Why am I like this? Please help

arilukaszewicz1 · August 2018

I have been working out in the mornings for 2 weeks straight, yay!

The problem lies in the fact I will eat healthy and 2000 calories or less for a couple days then it all goes to *kitten*. It’s really annoying and I need tips on how to counteract this please

middlehaitch · August 2018

Just eat and log. Don't worry about healthy, just log, use a scale and vet your entries.

Know your maintenance calories, know your deficit calories and just try to stay between them, most of the time.
Eventually try to stay closer to your deficit.

That is all you need for fat loss.

However, geting in your nutrition for good health is more down to what you eat. Nothing is good, bad, healthy, unhealthy, or junk. It just has a nutritional profile. Try to work your way towards yours, eating food you like, and expanding your repertoire, over time.

The trick is to make it as simple as possible, while still making progress over time.

Cheers, h.

NovusDies · August 2018

Healthy is one of those words that floats around here that can mean so many things. A little too often it means consistently joyless food experiences and it leads to feeling deprived.

middlehaitch · August 2018

NovusDies wrote: »

Healthy is one of those words that floats around here that can mean so many things. A little too often it means consistently joyless food experiences and it leads to feeling deprived.

I so love this, healthy and food just don't work in my mind.
Hitting nutritional goals, for good health is a totally different kettle of fish.

I can eat yogurt, cake, salad, steak, cake, buiscuits(cookies) drink wine and beer, etc, and the mix of everything hits my nutritional goals, and hopefully good health. (Doing everything right doesn't guarantee it)

It isn't one food, or particular set of foods, it is the consistent mix of good nutrition.

(I missed out fast food and chips crisps etc because my palate isn't attracted to them, I'm a cream woman)

Cheers, h.

elfin168 · August 2018

sometimes it pays to focus on the big picture. If you make small changes over time you will get results. If you try and make big unsustainable changes you will fail, repeatedly and beat yourself up. Make small changes consistently, enjoy life and change will happen..slowly perhaps but it will happen

kshama2001 · August 2018

arilukaszewicz1 wrote: »

I have been working out in the mornings for 2 weeks straight, yay!

The problem lies in the fact I will eat healthy and 2000 calories or less for a couple days then it all goes to *kitten*. It’s really annoying and I need tips on how to counteract this please

While your foods may be healthy, perhaps they are not satisfying to you? Some people find protein more satiating, some high volume carbs, some fat. Maybe pay attention after a meal and see which resonate with you?

Understanding satiety: feeling full after a meal

...Tips on how to feel fuller

So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:

Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.

jennifer_417 · August 2018

You're probably trying to be too restrictive. Making more gradual changes so that you have time to process and accept them, rather than spazzing yourself out by trying to change everything at once, will probably help.

toxikon · August 2018

I find that meal-prepping really helps me stay on track. I prepare large batches of food, calorie count them, and portion them out into servings kept in the fridge and freezer. My husband and I always have a quick lunch or dinner to grab, no temptation to pick up fast food or junk. The money savings are awesome too.

kschwab0203 · August 2018

I have this problem too, but for me it starts with the weekend. I can exercise all week. Eat at a deficit with no problem, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest...until Friday. Then a couple drinks turn into more than I'd care to say and food choices become anything with lots of carbs and cheese. So needless to say the 1lb I may have lost by Monday morning has resulted in a 3lb water weight gain which will stick around until about Friday when the whole thing starts again. I annoy myself.

cheryldumais · August 2018

Yup, most important thing is to eat the amount of calories advised by MFP and eat in a way you can do for life. So many people have ideas about crazy diets that they can't ever hope to maintain. This is about a lifestyle change not a "diet".

arilukaszewicz1 · August 2018

Thank you everyone I am going thru the responses right now. Thank you for all the help

NovusDies · August 2018

OldAssDude wrote: »

I'm sure you noticed by now that people have posted against my advice to you, and it certainly is your choice to do what you feel is best for you.

I will explain in more detail if it will help you to understand that a healthy body weight is not just about eating less. It's about total health, which includes a good fitness level.

The CDC (as well as other health associations) recommend at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness level. To improve fitness level they recommend at least doubling that number until the desired fitness level is achieved. A good rule of thumb would be to divide that up to about 25-30 percent muscular and 70-75 percent cardio in general.

A good fitness level means: A stronger heart. Stronger lungs. Stronger muscles. Stronger joints. And, a Stronger mind. It will make your body much more efficient and healthy.

A healthy body is more resistant to disease, and better able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

An unhealthy body is less resistant to disease, and less able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

Eating a wide variety of healthy foods will fuel your exercise to insure you are getting all the required nutrients, and limiting junk foods to once in a while will allow you to enjoy things you like in moderation (like a reward for doing a 5 mile run that day).

Logging your food is a great idea at first, but use it as a learning tool, and over time you will know how to eat right without logging.

All people have a heart, lungs, muscles, joints, and a brain.

So this will work for everyone.

We evolved for a couple million years to be very active every day, hunting and gathering, but since man invented the couch it's been down hill ever since.

A little bit about me...

I was obese a few years back and started having some health issues that let to me having to have surgery. They had to test my heart and lungs to see if I would make it through the surgery. During the testing they discovered that I had COPD, and that I have had a heart attack at some point. They still did the surgery, but they told me if I did not start exercising, lose weight, and quit smoking that I would not be around much longer. They told me to start walking for exercise.

At first I could barely walk a mile at a slow pace (about 3 mph), and then I had to lay down for an hour because I felt like I was going to die. I felt so pathetic that I asked family members to shoot me in the head and put me out of my misery...LOL

I bought a fitness tracker, set it up to lose 1 lb. per week, and started logging my food. Logging my food helped me learn about eating foods that where good for me and still staying within my calories. And because of all the walking I was actually eating more that I was before all this started.

I kept walking no matter how much it killed me, and after a few months was able to go much faster and farther without having to lay down. It started actually feeling good.

I got a better fitness device that would monitor my heart rate wile exercising. Within 2 years I could power walk 10+ miles at a 4+ mph pace. I started having trouble keeping my heart rate in the cardio zone so I started to add running into my workouts. Now I can run 5 miles and do power walking for recovery.

During this time my body weight got closer and closer to a healthy weight, and I was eating more, but eating smarter. I was in a size 40 pants 3 years ago, and now I'm in a 32 pants.

I recently had another stress test and they told me that my heart actually healed itself from my heart attack, and that it is strong and healthy now. Also, all my blood work is perfectly normal now. 3 years ago it was a mess.

So, it's your choice to do what you think is right for you, but this advice IMO would be the best advice for any person.

Good luck.

I bolded the part that is really relevant to losing weight.

Seems like you had a really big health scare and I am truly happy you are in a better state now.

The OP has been exercising. It could be that exercising could be causing part of her problems if she is not eating enough to fuel it and that is contributing to her bingeing. No one here is anti-exercise but most people here know that a calorie deficit is where weight loss truly begins and according to the bolded part of your post it was a factor in your success as well.

OldAssDude · August 2018

NovusDies wrote: »

OldAssDude wrote: »

I'm sure you noticed by now that people have posted against my advice to you, and it certainly is your choice to do what you feel is best for you.

I will explain in more detail if it will help you to understand that a healthy body weight is not just about eating less. It's about total health, which includes a good fitness level.

The CDC (as well as other health associations) recommend at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness level. To improve fitness level they recommend at least doubling that number until the desired fitness level is achieved. A good rule of thumb would be to divide that up to about 25-30 percent muscular and 70-75 percent cardio in general.

A good fitness level means: A stronger heart. Stronger lungs. Stronger muscles. Stronger joints. And, a Stronger mind. It will make your body much more efficient and healthy.

A healthy body is more resistant to disease, and better able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

An unhealthy body is less resistant to disease, and less able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

Eating a wide variety of healthy foods will fuel your exercise to insure you are getting all the required nutrients, and limiting junk foods to once in a while will allow you to enjoy things you like in moderation (like a reward for doing a 5 mile run that day).

Logging your food is a great idea at first, but use it as a learning tool, and over time you will know how to eat right without logging.

All people have a heart, lungs, muscles, joints, and a brain.

So this will work for everyone.

We evolved for a couple million years to be very active every day, hunting and gathering, but since man invented the couch it's been down hill ever since.

A little bit about me...

I was obese a few years back and started having some health issues that let to me having to have surgery. They had to test my heart and lungs to see if I would make it through the surgery. During the testing they discovered that I had COPD, and that I have had a heart attack at some point. They still did the surgery, but they told me if I did not start exercising, lose weight, and quit smoking that I would not be around much longer. They told me to start walking for exercise.

At first I could barely walk a mile at a slow pace (about 3 mph), and then I had to lay down for an hour because I felt like I was going to die. I felt so pathetic that I asked family members to shoot me in the head and put me out of my misery...LOL

I bought a fitness tracker, set it up to lose 1 lb. per week, and started logging my food. Logging my food helped me learn about eating foods that where good for me and still staying within my calories. And because of all the walking I was actually eating more that I was before all this started.

I kept walking no matter how much it killed me, and after a few months was able to go much faster and farther without having to lay down. It started actually feeling good.

I got a better fitness device that would monitor my heart rate wile exercising. Within 2 years I could power walk 10+ miles at a 4+ mph pace. I started having trouble keeping my heart rate in the cardio zone so I started to add running into my workouts. Now I can run 5 miles and do power walking for recovery.

During this time my body weight got closer and closer to a healthy weight, and I was eating more, but eating smarter. I was in a size 40 pants 3 years ago, and now I'm in a 32 pants.

I recently had another stress test and they told me that my heart actually healed itself from my heart attack, and that it is strong and healthy now. Also, all my blood work is perfectly normal now. 3 years ago it was a mess.

So, it's your choice to do what you think is right for you, but this advice IMO would be the best advice for any person.

Good luck.

I bolded the part that is really relevant to losing weight.

Seems like you had a really big health scare and I am truly happy you are in a better state now.

The OP has been exercising. It could be that exercising could be causing part of her problems if she is not eating enough to fuel it and that is contributing to her bingeing. No one here is anti-exercise but most people here know that a calorie deficit is where weight loss truly begins and according to the bolded part of your post it was a factor in your success as well.

I bolded the part of your post which may be helpful. Which is nothing.

Do you think a calorie deficit is caused from just counting calories?

No... It's not.

You can either eat less than you burn, or burn more than you eat, and you "must" do both to be successful long term.

Are you saying that total health is just weight?

please explain why people should be at a healthy weight, but not be at a healthy fitness level.

janejellyroll · August 2018

OldAssDude wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

OldAssDude wrote: »

I'm sure you noticed by now that people have posted against my advice to you, and it certainly is your choice to do what you feel is best for you.

I will explain in more detail if it will help you to understand that a healthy body weight is not just about eating less. It's about total health, which includes a good fitness level.

The CDC (as well as other health associations) recommend at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain fitness level. To improve fitness level they recommend at least doubling that number until the desired fitness level is achieved. A good rule of thumb would be to divide that up to about 25-30 percent muscular and 70-75 percent cardio in general.

A good fitness level means: A stronger heart. Stronger lungs. Stronger muscles. Stronger joints. And, a Stronger mind. It will make your body much more efficient and healthy.

A healthy body is more resistant to disease, and better able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

An unhealthy body is less resistant to disease, and less able to get rid of what it doesn't need.

Eating a wide variety of healthy foods will fuel your exercise to insure you are getting all the required nutrients, and limiting junk foods to once in a while will allow you to enjoy things you like in moderation (like a reward for doing a 5 mile run that day).

Logging your food is a great idea at first, but use it as a learning tool, and over time you will know how to eat right without logging.

All people have a heart, lungs, muscles, joints, and a brain.

So this will work for everyone.

We evolved for a couple million years to be very active every day, hunting and gathering, but since man invented the couch it's been down hill ever since.

A little bit about me...

I was obese a few years back and started having some health issues that let to me having to have surgery. They had to test my heart and lungs to see if I would make it through the surgery. During the testing they discovered that I had COPD, and that I have had a heart attack at some point. They still did the surgery, but they told me if I did not start exercising, lose weight, and quit smoking that I would not be around much longer. They told me to start walking for exercise.

At first I could barely walk a mile at a slow pace (about 3 mph), and then I had to lay down for an hour because I felt like I was going to die. I felt so pathetic that I asked family members to shoot me in the head and put me out of my misery...LOL

I bought a fitness tracker, set it up to lose 1 lb. per week, and started logging my food. Logging my food helped me learn about eating foods that where good for me and still staying within my calories. And because of all the walking I was actually eating more that I was before all this started.

I kept walking no matter how much it killed me, and after a few months was able to go much faster and farther without having to lay down. It started actually feeling good.

I got a better fitness device that would monitor my heart rate wile exercising. Within 2 years I could power walk 10+ miles at a 4+ mph pace. I started having trouble keeping my heart rate in the cardio zone so I started to add running into my workouts. Now I can run 5 miles and do power walking for recovery.

During this time my body weight got closer and closer to a healthy weight, and I was eating more, but eating smarter. I was in a size 40 pants 3 years ago, and now I'm in a 32 pants.

I recently had another stress test and they told me that my heart actually healed itself from my heart attack, and that it is strong and healthy now. Also, all my blood work is perfectly normal now. 3 years ago it was a mess.

So, it's your choice to do what you think is right for you, but this advice IMO would be the best advice for any person.

Good luck.

I bolded the part that is really relevant to losing weight.

Seems like you had a really big health scare and I am truly happy you are in a better state now.

The OP has been exercising. It could be that exercising could be causing part of her problems if she is not eating enough to fuel it and that is contributing to her bingeing. No one here is anti-exercise but most people here know that a calorie deficit is where weight loss truly begins and according to the bolded part of your post it was a factor in your success as well.

I bolded the part of your post which may be helpful. Which is nothing.

Do you think a calorie deficit is caused from just counting calories?

No... It's not.

You can either eat less than you burn, or burn more than you eat, and you "must" do both to be successful long term.

Are you saying that total health is just weight?

please explain why people should be at a healthy weight, but not be at a healthy fitness level.

I don't think anybody is saying that one will reach a calorie deficit simply by counting calories. After all, I could accurately and regularly log days of 3,000 calories, counting everything correctly . . . but that's not a deficit for me, so I won't lose weight. Nobody is saying that I would.

What people are pointing out is that a *calorie deficit* creates weight loss and that many of us find that counting calories is a good way to consistently and reliably reach a calorie deficit. Are there other ways to do it? Obviously, yes. People lost weight before they knew what calories were.

But the fact remains: "eating healthy," in and of itself, is a very vague term and it may or may not result in a calorie deficit. If one wants weight loss, it makes more sense to focus on what will drive that -- a calorie deficit. Any additional changes that one wants to make *can* be incorporated into this calorie deficit, but they aren't required for weight loss or fitness. Depending on the change, they may or may not be required to meet nutritional needs.

Remember that we have no indications that OP isn't currently meeting their nutritional needs. That's just a conclusion that you seem to be jumping to.

Who is arguing against someone being at a healthy fitness level? The very post you're responding to says "No one here is anti-exercise." Yet you're concluding the opposite. Why?

JustinAnimal · August 2018

arilukaszewicz1 wrote: »

I have been working out in the mornings for 2 weeks straight, yay!

The problem lies in the fact I will eat healthy and 2000 calories or less for a couple days then it all goes to *kitten*. It’s really annoying and I need tips on how to counteract this please

I've had to hit rock bottom multiple times (and that's after I got below my ideal weight and gained it all back). I truly believe in learning through mistakes. I just hope I learn before I'm awfully dead... just mostly dead.

I don't know why things are working for me right now, but the big difference is that I'm writing things down (just me; probably not the best for everyone). I set a weight goal by my daughter's first birthday. I worked backward to the present day. I divided it up into how much weight I'm trying to lose per week. I write it down, for better or worse. It helps me stay consistent and being consistent is probably my weakest part of this.

I also weigh myself every day, but I don't beat myself up if my weight goes up (on the daily... you know, fluctuations). However, if I don't weigh myself daily, I stay in denial and get into awful habits.

You got this!... eventually!!

mkculs · August 2018

Hey, OP, without knowing your stats ( age, height, current weight, at a minimum) and what kinds of exercise and actual eating you are doing, it is hard to give good advice. Over-restricting can be the problem, but maybe it is related to bad habits, a lack of good habits, triggers in your life, or a combination of these and other things. When do things start to fall apart—what time of day, what’s been going on, etc? What habit could you perhaps develop that might disrupt the tendency to get off track? Are you new to all this? A few false starts might be expected—changing behavior is hard. I hope you’ll give more information so maybe we can help problem solve.

nutmegoreo · August 2018

arilukaszewicz1 wrote: »

I have been working out in the mornings for 2 weeks straight, yay!

The problem lies in the fact I will eat healthy and 2000 calories or less for a couple days then it all goes to *kitten*. It’s really annoying and I need tips on how to counteract this please

Can you elaborate on what you mean by the bolded part?

What are your goals? Lose weight, gain, maintain?

What are your stats (height, weight, age)?

I think some additional information would make a big difference in the quality of feedback you get.

hroderick · August 2018

look into emotional eating. also think about triggers and situations that end in a binge. for example i had to stop watching food programs on tv

4legsRbetterthan2 · August 2018

Hi All,

In the future please remember to keep the help threads focused on the question presented by the OP of the thread. If you disagree with advice presented, and con't come to an agreement feel free to take the debate over to the debate board. See how that works!

If you wish to continue the discussion on exercising for weight loss it can be found here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10691910/exercising-for-weight-loss

Thanks for your cooperation,
4legs
MFP moderator

sam_juggins · August 2018

OP have you thought about journalling or bullet journalling (Google will give you loads of examples)? Not only would this maybe distract you from the over eating but there are a myriad of trackers you could do to may identify what your triggers are? Also if you use a habit / fitness tracker you can visually see the good stuff that you are doing and maybe focus a bit less on the negative?

Just a thought x

CSARdiver · August 2018

Instead of tackling everything at once break this down into manageable tasks & goals.

1. Log accurately
2. Keep a journal throughout the day (I use the MFP note section)
3. Document when you get appetite triggers and ask what brought these on and find a way to control this
4. Develop a routine that works for you - make order out of chaos

Long term success comes from managing habits - exchanging "bad" habits that don't promote health with "good" habits that promote health.

We are creatures of habit, so make this work in your favor. Write down 5 "bad" habits and prioritize these 1-5. Cross off 2-5 and focus on number 1. You cannot simply stop this habit, but you can replace it with another activity. Do this for days/weeks/months until this becomes ingrained behavior. Then repeat this exercise.

suzievv · August 2018

I see the baby in your profile pic. Have you recently had a baby? Are you breastfeeding? If so, you may need more calories, especially if you are exercising.

cerise_noir · August 2018

NovusDies wrote: »

Healthy is one of those words that floats around here that can mean so many things. A little too often it means consistently joyless food experiences and it leads to feeling deprived.

Love this so much!

Indeed!!

Why am I like this? Please help

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