i'm at a lost for words. i need serious help

Francl27 wrote: »

People have unrealistic expectations, pick very ambitious goals, then crash and burn. It happens all the time.

Switch to losing 1 lb a week, eat things you like within your calories, be active so you can eat more, and you'll be less likely to binge and give up. I never even considered the 'lose 2 lbs a week' setting. I lost 80 lbs with a 500 calorie deficit.

And log everything and keep your diary private if you have to!

Thank you! The sad reality is that less than 10% of people who lose weight keep it off. Taking the approach of radical exclusion of foods you love is, in my opinion, a recipe for failure. It takes time, it's never perfect, but trying to go cold turkey and eat things you don't like will almost certainly lead to failure. Eat what you love in moderation with an eye toward macro nutrients while keeping calories in check is, in my opinion, the best recipe for long term success.

ASAP is not for weight loss. Weight loss is neither fast, nor linear unfortunately. You may see some weigh ins with big loss, and some with a little gain (especially if you have 'that time of the month').

Eat foods that you like - you can choose to eat 'clean' (pick a version), or paleo, or keto, or however as long as you can maintain it because you want to be able to keep eating within your caloric budget as time goes on.
Usually I eat the same things for breakfast (PB sandwich) and lunch (chicken thighs, at least 3 servings veggies), and dinner is a crapshoot usually a frozen dinner. If I get bored, I mix them up either using spices, or sauces (bbq, thai peanut, green chile, etc) so there's variety, and mixing between maybe beef for some days and chicken thighs for the others.

The most important thing for me was NOT cutting a lot of foods out, because that did lead me to over eat (eat all the cookies!), then learning how to eat proper portions of those foods, and that's it. A lot of it is weighing out a portion, then putting the rest away (if it's still around, I'm probably going to reach for more). There's good days and bad days for most of us, and the important thing is not to beat yourself for the bad days, just to not keep that pattern. There are days when I cringe to log my foods, but I still log it because it happened and my log is a record I want as accurate as possible. Your diary isn't public, so post those foods, no one is going to point fingers.

try2again wrote: »

SadDolt wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

People have unrealistic expectations, pick very ambitious goals, then crash and burn. It happens all the time.

Switch to losing 1 lb a week, eat things you like within your calories, be active so you can eat more, and you'll be less likely to binge and give up. I never even considered the 'lose 2 lbs a week' setting. I lost 80 lbs with a 500 calorie deficit.

And log everything and keep your diary private if you have to!

so true. i just really want to get the weight off, so i can live my life the way i want ASAP. i'm not getting any younger xD the fact that it might take 2 years to lose everything, made me want to lose faster

We would all choose to do it overnight if we could, but which scenario do you think works better in the end: choosing 1 lb/week, not feeling deprived, having plenty of energy, and a year from now being 50 lbs lighter, or choosing 2 lbs/week, quickly taking off a few lbs, but finding yourself unable or unwilling to maintain that deficit, and maybe giving up altogether, leaving you either the same weight or heavier in a year? I'm not saying 2 lbs/week is never a good option, but a person needs to go with what works best for them in the long run.

Also, you don't need to put your life on hold until you lose weight. Pick something you've always wanted to do and start taking baby steps towards doing it.

Yeah I put so much of my life on hold for the dumbest reasons- I either felt too fat or was waiting until I was in a serious relationship... I mean really? And many were things I could technically do at any size and while single. Why was I waiting?! Live your life now, don't wait for that. Just lose weight along the way.

MissBecca145 wrote: »

Nutrient. Dense. Foods.

Protein (without breading/deep frying), veggies (not incl. potato, she's in the carb family), whole grains/complex carbs (if you are allowing them). I watch my sugar, cook 8/10 things from scratch (which doesn't have to take too much time if you're smart about it). And of course meal prepping works for some.

I agree with what this person said. I try to find foods that keep me filled. If I eat a bagel I will be hungry soon after. Oatmeal, chia seeds (just discovered those recently), about 10 almonds, berries will keep me full until lunch. I have successfully found that eating little to no sugar/white flour works very well for me.

[quote="SadDolt;38851011so true. i just really want to get the weight off, so i can live my life the way i want ASAP. i'm not getting any younger xD the fact that it might take 2 years to lose everything, made me want to lose faster[/quote]

1. Change the name. There is no reason to be sad and enough other people call us dolts at any point of time that we don't need to do it to ourselves!
2. Life doesn't stop while you're losing weight and weight loss both does and does not change your life. It changes you, perhaps, in that it gives you a sense of accomplishment and confidence; it makes some things easier or possible that weren't possible at a large size; but it definitely does not wave a magic wand and make all the bad things in life go away.
3. you are sad and seem to think that it is bad that it will take 2 years to lose the weight. I think that it is absolutely fabulous. Because, you have a lot of learning to do about yourself, about food, about things you can or cannot eat and which will or will not make you happy when you eat them, about what makes you do things that are not necessarily always to your best interest. And you need to have that knowledge in your head and various tools in place in order to manage to maintain. I now know how to stop myself halfway through a box of cookies if I chose to do so, do you? I can transform a 1200Cal tub of haagen daaz into less than 400Cal of jello pudding and all bran buds, can you? I can happily eat a couple of slices of pizza and NOT feel that I've missed out on eating a whole medium pizza (or in the mid 90s and before a whole large pizza) by myself. This did not all happen overnight.

Set yourself to 1lb a week max. Accept that ANY loss is good. In a year you will be 50lbs down. That's a heck of a lot of a better place to be at!

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

SadDolt wrote: »

StaciMarie1974 wrote: »

Instead of eating 1200-1600, eat 1600-1800. Don't let yourself go below 1600 for those first 2 weeks. And especially for week 3, but start sooner, plan your day in the morning. Prelog meals and snacks. You can make changes if you need/want to, but having a plan for the day may help you stay on track.

By eating at least 1600, you will be having larger portions and/or greater variety in your food choices. This and the planning should be able to keep you in control.

Other than that, you've got to come to terms with the fact that this is all up to you. Your body is not forcing you to eat, and neither is any other outside force. If you binge its because you let yourself lose control. Your first post sounds like you are not taking any personal accountability. Accepting that you alone decide what goes in your body may be your big first step.

SadDolt wrote: »

so 4 weeks ago i started by weight loss and in 2 weeks i lost 4.2lbs. but these last two weeks have been awful and i binged a lot. this is my second time losing weight, before i lost 105lbs easy, but gained it back because of hard times. this second time around it feels like my body is working against me. i do great for 2 weeks and then by the 3rd week i can't stop eating, and have so many cravings. it's like my body is forcing me to gain back whatever i lost. i know my calories can't be too low because i'm never weak. i eat anything from 1200-1600. i eat whatever i want but i count calories. this the exact way i did it the first time i lost weight, but now it's hopeless and i'm so effing hungry.

when i gain back all the weight i lost (4 pounds) i'm back to not having uncontrollable cravings and i can easily control my calorie intake again. but when i lose the 4 or 5lbs again i get super hungry again. what the hell is going on? i ALWAYS lose control on the 3rd week. it's like clock work

anyone else have this problem but overcame it and lost the weight???

when i said my body '''makes me binge'' i stated i feel more hungry compared to the first two weeks of dieting, despite my calories being the same and even letting myself eat 2000 once or twice a week. i also stated that the first time i lost weight i did THE EXACT SAMETHING and lost 105lbs EASY. i never felt the need to binge.

i made this post to ask why do i feel more hungry and binge more compared to the first weight loss journey. did you even read my post or did you skip through most of it and decided to come to your own conclusion. don't be a prick.

I think there is some kind of phenomenon that happens with trying to lose weight a second time- I definitely have experienced this myself. Each time is harder.

I think part of it is age- the older we get the slower our metabolism becomes so the more effort we have to put in. But also the more times we do this the less confidence we have that it will work this time- as in being aware that the weight can come back, so maybe our resolve is less strong?

I also think muscle mass has a lot to do with it. More muscle mass = faster metabolism = easier weight loss. When you lost weight the first time you likely lost a lot of muscle along with fat. We lose muscle when we use a large calorie deficit (lose weight too fast), if we don't eat enough protein, and/or don't do strength training exercises to preserve muscle. Then when weight is regained it is mostly body fat not muscle (muscle is harder to gain than fat). So this time around you are needing to lose the same amount of weight again, but your body has more fat and less muscle, so it's even harder this time around.

That's my theory anyways, that along with the body sort of catching on to what we are trying to do faster (adaptation) and resisting us more each time we try to lose weight. We caught it off guard the first time, now this time it knows our tricks and where we are headed. The body is smart and it hates change- even change for the better.

That's why it's important to have a plan for maintenance once you lose the weight- if you make sure to maintain and not regain weight this time then you avoid a future 3rd time having to lose weight which will be even harder than this one. The road to your goal is long but it's a heck of a lot longer if you have to start over again and again.

I plan this time when I hit my goal weight to continue to track calories & macros and to SLOWLY increase calories up to maintenance. I also plan to keep doing my workouts as I have been and focus on my fitness goals since my weight goals will have already been met and I'll need something new to strive for- like being able to do 20 push ups in a row, being able to do a handstand, a pull up, maybe even a pistol squat...

SadDolt wrote: »

when i said my body '''makes me binge'' i stated i feel more hungry compared to the first two weeks of dieting, despite my calories being the same and even letting myself eat 2000 once or twice a week. i also stated that the first time i lost weight i did THE EXACT SAMETHING and lost 105lbs EASY. i never felt the need to binge.

i made this post to ask why do i feel more hungry and binge more compared to the first weight loss journey. did you even read my post or did you skip through most of it and decided to come to your own conclusion.

You know, I hate to say that it comes down to willpower, but it really does. I'm one of those unfortunate people that has to watch every single thing I put in my mouth. I exercise plenty (more than most people I think) but even that doesn't allow me the luxury of mindless eating. My biggest problem (failing)? Getting home, sitting down to the computer and instantly my mind goes to "what can I snack on?". It's not hunger. It's HABIT. I *want* to eat a few chips, so I tell myself that I will only eat 15 potato chips. Half a bag later, I put them away. I can't tell you how many times in the last 6 months I have recommitted myself to losing this damn 10-15 pounds that I gained in the last 2 years, and every single time I have blown it...with my dang snacking. I snack at work, I snack at home. And the whole reason is that I have allowed myself to get so lazy with journaling, that I blow my calories every day. And then the next morning I weigh myself, and go WTF? WHY DID I EAT ALL THAT CRAP YESTERDAY?!?

So I am pissed off enough now...I'm tired of sliding back. I know how I am. I know what I have to do, to lose. It's willpower for me. And maybe that's what it is for you. Do you want it bad enough? If so, then you can do this.
Cut out the junk food. Start getting adventurous - hey I never ate veggies as a kid either, but I learned to eat them. You can too. You can do this. Really you can. You just have to WANT to do it.

I have also dealt with a sever binge eating disorder. However I grew up eating clean (no processed foods) and vegetarian so I knew what a healthy diet is so I could work my way back to that in order to help my recovery. As someone who has suffered from BED it really is not about will power (I consider myself a self disciplined person but when it came to binging there was nothing I could do). Recovering from binge eating disorder is about retraining your body slowly and surely to crave different food. The foods you are eating (processed, carbs, sugar, fats) are foods that typically induce a binge. Even now that I am recovered I avoid these foods because I know they can be triggers for me. Cut out any sugary drinks and replace with water and herbal tea. Reducing calories from drinks is a great way to start cutting down because it won't make you less full and it will also help you to overcome addiction to sugar. My suggestion is find a new approach to food. Cooking does not have to be complicated to be both healthy and tasty. Take some cooking classes, focus on eating vegetables, legumes, whole grains and meat. I would also decrease your calorie intake slowly over a period of weeks perhaps reduce by 100 calories every 2 weeks. I know this feels slow but it will mean the change happens slowly and will give you and your body time to adjust so that you don't panic after 2 weeks and binge like crazy. These are big changes if you have never eaten this way and I know it is daunting but you deserve to live a happier, healthier life. Make conscious small changes to be eat healthier and it will pay off.

All of science is an evolving theory. Cleveland Clinic is confident enough in their success to use diet as treatment for many illnesses now. Including taking into consideration bioindividuality and the gut biome. The biggest successes are coming out of the Functional Medical Centers higher fat nutritional approach. It's very exciting.

I don't think more restriction is what you need right now. Your body needs a reset. Maybe for now focus on healing by adding in more good foods and not focus so much on what you shouldn't be doing? One approach folks use is to 'eat an apple with the brownie' ...that sort of thing. And carb cravings typically are our body's reaction to stress (unless you're Keto). Lack of sleep, hormones, exercise, life...doesn't matter the stress source. It all can cause cravings. Best of luck to you! Lots of great wisdom here:)

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

CynthiasChoice wrote: »

I was unaware of the Microbiome Diet until I looked it up, just now. I don't know anything about it, and I concede that the use of probiotics and prebiotics is based on an ever-evolving science. But it is very promising.

I only mentioned this subject because some people might find it helpful to understand that there is more to craving and binging than a simple lack of good sense, lack of good character, or lack of self-control.

Knowing that you might have an enemy within (a proliferation of harmful bacteria) that's making you crave may be just the insight you need to begin a journey of healing through eating appropriate foods and avoiding foods that cause cravings to continue.

And great intentions are awesome, but until there is some solid science to back it up, we dont want people reading it and using it as fact.. right now its all just research and a theory, no sense sending some people lurking on a wild goose chase of trying to change bacteria in their stomachs in hopes that it will stop the brain from making them crave things when it may not actually be the case or even the whole scenario just yet