Motivating strict diet Vs slow weight loss
sugarlips1980
Posts: 361 Member
Ah, advice please! I've been a life long yo-yo dieter. My weight had always wildly fluctuated - couple of stone up, a couple down and repeat. I look back to when I was 18 and 10 st 7 (147 pounds - now my ideal weight!) and thought I was hideously fat. I then BECAME fat because I went on strict low calorie diets and hours in the gym for months... and the inevitable binges followed!
Five years ago I was at my heaviest at 15 st 7 (217 pounds for the Americans). I found myself unemployed for a while and dedicated my days to losing weight - I lost three and a half stone (50 pounds) to get to 12st (168 Ibs). I did this with a fairly strict, consistent routine - I joined MFP and logged everything, eat 1000-1200 cals (some days over 1200 but compensated with extra exercise or easing up next day), did 30 mins workout DVD each day (e.g Jillian Michaels) and a hour long daily dog walk. Took me about five months and I largely knocked drinking/socialising on the head for that period (as that's my downfall! ). A pretty boring period of my life but was so pleased after with my achievement. My goal weight is 10st 7 (147 Ibs) but I needed a break, I planned to have a couple of months off and crack on losing the final stone and a half (21 pounds)... but fast forward 4 years later and I'm the same weight.
I tried juicing... lost 7 pounds quickly, got motivated, binged and put it back on. I've been to a week long boot camp, lost 7 pounds, eventually put it back on. Went back to bootcamp, 7 pounds off, back on again.... done this I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES over the past 2 years.
So I think right, stop with the crash diets and quick fixes... make permanent lifestyle changes... so I've gone through periods where I eat healthy, eat around 1400-1500, log everything, go the gym a few times a week (not daily), I still socialise with an alcoholic night out once a week or fortnight, once a week a treat meal pizza etc... but I'm still the same weight!
On one level I think this is good... I'm having a much healthier relationship with food, for example when younger I was either dieting and eating salad and fruit all day, or I was binging and eating fast foods all day. Last few years I've gotten the all or nothing approach is daft, I've learnt to eat a chocolate bar and not write off the day, then have a healthy next meal etc. It's stopped my wild binges and prevented me putting on and losing STONES repeatedly... BUT... I still do it albeit on a smaller scale with the same 7 pounds (I know these binges are when I feel down, I'm still an emotional eater).
I'm unemployed again at the moment. I'm desperate to lose this last 21 pounds and I don't know why I find it so hard when I successfully lost 50 pounds before! I'm sick of not liking what I see in the mirror and feeling sluggish. I'm sick of being obsessed with dieting too.
I'm in two minds when it comes to approaching things now when it comes to a strict effort Vs slow weight loss. I get scared of being too strict (like my young days), but my slow weight loss approach ends up resulting in maintenance. If I didn't have my gain 7 pound binges I'm sure the slow 1 pound a week plan would work in 6 months. But without getting a bit obsessed with weight loss and getting strict I don't get anywhere!
I'm debating three approaches:
1. Going to bootcamp for three weeks (potentially can lose that 21 pounds and get to ideal weight - followed by putting effort into maintenance and a healthy relationship with food). It will cost £2500, which I can't really afford it will be going on my credit card, but it would be so amazing to get to my ideal weight finally!)
2. A strict (but not super strict) diet of 1200-1300 daily cals, my successful formulae before - 30 mins daily exercise, sacrificing my social life for a few months (I find this hard! But it's doable)
3. The slow weight loss approach and having a social life (but need super consistency, the binges even small need to stop, but I can't help feel faster results are more motivating!)
Thoughts anyone?!
Five years ago I was at my heaviest at 15 st 7 (217 pounds for the Americans). I found myself unemployed for a while and dedicated my days to losing weight - I lost three and a half stone (50 pounds) to get to 12st (168 Ibs). I did this with a fairly strict, consistent routine - I joined MFP and logged everything, eat 1000-1200 cals (some days over 1200 but compensated with extra exercise or easing up next day), did 30 mins workout DVD each day (e.g Jillian Michaels) and a hour long daily dog walk. Took me about five months and I largely knocked drinking/socialising on the head for that period (as that's my downfall! ). A pretty boring period of my life but was so pleased after with my achievement. My goal weight is 10st 7 (147 Ibs) but I needed a break, I planned to have a couple of months off and crack on losing the final stone and a half (21 pounds)... but fast forward 4 years later and I'm the same weight.
I tried juicing... lost 7 pounds quickly, got motivated, binged and put it back on. I've been to a week long boot camp, lost 7 pounds, eventually put it back on. Went back to bootcamp, 7 pounds off, back on again.... done this I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES over the past 2 years.
So I think right, stop with the crash diets and quick fixes... make permanent lifestyle changes... so I've gone through periods where I eat healthy, eat around 1400-1500, log everything, go the gym a few times a week (not daily), I still socialise with an alcoholic night out once a week or fortnight, once a week a treat meal pizza etc... but I'm still the same weight!
On one level I think this is good... I'm having a much healthier relationship with food, for example when younger I was either dieting and eating salad and fruit all day, or I was binging and eating fast foods all day. Last few years I've gotten the all or nothing approach is daft, I've learnt to eat a chocolate bar and not write off the day, then have a healthy next meal etc. It's stopped my wild binges and prevented me putting on and losing STONES repeatedly... BUT... I still do it albeit on a smaller scale with the same 7 pounds (I know these binges are when I feel down, I'm still an emotional eater).
I'm unemployed again at the moment. I'm desperate to lose this last 21 pounds and I don't know why I find it so hard when I successfully lost 50 pounds before! I'm sick of not liking what I see in the mirror and feeling sluggish. I'm sick of being obsessed with dieting too.
I'm in two minds when it comes to approaching things now when it comes to a strict effort Vs slow weight loss. I get scared of being too strict (like my young days), but my slow weight loss approach ends up resulting in maintenance. If I didn't have my gain 7 pound binges I'm sure the slow 1 pound a week plan would work in 6 months. But without getting a bit obsessed with weight loss and getting strict I don't get anywhere!
I'm debating three approaches:
1. Going to bootcamp for three weeks (potentially can lose that 21 pounds and get to ideal weight - followed by putting effort into maintenance and a healthy relationship with food). It will cost £2500, which I can't really afford it will be going on my credit card, but it would be so amazing to get to my ideal weight finally!)
2. A strict (but not super strict) diet of 1200-1300 daily cals, my successful formulae before - 30 mins daily exercise, sacrificing my social life for a few months (I find this hard! But it's doable)
3. The slow weight loss approach and having a social life (but need super consistency, the binges even small need to stop, but I can't help feel faster results are more motivating!)
Thoughts anyone?!
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Advice for what?1
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Ah it's not posting my whole post...
Ah, advice please! I've been a life long yo-yo dieter. My weight had always wildly fluctuated - couple of stone up, a couple down and repeat. I look back to when I was 18 and 10 st 7 (147 pounds - now my ideal weight!) and thought I was hideously fat0 -
It won't here either?!0
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If you try to use emojis from your phone, it will cut off any text after the emoji.0
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Don't use emojis on your phone..0
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Ah thank you that will be it, will delete them!0
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How long did you try the 'lifestyle changes' before deciding it wasn't working?0
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Everyone's different, but I personally think the slow-and-steady crowd seems to have a better track record than the strict diet crowd in terms of successfully reaching goal weight and staying there. But as a proud slow-and-steadier (47 pounds in 15 months so far!) I obviously have my own preference. As for your options specifically:
1) If extreme weight loss hasn't worked for you in the past, trying it again doesn't seem like a great plan, especially with that much cash involved.
2) Ditto
3) I think everyone feels like faster results are more motivating, but what about the motivation of consistent results, not being hungry all the time, and knowing that you're practicing skills that hopefully will last? Yes, it takes consistency, but the trick is that consistency gets easier over time when you're not pushing yourself too hard.
Drinking and socializing has been a big thing for me as well - I've found it helpful to bank or cycle calories, eating less 5-6 days a week so I can eat more 1-2 days, and averaging everything by week and month instead of day to day. Again, it takes some more patience, but I think not having to make major changes is worth it. And I really didn't ever want to go back to the level I was drinking before - that'd be a surefire way to gain everything back! Whatever you do, good luck!3 -
And how accurately were you tracking food intake? What methods?0
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TavistockToad wrote: »How long did you try the 'lifestyle changes' before deciding it wasn't working?TavistockToad wrote: »How long did you try the 'lifestyle changes' before deciding it wasn't working?
I've made a big lifestyle change since I lost the weight four years ago - in evidence by me not having gained all the stones back. BUT, I still binge on a smaller scale - the same 7 pounds on and off. My current slow and steady lifestyle change basically is producing keeping me maintaining but not losing this last 21 pounds.
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kommodevaran wrote: »And how accurately were you tracking food intake? What methods?
Fairly accurately with MFP - it's a question of how strict I approach things now in terms of restriction vs moderation.
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I mean, do you use a food scale? Do you verify database entries yourself?sugarlips1980 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »And how accurately were you tracking food intake? What methods?
Fairly accurately with MFP - it's a question of how strict I approach things now in terms of restriction vs moderation.0 -
- One could make the case that the reason you yo-yo is because you do something drastic and then rebound over and over again.
- Consistency is key. You need to learn how to eat at the right calorie level effortlessly for the rest of your life. This requires some trial and error to find foods you like and love that satisfy you at the right portion size. Commit to 3 months of accuracy to start out. Use a food scale for all solids. Double check that the entries you are using in the database are correct (many are not). Log everything, good or bad, whole or processed, meal or snack, condiments, cooking oils, beverages. Make notes of how you feel and start to notice patterns, and tweak from there.
- Consider taking planned diet breaks every 2 or 3 months where you eat at maintenance.
I know some people say it's possible to lose weight fast and then keep it off, but I have yet to actually see that in action. Good luck however you proceed!3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Everyone's different, but I personally think the slow-and-steady crowd seems to have a better track record than the strict diet crowd in terms of successfully reaching goal weight and staying there.
Well done! I hear you about slow and steady and lifestyle changes. It takes super consistency and a level I haven't managed to achieve over the last 4 years - the whole 80% healthy 20% naughty for me seems to result in maintenance which is why I feel I need something a bit stricter. I feel I need a strict weight loss regime for a few months then move to maintenance.
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kommodevaran wrote: »
I mean, do you use a food scale? Do you verify database entries yourself?sugarlips1980 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »And how accurately were you tracking food intake? What methods?
Fairly accurately with MFP - it's a question of how strict I approach things now in terms of restriction vs moderation.
Yes food scale. I'm confident accuracy isn't my l issue, it's about the general approach of stricter Vs moderation
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So you have learned the art of maintenance! This is good, and even with what you call "binge" that results in a yo-yo of 7 pounds. You want to lose 21 pounds. Three weeks at bootcamp won't get you there, and for sure that credit card debt is not worth it. So I advise nixing that option altogether. First, I would take a look at what kind of calorie intake your "social life" is costing you and make a small change there. If you are drinking your calories, cut down by 1 or 2 drinks per outing. If you are truly maintaining with your current "social life," then if you did that, plus managed a smallish daily deficit, you will lose the weight and you will get used to socializing with a bit less drinking (which may be a Good Thing) without needing to suffer terribly. That daily deficit might be helped along with increasing activity.1
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So you have learned the art of maintenance! This is good, and even with what you call "binge" that results in a yo-yo of 7 pounds. You want to lose 21 pounds. Three weeks at bootcamp won't get you there, and for sure that credit card debt is not worth it. So I advise nixing that option altogether. I would take a look at what kind of calorie intake your "social life" is costing you and make a small change there. If you are drinking your calories, cut down by 1 or 2 drinks per outing. If you are truly maintaining with your current "social life," than if you did that plus managed a smallish daily deficit you will lose the weight plus you will get used to socializing with a bit less drinking (which may be a Good Thing) without needing to suffer terribly. That daily deficit might be helped along with increasing activity.
Thank you! Yes I do feel like I've come on leaps and bounds regarding maintenance compared to my younger years! (Thankfully at 37, I'd still like to finally get slim!). I think you're right, I need a plan stricter than maintenance and a way to incorporate a social life yet still make some sacrifice. When i have a night out I'm not one for vodka lime and lemonade and stop at four. I'm forget diet, wine, shots, cocktails! So semi sacrifice for about four months (annoying I find it so hard, it's all it will take!) then maintenance.
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I'm picking up a sense of extremes in your outlook and approach. You're asking which approach would be better between a rigid diet or a moderate eating plan with some risk of binges (a small extreme) occurring.
The process of dieting is largely psychological as it is physical. With extreme approaches, there's no room for middle ground so at the rapid success of a crash diet, you have not learned or ingrained long-term strategies to maintain that success, so once you see your goal, you eventually go back to your old diet for whatever reason.
The thing is if you want long-term changes, you'll have to embrace long-term strategies. That might mean *some* restriction and *some* moderation, otherwise known as flexible dieting. But that would mean that you have to learn to roll with the punches, and when life throws curve balls at you, you do the best you can with what you have.
If you are aggressively desperate to be lean, then eat like it's your job to be lean for the rest of your life. However you do it is up to you and it doesn't have to be militantly rigid nor so moderate that it allows for binges, because one usually leads to the other, but find an approach you're happy with. Food is food, not a reward/punishment cycle.5
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