What diet???
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Pretty simple as much of the above - Its Calories in vs Calories out. You have an energy balance and you need to put yourself in a calorie deficit to lose weight/fat. You need to find out your Daily Calorie Expenditure number, do this by giving yourself a daily limit 2000kcal for example. Track your food for a few weeks with weigh ins and you will soon see if this number is too high (Putting on weight) or exactly correct (not losing weight) and then adjust accordingly. Also I would recommend looking at your Macros in particular Protein amount. Aim for around 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight. Consistency is the key1
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If you want to lose that 35lb badly enough you will do what it takes. Take it slow, set yourself to lose 1lb a week, that means a calorie deficit of 500 cals a day.
Eat things that fill you/are satisfying but wont eat into your calorie allowance too much. You can still enjoy some treats but most importantly, weigh everything and log it accurately - thats the only way to know how many calories you are taking in. Also move a bit more, that helps burns more calories to help with that deficit.
You have to think long term. Just think in 6 months time what you could achieve, you actually wouldn't be far from your target weight. Only 6 months! that's a short period of time in relation to our lives in general.
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Perhaps the reason you have so many failed attempts to lose the weight is because you keep looking for a “diet” to follow, which sounds like you find too restrictive and then end up going off the rails, gain weight back, then either get back on the same “diet” or you bounce to a new one.
As others have said, what’s important is to find an approach you can stick with during maintenance. Eat in a way while losing that you intend to stick with - don’t cut out foods you love that you will feel overly restricted and then tempted by.
I highly recommend reading the stickied most helpful forum posts to learn about ways to best use this site and so much good info about commonly asked questions.
The basics that I always recommend:
1. Set up MFP with accurate stats and a reasonable goal rate of loss. For what you indicated - 1 lb/week or 0.5 kg/week would be appropriate.
2. MFP will give you a calorie goal based on your NEAT (meaning it doesn’t include exercise)
3. Eat a variety of foods within that calorie goal - focusing on those that provide nutrition (macro and micro nutrients), satiety (fills you up on less calories), and enjoyment (nothing wrong with a piece of chocolate if you can fit it in your calories and it likely will keep you motivated to stick with the plan (not diet)).
4. Track everything you eat as accurately as possible, ideally using a food scale.
5. Exercise if you enjoy it - eating back some of those cals when you do.
6. Be patient, monitor and adjust after 6-8 weeks.
Good luck.
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paulandrew35 wrote: »Pretty simple as much of the above - Its Calories in vs Calories out. You have an energy balance and you need to put yourself in a calorie deficit to lose weight/fat. You need to find out your Daily Calorie Expenditure number, do this by giving yourself a daily limit 2000kcal for example. Track your food for a few weeks with weigh ins and you will soon see if this number is too high (Putting on weight) or exactly correct (not losing weight) and then adjust accordingly. Also I would recommend looking at your Macros in particular Protein amount. Aim for around 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight. Consistency is the key
This is fine but why wouldn’t you use MFP to set that calorie Target rather than just randomly picking a number? Or another calculator - lots of TDEE calculators online.2 -
Trust me I want it badly enough, it’s enough to make me sit and cry most nights because I’m fat but the urge for food takes over sometimes and I can’t stop it no matter what. So tell me what I can do to stop that because I’ve tried everything possible1
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sammyj19902015 wrote: »Trust me I want it badly enough, it’s enough to make me sit and cry most nights because I’m fat but the urge for food takes over sometimes and I can’t stop it no matter what. So tell me what I can do to stop that because I’ve tried everything possible
Are there particular trigger foods, or emotional situations, that prompt you to over indulge? If so a closer analysis of those triggers may help you avoid them and develop a sustainable plan.
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sammyj19902015 wrote: »Trust me I want it badly enough, it’s enough to make me sit and cry most nights because I’m fat but the urge for food takes over sometimes and I can’t stop it no matter what. So tell me what I can do to stop that because I’ve tried everything possible
Have you tried keeping busy doing something when these urges strike? or have a glass of water? this is emotional eating you're talking about so you need to find some way to get around it.0 -
Nothing triggers it, I’ve done low carb for 13 days straight really focused losing weight then bang yesterday woke up and ate so much rubbish but I literally could not stop myself, I knew I was doing it but couldn’t stop0
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You want it badly - but "it" is weightloss, and you can't wish the pounds away - you have to want badly to eat less. You haven't tried everything possible, not seriously anyway, because that would mean you'd have stopped routinely overeating by now. An urge is not overeating. You can't choose to not get urges, but you can choose to not eat. Cry if you want to, crying is a lot better than food to regulate emotions. If you have any psychological issues that need professional help, please get that taken care of.sammyj19902015 wrote: »Trust me I want it badly enough, it’s enough to make me sit and cry most nights because I’m fat but the urge for food takes over sometimes and I can’t stop it no matter what. So tell me what I can do to stop that because I’ve tried everything possible6 -
sammyj19902015 wrote: »Nothing triggers it, I’ve done low carb for 13 days straight really focused losing weight then bang yesterday woke up and ate so much rubbish but I literally could not stop myself, I knew I was doing it but couldn’t stop
First of all, one day falling off the wagon isn’t the end of the world. Brush yourself off and reevaluate your plan (again - it’s a plan, not a diet). Also, low carb isn’t necessary for weight loss, perhaps that is too restrictive for you if you feel tempted to over indulge. Have you read the recommendations above including the stickied posts?4 -
tracking calories and keeping a food diary like MFP helps you to do is a great way. sometimes you don't realise how much you eat each day, or how many hidden calories there are in things (ie Ketchup) until you see it written down.
However I like you fell of the wagon many times and im doing a lot more successfully now after binge watching "how to lose weight well" I took inspiration from that a year or so ago and count calories but also factor in some of the other diets principles. it seems to make it less boring, less samey and somewhat more exciting so you don't feel stuck in a rut and so much like its a diet as you can chop and change things.
give it a try and see how you get on.
Good Luck!0 -
OP, have you tried just logging your food and attempting to hit a reasonable calorie target yet? Not following a diet, not restricting specific things, just... eating a little less? Many of us have found it freeing. Often that uncontrollable urge to eat specific foods is an emotional response to feeling deprived of them in the first place.
I lost my weight eating pizza, ice cream, and lots of other often "off-limits" foods. It wasn't all I ate obviously, I built my meals around lean proteins and veggies, but there was nothing off limits.5 -
WinoGelato wrote: »sammyj19902015 wrote: »Nothing triggers it, I’ve done low carb for 13 days straight really focused losing weight then bang yesterday woke up and ate so much rubbish but I literally could not stop myself, I knew I was doing it but couldn’t stop
First of all, one day falling off the wagon isn’t the end of the world. Brush yourself off and reevaluate your plan (again - it’s a plan, not a diet). Also, low carb isn’t necessary for weight loss, perhaps that is too restrictive for you if you feel tempted to over indulge. Have you read the recommendations above including the stickied posts?
I totally freak out and binge just like OP described when I try to do low carb. Now I just try to hit my calorie goal and my protein and let the rest fall where it may.
I have a little chocolate or ice cream pretty much every night. Helps me stay on track.2 -
But I don’t lose anything I just hit a plateau which is why I tried something different but just can’t seem to find something that suits, I’m actually addicted to food but want to be slim and it’s never going to happen
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But you can! Log what you eat now and eat a little less day to day.1
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You won't lose any discernible amount of weight unless you stick to a calorie deficit for at least a few weeks.sammyj19902015 wrote: »But I don’t lose anything I just hit a plateau which is why I tried something different but just can’t seem to find something that suits, I’m actually addicted to food but want to be slim and it’s never going to happen
Nobody's addicted to food.6 -
sammyj19902015 wrote: »But I don’t lose anything I just hit a plateau which is why I tried something different but just can’t seem to find something that suits, I’m actually addicted to food but want to be slim and it’s never going to happen
You're over complicating it. Complete your diet profile in MFP. Set it to lose .5 or 1 lb per week. Read the stickied posts here on the forums so that you can: Track and log honestly and accurately. Above all, be patient.2 -
sammyj19902015 wrote: »But I don’t lose anything I just hit a plateau which is why I tried something different but just can’t seem to find something that suits, I’m actually addicted to food but want to be slim and it’s never going to happen
If you have a true addiction you should seek help. Over-eaters Anonymous or psychologist who specializes would be good options.1 -
I feel the same way towards food as I do to cigarettes. I get the same ‘angryness’ when I can’t have food I want as I do when I can’t have a cigarette, then I eat said food then get annoyed with myself for eating it... lose lose situation
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sammyj19902015 wrote: »I feel the same way towards food as I do to cigarettes. I get the same ‘angryness’ when I can’t have food I want as I do when I can’t have a cigarette, then I eat said food then get annoyed with myself for eating it... lose lose situation
You'll need to develop some coping skills.
What I did in the situation you're describing:
Ask myself, "Can I have this same food again later?"
If the answer is yes (which it most often is), tell myself I'll have it another time.
If the answer is no, then I may allow myself to have it, but I'll have to make some other changes to my diet that day. I probably won't get my evening treat, which I love and always look forward to. Is it worth that trade? Maybe yes, maybe no.2
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