Help! Really struggling with SWEETS and MODERATION

Options
missmelis1976
missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
in Getting Started
Hi All,
I'm new to posting in here. I've used MYP off and on for a few years. Just recently I started back up counting my calories. I've gained 30 lbs in the past few months. Heaviest I've ever been. I'm 5'8 1/2" and as of this morning weigh 168.9. My goal is 143. I was roughly 143 - 4 years ago and felt great and was comfortable in my skin. I feel VERY sluggish and just awful these days. None of my clothes fit and I'm very upset with myself for getting this way so far.

My problem? Several! I love, LOVE food. I'm a foodie big time. I have a hard time with moderation. For instance as I write this I have a share size of M&M's in my desk drawer at work. I KNOW the bag is full. It's a large bag. I will literally eat this bag within 1 day whereas other people it would take days to eat. I can't eat just one serving - 12 M&Ms.

Another issue I have is my sweet tooth. It's over the top. Always has been. I could care less about salt. If I had my way I would eat sweets (99% of the time I'm talking about CHOCOLATE) all.day.long. I would skip breakfast, lunch and dinner and just eat chocolate. I love it so much. I'm talking good quality milk chocolate. I can deal with dark but dont care for it.

My diet is terrible. I dislike fruits and most veggies. I do love proteins and carbs - of course. haha!

I have a 3 year old, work full time and dont have time to get to a gym.

We have a treadmill that is collecting dust in our basement.

Please anyone! Give me advice/tip/advice on how to get out of this sluggish depression I am in. I want to lose this weight, feel alive and active and full of energy again.

Thank you for reading.
«1

Replies

  • toughmuther
    toughmuther Posts: 27 Member
    edited September 2018
    Options
    For me personally, ducks down from thrown rocks and boohissses, lol was going keto. I only respond because your story is identical to mine..those M&Ms are share with myself sizeable. Then also I'll eat more after that. My breakfasts were candybars and Diet Coke.
    I went keto on June 28th and no joke every single craving is gone...GONE I'm losing about 1lb/week, haven't been going to gym (yes counting cals and macros to stay net 25carbs, but keto makes it so easy to stay in range). Is this the only way? No..but from one sugaraholic to the other, its what worked for me. I'm 43 and went to Dr. because I thought I needed depression meds, so lethargic, no energy, I'd rip off a face in mere moments..ba ha ha and that is all gone. Weird as can be, but maybe an option.
    Best of luck!
  • EmotionalEater84
    EmotionalEater84 Posts: 311 Member
    Options
    After reading this, here is my opinion in a nut shell:

    1. You disliking fruits and vegetables is a struggle, but my suggestion would be to work with the ones you DO like. 2. Not everyone needs to hit the gym to lose weight or exercise for that matter. Take your 3 year old on walks, run up hills, jump up and down .. play like a kid does - that is basically HIIT =) Ride bikes together, go swimming .. there are so many great options available to you.
    3. Finally, your biggest issue according to this post, is to modify your sweets intake - I am not sure how to tell you to do this one. You have to make a conscious choice and effort to change this in order to reach your goals.

    I am a true believer in balance and moderation. You will never have to give up chocolate, but you will have to sacrifice your cravings for food that you might not want to eat at times. You might want to try a IIFYM plan - this will allow for dieting flexibility that I think you need from what I read here.

    Best of luck to you on your journey <3
  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
    Options
    You don't need a gym/to work out in order to lose weight. It helps for overall health, but it is not required. I also do not recommend sacrificing sleep as your body needs that time to recover from the day. What has gotten my sweet tooth down a bit was going without added sugar for a month (I tried to do it for lent, but caved). When I went back to eating sugar, I couldn't handle as much sweets.

    The other thing I do, is I do not buy anything which I am not willing to sacrifice the calories if I eat the whole package. I lack the will power to say no to only eating 1 serving out of that package of twizzlers. I will eat the whole damn package so I don't buy that. A single candy bar is generally around 250 calories for the full size, so I can usually find a way to fit that in. I have been cutting for about 6 months and it comes in waves with how easy it is to say no.
  • deepwoodslady
    deepwoodslady Posts: 10,885 Member
    Options
    I am a binge-er. Dark chocolate is not my favorite either. But that is exactly what I use to curb my chocolate cravings because I won't binge on it. Start with 72% cacao. Eat 1-2 squares (whatever your calories/macros allow for the day) when you crave it the most (I eat mine at night in front of the TV). I break each square into about 8-10 small pieces and let each melt in my mouth slowly. By the time I'm done, it's been 15-30 minutes and I feel like I've been eating chocolate non-stop, and so does my brain (yay, I tricked it!). Slowly over the next few months you can raise the cacao number to 85%. I do 90% now but it is EXTREMELY BITTER. I have grown used to it and still feel like I'm indulging. You can even break it into pieces and take it to work if need be. Dark chocolate is lower in calories and lower in carbs. The antioxidants are a bonus! Best of luck.
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You have two options - moderation or abstinence.

    I'm a moderator. I plan for 200-300 calories of sweets (usually chocolate or ice cream) every night after dinner. If I try to cut them completely out of my diet, I freak out after 3-4 days and binge on them.

    Other people cannot moderate. One bite and they are off on a binge. They have to completely cut that item from their diet.

    Find out which one you are, and do that.

    Thank you! When you say 200-300 for ice cream/chocolate at night...Do you eat regular chocolate or the carb control kind? This might be a good start for me
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
    Options
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You have two options - moderation or abstinence.

    This.

    There is no magic spell that is going to help you do one of the other. It's not a situation where you can't....you simply choose not to. Not being mean but we all have it in us to make the right choices.

    I confessed that before I did my restart on here, I finished a bag of Rolo's because I didn't want to waste them. Yeah....I admit it. But since I started back, I haven't had ONE piece of candy in my mouth. I simply chose not to buy or eat it. And as a diabetic, candy is NOT a good life choice.

    If you CAN go the moderation route, purchase ONE of something....not a bag. One piece of something as a treat. And that's it. I have a sweet tooth....got it from my mother....but I realize it's like an addiction and I have to beat it. And I am. Even with Halloween looming on the horizon. :)
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    Options
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You have two options - moderation or abstinence.

    I'm a moderator. I plan for 200-300 calories of sweets (usually chocolate or ice cream) every night after dinner. If I try to cut them completely out of my diet, I freak out after 3-4 days and binge on them.

    Other people cannot moderate. One bite and they are off on a binge. They have to completely cut that item from their diet.

    Find out which one you are, and do that.

    Thank you! When you say 200-300 for ice cream/chocolate at night...Do you eat regular chocolate or the carb control kind? This might be a good start for me

    I know the answer to this and carb control is not in it :laugh: @quiksylver296
  • LuckyNumbers
    LuckyNumbers Posts: 208 Member
    Options
    I am with a lot of other posters here, but will repeat what @Cassandraw3 said - if I know I am going to binge on something, I just don't buy it. Right now, I have zero trigger foods in my house, because I cannot trust myself to go off the deep end when I have a bad day or I'm bored or stressed or fill-in-the-blank (in my case, it's red wine and tortilla chips).

    So that bag of M&M's? Portion into single servings for the week, and when you leave each day for work, you take one of those with you. If you know you're going to have a hard time fending off the bag in between servings, ask a coworker or your partner to hide the bag the rest of the time. Seriously.

    On your lunch break or other breaks at work, push away from your desk and go for a walk. Or do squats. Or lunges, or planks, or jumping jacks, ANYTHING! Your body needs the movement and eyes and your brain need the break. This will help with your energy levels, as well.

    You can do this, but it's going to take work, commitment, planning, resilience. All of these are within you.
  • missmelis1976
    missmelis1976 Posts: 17 Member
    Options

    WOW thanks everyone for your comments.

    I'm leaving for lunch in 30 min and didn't bring a lunch. BAD!!! I'm STARVING! So I'll go to the grocery store and hopefully find something low in calories.. I'm thinking those California rolls in a package of 6 in the deli section. The ones with the crab meat and avocado. Going to first check online to see how many calories are in those.. but I figured it would be better then bread/sandwich
  • amywizengamot
    amywizengamot Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    ...work full time and dont have time to get to a gym.

    We have a treadmill that is collecting dust in our basement.

    Please anyone! Give me advice/tip/advice on how to get out of this sluggish depression I am in. I want to lose this weight, feel alive and active and full of energy again.

    Thank you for reading.

    Hi! First off, you have a banging sense of humor and are honest with yourself, and that is going to help you throughout your efforts! I know how crappé it is to gain weight in a few short months. It feels miserable. Digital fist bump of solidarity.

    So, I can’t add too much that is unique but I can echo two specific things enthusiastically —
    I am with @dtelsah — I get up earlier than I’d ever imagined possible to get my exercise in. It took me a month or so to get used to it, but for seven years I’ve been doing it habitually and I don’t dread it. I wake up just fine at this point.

    And @toughmuther has a good point about keto and sweets. I’m on a ketogenic diet for medical reasons, but boy oh boy did it edit my sugar craving genome. I used to literally fantasize about pancakes and maple syrup while I was running. I couldn’t be in the same room as a peanut butter cup without tearing into it. I’m just not the same anymore.

    The only thing that really ever helped me with weight loss was the ritual of logging my food into MFP. It kept me informed and honest and in control. Good luck to you, I think you’ll do very well!
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Options
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    WOW thanks everyone for your comments.

    I'm leaving for lunch in 30 min and didn't bring a lunch. BAD!!! I'm STARVING! So I'll go to the grocery store and hopefully find something low in calories.. I'm thinking those California rolls in a package of 6 in the deli section. The ones with the crab meat and avocado. Going to first check online to see how many calories are in those.. but I figured it would be better then bread/sandwich

    Preplanning and bringing a lunch will help a lot. If you can eat before you get to that starving stage, or have food in place when you do hit it, you are less likely to eat foods that will not easily fit into your goals. As for the sandwich, I've found several that are only 300-350 calories, so easy enough to fit into the day. Carbs are not the devil here, they can fit into a balanced diet and do not stop weight loss, if you are in a calorie deficit. Some medical conditions respond better to low carb, but in absence of these, it makes no difference.

    For treats: For the longest time, I had to buy single servings of things that I had little control around, things like ice cream. I would also eat them towards the end of the day, so it was a little satisfaction at the end of the day and didn't set me up for craving for more for hours on end. Slowly over time, I began to bring in multiple serving sizes, and practiced taking only one serving each day. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. So I'd go back to single servings for a while, and then try again. I can now keep those things in my house, without overeating them. It's time, practice, and patience.

    The best thing I've ever done in all of this was to stop labeling food as good or bad. Does this help me meet my goals (80% of the time - 20% is for treats)? And stopping feeling guilty every time I consumed something that didn't fit in my goals for that day.
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    edited September 2018
    Options
    quote-strength-does-not-come-from-winning-your-struggles-develop-your-strengths-when-you-go-arnold-schwarzenegger-26-29-95.jpg



    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPAmJokUXidZrxZxlARKDLNIxVAKpygjdUXdIjklrq9z4q-9hA


    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRLkghQcDev6uwTqBrbL9JRqAEplm76bcT-czQL7iXdgk9P75ESw
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited September 2018
    Options
    pinuplove wrote: »
    missmelis1976 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You have two options - moderation or abstinence.

    I'm a moderator. I plan for 200-300 calories of sweets (usually chocolate or ice cream) every night after dinner. If I try to cut them completely out of my diet, I freak out after 3-4 days and binge on them.

    Other people cannot moderate. One bite and they are off on a binge. They have to completely cut that item from their diet.

    Find out which one you are, and do that.

    Thank you! When you say 200-300 for ice cream/chocolate at night...Do you eat regular chocolate or the carb control kind? This might be a good start for me

    I know the answer to this and carb control is not in it :laugh: @quiksylver296

    That^^

    I have real chocolate. Fake chocolate isn't worth the calories. Don't waste the delicious points (calories) on food that isn't delicious!
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    Options
    You just have to make a decision. Do you want to lose weight and be healthier? Then do it! You don't have to go all in on some crazy diet and workout every day for 3 hours. Think of small changes you can make, one at a time. That are sustainable for life. You don't HAVE to go to a gym. Maybe to start - you just go on a walk every evening with your child. Ride a bike. etc. Maybe choose a quick 20 minute workout video that you do a few times a week. Surely you can squeeze a 20 minute workout in. Pick a vegetable that you want to try, and find recipes/new ways of cooking them. Honestly as far as eating more vegetables, I think you just have to do it and eventually you will learn to like them.

Categories