difficult time eating "clean" and no cheating!
sublimebutterfly
Posts: 2 Member
I have been through this weight loss process too many times to count. This time is much harder! I was doing 1hr of cardio from Oct - March. I was consistently losing 6lbs a month until February, then everything just stopped. Now, my cousin has been writing an eating plan and exercise schedule for me which seems to be working VERY slowly. Much more weight training and clean eating/low carb eating than I was doing before. I'm down a couple pounds in 3 weeks, but it just doesn't feel like anything. There are NO cheating days, NO alcohol, and it makes me depressed. On top of the slow weight loss, I am constantly retaining water....even though I watch my sodium intake and drink a TON of water. I feel angry and kinda want to give up. Anyone have similar experiences?
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You can have "cheat days" and alcohol on a diet. It doesn't have to be "clean", it doesn't have to be low-carb! You should definitely try switching it up, no matter what your cousin says - you can find a workable diet for you. I drink plenty on my diet, I just make sure to fit it in. Good luck!3
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How about simply counting calories? Yes, eating a balanced diet with plenty veggies, fruit, legumes, grains, lean meat, dairy, and good fats is good, but you also need to not drive yourself crazy.5
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It has nothing to do with low carb eating, weight training, etc. It's calories in / Calories out. Accurately log your calories, eat at a deficit and you will lose weight. You can have alcohol and the other foods you like, as long as they fit your calories. You probably just can't have as much as you had before, but you can still have them when they fit.9
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Seriously, if you can't sustain the program what good is it? It sounds like your cousin has set you up to fail. Is your cousin a trainer or a doctor or something?8
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Weight loss gets slower the closer you get to goal. If you are very, very close to goal, consider a half pound a week a good rate of loss. A lot of people focus more on fitness goals or inches lost as they get near the end.
No matter what, if you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight. There is absolutely no reason to make yourself miserable with food choices. Eat at a deficit and the weight will come off. Food choices can affect other aspects of health, how full you feel, and how happy you are during weight loss. Consuming solely "clean" foods (whatever that is) will only help if you eat at a deficit. A beer within your calories won't hurt your progress.
As seven other people are probably replying as I type this, pick a way of eating that you can sustain. Otherwise you'll gain back the weight when you quit your short-term diet.1 -
Why don't you just eat normally, in a deficit? 80% from whole, minimally processed foods, 20% to use at your discretion on treats/things you love.1
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positivepowers wrote: »Seriously, if you can't sustain the program what good is it? It sounds like your cousin has set you up to fail. Is your cousin a trainer or a doctor or something?
She is starting out becoming a personal trainer, and has been successful with a few other people. So, I trust her, but at the same time I feel like I need some regular "reward" if I'm going to succeed. For example, It would be good to have a couple drinks on Friday nights. Or maybe I'm just not disciplined enough. I want to be strong- but it is hard.
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She's not going to be successful for very long if she gives plans that aren't feasible to adhere to in the long term. There's really no need to get ridiculously strict and never "cheat". It's eating, something that should never be difficult or stressful.6
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So, I'm going to be completely honest here. I'm lazy, and I don't enjoy exercising. When I was in high school, I played a lot of sports and was super active, but that didn't feel like exercise to me. I would so be down for a game of ball, but an hour of cardio or weights or whatever just is not my jam. I know that about myself. So, my first step was getting my diet right. I started counting calories. In a sense, I ate what I wanted, but with my huge *kitten* appetite, I also learned what I could eat to get the biggest bang for my calorie buck. I started at 1500 and now I'm at 1200 calories. With diet alone, I've lost almost 50 lbs since the beginning of December- 4ish months. Diet alone. Now that I'm motivated and not so incredibly out of shape, adding exercise like walks, hikes, dancing, counting steps, and just getting up and doing things etc..is easier because I want to. I've already seen results, and now I'm building on that. I'm mentally motivated. I'm in Phase 2: Physical Health. Phase 1: Mental Health was hard enough3
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Heeeey- they changed my naughty word to "kitten." Big butt appetite is what I meant. I don't eat cat. "Big kitten appetite" sounds even naughtier MFP. Just saying.7
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TennesseeJen wrote: »Heeeey- they changed my naughty word to "kitten." Big butt appetite is what I meant. I don't eat cat. "Big kitten appetite" sounds even naughtier MFP. Just saying.
Lol! I was thinking, "that can't mean what I think it does so what does it even mean?" when I read it.0 -
U want to quit because u have a restrictive diet and a diet that is not sustainable. U need to reevaluate your eating plan... And eat within the allotted calories MFP has given you, this " clean eating" is going to turn into binge eating if ure constantly restricting2
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Sounds miserable. I just eat at a calorie deficit. Clean eating sounds great in theory but is too much darn work and too restrictive for me. I lose just fine with just a calorie deficit and eating foods I actually enjoy.1
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Weight loss doesn't necessarily get slower once we are near our goal. Our body doesn't know how much weight we want to lose. It depends on what our current weight's maintenance calories are, and it depends on the calorie deficit we're working with.1
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Weight loss doesn't necessarily get slower once we are near our goal. Our body doesn't know how much weight we want to lose. It depends on what our current weight's maintenance calories are, and it depends on the calorie deficit we're working with.
Actually not necessary. When you have very few lbs to lose, your body will feel lousy, eg dizzy, if you are too aggressive with deficit. That's how you know. There seems to be a bottom with the daily requirement for one's particular lifestyle.
(I'm 5 lbs from reaching normal bmi. I could do 2+ lbs drop / week but I better not! I'm very keen with observation
) 0 -
Did you know that the term "clean eating" has been invented approximately 20 years ago and does not have a definition for it self that people or food authorities agree upon?!
Make food and drinks fit your calories and macros - problem solved.
The concern is quantity - not quality from a size and weight point of view.
If you want to "cheat" do it - track it and move on a burger won't make you fat just like a salad won't make you skinny.
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Dieting for an extended time will eventually hit a stall due to homeostasis. And that plan doesn't sound like you like it, so the likelyhood of weight regain will happen. It's an continual story that been played over and over again in weight loss and eating "clean" usually ends up being the demise for many because how they eat "clean" isn't something they can sustain long term.
As has been mentioned, it's CICO. You want to bump your metabolism more? Then increase your exercise intensity. More resistance, longer duration, more sets, more reps, or just harder versions of current exercise.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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endlessfall16 wrote: »Weight loss doesn't necessarily get slower once we are near our goal. Our body doesn't know how much weight we want to lose. It depends on what our current weight's maintenance calories are, and it depends on the calorie deficit we're working with.
Actually not necessary. When you have very few lbs to lose, your body will feel lousy, eg dizzy, if you are too aggressive with deficit. That's how you know. There seems to be a bottom with the daily requirement for one's particular lifestyle.
(I'm 5 lbs from reaching normal bmi. I could do 2+ lbs drop / week but I better not! I'm very keen with observation)
Who mentioned or suggested ANYTHING about doing an aggressive deficit to lose weight? Again, let me say the following: your body doesn't know how much weight you want to lose. It depends on what our current weight's maintenance calories are, and it depends on the calorie deficit we're working with.0 -
I would ignore your cousin's plan and eat what you want (keeping a calorie deficit in MFP of course).
If this is miserable, you won't stick with it.
I had Baskin Robbins cookie dough ice cream last night. I can have treats by doing this.1 -
If her program doesn't work for you, it doesn't work. I'd never agree to a diet where I couldn't have a glass of wine or ice cream. I keep my treats within my macros and calorie goal. This should be a lifestyle adjustment for you. If what you're doing isn't sustainable for the long term, it just won't work. That's why a lot of people here will advocate for eating what you want, only in moderation.1
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Step one in losing weight is finding what is sustainable for you over the short term and long term. This doesn't sound like it works for you in any circumstance. So...2
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sublimebutterfly wrote: »positivepowers wrote: »Seriously, if you can't sustain the program what good is it? It sounds like your cousin has set you up to fail. Is your cousin a trainer or a doctor or something?
She is starting out becoming a personal trainer, and has been successful with a few other people. So, I trust her, but at the same time I feel like I need some regular "reward" if I'm going to succeed. For example, It would be good to have a couple drinks on Friday nights. Or maybe I'm just not disciplined enough. I want to be strong- but it is hard.
Let your cousin know that cookie cutter plans will not help her get clients. In a polite way obviously Depending on preferences, lifestyle and goals, different things work for different people, both in diet and exercise. When she is making a plan for a paying customer, she needs to adapt the plan to this person. Thank her, then forget about it and do what you feel is sustainable for you. 1 -
A good PT will make sure that the plan they offer is tailored to the individual client. One that the client can happily maintain in the long term. It is absolutely not necessary to cut anything from your diet and from a psychological point of view, it can be incredibly worthwhile making the things you love regularly fit into your goals. I eat all kinds of junk pretty regularly. I also eat plenty of veggie sand lean meats. I have the odd drink, slice of cake and have take out often. I still lose weight because it all fits into my goals.
If you're miserable it's never going to work, so do what's necessary to not be miserable and still lose.2 -
sublimebutterfly wrote: »positivepowers wrote: »Seriously, if you can't sustain the program what good is it? It sounds like your cousin has set you up to fail. Is your cousin a trainer or a doctor or something?
She is starting out becoming a personal trainer, and has been successful with a few other people. So, I trust her, but at the same time I feel like I need some regular "reward" if I'm going to succeed. For example, It would be good to have a couple drinks on Friday nights. Or maybe I'm just not disciplined enough. I want to be strong- but it is hard.
It truly is up to you to choose what you want most. You CAN have alcohol, cake, icecream, everything under the sun, but fit it into your daily calories! It's as simple as that. If this is something you will quit, then it's not right for you. Find what is right for you while still progressing, even if it is at a slower rate.0 -
does your cousin not like you?
no cheat days, no alcohol, low carb clean sounds like they don't.1 -
Just wanted to add...if you are starting strength training start taking measurements every 2-4 weeks in addition to the scale.
And Ill piggy back... if its not a sustainable process/lifestyle then your results typically wont be sustained either.0 -
It doesn't have to be miserable. While I'm sure your cousin means well, she is wrong about having to eat "clean" and not have anything you like. Set a calorie goal on MFP and do your best to stay within it. I have drinks on the weekends, go out to eat at restaurants, have donuts at work, etc... and have no problem losing (or now, maintaining) my weight. It's all about staying in a deficit, not food choices. Some foods will help you feel full for longer, will be more satisfying, but that doesn't mean you can't have the other stuff, too.0
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It has nothing to do with low carb eating, weight training, etc. It's calories in / Calories out. Accurately log your calories, eat at a deficit and you will lose weight. You can have alcohol and the other foods you like, as long as they fit your calories. You probably just can't have as much as you had before, but you can still have them when they fit.
This. Cutting out the foods you enjoy is just setting yourself up for frustration and failure. If you can't even stick with it during the relatively short weight loss period, how are you going to stick with it for the years and years of maintenance that follows?
Continue eating the foods you like, start accurately tracking, pay attention to portion sizes (food scale is a really good idea ), and then stay within your calora goals (MFP figures this out for you ). That's all that's needed for weight loss. You also don't need to exercise if you're not enjoying it. Or go back to doing the exercise that you liked doing before your cousin got involved.0 -
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For me, eating "clean" sounds great on paper, but it is not something I'd be able to sustain over a period of time. I'm sorry but I like eating all foods. I don't like programs that notate something as a "bad food" or "good food". I have a lot of friends who are always jumping in and off the clean eating train because they can't seem to sustain it for more than a month. Why would you do something that is very obviously hard for you? I mean, yeah it works for some people but it's okay if it doesn't work for you. I would try to just do a regular calorie deficit. Eat the foods you like to eat and don't worry about being "clean". Whatever that's supposed to mean.0
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