Lesson Learned the Hard Way

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lukajoey
lukajoey Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new here - just started 2 days ago. I had been trying to eat healthier and was eating alot of grains - felt horrible.....started logging my cals. and did good day 1 on MFP. Day 2 stuck to my 1200 cals. Went grocery shopping yesterday for variety of foods and............ended up pigging out and going over my 1200 cals. by 1500 :frown: What I learned (again) is that when I deprive myself by eating only certain things, I end up going hog wild when other foods are presented to me. And I have this mindset that "one day of binging won't hurt me" -- and then I weighed myself this morning and gained 3 lbs. :frown: So.....I know this is probably salt/water gain from what I consumed last night....and I am proud that I logged every single calorie that went into my mouth even though I was being "bad"..........but this was a good reminder to me that I need to balance out my diet with different food groups and focus on moderation instead of deprivation.

Just sharing here and I'm wondering if this "rocky start" is pretty common?

Replies

  • jennywrens
    jennywrens Posts: 208
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    I think a lot of people are surprised by how easy it is to go over without even thinking about it!!

    Trick is learning to jump back on .... I'm 14 weeks in and I have bad days too, but its key to your success to just accept it wasn't a great day and get back on it tomorrow. No guilt, no regret, no beating yourself up!
  • capricorn144
    capricorn144 Posts: 335 Member
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    Hello...Welcome.

    Maybe you just need to reset your thoughts about moderation.

    Today is 65 days of my logging in every morning here. (LOVE MFP!!!)
    so here is my suggestion:

    1200 is not a lot of cals.
    up your limit to 1350.
    EVERY MORNING log into your Food Diary and plan your day with VARIETY of foods within your goals.
    STICK to your plan for the day. If it is not on your plan DON"T eat it.

    Make sure you plan your snacks between meals. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day.

    I also use my blog to state my intentions for myself every morning to keep me focused.

    I lost 20 pounds in 2 months and it was easy and I did not "binge" I kept my eye on my plan and made a pact with myself to DO IT!
    best of luck to you.

    When you are ready to do this .... NOTHING will get in your way. Make a promise to YOURSELF to plan and stick with it. :flowerforyou:
  • babydull
    babydull Posts: 727 Member
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    focus on moderation instead of deprivation.

    For me, this is the key.
  • luvmybentley
    luvmybentley Posts: 74 Member
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    Good for you for keeping track of your calories. When I started, it was eye opening to see how many calories are in the foods I was eating. Keep at it, and you'll find that you will start paying more attention to the nutritional values and reading labels. When you are grocery shopping, you can make better choices....every little bit helps. I was able to find bread with half the calories, low fat or fat free versions of some of the food I like, soups with less calories and new snacks I never would have tried. Eventually you will have a larger variety of food in your pantry to choose from. At first I never knew what to eat, but now I have a selection of meals and recipes that I like that fit within my calorie budget, and I am much better at estimating calories and choosing lower cal alternatives. My big shock was baked goods...muffins, breads, buns etc. (I learned the muffins I was eating had 380 calories each, and some days I would eat 3, I can have toast/eggs/turkey bacon for breakfast instead for less calories and much more satisfying!) I also learned how many cals I was drinking...stuff I never gave any thought to.

    It is a process, but if you stick to it it does become easier. Good luck!
  • chippywelsh
    chippywelsh Posts: 23 Member
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    Hi

    I've been doing this for quite a few months. I haven't lost much weight but it's because I'm a pleasure seeker, I like my food, I often feel like I deserve a treat! The good news is that whilst I haven't lost much I haven't put on and I was definitely on a steady journey towards obesity before. In the last 6 years age 40 - 46 I gained just over 3 stone having never been overweight before. It took 6 years to put that 3 stone on so it's not going to be moving very quickly (unless I take fairly drastic action which I don't think I could even if I wanted too)

    I know I'm eating a more balanced and healthy diet. When I do fall off the wagon it's for a day or at most a weekend not several weeks/months as it used to be.

    If I eat healthy food I find 1200 cals to be plenty but I blow it by eating one or two unhealthy snacks or a takeaway. If you stick with it and stay honest you'll get really good at knowing what you really need to avoid eating very often.

    Also, just having other people to talk to when you're feeling weak or need motivating is great.

    Good luck, stick with it!

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