Craptastic, I just want need a healthy way to lose weight.

Hi! I lost 126, kept it off for a year, and then regained 56 when times got tough and I returned to old habits (emotional eater here). The number one piece of advice I could give is expect to be hungry -- at least I am experiencing what feels like hunger, even if it's just in my head with a very strong desire to eat. I'm just so used to shoving something into my mouth when I felt "hungry" justifying that it's not normal to feel hunger. Well, for me at least it is. Once I could accept that feeling I was better able to resist it. I stopped lying to myself and that feeling lost power.

Do you know why you eat? Can you examine your feelings that make you want to overeat/eat the wrong types of foods at the time you have those urges? If you can figure that out it is also easier to resist them. For me, when I would get stressed/tired/depressed/bored I would comfort myself with food -- usually sugar, simple carbs, or chocolate. It was so automatic I didn't think about it. I would feel better for a bit, so it was rewarding, but soon the feeling would go away and I would feel horrible and terribly ashamed. And yet, rinse and repeat I kept doing it. Once I figured out what my triggers were or what feelings I was trying to hide from I would make myself sit down and go over those feelings and examine what was causing them -- really dealing with them instead of trying to eat them away. I would remind myself that I couldn't truly eat those feelings away. It was HARD. But it does get easier. And as you learn to do this (and for me it's a struggle because in times of stress I have those desires again) it does get easier and easier to deal with feelings instead of trying to hide them in food.

Some practical tips:
Make sure to log everything -- no matter how small it might seem.
Weigh and measure. Just eyeballing it or guessing is a great way to go over.
Drink lots of water.
Log even on the bad days. Be honest with yourself. By "cheating" on what you log you're only harming yourself and sabotaging your efforts. By facing it head-on you can move on.
Going along with that be patient with yourself. If you slip up, don't give up! As a friend told me, having a binge or making a poor choice is one thing. But sabotaging yourself for the rest of the day (or week, etc.) is like someone getting a flat tire and then going around and slashing the other three tires because the first one was already flat. It doesn't make sense. Just move on. (this was super helpful for me when I felt like giving up after a poor choice)
Concentrate on how healthier eating makes you feel. After awhile you will find that healthier foods make you feel good, give you more energy, etc., and the unhealthier foods have the opposite effect. That in itself can be very motivating to continue to make better choices -- especially when cravings hit. Is it worth the feelings (emotionally, mentally, AND physically to eat this food? Sometimes yes, but most of the time for me it was no.)
And find ways to satisfy cravings in healthier ways. It can be portion size, it can be a healthier alternative, it can be an occasional indulgence that you set aside the calories for. That's much more sustainable. For me, it's a fun-size pack of peanut M&Ms every day (90 calories) that satisfies my sweet tooth and helps me stick to my plan for the long-term.

Best of luck. You can do this!

You really need to educate yourself on sustainable weight loss and maintenance. I would suggest reading these threads and forums not just looking for tips & tricks.

Start here:

for weight loss:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

for maintenance:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300324/most-helpful-posts-goal-maintaining-weight-must-reads#latest

You seem to have a good attitude and a genuine interest in positive changes. Good for you!

During the time period after your weight loss surgery, when you said you were happy, what worked for you then? What were you eating? What quantities? Any way to replicate the habits that were successful for you back then, maybe just adjusted slightly now?

You are off to a good start. Logging is key.
Also two more links that can be helpful:
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-beginners-guide-to-myfitnesspal/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/snacks/

Something I thought of to add that I forgot to mention. We all have our own methods. If you try someone's advice and it doesn't work, that doesn't mean you've failed, it just means that that particular method isn't for you. You have to find what works FOR YOU and is something you'll be content doing for the rest of your life. For example, there are people that are happy to go low/no carb and they're fine with it. I can't do that. You'll pry the garlic breadsticks out of my cold dead hands! XD So I don't try the low carb diet because while I could do it for a little while, I couldn't do it the rest of my life, which means I'd regain the pounds I lost when I go back to how I was eating before.

Getting advice and methods from others is great, it gives you ideas and directions to try. But if something isn't work well for you or you just don't feel like you want to do it the rest of your life, it's ok to try another method or mix some things up. When you hit a method that works well for you and is sustainable, you'll know. ^_^

ILoveCockatiels77 wrote: »

Try this diet structure
Breakfast - 2.5 Oz of meat, small carb, and veggie

Morning snack - 2.5Oz meat, and fruit

Lunch - 4oz meat, carb and veggie

Noon snack - 2.5 Oz meat and carb

Dinner - 4oz meat, carb, and veggie

Late snack - frozen fruit .25 cup


This works ! Just make sure ur carb Is low like 1/2 cup of brown rice, or 1/2 cup of pasta. U can have as much veggie as u want, u can even have salad, but no possessed dressing. A vinegar of some kind with salt is what's best.
I'm telling u it works I lost 3 pounds In 1 day!

Totally unnecessary. You can eat literally anything you want, as long as you are in a calorie deficit, and still lose weight.

ILoveCockatiels77 wrote: »

Try this diet structure
Breakfast - 2.5 Oz of meat, small carb, and veggie

Morning snack - 2.5Oz meat, and fruit

Lunch - 4oz meat, carb and veggie

Noon snack - 2.5 Oz meat and carb

Dinner - 4oz meat, carb, and veggie

Late snack - frozen fruit .25 cup


This works ! Just make sure ur carb Is low like 1/2 cup of brown rice, or 1/2 cup of pasta. U can have as much veggie as u want, u can even have salad, but no possessed dressing. A vinegar of some kind with salt is what's best.
I'm telling u it works I lost 3 pounds In 1 day!

No you didn't lose three pounds in one day due to eating this. You may have dropped some water weight but not three pounds of fat. One pound equals a deficit of 3500 calories. You didn't have a deficit of 11500 calories that day. Not possible. Maybe not even possible if you ran every minute you weren't eating and I doubt you were doing that.

indygirl217 wrote: »

I don't want to "diet" because I know they don't work long term. I'm looking for something more of a change in my eating habits.

That is a very good point to start with

And it is a easy concept. Eat at a deficit and you lose weight!

So start logging your food here. Start weighing all your food ( dont use cups or spoons but weigh it)
Create a deficit ( so burn more than you take calories in) Next to that you can start moving more if you want to.

If you want it, you will do it and stick to it.

Good luck OP. Just start doing what your have in your mind...step by step. and the weight will come off!