple of times one lady has had a healthy hot lunch like the fish option, but she has then gone and bought herself soup from the shop for dinner. Do they eat the office treats? Yes, but they take one or two every other day and that's literally it. If they over indulge they either cut back for a few days or exercise. Equally I've been watching my husband who is slim. He's always leaving food on his plate, he just has sandwiches for lunch. He doesn't eat office treats or snack. I've been listening to them when they suggest I bring a salad, join them in the gym or save parts of my lunch for snacks etc because I must be full. They're right most of the time! They're the natural experts.

Equally, avoid the behaviours of those you don't want to be like. There's a few people at work and family members who are more my size, and who I used to spend a lot of time with, and they can be quite naughty and discouraging. "This cake won't hurt", "Your diet is ridiculous", "I couldn't be bothered exercising", "Do you REALLY have to plan your food" etc etc. Now I write this out, none of my smaller friends say or do these things. I do so much better when I surround myself with positive, like minded people who support my efforts. I can't tell you how many times my slim work colleagues have coo'd over my healthy meals and praised my efforts to bring salad in for lunch or not eat the chocolates left out, it's really lovely. I've not had that genuine encouragement from my family or usual partners in eating crime before!

So I think the people around you are important. Even if it's just to tell the saboteurs to try to be sensitive to your diet, that can have a big impact on your success.

leeanneg91 wrote: »

i also just started and im finding it really hard to stay within my nutri recommendations ?
i end up going over the fat, or sugar but 23 or so?
HELP PLEASE!
Any advice would be appreciated
xx

Leeanne, I have never bothered to track my sugars, just always made sure to hit my protein minimum. Try my post I linked earlier: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside#latest

It really does work. While starting out, follow the KISS rule while you get the basics down. And in case you don't know the KISS rule, it's easy: Keep It Simple, Stu...

leeanneg91 wrote: »

i also just started and im finding it really hard to stay within my nutri recommendations ?
i end up going over the fat, or sugar but 23 or so?
HELP PLEASE!
Any advice would be appreciated
xx

MFP's sugar stat comes from all sugars. Unless you have medical issues, there is no need to monitor sugar. You already monitor carbs. I try to reduce added sugars, but MFP doesn't track those separately.

I treat protein and fats as minimums. These are both important nutritionally. Some people eat a high fat diet (on purpose) and still lose weight.

You can change settings to track different things. I track fiber instead of sugar.

TeaBea wrote: »

leeanneg91 wrote: »

i also just started and im finding it really hard to stay within my nutri recommendations ?
i end up going over the fat, or sugar but 23 or so?
HELP PLEASE!
Any advice would be appreciated
xx

MFP's sugar stat comes from all sugars. Unless you have medical issues, there is no need to monitor sugar. You already monitor carbs. I try to reduce added sugars, but MFP doesn't track those separately.

I treat protein and fats as minimums. These are both important nutritionally. Some people eat a high fat diet (on purpose) and still lose weight.

You can change settings to track different things. I track fiber instead of sugar.

THANK YOU! il have a look at the settings now!
been yoyo dieting for some time now and enough is enough..... trying to get back in shape and earn my abs back!

East1726 wrote: »

You are all so amazing for taking the time to offer me some tips. I've read all the stickies At the moment, I'm racking my brain about what to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning. I don't want to screw this up with my very first healthy meal. Lol

I know you were making a joke, but you want to get rid of the idea that you can "screw this up" with one meal--whether it's the first or the thousandth--because once you've "screwed things up" it implies the whole effort is ruined and you might as well continue screwing things up for a few more meals or days or weeks, or just toss it in altogether, which sounds like your pattern in the past ("because I go strong for about two weeks and then I binge and say to hell with it").

Even if you were to manage to eat 5000 calories in one meal, all you've done is wipe out your deficit for a few days or a week, depending on how big a daily deficit you have. It doesn't mean you can't return to deficit eating with your next meal, and eventually wipe out the surplus. If it was possible to "screw this up" with one meal, you're already doomed, because not only does pretty much everybody go over their goals for one meal now and then, but you already have in the past, or you wouldn't be overweight now. If all those meals in the past that left you overweight haven't already "screwed this up," no single future meal will either.

Breakfast tomorrow: Oatmeal. Or eggs and bacon. Or a protein smoothie. Or cold cereal and milk. Or pancakes. Or leftovers from today. Or whatever you like. Just log it accurately and see how it fits in your goals, and pay attention to how long it keeps you from feeling hungry again. Learn from that. Repeat for the next meal and the next day, et cetera.

I had a large stack of blueberry almond-meal pancakes for breakfast today, with a luxurious coffee with heavy cream (it's leftover from Christmas cooking, so I may as well use it) and a little orange juice diluted with a lot of seltzer, for about half of my day's calories (900-ish). I had planned something more like 550 calories, but I was trying a new recipe, and once the batter was mixed I thought it was way too thin, so I added more almond meal, which is very calorific, but very filling. I could have said, "I've screwed this up, may as well eat whatever I want--there's some great cheese in the refrigerator, and some cookies ..." However, I'm on vacation, so this very filling breakfast was late, and I'll probably only have one more large meal today, plus I have time to get some exercise and raise the number of calories I can have today. I really enjoyed the pancakes, and I'm very full, and planning to go run some errands that involve walking and hit the gym later. And my lesson is that if this happens in the future, I can either put away the griddle and cook the batter in a skillet like an omelet or a crepe (for a very eggy pancake, which is probably what was intended), or at least add wheat flour instead of more nut meal, for roughly two-thirds the calories, since I don't have gluten issues (the recipe touted itself as gluten and dairy free, but I just thought it sounded tasty).

Yesterday for breakfast I had sprouted quinoa with dried cherries, brown sugar, and a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream, plus coffee with milk, for 365 calories, which left me with plenty of room for a slice of lasagna and roasted brussels sprouts for lunch, and more quinoa, a small pork chop, sauteed spinach and sweet peppers, dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a glass of wine for dinner, and a couple of Ghirardelli chocolate squares and about 2 oz. of mixed nuts in the evening. A delicious day, within my calorie goals. I didn't even touch my extra calories from dance class, because I was just too full to eat more, so even if I go over a bit today, which I'm not planning on, but things happen, I can see that I'm still meeting my weekly goal.

it's ok at first to concentrate on portion control mostly. Burnout comes from trying to be perfect from the start or making too many changes at once. It's a marathon for most of us, not a sprint.
Once you get within desired calorie range using either mostly portion control or common sense about junk food reductions, work on making food swaps, one habit or food at a time. If you love a family recipe, search until you find a lighter version of it. Read labels and try to get more vitamins, fiber or nutrients for same meal. Click on the nutrition tab to see if you are getting all the micronutrients you need from food - use websites like the worlds healthiest foods to add nutrient dense foods as you slim and cut from your previous habits.
Make exercise goals to complement your nutrition goals. A goal like I will exercise ## minutes this week is both specific and measurable, but flexible so that you don't quit just because you didn't get to the gym on Monday. It allows you to makeup time later in the week if you have an early oopsie.
Don't quit. It's not how many times you fall off the wagon that determines success, but whether or not you jump back on each time. Accept you will have bad days and or binges but that doesn't have to mark failure. Consider planning for a flex day once a week where you consume x% more than usual or a calorie cycling schedule if that helps you feel occasional indulgences are part of the plan versus the end of the universe.

This has been working for me, I've lost about 50 pounds so far and have 70 to go... With about 10 years of experience in quitting diets after a few weeks before now, so I truly do know what you're talking about and feeling but know we CAN stick to it. Here's one sample of how this worked for me: I had been eating toast, egg and OJ commonly for breakfast. First swapped OJ for clementine. Next swapped 120 calorie multigrain bread for 100 calorie equivalent. Swapped avocado for butter. Swapped from bread to a high fiber light English muffin, 50 calories and double fiber. Eventually Swapped egg for egg and egg white mixture with turkey and portobellos - same protein with less calories and cholesterol. I can't tell YOU what to eat or swap for you to be successful, you need to look at what you like and ask yourself "is there something I can do to make what I eat regularly healthier?" A single habit change of 50 calories a day for the rest of your life really adds up... And Ten habit changes of 50 calories a day is that much more powerful. Saying to yourself this week I am going to work on xyz habit is way more positive and easier to stay motivated about than saying this week I am NOT going to eat abc.