Lost in the maelstrom and need guidance. What has worked for you?
ChristieMRicci
Posts: 4 Member
I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, and I never seem to stick with anything for more than two weeks (if I even make it that long). I've gained 40 pounds in the last 6 years - a real frustration because I had lost 60 pounds in the 4 years before that. I LOVE food...all of it, but I prefer healthy food over fried or sugary treats....I just eat too much! I'm active, I go to bootcamp three times a week and walk 3-4 miles most days.
All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
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Replies
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Put your stats into MFP, tell it the amount of weight you are looking to lose per week but don't be too aggressive, then eat the foods that you like and stay within the calories it tells you. If you do log exercise, maybe only eat back 50-75% until you can get a good understanding of what is working and not working for you.
And get a food scale for accuracy. Oh, and be patient.0 -
When you set your goals on MFP it should be setting up a guided process for you.
I'd suggest picking a goal of .5 lb a week of 1 lb a week. The faster you lose, the more muscle you lose. Also the more modest your goal, the more you can eat.
Then...just eat however many calories MFP tells you to eat. Log all your food. Go buy a food scale. Underestimate your exercise calories, or a lot of people eat only 50% of exercise calories back. Don't worry about carbs or "clean" eating, unless you WANT to or have a medical condition. More protein/more fiber might help you to feel more full and might help you to stick to your plan, but it isn't necessary for weight loss.
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.0 -
ChristieMRicci wrote: »All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
From the above there is only one SINGLE thing that is true - the bold one.
Just eat all your favourite food inside your calorie limit (set by MyFitnessPal here), weight everything with a scale and log it. If you do that you will lose weight like everyone else here.
It is so simple and straight forward.
You just can't go wrong. (Also it is common sense, right? No need to get overwhelmed by all this irrational information online like "you eat too little and that's why you're fat", right?
)
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I've lost around 50lbs and I'm celebrating my 3 year maintenance anniversary this month. Back when I realized my weight gain was affecting my health (high glucose numbers), I knew I had to keep things simple because I was so overwhelmed. I focused on continuing to eat the foods I liked, just less of them. I learned how portion sizes worked, I started using a food scale. I started accurately tracking my food intake.
That's it. No fad diets, no cutting out food groups or any of the foods I enjoyed eating. No extreme exercise schedules. I began eating the appropriate amount of calories for my goals, and here I am today
Weight loss is pretty straightforward, figure out your appropriate calorie parameters, start accurately tracking. You will see results and learn how to do this whole thing in a realistic and sustainable way!0 -
blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?0 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?
First, I'd rather log my whole life than be obese my whole life.
Second, I pre-log and I make good use of recipes and saved meals. Rather than weigh food and log it, I weigh out the portion I logged the day before.
Most days, I eat something I've eaten before and can log my whole day in under 2 minutes. It's faster than brushing my teeth.
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Eat less.
Eat less to a point where you are consuming less energy than you are using.
Lose weight.
It's no harder than that.0 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?
I tried not logging, after I'd been in maintenance for a while, and I began gaining weight. I learned a valuable lesson and I'll log for the rest of my life, which is probably 40+ more years. The small inconvenience is worth it, considering the alternative (my glucose numbers go up when my weight goes up, family tree is filled with obesity and type 2 diabetes).0 -
As to what worked for me so far - 100 lb down - it's simple.
I treat my calorie goal as a must do. I treat my protein goal as a nice to do. I have no other restrictions.
In terms of tips and tricks, I pre-log as mentioned, and I keep track of foods I find very filling and try to plan my day around them. For example if I want a bigger dessert, which isn't very filling, I might do tacos with lean beef for dinner, something I find extremely filling for the calorie count.0 -
ChristieMRicci wrote: »I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, and I never seem to stick with anything for more than two weeks (if I even make it that long). I've gained 40 pounds in the last 6 years - a real frustration because I had lost 60 pounds in the 4 years before that. I LOVE food...all of it, but I prefer healthy food over fried or sugary treats....I just eat too much! I'm active, I go to bootcamp three times a week and walk 3-4 miles most days.
All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
I won't repeat some of the great advice already, but one thing I want to add in is what kind of clicked for me this year. I also find I didn't stick to things for a long time. And then realized that at times in my life I had been successful in weight loss, consistency was what worked.
It didn't matter what it was (Weightwatchers, 21 day fix, calorie counting), if I stuck to it and was consistent, that's what worked. Which kind of brought my ah-ha moment thing year- 0.5 to 2 lbs a week. That's the kicker. That's the reality of weight loss. So many products and programs boast losing things like 15 lbs in 3 weeks or whatnot... and wouldn't that be wonderful!
I told myself I'd stick to MFP tracking for the month of January and be consistent - I lost 6.8 lbs that month. I charted every week and looked at the trend. It was working, because I wasn't setting myself to feel like a failure if I "only lost 1/2 lb that week." Some weeks I plateau, some I lose like 2 lbs, but most of the time I lose something like 0.8 lbs... and I have to let myself be okay with that. I keep charting and over the last 101 days I've lost an average of 1.2 lbs a week. And I have to tell myself this regularly- that this pace is healthy and I will get to my goal weight by the end of the year (if not sooner) at this pace. I won't magically wake up skinny tomorrow... it takes time and consistency.
Sorry for rambling, but I honestly think the key thing for me is being consistent and kind of faking it til I make it. There are days I don't want to track or days I'm hangry, or days that I just totally feel like giving up because "it was easier to eat whatever." But I track anyway.
So my advice, you want to lose 40 lbs- Give yourself a goal date and follow the MFP recommendations. Check out other BMR and TDEE calcuators too, get familiar with the math. Track everything. And don't fret about the goal date- you may want to lose 40 lbs in 6 months, but tell yourself (often!) that it's okay to take a year. Just keep at it and it will be worth it.2 -
I log while I am working out, which works well and also gives me motivation to keep working out! I agree with everyone - keep eating what you like, as long as you stay within your calorie goal for weight loss. I find that understanding portion sizes is critical. I don't weigh many foods, but did at the beginning to get an accurate idea of how much food 1oz of cheese was - not much!
Good luck!0 -
i agree with all the advice that has been given. i think you just need to find what works for you, holds you accountable enough, and really want it enough. there is no magic formula but i do think things definitely change as we age. the loss is harder and slower. just need to be really diligent with logging. for me, i feel better eating more times a day and eating a lot of protein seems to keep me out of the cookie jar most days. i also seem to have less late night feasts when i eat more through out the day, it took me a long time to learn these things. finally, every day is not perfect, don't punish yourself, it's life and right back on plan:) good luck to you!! you can do this one day at a time!0
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2snakeswoman wrote: »blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?
I would rather be healthy and fit than fat and unhealthy so I take the maybe 5mins a day and log my food and if I cook something new (which I do frequently as I have 13 pages of recipes entered here) I take the extra couple minutes for that.
What is max maybe 10mins out of a day when it comes to your health?
I find it odd and haha funny you are on a website for logging if you "can't stand it"0 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?
No one said that logging has to be something you do every day for the rest of your life. In fact, the fact that you know you don't want to do it forever is a good thing. Some people choose to log forever, others will transition away from it once they've been maintaining their goal weight for awhile.
Logging food does get easier with time. The more you do it, the faster it gets. You eat a lot of the same meals so it goes into your diary faster, you have saved recipes and favourite foods, plus you've developed the habit.
The only thing that works for weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn. That's it. Many people find counting calories a good way to ensure they're eating less than they burn. This is a calorie counting website, so you'll find that most people feel that way. What people choose to eat with those calories differ, but the people losing weight are all eating less than they burn.0 -
ChristieMRicci wrote: »I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, ...
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LINE IN YOUR ORIGINAL POST! You said you eat healthy foods and you get a good amount of activity, but you have trouble sticking with a program long-term. Here's the thing - if you don't deal with the emotional aspect of WHY you are overeating, those root causes will keep cropping up and sabotaging your efforts. In the moment, the need to eat your emotions will overwhelm your diligence and desire to get healthier. BY the time the emotional part has been soothed, the damage is already done. All of the eating advice is accurate, and good, but please take some time for some serious soul-searching, on your own or with a professional, to figure out the root causes of the emotions causing you to go off plan, and try to come up with some non-food ways of dealing with them.
Good luck.
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2snakeswoman wrote: »blues4miles wrote: »
Log everything you eat. Get in the habit. Don't change anything you aren't willing to change for the rest of your life.
But I'm not willing to log everything I eat for the rest of my life!
I'm trying but the logging thing seems like a huge onerous chore, especially when I'm trying a new recipe and should enter the recipe and figure out the number of servings so that I can figure out the calories in a serving. How do people stand it?
I cook my meals 95% of the time so the recipe builder is my favorite tool! To get an accurate calorie count you weigh the empty cooking dish first. Then prepare your meal with all of the ingredients entered and weighed out in grams. After the food is cooked, weigh the prepared dish. Subtract the empty dish from that number and tada you have the number of servings. That way you can weigh your personal serving in grams and have an accurate number. It's a pain the first time you have to enter a new recipe, but if you prepare the same food over and over its easy just to tweak the numbers accordingly. I'm pretty sure I will be weighing my food forever.
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PS: my weight loss efforts and diligence improved drastically when I worked on taking the more extreme emotions out of it. I am more in control now than ever. And if it's a person causing the negative emotions that urge me to self-comfort with food? Well, that person does NOT DESERVE THAT KIND OF CONTROL OVER MY BODY! My overeating never hurt them, only me, and I had to make it stop. I did *_*0
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ChristieMRicci wrote: »have an emotional eating problem
I'm a recovering emotional eater - you need to find a healthier way to manage your emotions that's not food. Food isn't going to fix whatever problems you having and overeating is just going to give you more. Therapy, self help books, support groups can give you different ideas but ultimately it comes down to you if you want to replace eating with taking a walk, knitting a sweater or anything else that isn't going to get in the way of your goals. Rigorous logging is what helped me break the habit of feel bad = must eat.
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ChristieMRicci wrote: »I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, and I never seem to stick with anything for more than two weeks (if I even make it that long). I've gained 40 pounds in the last 6 years - a real frustration because I had lost 60 pounds in the 4 years before that. I LOVE food...all of it, but I prefer healthy food over fried or sugary treats....I just eat too much! I'm active, I go to bootcamp three times a week and walk 3-4 miles most days.
All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
In addition to all the advice about logging accurately every day and eating less than you burn, find a different coping method for when you're feeling emotional and overwhelmed. Exercise. Write. Count backwards from 100 before you head for the pantry. If there's specific foods you tend to eat when you're upset, don't keep them around the house. But don't depend on willpower alone to keep you away from food when you're having a bad day. You need a game plan, and you need to practice implementing it.0 -
I have found the following works well for me:
1. FitBit - I am competitive by nature and have friends on it. So, I move more to try and be #1 and also simply having it on reminds me to get up and move.
2. Focus on the week rather than the day - I no longer feel bad seeing a day going over 250 calories when I know the day before I was under by 250. So long as the week washes out I am good.
3. Be honest with your logging or trick yourself - I constantly THINK I am fully honest, but I am not. I ALWAYS forget to log this or that and even sometimes under estimate my intake... I got around this by lowering my goal calories even further (in marksmenship they would call it Kentucky Windage lol) So since I know I am always 200-400 calories more than I logged, I lowered my goal to reflect it.
4. Accept a day or two a week of significant hunger - Sucks yes, but it is a sign of a shrinking stomach. I find if I spend a good amount of time hungry that I end up feeling full faster on the same exact foods as before.
Now, as to the big thing you mentioned, others have noticed it: Emotional Eating.
Got to fix that. Or work with it. Emotionally eat all the celery you want. Or switch to emotional walking?0 -
ChristieMRicci wrote: »What has worked for you?
Eating at a deficit. Really watching my calorie intake like a hawk every day. Walking every day (as a means to expand my caloric deficit). Switching my diet to a mostly-vegan diet and eating twice as many meals per day (smaller means, but more meals, and feeling less hungry).
The way you describe yourself sounds almost exactly like me... I love to eat. Not so much sweet or fried foods either, just lots of good food. I eat too much. I've had to really focus on my calories every day.
I recently switched to a mostly-vegan diet due to high cholesterol numbers. I still eat cheese on veggie pizza about once a week, and I still eat some fish/shellfish about once a week. But the rest of the time I avoid any and all meat, no eggs, and I've eliminated most other dairy from my diet (no more half-and-half in the morning coffee, though I still eat yogurt as they make some very nice high-protein yogurts now). I'm eating mostly carbs, vegetable protein sources and veggies. I'm down almost 14 lbs. since March 4th. This has easily been the most success I've had in a short period of time losing weight.
I was very hungry the first three weeks of doing this. Eating the smaller meals 6x/day helped stave off some of the hunger, but I was hungry a lot. Around the 4th week it got easier. The last two weeks have felt "normal" and I haven't felt starved, and I've often missed a meal or two and not noticed (eating 4x per day instead of 6x).
Most of my meals are between 250 and 350 calories each. Honestly, I like eating more times per day and knowing I'm not blowing my calorie budget. It has felt nice. I miss meat a LOT, and I miss eggs. I miss my bacon and eggs breakfast burrito the most, and I miss chicken and steak (especially now that the weather is nicer and the grilling season is upon us). But I'm stoked about my progress so far. I have a blood work checkup this week and am excited to see how it turns out.
The biggest thing is staying within the calorie budget. For me, eating 6x per day and eating smaller meals has really helped me achieve that. In addition, walking. I have my FitBit hooked up to MFP and it automatically tells me how many extra calories I've earned from exercise. I use those calories. I eat them. They're my reward and that helps a lot.
You can do it.
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I started MFP 2 years ago, took about a year and a half off and am starting it again since I started to feel like I was getting a bit "out of control". Some of the things that I continued to do when on MFP and not is use smaller plates. It really helps you visualize that you have a full plate of food, with it really being smaller portion sizes. I also drink a lot of water throughout the day and stopped drinking my calories (for the most part).
For exercise, I really ease my way into it. My first go around and this one, I started off just walking. I walked on both breaks at work and then around the neighborhood in the evenings. Now, I make it my goal to walk 3 miles by the time I get home from work- simply from walking on my two fifteen minute breaks and parking a good distance from my office (I work at a university, so I have to walk a half a mile from my parking garage to building on campus). I would eventually like to get back to the gym a few times a week, however, there is no convenient, affordable one around us- so for now, I'll just continue to walk!1 -
ChristieMRicci wrote: »I'm over 40, have an emotional eating problem, and I never seem to stick with anything for more than two weeks (if I even make it that long). I've gained 40 pounds in the last 6 years - a real frustration because I had lost 60 pounds in the 4 years before that. I LOVE food...all of it, but I prefer healthy food over fried or sugary treats....I just eat too much! I'm active, I go to bootcamp three times a week and walk 3-4 miles most days.
All of the information out there is just so overwhelming: you're eating too much, you're eating too little, cut out sugar, cut out carbs, Whole30, Paleo, Atkins..... sometimes I just want to lay down and give up.
I want someone to come along, take my hand and say: this is what you need to eat and when and you will succeed.
What has worked for you?
I think you have to learn to tackle your emotions with something else than food, and at the same time practice patience. Plus stop that overthinking. Weight loss is simple - sustaining a calorie deficit; if you eat less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. Sticking to the calorie deficit is the tricky part, though. We can give you the best plan in the world, but it won't help if YOU don't follow through.
What many people who succeed have done and do:
Planning meals and finding some kind of exercise they like.
Predicting possible hurdles and setting realistic goals.
Taking realiable measurement of their progress.
Learning what appropriate portions look like, and how "full" is supposed to feel like, finding what foods satisfy, and differentiate between hunger and cravings.
Not cutting out anything for no good reason.
Cooking from scratch as much as possible.1 -
I don't want to log the rest of my life either. I also don't want to do my financial budget the rest of my life.
But it works.
If I know what is coming in and going out (calories or dollars) I have the control. There's no more guessing. I would much rather pre-log my food for 3 minutes every night than wonder how I gained 5lbs and my favorite jeans will barely button. I'm done playing games.0
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