Transitioning into a diet

jessilyn_b
jessilyn_b Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm having difficulty finding the motivation to transition into a diet. It's very hard. Especially because I've had a very hard year and just been stuffing my face this entire time. 😣 So now I have to get back into the whole diet process and I need advice in how to get my *kitten* in gear.

Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    Sorry you've had a rough year, but don't over complicate it or make it hard. Make one small change each day. Don't over haul your entire diet all at once. That's not necessary. Just eat what you normally eat and like and make sure your portions fit within your calorie goal.

    Have you set up your account here? Do you know your daily calorie goal?
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Agree with the others. It doesn't have to be a whole process or big event. Log your food, tweak what you need to to fit your calories. No need to cut out foods. Over time, you'll find what keeps you fuller longer, how to fit in higher calorie foods, and what you feel is or isn't calorie worthy.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited October 2018
    jessilyn_b wrote: »
    I'm having difficulty finding the motivation to transition into a diet. It's very hard. Especially because I've had a very hard year and just been stuffing my face this entire time. 😣 So now I have to get back into the whole diet process and I need advice in how to get my *kitten* in gear.

    Or just eat a bit less of whatever you're eating now?
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Agree with everyone here. You want to make adjustments you can maintain, not something that you are going to quit as soon as you hit your magic number or get too stressed to continue.

    First adjustment I made was to stick to serving size for dinner and lunch. Make sure you are measuring and use a food scale if you can.

    Second adjustment I made was to minimize grazing during the day. portion control at work (helped by eating a breakfast and lunch that fill me up), no grabbing a piece of chocolate while waiting for dinner to cook, etc...

    I still have something sweet each night but I did adjust what I purchase. I stopped getting cake and brownies, and started getting things that are easy to tell portion size. So wrapped chocolates, uniform brownie/cake bites, choc pretzels i can measure on scale. All of these things can also easily adjust to whatever I have left on calorie goal each day, and take longer to spoil.

    Maybe this sounds like a lot, but I did it gradually so I didn't feel overwhelmed. I also still eat whatever i want during day. Almost always pasta for lunch, something processed (and usually sweet) for breakfast, fries at dinner, and choc each night. I just stick to calorie goals and I have lost at the rate I set (0.5 per week)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, check out this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    You don't have to do anything drastic, just start logging and learning as you go.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    Small changes over time add up. Even using a smaller plate is a change
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    How about just starting with logging your food without making any changes to eating?

    I did that at first, and it helped me spot a few things that were easy to change for maximum calorie savings.
  • slheddlesten
    slheddlesten Posts: 41 Member
    You just set yourself up for failure right from the start by using the 4 letter word "diet". You got to make a lifestyle change and stay consistent with it to lose weight and keep it off.
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    edited October 2018
    I've always found that just improving the quality of what I eat helps me transition into dieting. I don't mean cutting stuff out, or "eating clean". Really just trying to make sure that about a third of what I eat is made up of fruit and vegetables. Usually, after a few days of eating those, I already feel better in myself.

    Added to that, I try to move a bit more. 30 minutes of brisk walking a day at the very least, even if I have to spread it out over three walks. And just moving more in general by doing things like parking way over at the yon end of the car park, using the upstairs bathroom rather than the downstairs one, leaving the laundry basket at the far end of the washing line and walking back for each individual item. That all also makes me feel better in myself.

    And THEN I buy some clothes in the size I am now. I know that sounds daft, but if I'm going to look after myself better, I kind of need to prove to myself that I'm worth it. Having something nice to wear makes me feel good in myself. Combined with moving a bit more and eating more nutritious food, it just puts me in the right place to start transitioning into an actual diet. And it is a transition. Every time I've tried starting all at once, I've ended up bingeing. You have to treat yourself with the same attitude you'd treat a good friend or family member. Gently, and with care.

    Dieting shouldn't be miserable, or even very hard. I lost 100 pounds by balancing pizza, beer, chocolate, cake, ice cream, chips, meals out, holidays and parties with salads, stir-fries and protein smoothies. I fell off the wagon when I achieved my goal weight and didn't take care of myself in the same way. And I was miserable because I just wasn't giving my body what it needed to be happy. Somehow I always manage to forget how crap I feel when I eat crap and how well I feel when I eat well and it's like this huge surprise, how good I feel every time I start eating better and moving more!


    TL;DR: What everyone else said. ;-) Small steps, sustainable changes, leave room for cake and wine. :)

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