Trying to get back on the "wagon"!?

pianoplaya94
pianoplaya94 Posts: 185 Member
edited February 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I use to be a fairly active member here, but over the past year or so I have really fallen off the wagon. I would really love to get back on and lose about 20 pounds. Hopefully by my June graduation. Anyways, I have been trying to get back on over the past couple of weeks but with no avail! I may do it one day, and seeing how far I have to go and how long it will take I almost immediately lose motivation. Although I did stop going to the gym (mainly due to the fact that I go to school and am just exhausted when I get home), I have a Fitbit and consistently ensure I get at least 10k steps a day. There is usually only one day every 6-8 weeks where I don't get 10k. The last time I got less than that was boxing day! I am planning on starting up at the gym again, though (I went yesterday). So I am still continuing with the exercise, I just cannot stick to a meal plan. All I do is snack. Although I WANT to reach the goal, I just totally lose motivation when I think about getting there and how long it will take. Really, I'm asking for any suggestions for dealing with this and getting back in the game??

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    There is no wagon. There is no try.

    Whose meal plans are you unable to stick to?
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Controlling your food intake will have a bigger impact on your ability (or inability) to reach your weight loss goal than exercise. Just start tracking your calories again. Take it one day at a time until you get back into the habit of weighing all your food and entering it into your food diary. Doing so will raise your awareness about how much you're eating in a given day. And that increased awareness should make it easier for you to make food choices that fit into your daily calorie goal.
  • pianoplaya94
    pianoplaya94 Posts: 185 Member
    I guess to clarify, basically my issue is uncontrollable snacking. Which I find impossible to stop.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited February 2017
    There have been lots of discussions on controlling snacking - maybe search for them. Personally i find getting up and doing something helps. It's hard to snack when staying busy on a project, or going for a 5 minute run. Also avoid buying addictive foods. Just don't even go there. Have a realistic food & exercise plan though - don't eliminate carbs, don't workout for 3 hours, etc.

    As far as feeling overwhelmed, it's like when you started school - take it one day at a time, and accept that it's a long journey. But if you stay committed to your goals, the time will pass before you know it. :+1:
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    edited February 2017
    pianoplaya94 wrote: »
    I guess to clarify, basically my issue is uncontrollable snacking. Which I find impossible to stop.


    Some tips to control snacking:

    1. Incorporate more satiating foods into your regular meals. Experiment with adding more proteins, fats, fiber or complex carbohydrates until you figure out which satiates you the most. Then eat more of those foods. In my case, I've found that if incorporate more protein into my diet, I'm far less likely to snack between meals.

    2. Experiment with how many meals you eat throughout they day. Some find that eating 3 square meals per day helps them manage their hunger. Others find that eating 4-5 smaller meals is more effective. Even others find that intermittently fasting (eating 1-2 very large meals per day) works best. Figure out which way of eating works best for you and do that.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    pianoplaya94 wrote: »
    I guess to clarify, basically my issue is uncontrollable snacking. Which I find impossible to stop.

    I recommend changing this narrative in your head. You are stronger than the negative thoughts but only you can change them.

    Play with your macros or meal timing (IF) to find the sweet spot of satiety, this helped me to stop the snacking.

    When I do snack a little more I just have positive self talk to get me back on track.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    pianoplaya94 wrote: »
    I guess to clarify, basically my issue is uncontrollable snacking. Which I find impossible to stop.

    Two options, sorry if they seem too obvious, but solutions are often very obvious: 1) Controllable snacking. 2) No snacking.
  • fubarfornow
    fubarfornow Posts: 40 Member
    Don't know if this will help, but something I have found helpful to get me back into, or keep me in, a food plan when I'm struggling, is to plan my whole day in advance. I have a breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned out, and a couple of (high satiety - usually protein) snacks built in that I can have. I struggle when I'm hungry and there are too many choices, especially if I don't know the food values of those choices. If the decision is already made, and I have something I can eat if I get hungry between meals, it gets much easier. Once my groove is re-established, I can slack off on the planning a bit -- I will have some idea of what I'm going to have for dinner, but I allow myself to pick among two or three choices, based on what sounds good at the time.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    I'd snack all day if I let myself. I just had to cut it out. It was a habit for me. Not something I was doing because I was hungry.

    I stopped buying the convenience foods I was snacking on and just went cold turkey. Trust me when I tell you after a few days you adjust to it.
  • meltedsno
    meltedsno Posts: 208 Member
    I think you need to address the reason why you have this urge for uncontrollable snacking. I am not traditionally a "mealtime" eater... preferring to "snack" throughout the day... under certain circumstances this has been successful for me... however.. I lost my job in November... and at the age of 61, the chances of me getting a job doing what I was doing at the salary I was paid is slim to none... Started feeling really sorry for myself and found myself doing the uncontrollable snacking in my pajamas day and night... I'm in the process of undoing the damage I've done to myself over the past 3 months or so and am now putting all my energy into building a home based business... it has made a big difference in my snacking habits... plus I am also forcing myself to actually put clothes on and head out the door every day for a walk... today i did 5 miles... and let me tell you what it did for my urge to snack: NO peanut butter in the world tastes as good as that 5 mile walk felt... moral of the story is you may have underlying reasons for the uncontrollable snacking and when you can identify those reasons, then you can address the snacking issue.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    There is no set meal plan. If you snack then snack. You could have 8x200 calorie snacks a day if mfp gives you a calorie goal up to 1600 calories. Or 7 snacks for 1400 calories.

    Eat a snack every couple hours and that's 14-16 hours of your day taken care off sleep for 7 or 8 and spend some time working out.

    I really like this post. Personally, all day snacking instead of meals would not fit my schedule easily, but if it fits you, it is spot on.

    Don't worry about the exercise if you do not have time. 10k steps is good enough. Really. If you added one thing, I would suggest contemplating strength training (Ice cream 5x5 or strong lifts or another popular program) 15 min 2-3x/week. It's hard to find excuses when it is only 15 min. You have all the pieces within reach. As others said, the emotional reasons to overeat/snack are the toughest challenge. Best to you.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    meltedsno wrote: »
    I think you need to address the reason why you have this urge for uncontrollable snacking. I am not traditionally a "mealtime" eater... preferring to "snack" throughout the day... under certain circumstances this has been successful for me... however.. I lost my job in November... and at the age of 61, the chances of me getting a job doing what I was doing at the salary I was paid is slim to none... Started feeling really sorry for myself and found myself doing the uncontrollable snacking in my pajamas day and night... I'm in the process of undoing the damage I've done to myself over the past 3 months or so and am now putting all my energy into building a home based business... it has made a big difference in my snacking habits... plus I am also forcing myself to actually put clothes on and head out the door every day for a walk... today i did 5 miles... and let me tell you what it did for my urge to snack: NO peanut butter in the world tastes as good as that 5 mile walk felt... moral of the story is you may have underlying reasons for the uncontrollable snacking and when you can identify those reasons, then you can address the snacking issue.

    You look so fantastic and I can't believe you are 61. Best of luck to you discerning the next step in your career. Really good point about underlying reasons, too.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Forget the meal plan. Just start logging. Eat whatever you want, just log it all. You want to eat that snack, fine, but you have to log it honestly. No invisible bites.

    After a few weeks you may find that honestly seeing what you are eating logged in black and white wool give you the motivation you need to make some changes.

Categories