Tips on losing weight without completely starving yourself or spending too much time exercising

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I work 6/7 days a week for long hours so exercising outside is kind of hard to do, and I live in a duplex so I can't exercise inside without disturbing roommates and neighbors. My biggest problem is that I eat healthily throughout the days and then all of a sudden I'll pig out for 1-2 days. The cravings are crazy. Any tips to help control hunger and/or distract myself in a positive way?

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  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    What are you considering eating healthily? You may be restricting yourself too much throughout the days. The key is to find things that you like to eat and give you satisfaction and don't break the bank. My husband is a night-snacker... it doesn't matter how filling our dinner was... he snacks as we watch tv. I have to be honest - I don't have the willpower to not snack when he does. So I make sure that I have calories left over at the end of the day to snack and I make sure that I have healthy things on hand... for me that's Lemon Meringue Temptations Pudding, apple slices with nut butter, 90 calorie granola bars, lemon no-sugar-added popsicles, blueberries, kale chips, dehydrated green beans... depending on what I might be in the mood for. I also crochet at night... it keeps my hands busy. Keep in mind that what you are eating during the day is important too... here's what I eat on a regular basis... my morning starts with 2 egg whites and one whole egg cooked in a little coconut oil, sprinkled with a teaspoon of shredded cheese and some greek yogurt or a piece of fruit. Lunch is almost always a large salad - greens, some lean protein, nuts, frenchs fried onions (I like lots of crunch in a salad), tomato, broccoli, a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese and some lite vinaigrette dressing, and some fruit. Dinner can get tricky because I have to cook for my husband (meat and potato guy) and my son (18 year old, hungry athlete). I generally do a protein in the crockpot or on the grill, a starch (potatoes or rice for them, sweet potato for me or a smaller portion of the starch), a vegetable (half my plate gets filled with the vegetable) and a salad. I've also learned to make soups, stews and casseroles in the crockpot and use cabbage and greens for fillers, quinoa instead of rice, etc.

    You have to look at it as a game and figure out how you can eat the most amount of food for the least amount of calories. Some people can handle eating less of the regular old junk - that doesn't work for me - I don't like to feel deprived and since I plan to be in weight-loss mode for a long time, I have to do what I can live with and stick to.
    Hope all this helps! Good luck on your journey!
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
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    Are you logging your foods? Are you sure that you are eating enough calories on the days you are "eating healthy"? That would be the first place that I would look. We all make mistakes, heck, I gorged myself on a large popcorn at the movies over the weekend, but all you can do is get up and dust yourself off and keep on keeping on. Being accountable for myself is one of the most important things I've learned.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    "You have to look at it as a game and figure out how you can eat the most amount of food for the least amount of calories. "

    This!!
  • courtneynix86
    courtneynix86 Posts: 6 Member
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    hi,
    I am on a low carb diet. The plan consist of meat dairy and veggies and not going over 50 carbs a day. I have seen results as well as my father. When we first started we were not working out at all and lost weight which was super cool. Now that we have implemented the exercise the weight comes off a little quicker. We both are dairy intolerant so it limits the diet a little bit. This diet does take some time to get used to because you have to focus on your carbs not so much the calories at first and then as you get the hang of it you can be more watchful off your calories. What I would suggest for those times where you feel starving eat things that are within the diet like have a boiled egg, nuts, and water. Hope some of these things can be helpful to you.
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    Also - make sure that you are eating enough fat in your diet! Too often I think we have been brainwashed to believe that fat is bad... but we need good fats in our diet to help us feel full.
  • stephanie20314
    stephanie20314 Posts: 81 Member
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    Buy a lightweight exercise bike that folds up for storage. Use it when you watch tv or read. Good way to get in cardio without bothering anyone.