Okay, clearly something's not working. Help?

CICO is one theory, here is what worked for me: Don't let the title fool you, it's not about fasting, it's about insulin resistance, which, is the reason most people are overweight. This tells you how to correct it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sAqy1lnWXo

This reminds me of me. Honestly, I just got sick of it..Sick of how I felt, how I looked, and I took control. You're not unlike most trying to lose weight - It's a mental battle.

I started with giving myself 5 daily goals and I simply checked them off day-by-day. I did this for 2 months before I got into exercising and really trying to understand my diet.

I think channeling your energy into research about what foods you want to eat and planning out meals may relieve some anxiety and get you excited about starting your journey!

I suggest starting logging but eating what you do now. Less of it.
Both McDonald's and Wendy's post their nutrition online. Input what you eat into the diary, make better choices. Better choices than you have been. But remember that those better choices don't need to be perfect choices yet.

Try learning to cook or cook more often at home. It will also help save you money.

Start there and change one thing a day or week to work up to healthier habits. Might be less stressful that way!

Stress plays a big factor for me in my desire to log. When I'm stressed, I often resort to the "screw it" method. I have no suggestions on how to reduce stress though. Maybe a few ideas, but I've been unable to implement them myself.

Sleep more
Colouring book?
More play
Baths
Getting stuff that's hanging over your head done instead of procrastinating...
Learning it's ok to be ok with yourself as you learn healthier habits..

AliceDark wrote: »

I really don't think it's a matter of self-discipline. If you've been using food to regulate your moods since you were a child, you're going to need to replace that with other things. Nobody will ever do well if they just try to stop their one method of self-soothing; it's the equivalent of saying "I'm going to stop doing this one very successful thing I do to make myself happy and replace it with...just letting myself feel like cr@p."

You are going to need to come up with other things that will help you regulate your moods that aren't food. Have a list of things you can do when you're bored/anxious/depressed that will make you feel better (my list includes going for a walk, taking a bath, doing my nails, etc.)

From a weight-loss perspective, the only thing that is required is for you to eat less than you burn. It doesn't matter what you're eating, so you don't necessarily need to change anything about your eating habits. In fact, I'd recommend starting small and just learning how to log first. Once you're in the swing of logging your food, start to look for little places where you can cut back on your calories. It's not necessarily about making massive, earth-shattering changes; it's about making small changes that you can maintain in the long term.

THIS! 100%

I just want to chime in to commiserate over the weather here in VA. I live in VB and recently went home to Idaho and relished in the dry heat for a month. Got back here and I feel like I might melt. I've been avoiding the outdoors like the plague.

As for your other issues, I can only tell you about what I've done. For me it was like one day a switch flipped in my head and it all came together. It was actually really odd and I have a feeling that if I had tried to do this a few years ago I wouldn't have succeeded. When I started this I had just moved 2500 miles away from everyone I knew except my husband, and I think focusing on losing weight helped keep me distracted from the crushing homesickness I was experiencing. I also was heavier my whole life, eating my feelings, but also just because I love food and I didn't care. I started making small changes at first, and pretty soon all those small things added up and I've gotten great results. 54 lbs down in just over a year and still going.
Small things like:
-When I go to fast food places I try to make smarter choices, like at Wendy's the other day I got the grilled chicken sandwich (<500 calories) and my husband and I split a small fry. I actually wanted the baconator...there are sacrifices.
-I don't usually drink my calories unless its alcohol, and then it's usually planned and accounted for. Diet soda or water, splenda in black coffee.
-I still eat junk food (everyday) but I weigh out portions and put the rest away.
-I trained myself to be able to watch TV or use the computer and not want to mindlessly munch on chips. This was hard, but it can be done.
-I ask myself if I am actually hungry or if I'm just bored. Usually I'm just bored so I find something to occupy my hands and mind. Videogames are great for this.
-When I get the munchies late at night, reminding myself that I can eat tomorrow actually helps. This is part of the boredom thing. I go to bed instead.
-Realizing that not everyday will be a good day. Some days my stomach is a bottomless pit, so I eat to maintenance. This is ok every once in awhile. I'm not big on deprivation. My calorie goal has never been below 1 lb/week and I don't demonize food.
-I choose everyday to continue to prioritize my overall health and to make good choices. If I want something decadent I try to make it fit and compensate elsewhere. I walk around inside my house a lot. Outside is death, per above. Three cheers for central air.

Maybe you just need to keep trying your best and hopefully soon you will be ready for permanent changes. Eat the sandwich at work and compensate for it in your other meals. you don't need diet food to make this work. And I know it sucks, but seeing someone and maybe adjusting your meds could help. I recognize how hard it is when you are so busy, I feel for you, really. I know that when you have all the knowledge and tools to do something and you still can't seem to do it, you can feel like you've failed. You haven't failed, you are still trying! Good luck!

This.^^ And remember it's taken you years to build those bad habits; it will take you years to unlearn them. Self-discipline is a muscle, so start with small changes and build on them over time. Example: eat that chicken curry sandwich but instead of chips get a side salad or an apple. You will not get it right all the time, but small successes will soon add up to big ones. The more you succeed, the more you'll want to.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

KissofJudas wrote: »

I don't know. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses or dismissing everything y'all are saying out of hand. That's not my intention; y'all have been awesome. It's just very frustrating to know exactly what I want to do, what I need to do, and somehow be unable to do it. In order to find time to do all these other things, I have to give up other things I need and love to do. And maybe there's a way to get that done more ahead of time; I'm not sure. I just get to the end of the day and I have to get changed and stare at my body and hate that in the decade and a half I've been fighting this battle, I just keep losing.

Please keep in mind that what I'm about to say is not judging or berating. The biggest factor in doing what we profess we want to do is really wanting it; wanting it more than we want almost anything else. If you want to lose weight and get into shape you will make it a priority and not feel like other things are more important. It doesn't sound like you are there yet, but you're close. The best thing you can do right now is to simply realize that fact and move on. We all have priorities and it's important to recognize what they are. Hopefully you'll soon reach that point when you'll decide that your health is more important than those other things and you'll be ready. You'll know that moment when it happens. If you ask anyone here they can very likely tell you the exact moment when that switch clicked for them. Until then stop beating yourself up.

The things you are throwing up as excuses really are just excuses even if you don't think they are just yet.

There are other flavors of protein bars. I eat one almost every morning for breakfast and I don't like the chocolate kind very much either. Atkins makes a great peanut butter granola bar, no chocolate at all. They also have a new line of bars called Lift and the salted caramel is good. PowerCrunch bars come in 6 flavors that aren't chocolate and they are wonderfully crisp and crunchy. I buy almost all of my protein bars at a Walmart Market store, no special shopping required. If you look around you can find a nice variety of bars that are high in protein, low in sugar and not chocolate.

I live in Tucson, Arizona. If you think Richmond is hot you have another think coming! The morning temperature rarely drops below 80F from late May until late September and the highs are usually 100F+. I'm up at 5:45am so I can run 3 to 4 miles before work every other day. Yes, it's hot and yes, it's humid (rainy season!) but it's important enough to me that I get up and do it anyway. As has been pointed out several times already, exercise isn't necessary for weight loss so it's not an excuse. It sounds like you're getting enough walking in, anyway but if you enjoy ZR then make time for it. Exercise is a great mood enhancer.

I honestly hope the switch flips for you soon.