Emotionally fed up about loosing weight
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lenacrigger wrote: »How do you all fight boredom eating when there really isn't much besides computer or TV to distract yourself?
Exercise/walking/hobbies/etc. are good, but when all that fails for me, I chew gum. Healthy snacks are ok, but boredom snacking is bad any way you look at it. It sets a precedent (for me anyway) and makes me just want more. Gum helps me a lot. I always hated gum before, because when I was late grade school/early high school I had braces, after that I just never got back into chewing it. Now, it helps me when I just can't stand it any more and want to snack. My problem is that even if I have enough calories for a serving of Doritos, I am not going to stop at one serving. 3 or 4 servings into it, I might think about stopping but then will probably eat a couple more servings before doing so. lol. Chips are my Achilles Heel. I tend to not bring them in the house most of the time because of it. Late snacks I generally choose no sugar (Blue Bunny) added ice cream instead. It gives me more fiber for the day and is way less calories and sodium than chips.
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My heart goes out to you. I am sending good thoughts and positive support your way.
This makes me sad "So the dr said no green beans, peas, corn or potatoes, cut out breads, pastas" I eat pasta (corn/quinoa) once a week and 0 bread. I eat all of those things you have there including fruit. I have lost 10 pounds in 2 months and my fibroids are greatly decreasing as is my blood pressure. I don't eat dairy or meat period.
A respectful suggestion would be to do some research on a plant based diet if you can, if you absolutely cannot give up meat, maybe combine the two? Eat mostly plant based and then some animal meat? I would lose the dairy, I found out that I had an allergy to cheese and milk (cream) (which I dearly love), gave it up all dairy three months ago and some major issues have decreased or have gone away such as IBS.
All the best to you. Here is a site to look at: www.nutritionfacts.org The doctor there does a lot of research on health related issues.
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Spliner1969 wrote: »lenacrigger wrote: »How do you all fight boredom eating when there really isn't much besides computer or TV to distract yourself?
Exercise/walking/hobbies/etc. are good, but when all that fails for me, I chew gum. Healthy snacks are ok, but boredom snacking is bad any way you look at it. It sets a precedent (for me anyway) and makes me just want more. Gum helps me a lot. I always hated gum before, because when I was late grade school/early high school I had braces, after that I just never got back into chewing it. Now, it helps me when I just can't stand it any more and want to snack.
I've started to chew sugarless gum, Orbit peppermint or spearmint. I went back to college, so I'm often up late reading or writing papers and feel like snacking -- not so much from boredom, but from nerves. I reach for gum or have an apple.
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I feel for you, but as others have said, you have come to the right place. Sometimes things are said a little bluntly, but if you can get past that there is great advice to be had here by people who have lost weight and kept it off. Many of them were in your situation or worse at one time, they just had to get out of their own way and are trying to convey that to you.
Don't worry about changing everything at once. Don't be embarrassed by how little you can do or how slow you can do it. Do what you can do and don't push yourself to failure in one go at it. Instead try to have multiple successful small attempts at exercise. Going out and walking for 5 minutes 10 different times isn't going to be that much different for you than one 45 minute walk. (Except you probably will be able to do the same tomorrow)
As far as diet, if you can afford leafy green things they can be pretty filling for lower calories. There are a lot of vegetables that aren't terribly high carb and you can usually find them on sale frozen. Roasted with a little olive oil, maybe balsamic vinegar and salt or spices on it can be a good taste and filling.
This isn't easy and I wish you the best. It does have to come from within you, but you can do it.0 -
My heart goes out to you. I am sending good thoughts and positive support your way.
This makes me sad "So the dr said no green beans, peas, corn or potatoes, cut out breads, pastas" I eat pasta (corn/quinoa) once a week and 0 bread. I eat all of those things you have there including fruit. I have lost 10 pounds in 2 months and my fibroids are greatly decreasing as is my blood pressure. I don't eat dairy or meat period.
A respectful suggestion would be to do some research on a plant based diet if you can, if you absolutely cannot give up meat, maybe combine the two? Eat mostly plant based and then some animal meat? I would lose the dairy, I found out that I had an allergy to cheese and milk (cream) (which I dearly love), gave it up all dairy three months ago and some major issues have decreased or have gone away such as IBS.
All the best to you. Here is a site to look at: www.nutritionfacts.org The doctor there does a lot of research on health related issues.
Wow!!.. Its somethings i need to research. Thnx for the post0 -
I am almost the in the same situation with you. Migrated to South Korea (hubby's country) because we're literally bankrupt. Can't afford to buy those healthy foods I saw on internet. Plus to make it worse I'm 198lbs living in a community where almost everyone is under 120lbs. Seriously, they're all THIN! Can't find clothes or even jeans on my size, if there is it's expensive (which we can't afford, coz we need to buy our necessities first) . There's no walking / running sidewalks here and it feels like everyone is looking at me whenever I walk. So I decided to exercise at home watching videos on youtube while listening to some motivating songs. Really helps, now 169lbs and can fit to 32 inches sized pants. It's not easy but you have to be focused. And believe that you can do it because you CAN. ❤3
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Thank each and every one of you for your responses!
I find with the depression, I tend to get in really bad slumps emotionally, and weight loss is a big trigger or that. Yes, Most of what is bothering me is easy to change but it's the THOUGHT of the change and "how am I suppose to afford this" or "How can I even accomplish this", that really gets me. But, I did the same thing with smoking. I smoked for 12 years and my boyfriend wanted to quit. We switched to E-cigs and for a while I refused to give up real cigarettes and would almost panic when thinking about going without them.
I do find that my main snacking times are from 4pm-midnight. That is when Jeff heads to work till his lunch break. From Midnight-6am, it is a little easier not to snack.
The hardest to monitor for me is going to be the Carbs. I am not usually a sweets person, I am more of Salty, and most of my "Lunches" or "Snacks" are Carb filled food. I was surprised to find that Salami is a good snack food and chunk cheese so I am going to grab some of those. I also bought Coconut Oil for my hair and I am going to eat a teaspoon of that a day and see if that helps.
Dinners are not a HUGE problem, especially if I can watch my carbs during the day, then the carbs for dinner won't be such a huge problem.1 -
When I started back at the end of May, I could barely walk to the end of my short driveway, now I'm up to 8500 steps per day and I feel SO MUCH BETTER! My best tip is to walk inside your house! I have a hard time walking outside due to heat and allergies and in the winter, serious cold will also be a problem, but none of that is a problem inside my house! The major problem in the house is boredom, so I will put on some nice music that I like and sort of dance along some of the time. I watch movies or favorite TV programs while I walk. I stepped off how many steps there are in a circuit path from the living room to the kitchen and back, so that I don't have to count every step. Every time I make it to the stove I put a dried bean in a jar to keep up with how many trips I make. Then I count out the beans when I'm done and multiply by the number of steps in a circuit and waalaa, I know how many steps I made! When you track every bite you take and everything you drink, and add your steps into the equation you will know how many extra calories you can eat each day to the number that you are allowed or you can "bank" them for a special treat or special occasion or just have some extra weight loss! You can do this and we are here to encourage and share our best with you!4
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Lots of great ideas here. I will add one more. Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist. He or she roll probably be happy to give you one. And they can be very helpful.2
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It sounds like you're really trying, so I hope things work out for you. Here are a few of my thoughts on the hurdles that you're facing.
Affordability of healthy food: I know what it's like to be worry about money. Healthy food usually doesn't have to cost a lot though - I currently spend on average of $3-$5 per day on food. I could probably make it even less money and continue to progress towards my goals as I did a few years ago when I ate the bare minimum and was much worse at cooking. Some people spend a lot more, some people can spend even less - but I am pretty satisfied with my diet right now and wouldn't change much of it.
Other people on this thread have given ideas such as lentils, he even calculated out the cost to be about 33 cents per serving for the lentils (maybe a little bit more on some spices and maybe some extra flavorings, but still pretty cheap and healthy). I also used to eat beans, and I think well cooked beans can be pretty satisfying and cheap. Where I'm from, a 10 lb bag of pinto beans is about $5.50. That 10 lb bag can make 77 cups of cooked pinto beans for me, which makes it about 14 cents a serving. And the kicker is that they taste a lot better now that I am slightly better at cooking them and especially if I refry them in the same pan that I use to cook my protein (usually chicken when I'm eating beans). They're a little high in carbs, BUT they are better than bread because they have a much lower GI number and their carbs are 1/3 fiber (which does not get absorbed by your body). I don't know if you absolutely can't eat any legumes at all (because you can't eat green beans), but there are plenty of other healthy affordable choices as well if you can't. I'm currently trying out a low carb diet so I usually don't eat beans anymore (although I have lost 60 pounds in the past with a regular non-low carb diet so it was possible for me to just count calories and eat balanced).
Eggs are cheap and pretty nutritious, you could probably use the protein and they have no carbs. Hard boiled are my go to snacks, just add salt and pepper. (12 cents each where I'm from when bought in bulk, unless there's a shortage as there was when I lived elsewhere)
I always check what's on sale at market's on my commute or near where I live. I almost always only buy meat and fruits when they are on sale for the biggest savings. This week, chicken breasts were $1.77/lb, peaches were 5 for a dollar, strawberries were $1/lb, chicken thighs were $1.19/lb, and flank steak was $2.77/lb. I indulged with the steak a little bit, but it's still not too bad in price. I had to learn how to cook them this week too, since I never cooked steak before, but it turned out better than I expected. Cooking is a really good skill to develop when you're on a diet and you have preferences on what you eat.
For veggies, I've been buying lettuce and spinach in bulk at pretty affordable prices (either $3.50 for 6 heads of romaine lettuce, ~$5 for a huge bag of prewashed spinach - usually not both at once and they will last me at least a week for either option... although it's important to keep them dry and eat them quickly before they spoil a week is probably the maximum for me). When I do lettuce, I usually prepare two heads at once, wash them, dry them, and then put them in ziplock bags to add to my proteins and meals later on (i'll also add a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil, a few splashes of white vinegar, and salt and pepper). With spinach, I add 5 strawberries or a peach and a scoop of banana protein powder to a blender and eat them that way. 5 strawberries (25 cents) or a peach (33 cents) do not add a lot of net carbs, and they do add some good flavor.
I don't spend extra money on organic either and make sure I thoroughly wash everything. I usually try to avoid refined carbs like bread and rice when I'm trying to lose weight since they are very calorie dense and I need to eat more vegetables instead.
Exercise: You can't really out-exercise your diet, but exercise has other benefits besides just burning calories of course. I do think it's great you have a treadmill, maybe just take it a little slower on it? Maybe find some good music to listen to while you're on it, start as slow as you need to.
Anyway, I hope that gives you some ideas to get closer to your goal in this long post. I know that thinking about getting back to where I was gives me some motivation myself. If I could weigh less before, I can do it again, and you can too.6 -
I just came across this in the success stories last night and thought it's worth reading. This guy is truly inspiring.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10172591/3yrs-and-i-have-lost-over-320-pounds-you-can-do-it-too#latest0 -
Hi,
Thanks for opening up, its not easy, but you definitely are at the right place. I suffer from anxiety (and social anxiety) and had have similar thoughts especially about money and exercise.
First of all, I entered your stats in a calorie counter and i couldnt help but notice that your calorie intake seems rather low...Depending on your goals, it says you should eat between 1877 and 2127 calories a day to loose. To give you an idea, i'm 5'8, 200.8 pounds and eat 1800 calories a day. I lost about a pound a week since i've been doing that (without exercise). So make sure you are eating enough, you body needs to be properly fueled in order to accomplish amazing things!
As for you dietary restrictions, I would highly recommend to consult a registered dietician. I can't help but question the food your doctor as ruled out for you. Green beans ? I mean it's a veggie! I understand the goal is to limit refined sugar intakes...so veggie doesn't seem like the place to start for me... I know it costs money, but it may well be worth it to consult a specialist! Family doctors are not nutritionists!
I understand money is an issue for you and I totally get that. I myself have a very small grocery budget. Here are my go to : eggs, frozen fruits, frozen veggies, lentils, legumes, oats. I buy meat only when its on special : chicken, pork, lean ground beef...Going to costco to get frozen fish, sea food, fruits and veggies as well as greek yogurt (nature with no added sugar), cottage cheese and some plant based proteins (chia, hemp hearts, flax seeds) saves us a lot of money. If you are not already a member and can't afford being, you can go directly to the register and buy gift cards...they will let you in so you can spend it. One way to save a lot is to not consume processed foods...meaning cooking everything from scratch at home. It can seem overwhelming at first, but I truly believe its an amazing thing to do. You will control everything you put in your body as well.
Also, make sure you weigh your food and log everything in. Don't forget liquid calories and condiments! Everything counts.
Finally, take it ONE STEP AT A TIME. You biggest struggle seems to be exercise...so I would start by changing the diet. do 1900-2100 calories for 21 days, choosing whole filling foods...you will see success, feel better and perhaps WANT to go for a walk. Remember, you cannot outrun a bad fork. Meaning what you eat is the most important part! I know that I used to be overwhelmed by doing everything at once : workout, eat right, changing habits...I had major anxiety! I started with drinking up to 2L of water per day. The week after I started to walk instead of taking the bus to go to work. Then I started counting calories. Then workout once a week. Then twice, up to four workouts a week...and it helps me keep my anxiety under control, even though its not always easy nor linear.
I watch my carb intake very carefully, here are my typical lunches : Eggs salad in a lettuce wrap, with soup, a piece of cheese and a handfull (about 17) of almonds. Yesterday I had soup with salmon filet and a greek yogurt. Today I will have lettuce with tuna, mustard and oil vinaigrette, with avocado, cucumber and carrotts. Sardines, eggs and tuna are very cheap lunch protein. Sweet potatoes, quinoa or brown rice are also a good choices to go with chicken, turkey, steaks, etc. Add a handfull of frozen veggies to that, and you are set! One thing that helps me a lot is to prepare breakfast and lunches ahead of time on sundays...then I always have a healthy choice ready to be taken out of the fridge.
As for snacks, i will have a bowl of cottage cheese with fruits, greek yogurt with flax seeds and dates, veggies with homemade hummus, protein bars, a fruit smoothie with a source of plant based protein...there is also plenty of ''lower carbs'' & whole grains muffins and breads recipes out there! What is your daily carb intake ? Maybe I can help! Feel free to add me, my diary is open
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I am almost the in the same situation with you. Migrated to South Korea (hubby's country) because we're literally bankrupt. Can't afford to buy those healthy foods I saw on internet. Plus to make it worse I'm 198lbs living in a community where almost everyone is under 120lbs. Seriously, they're all THIN! Can't find clothes or even jeans on my size, if there is it's expensive (which we can't afford, coz we need to buy our necessities first) . There's no walking / running sidewalks here and it feels like everyone is looking at me whenever I walk. So I decided to exercise at home watching videos on youtube while listening to some motivating songs. Really helps, now 169lbs and can fit to 32 inches sized pants. It's not easy but you have to be focused. And believe that you can do it because you CAN. ❤
Congrats on such an awesome lost!!!
I'm currently in South Korea too and I have been walking a lot here. Maybe it depends on the area. Working out at home for me is so hard so you're super awesome for keeping yourself motivated.0 -
Maybe set your goal to 1 lb a week. You need to do something you can sustain long term. 1 lb a week adds up.
You can eat any food and lose weight if you stick to the right number of calories. If you can not eat certain foods due to a health condition eat the foods you can eat.
Talk to your family about the seriousness of your health condition and need to lose weight. They can help you.
You do not have to eat exactly the same as your family. Have a big salad with your meal. Buy frozen vegetables and cook a portion for you. Have broccoli but put the cheese sauce on individually.
Plan meals. Good for the budget and making sure you have foods you can eat. Buy less premade foods.
http://www.budgetbytes.com has cost concious recipes that my family has enjoyed.
Have other things to do. If you are depressed, bored, etc work on developing tools to deal with those things that don't involve food. Therapy and medication might be helpful. Music, art, games, meditation, journaling, message boards, gardening, cleaning, crafts, wood working, learning something, talking to someone, exercise might all be things to try. If you know you always have issues at a particular time change what you are doing at that time or save calories for that time period.
Walk in your home. I set a timer, turn on some music or the tv and walk around my house briskly. Walking is walking even if you only walk back and forth in one room or your own yard. There are step based workouts. Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone- http://walkathome.com
There are lots of workouts on you tube for free. You don't have to start with exercising for hours. Aim for 30 minutes of some activity a day to start. You may do less to begin with. That is fine. Just start where you are and improve with time.
If you have trouble standing or walking right now try seated workouts.
https://m.youtube.com/#/playlist?list=PL-3ha1N51FWOHt_G7xKX_Eq_94_NFsVk1
https://m.youtube.com/#/playlist?list=PLu8guPhQX33AMQEbFaNHGiVlD05W46_pl
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLySdLXx0-oyvf5635ap84FstzlvSCIgn2&v=DYuw4f1c4xs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLySdLXx0-oyvf5635ap84FstzlvSCIgn2&v=s0KmVnoVn-k0 -
Right on! I've always adored exercise (and always been 40kg overweight... go figure lol). But exercise is an entirely optional part of weight loss. Food is where it's at. Challenging the low carb thing too- you know what would be awesome for your pcos? To lose weight. More awesome than beginning a super restrictive low carb diet that lasts 3 days. I started at 260 lb and began eating those frozen meals. *kitten* nutrition sure, but who cares? It was only short term and losing weight has a better effect on my health that ensuring I get optimal fibre every day. Eating cheap is healthy. Look at developing countries diets. Lentils. Soy. Eggs. You can do this. I think it might help you to see a psychologist of u can also cos you sound s bit depressed. It's fracking impossible to be motivated if you're depressed. Friend me! X0
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I had to spend a good deal of time working on the mental blocks to losing weight and the personal excuses I was using. There's some good articles out there...Google "mental preparation for losing weight" "mentally ready for weight loss." I also don't have a lot of extra $$ at my disposal, so no fancy stuff for me. Just me and my food scale and some determination...plus a few short walks each day when I can squeeze them in.
The biggest difference for me so far (because I had come up with every reason under the moon why I CAN'T do this), was figuring out what I CAN do. I can walk. I can measure. For me, it's the mental game and that's where I have to invest most of my time in struggles. I can conquer the hungry feelings (and sometimes I feel REALLY hungry)...but I work on the mental part and try and win that battle every day. That stupid voice that tells me I'm too old or it's too late or I can't do this or it's too hard. It is hard, but I HAVE to do it.
I'm not too old. It's not too late.0 -
A previous poster stated a good thing and that is to focus on what you CAN eat. I relieve boredom by experimenting with food. I know that fresh fruits and veggies are the way to go but sometimes it's just to darn expensive. Most of my veggies come frozen or canned, which is cheaper and goes on sale more often. If I get canned, I get the lower sodium kind or run it under water in a colander to reduce the sodium. I hate salty foods so this works great for me. Seasoning packets are also cheap and a low cal way to flavor your veggies. I'll see different types of veggies that I've never tried before and buy them. I research healthy ways to prepare it, what to pair it with and researching takes time so that'll relieve some boredom. Plus, I'm trying something new, which is fun.
As for as exercise, maybe you can be a dog walker/pet sitter? Maybe that will bring in some extra income and help with getting more exercise. As for the treadmill, use it. Start slowly, you might have been doing too much too soon. When you get too winded, stop, then catch your breath, and get back on it later on. Your exercise doesn't have to be done all at once. Small increments throughout the day will work.
Go outside and take walks. Explore areas you haven't been to or have never seen. You're assuming that when people see you they think negative thoughts but that's not true. When I see an overweight person walking I am happy. It makes me think "YAY!". I'm always rooting for them and hope they keep it up. I don't run up and tell them though because that would be strange. So most likely, others are thinking the same thing. They're quietly rooting for you and hoping you reach your goals. And probably can't wait to see your progress in a few months.
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PCOs is brutal.....I know.....cause I have it and I went from thin to huge once my PCOS hit. It has felt like swimming against the tide....always.....and the pain, exhaustion, facial hair and even baldness for some women (me) is so brutal. I feel so much for you. Plus when you were thin once it is like waking up in a nightmare every morning with a body you don't recognize, periods that are horrid, pain that can be as bad as giving birth, and weight just comes on so easily. I am also insulin resistant. I am so impressed by your doctor even knowing how to approach weight loss with these conditions and that it needs to be somewhat different than the average person.....wow....i had to figure that one out on my own and i am only realizing lately that for sure i am carb sensitive and the only way i lose weight and keep it off without feeling like i am starving or going crazy is cutting back the carbs but not cutting them totally out. I feel so wiped cutting it all so i focus on cutting out sweets, sauces and stuff with sugar in it, bread (especially white), most cereals, and anything with white flour but allow myself small servings of potato with the skins on and with fat on like butter or sour cream to slow the sugar absorption, small amounts of gluten free pasta, or small serving of rice or rice vermicelli (again with fat in the meal so sugars release more slowly). I also focus on making sure i have protein, some nuts, avocado, coconut oil, and veggies and berries. When I am doing this (which is still not enough of the time!) i actually lose weight but don't feel like my brain won't switch on cause i have a small handful of specific carbs a day:) Just something I am beginning to figure out and do. I also have to track track track because my life can be so fuzzy and I can lie to myself that i have been cutting out sugar, etc. if i don't! Don't know if this helps but i send you a big huge hug and pray you will find the right balance.....meanwhile.....you only have today and are younger than tomorrow so try to notice nice things about yourself that you have today that you may miss when you hit 100:)!! Sincerely, LargeLassy:)1
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I would suggest planning your meals and snacks ahead of time so when you do go shopping, your not over spending. You can eat a lot of yummy food low carb like deviled eggs, celery with peanut butter, pork loin with mashed cauliflower ( tastes just like mashed potatoes!) etc. As for exercising, make mini goals. Like, today I am going to walk on my treadmill for 5 minutes. Once you accomplish that and know you did it you can decide to do another 5 min. Don't overwhelm yourself. Also, have your kids help plan your meals together. Make fun options for the whole family to enjoy and get onboard. Great sites like Yummly or Pinterest offer low carb meals and snacks for everyone to enjoy, they won't even know it's s healthy version! Keep going, one step at a time. And remember to tell yourself your doimg this for you because you deserve to be healthy0
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