I am pathetic.

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midlifesally
midlifesally Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am pathetic. can't seem to keep myself on track re: diet. I have good intentions, then end up overeating. It is very, very, very hard for me to resist sweets.
Maybe I have a deep seated fear of losing weight? Or is that too weird?
Every day I get up with good intentions then go to bed feeling like a loser.
My lifestyle is chaotic. I rarely eat a meal at home (I travel or end up at my kids' houses most evenings)
The sugar cravings are the worst.
Any advice is appreciated.
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Replies

  • maasha81
    maasha81 Posts: 733 Member
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    Can you limit access to sweet treats ...don't keep it in the house . Choose an alternative option such as fruit. Another choice is to save enough cals to have that sweet treat.

    I used to be one of those persons who had to have something sweet after lunch and dinner. For me I decided to limit my portions and eventually stopped craving sweet after a meal. I still do indulge on occasions and make allowances but I do not let it control me.

  • KimBedard11
    KimBedard11 Posts: 2 Member
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    For one thing you have to change your attitude ! You're not pathetic. It sounds like you're simply filling a void with sugar. You need an activity that gives you the same "high" as sugar. And there's lots of naturally sweet foods out there to satisfy your sweet tooth. The less sugar you eat, the less you will eventually need to satisfy the craving.
  • onlytati
    onlytati Posts: 45 Member
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    Don't bring yourself down. This is not an easy road. You need motivation and accountability. Someone to say, "hey, don't eat that!". I need it too. I need someone to "how come you didn't work out today?" Or "that starbucks wasn't really necessary, but I'm sure you will do better next time". Feel free to add me.
  • chanjm13
    chanjm13 Posts: 1 Member
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    First, you are not pathetic. We all make mistakes and slip up. I have the same problem I love sweets! And I mean I love sweets to the point that I could just eat sweets and nothing else so just know that you are not alone. Losing weight is hard but the most important thing is to not be so hard on yourself, you're only human. So if you slip up and eat something not in your "diet" list just don't give up and say "screw it, the day is ruined! I might as well eat whatever I want now." Instead get right back on track, you can do it!
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    You don't have a fear of losing weight. You are just set in very bad habits.

    It takes time and a WHOLE LOT of effort to break lifetime bad habits. But it can be done. It just take a lot of work, a lot of determination, and a lot of stubbornness. You fall off the horse, you get back on it. You never stop. You never give up.

    If you really do have a sweet tooth that you can't control, don't keep it in the house. I've gotten mine under control yet even after 5 years there are still things I can't keep in the house. Nutella is one of them. It's one of the few things I have no control over so it's better if it's not there.

    If your life is that chaotic you will have to find whatever works for you. If you have to pack lunches/dinners then that's what you have to do. Either way, you can do it.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Is it possible that when you decide, "It's time for me to get healthy and do something about my weight!" that you go all out, eliminate all the foods you love and restrict yourself too much? It's easy to do that when you first decide to try to lose weight, and you're all gung-ho, but it can sometimes backfire and you end up bingeing and getting completely off track.

    Put your stats into MFP. Don't set a weekly weight loss goal that's too aggressive (for example, if you only need to lose 20 lbs, don't set it for 2 lbs per week). Create balanced meals and snacks within your calorie goal, and try to make room for a treat for yourself each day.

    Good luck!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    If you believe that you can't do this then you probably won't do it.
    If you really want to, you will !
    Do you think your the only person here who loves sweets?! I love sweets too ! I have just learned moderation and portion control. You can too !
    For weight loss, all you need is a calorie deficit. Calories in - calories out. Eat less then you burn and you will lose weight.

    This^^

    Check out my diary, it's full good stuff!! Cringeworthy!! LOL
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Find alternatives to sweets that fit better for you. I love my Salted Carmel Quest Protein Powder. For a treat I make it with lots of ice and unsweetened soy milk and it's like ice cream. I also love Oikos Triple Zero Banana Cream yogurt with fresh strawberries of blackberries.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    Nah, you're not pathetic, you're human and humans like food, especially the sweet kind. I have had many cringe-worthy days in the past year, and it has not stopped me, nor do I feel bad about them at all. Food is delicious and I will never feel bad about eating any of it! ;) I just don't have high-calorie days nearly as much as I used to (every day), and I move a lot more than I used to, so it all balances out.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    If you believe that you can't do this then you probably won't do it.
    If you really want to, you will !
    Do you think your the only person here who loves sweets?! I love sweets too ! I have just learned moderation and portion control. You can too !
    For weight loss, all you need is a calorie deficit. Calories in - calories out. Eat less then you burn and you will lose weight.

    This.

    Do you suffer from an "all or nothing" mentality? Do you eat lunch out and then think to yourself, "well, I might as well just give up for the rest of the day"? Because that happened to me alot before I got serious. It was only after ditching that outlook and understanding that I could fit the eating out and sweets into my calorie goal that the clouds seemed to part and I was successful. TBH, we're all busy. We all live chaotic or hectic lives. But we're still able to make things work because we've learned to fit fast food and cravings or substitutes into our days, and that works for us. It can work for you too, you just have to work at it and find your happy medium and appropriate calorie goal.
  • asteriskthat
    asteriskthat Posts: 73 Member
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    I agree with the other posts here: you're not pathetic! You're a human being and that simple fact makes you amazing.
    I'm going to suggest a different tactic; maybe you could have a go at getting more structure into your life before giving yourself a hard time about what you eat. It may help with the weightloss once structure is involved. However, I know some people found their life fell into olace once they were on track with a healthy lifestyle, so it goes both ways. Just something to think about.
    Another thing to think about is baby-steps. I'm just getting back on track after a few months away from mfp, and my first thing is to log EVERYTHING, even if I have a terrible day nutritionally (I used to just not log and count the day as a loss when I had too much of certain foods). So far it seems to help. Once I'm comfortable with that habit, I'm going to try and focus on choosing nutritionally balanced foods. TL;DR: Baby-steps.
    Add me if you need the support!
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    I'm not good with words, so... <3
  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
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    The sooner you stop feeling sorry for yourself, the sooner you can do something positive in your life.
  • gabbo34
    gabbo34 Posts: 289 Member
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    Sugar cravings are the worst. I'm a big believer that there is a near physical chemical reaction a lot of us have to sugar. If you have Netflix check out the documentary 'Fed Up' about how much our sugar intake has increased in the US.

    It's like a runaway train. When I eat a lot of processed sugar, I crave it. I can kill a box of Girl Scout cookies or keep reaching into a bag of oreos. But after eating clean for a several days the cravings subside. I don't even miss it. But if I go back and have too much sugar at once the cravings all come rushing back.

    Take the good advice written above. Take it slow, log your eating, consider each good day a victory and consider any setback as temporary.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

    1. Get sufficient sleep.
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts.

    Best wishes!
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
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    I had it bad in the beginning with sweet cravings. I stayed determined though and managed to not keep bad sweet things in the house (I'll have fruit, granola bars, yogurts, and on OCCASION weight watchers ice creams I share with my mom only 120 calories but super small!) Limiting what you have access too helps a lot. When I'm in the store, I make sure I'm not hungry and keep away from the sweet things, don't even make eye contact!

    You can do it, don't give up! Giving up leads to failing, not faltering!
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    If you are not pre-planning, pre-tracking and doing food preparation ahead of time, you are planning to fail.

    Don't leave so much up to chance.

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