Advice for breaking the mental barrier?
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dhayse32
Posts: 2 Member
I have been hovering right at the 225-230lb mark for a few years now. I am an active person, not so much with working out but just on the go all the time and what exercise I do get comes from a few basketball leagues in the winter with a lot time walking in the woods for recreation. I always have intentions to drop 25lbs ore so and get to my 200lb goal (with my build I think that is my target). My main issue is I eat terrible, I never make good choices when it comes to food, plus I am a picky eater when it comes to veggies. I will tell myself to chose better options, but when the time comes I ALWAYS revert back to the worst items I can get. It is like a voice in my head steps in an takes over. I hate it. I really feel that if I can get over this hump I can reach my goals...any advice for conquering this issue?!?
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Replies
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Are you logging what you eat? That tends to bring a sorry if accountability that helps some folks and is meaningless to others.
You don't have to eat every vegetable under the sun. Find yummy ways to prepare the ones you like, give up on the ones you don't. Take a multi vitamin if you don't eat that much variety.
What you want us to find an easy way to stay at or below your calorie goal. That's all, at least for now. Talking everything at once just makes it harder. Losing weight and still being picky about veggies puts you in a better place than you are today. Tomorrow you can work on trying new before if you feel like it.2 -
Motivation is fickle, but determination is an active choice.You must be determined to make these choices for yourself. Set yourself up for success by planning your meals ahead of time; Tuesday night you're making broccoli and a salad as sides to your protein, Wednesday you're making veggie stir fry, etc etc. By planning your meals ahead of time you may be more inclined to stick to them since the decision was already made what you'll be eating. Prepare your good choices so that by the time you're thinking of the bad ones you've already got veggies chopped and chicken marinaded and so on.
If you're always reaching for the bad choice, don't tempt yourself by keeping it in the house in the first place. Stop buying the bad choice all together. Don't even make it an option.6 -
You just have to eat less.2
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If you're trying to eliminate too much and the food you think you should eat feels like a chore, that's hard to sustain.
If you don't like most vegetables, then don't eat most vegetables (it's worth trying new stuff to make sure you're meeting your nutritional needs, but that's a whole different thing).
Figure out what options fit your calorie goals, lifestyle, needs, *and preferences*. If you eat terrible, figure out what swaps you can make to eat . . . less terrible. You don't have to eat perfect to lose weight, you just have to consume fewer calories than you burn. You can do that while eating smaller portions of "terrible" things while trying out new foods and recipes to see what else you like.5 -
Thanks everyone0
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I’m another believer in actions over motivation. All of us can fail at self motivation but can still do what needs to get done. So think what is holding you back. Are you tracking? If not, start. If so, make sure you’re tracking correctly. If you don’t eat vegetables, ok. Find other foods that fill you up that you like. Maybe a broth soup before meals. Maybe switch a vegetarian meal of beans vs high calorie fast food (for ex). Or low calorie fish meals as a substitute. Drink lots of liquids through the day and before meals to fill up before eating.1
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You can definitely do this, and as others have said, it doesn't have to be incredibly painful. A week or two of meticulously (ideally with a food scale) tracking everything you eat will give you a good starting point to decide how and where to reduce calories. If you usually get a large order of fries, try ad medium and see how you feel. See if you could cut back on liquid calories somewhere - maybe make the 2-3 times a week mocha into a TGIF treat. It takes patience to take it slow, but if you can't make changes that will stick, you're just going to put that weight right back on.4
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »You can definitely do this, and as others have said, it doesn't have to be incredibly painful. A week or two of meticulously (ideally with a food scale) tracking everything you eat will give you a good starting point to decide how and where to reduce calories. If you usually get a large order of fries, try ad medium and see how you feel. See if you could cut back on liquid calories somewhere - maybe make the 2-3 times a week mocha into a TGIF treat. It takes patience to take it slow, but if you can't make changes that will stick, you're just going to put that weight right back on.
Yes, just start tracking. This is such good advice.
Even if it doesn't lead to weight loss, tracking can help you identify the changes you can make that will help you. Maybe you eat something for breakfast that doesn't really fill you up and you go overboard at lunch because you're starving. Logging can help you easily identify trends like that.5 -
It sounds to me like planning ahead would help you. You have to make it easier to pick the better choice.
Start by logging everything for a week, and look at your diet to see where the main culprits are. Then avoid them, either by not buying those foods or not going to those places, or even working with your friends if eating with friends is a problem.
Then buy and prep better choices ahead of time, or research better options at restaurants.
Being a picky eater is something you can cure if you want to. Research has found that it takes most picky eaters between seven and eleven times of tasting something new to get to like it. Just take one bite, and if you hate it, say "I don't like it yet," and move on. Try again later. If you have a friend who eats healthier than you, eating one bite of their food is a good way to expand your tastes. Some veggies you may never like, if you have a gene for tasting vegetables as extra bitter, and it's okay to never eat those. But you can definitely expand the number of foods you enjoy.5 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Being a picky eater is something you can cure if you want to. Research has found that it takes most picky eaters between seven and eleven times of tasting something new to get to like it. Just take one bite, and if you hate it, say "I don't like it yet," and move on. Try again later. If you have a friend who eats healthier than you, eating one bite of their food is a good way to expand your tastes. Some veggies you may never like, if you have a gene for tasting vegetables as extra bitter, and it's okay to never eat those. But you can definitely expand the number of foods you enjoy.
I definitely think it's a good idea to try things, but I think it can also be useful to give yourself permission to be a picky eater sometimes. We are faced with so many choices every day that it can get overwhelming to make any decision at all. If you're trying to eat more veggies you don't have to eat broccoli and bell peppers and carrots and sprouts and kale and and and. If the only veggies you like are carrots and sprouts, just eat more carrots and sprouts. Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good.5 -
As far as eating good foods goes, don't eat out, plan your meals and don't buy any junk at the grocery store. Then make it and eat it. If your still hungry, eat some junk after. Just be at least disciplined to eat the good stuff 1st, then if you eat the bad stuff, you won't have as much room for it.
I started gaining weight at about age 33 and got up to 240 or so by age 45 or so (from 180), it just kind of crept up on me year by year (6'1"). I tried dieting at age 45 (I've always been physically active playing basketball or hiking) and lost to 211 but then had some injuries (complete acl tear playing basketball) and also had some gout issues and the diet wasn't all that sustainable and I gained it all back and go up to 256 by the time I was 54. I discovered IF at age 54 and was able to go from 252 to 210 doing that in about 5-months, I then maintained for about 1.5-years and then did another 15-lb push and got down to 195. For the last couple of months I've maintained between 195 and 200. Starting the new year, I hope to make another push and get down to 190 or so. You might give IF a try. It's only the second diet I've tried (the first not being too sustainable and the small meal thing a non-starter for me) and it has worked well for me.
Tracking can be eye-opening. If you haven't done it, it would be good to do it for at lease a month or so to learn what kind of calories the foods you eat have. After that, if you can make adjustments to lose weight without tracking, you might not need to continue tracking.
Good luck!1 -
It may sound girly to you but I find journaling helps. I am in a similar boat as you are when it comes to reverting back.1
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Thanks everyone
The thought of having to change the foods I eat automatically makes me want them more.
Fortunately you don’t have to change ANYTHING you eat. Just eat 500 cals under your TDEE. You’ll blink and the weight will have come off by summer because it was actually sustainable.
Not to mention you get that early whoosh which is a huge motivator and bonus.2 -
I have the same problem. Once I get started I do really well and I keep it up for awhile but if I get off track I stay off track for months.
What's helped me the most is just thinking about my age. I'm still youngish (29)...but I know I'm not like "young" anymore and after two kids I can't have a flat midsection by switching to diet coke for a couple days lol. I am also having more health consequences from my weight...my BP, my cholesterol...all going up and I remind myself that the older I get the less reversible those are (and the more residual damage). I think about that stuff a lot. I hate working out, especially cardio and now when I am really huffing and puffing when I would normally quit I remind myself how good this is for my heart and I tell myself that if I do that this workout is just one closer to healthier pressure and not dying of a heart attack in 20 years.1 -
Thanks everyone
The thought of having to change the foods I eat automatically makes me want them more.
Fortunately you don’t have to change ANYTHING you eat. Just eat 500 cals under your TDEE. You’ll blink and the weight will have come off by summer because it was actually sustainable.
Not to mention you get that early whoosh which is a huge motivator and bonus.
Agreed! Eat what you’ve always eaten, just less of it within your calorie goal. It’s the best kept secret of the diet industry because IT WORKS!1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »If you're trying to eliminate too much and the food you think you should eat feels like a chore, that's hard to sustain.
If you don't like most vegetables, then don't eat most vegetables (it's worth trying new stuff to make sure you're meeting your nutritional needs, but that's a whole different thing).
Figure out what options fit your calorie goals, lifestyle, needs, *and preferences*. If you eat terrible, figure out what swaps you can make to eat . . . less terrible. You don't have to eat perfect to lose weight, you just have to consume fewer calories than you burn. You can do that while eating smaller portions of "terrible" things while trying out new foods and recipes to see what else you like.
Great advice. I've been trying to make small changes that will add up. Like keeping track of food If I eat out. The other week I went to Burger King and got a whooper Jr, no mayo, instead of a regular whooper. Seems foolish, since it's still Burger King, but it's still a step in the right direction. Also, I've been trying to figure out which fruits and veggies I like best. I've been eating more sweet potato because I've realized I actually like it.1 -
Same for me, but I still manage to lose when I put my mind to it.My main issue is I eat terrible, I never make good choices when it comes to food, plus I am a picky eater when it comes to veggies.
It's not about *what* you eat, it's about *how much* you eat. Yes, you may need to tweak the *what* in order to get the *how much* sustainable and tolerable, but losing weight doesn't have to mean a tectonic shift in the types of foods you eat.
Tracking, along with weighing/measuring, is a HUGE must for me. The margin for error is a lot less when your diet is primarily calorie dense foods.1 -
its not about what you eat, so much as how much you eat.
granted, a balanced diet rich in nutrients is HEALTHIER, but as far as CICO goes, you could eat ding dongs within your calorie allotment and still lose weight (youd feel like *kitten* and always be hungry, but still lose weight)0 -
Know that food manufacturers and fast food companies have an army of chemist's behind them to engineer their food in a way that guarantees you eat as much as possible, at the risk of your own health...
And read your nutrition labels, there's no bigger turn-off than looking at how much calories and how many servings and what other ingredients are in something4
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