Yo-yo dieting - is there any hope?
mfp2019jg
Posts: 6 Member
I first used this app 6 years ago when I was 18. Since then, pretty much once a year I’ve gone through a spurt of calorie counting and weight loss, usually losing between 10-20lbs. However, no matter how hard I try, it reaches a point where I stop and become ravenous and end up eating a surplus and gaining pretty much all of it back and I eventually gain back to my starting weight and the cycle repeats.
I’m currently in a phase where I’m overeating consistently, after tracking and losing about 10lbs over the course of about 4 months.
I feel like since I was 18 eating has been difficult for me. Always swinging between being very controlled and committed, to the other end where I just have the urge to way overeat. And when I’m losing weight, I always feel convinced that it’s sustainable and it’ll be the last time. And when I overeat, it’s never happy overeating, I always feel guilty about it and try to will myself to get back on track but it’s hard. If there’s food around at home, I will overeat it.
I’ve gotten really into cycling, which I really love. I cycle to work each day, and go on longer trips at weekends. And I’ve kept that up, despite the diet side of things going off the rails.
But I know that a lot of people experience this yo-yo dieting. But I honestly just feel really hopeless that this is never going to change. I don’t want to battle with my eating my whole life like my parents have. But this has been my life for the last 6 years. There hasn’t been a time where I wasn’t trying to control my eating/weight - and I’m either being successful at it, or feeling bad that I can’t. Even as a little kid, I always had a propensity to overeat. That is my default.
Idk I’m just posting to hear whether other people think this is something that can actually change. I don’t want to battle my eating for the rest of my life. But I also refuse to let myself gain a significant amount of weight. Advice and others’ perspectives would be much appreciated.
I’m currently in a phase where I’m overeating consistently, after tracking and losing about 10lbs over the course of about 4 months.
I feel like since I was 18 eating has been difficult for me. Always swinging between being very controlled and committed, to the other end where I just have the urge to way overeat. And when I’m losing weight, I always feel convinced that it’s sustainable and it’ll be the last time. And when I overeat, it’s never happy overeating, I always feel guilty about it and try to will myself to get back on track but it’s hard. If there’s food around at home, I will overeat it.
I’ve gotten really into cycling, which I really love. I cycle to work each day, and go on longer trips at weekends. And I’ve kept that up, despite the diet side of things going off the rails.
But I know that a lot of people experience this yo-yo dieting. But I honestly just feel really hopeless that this is never going to change. I don’t want to battle with my eating my whole life like my parents have. But this has been my life for the last 6 years. There hasn’t been a time where I wasn’t trying to control my eating/weight - and I’m either being successful at it, or feeling bad that I can’t. Even as a little kid, I always had a propensity to overeat. That is my default.
Idk I’m just posting to hear whether other people think this is something that can actually change. I don’t want to battle my eating for the rest of my life. But I also refuse to let myself gain a significant amount of weight. Advice and others’ perspectives would be much appreciated.
13
Replies
-
Perhaps it would be worth talking to a therapist about the underlying reason?11
-
Try low carbs diet , 50 g to 100 g net carbs per day. The more you eat sugary foods and high carbs, the more you will crave these foods.32
-
tends to happen if you deficit is too large to begin with. have you tried a slow and steady approach? Like a small deficit and when you get to a lower weight (be it your goal or close to it) you actually reverse out of the diet instead of just stop and go back to overeating?
Also, diet breaks. very useful.15 -
Try low carbs diet , 50 g to 100 g net carbs per day. The more you eat sugary foods and high carbs, the more you will crave these foods.
Not necessarily. keto/low carb is not actually for everyone.
I agree that less processed sugary stuff is good and personally when I do eat lots of processed sugary stuff I tend to want more of it, however, carbs in general, for me anyway, don't need to be restricted so low. I turn into a monster if I don't have my oats/bread/rice/etc
14 -
Yo-yo dieting I'm certain is going to be a familiar tale for the vast majority of people here. I know it is for me. I've spent 25+ years going down a little then up a lot to get to the weight I was 18 months ago when I finally began to address my eating habits in a way that wasn't just a temporary measure.
The difference this time. I decided that the reason I'd failed to sustain my weight loss in the past was that I was making it too hard on myself. I was setting myself impossible standards and restricting myself with too many rules. So I decided to simplify. I did this by boiling my efforts down to 1 basic rule.
Rule: Most of the time eat fewer calories than I use.
Didn't matter what I ate as long as most of the time I was eating fewer calories than I used.
Didn't matter how much I exercised as long as most of the time I was eating few calories than I used
Didn't matter if I went out for a huge banquet dinner, ate the snacks at the party, or smashed chocolate eggs at Easter as long as... most of the time I was eating fewer calories than I used.
This changed everything. All of a sudden I was able to do what REALLY matters when it comes to losing weight (which is, as you probably guessed, most of the time eat fewer calories than I used) without all the pressure, restrictions, deprivations, guilt and denial that came with my previous attempts.
I realised that weight loss becomes far easier to achieve when I stopped putting hurdles in my way, stopped making things more difficult for myself than they needed to be and just kept it stupidly simple.29 -
I'm from a family of yo-yo dieters. And although, I have no real advice on how to stop it, asides what's already been suggested. Long term yo-yo dieting can cause messed up side effects which starts a chain reaction of health issues, can lead to adrenal fatigue, which can cause hypothyroidism, which can then lead to an autoimmune disorder, which can cause leaky gut.
My sisters and I talk a lot about how we wish we could go back in time and develop healthy relationships with food and wish we had educated ourselves on nutrition before developing medical issues.
I will say, it can be bad to make yo-yo dieting a lifestyle. Not that it will be, but it can be.
Good luck.18 -
Yo-yo dieting I'm certain is going to be a familiar tale for the vast majority of people here. I know it is for me. I've spent 25+ years going down a little then up a lot to get to the weight I was 18 months ago when I finally began to address my eating habits in a way that wasn't just a temporary measure.
The difference this time. I decided that the reason I'd failed to sustain my weight loss in the past was that I was making it too hard on myself. I was setting myself impossible standards and restricting myself with too many rules. So I decided to simplify. I did this by boiling my efforts down to 1 basic rule.
Rule: Most of the time eat fewer calories than I use.
Didn't matter what I ate as long as most of the time I was eating fewer calories than I used.
Didn't matter how much I exercised as long as most of the time I was eating few calories than I used
Didn't matter if I went out for a huge banquet dinner, ate the snacks at the party, or smashed chocolate eggs at Easter as long as... most of the time I was eating fewer calories than I used.
This changed everything. All of a sudden I was able to do what REALLY matters when it comes to losing weight (which is, as you probably guessed, most of the time eat fewer calories than I used) without all the pressure, restrictions, deprivations, guilt and denial that came with my previous attempts.
I realised that weight loss becomes far easier to achieve when I stopped putting hurdles in my way, stopped making things more difficult for myself than they needed to be and just kept it stupidly simple.
@Danp Thanks very much for the reply. I feel like I need an attitude that’s more like this. I always end up having way too rigid expectations of myself. So if I go over my limit sometimes, everything just crumbles and I’m always aiming to just restrict restrict restrict and make at least 1lb a week progress. I feel like a more relaxed attitude like this would help me make sustainable change. Any tips for not getting drawn into all the rules etc and maintaining this more relaxed attitude to it?
3 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »Try low carbs diet , 50 g to 100 g net carbs per day. The more you eat sugary foods and high carbs, the more you will crave these foods.
Not necessarily. keto/low carb is not actually for everyone.
I agree that less processed sugary stuff is good and personally when I do eat lots of processed sugary stuff I tend to want more of it, however, carbs in general, for me anyway, don't need to be restricted so low. I turn into a monster if I don't have my oats/bread/rice/etc
@Cahgetsfit yes, I’m also one of those people who needs a decent amount of carbs, otherwise my mood absolutely plummets. But maybe I’ll try to go for more slow-release complex carbs and cut down on the simple refined carbs.3 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »tends to happen if you deficit is too large to begin with. have you tried a slow and steady approach? Like a small deficit and when you get to a lower weight (be it your goal or close to it) you actually reverse out of the diet instead of just stop and go back to overeating?
Also, diet breaks. very useful.
Thanks @Cahgetsfit maybe this could be an issue. I think I probably try to aim to lose too much too quickly. Usually aim for 1lb a week loss. I think I feel anxious about aiming for less in case there are days where I go over, or in case my fitbit overestimates my calories burned from exercise, and then it’ll be easy to wipe out the deficit. But maybe I just need to give it a go. Because at the moment I’m stuck in this cycle of strict restriction and overeating. Any tips for maintaining a smaller deficit?
1 -
Depends on why you yo-yo. In some cases, simply refocusing on your goals can help. For others, tweaks to the process are necessary. For others yet, it's more mental and personal reflection and/or therapy is needed.1
-
don't be a tyrant to yourself with food, get a cheat day twice a month(eat at maintenance so you neither lose nor gain). Otherwise ya send torpedoes against tyrant.3
-
too strict regime can be devastating.0
-
Unless you really decide to make a change, history will repeat itself.3
-
Funny...because this is demonstrating a point I just made on another thread where many keep insisting:
"It's calories in and calories out...simple."
Folks...it IS NOT that simple. Hence...it is a simple equation and a very complicated application.
The point I'd been making is that for many people (not everyone-but many), tracking calories-particularly for those who are chronic dieters-can be counter-productive. It's fixating on the number and then feeling like a failure when you don't meet the "goal"...
1.) Try to talk with someone such as a therapist about the underlying problems behind the eating pattern (remember: it's never just about food)
2.) Maybe take a break from tracking so you don't become overly fixated?17 -
You have to lose the all or nothing attitude. I had to lose it. Many people here had to lose it to be successful.yes, I’m also one of those people who needs a decent amount of carbs, otherwise my mood absolutely plummets. But maybe I’ll try to go for more slow-release complex carbs and cut down on the simple refined carbs.
This is not worth pursuing. The last thing you need is an unnecessary restriction.
If you are a rule-oriented person like me just make rules that force better behavior and decision making like:
1) I will make sustaining my weight loss a higher priority than losing the next pound.
2) I will eat food I enjoy
3) I will have treats in moderation
4) I will avoid feeling deprived and I will deal with cravings
5) I will take maintenance or off days for special occasions, holidays, vacations, if I really need it, and perhaps sometimes just for fun.
6) If I mess up I will just accept it and move on.
7) My plan is my life. Everything I do, good or bad, is part of my plan so there is no reason to ever quit.
12 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »tends to happen if you deficit is too large to begin with. have you tried a slow and steady approach? Like a small deficit and when you get to a lower weight (be it your goal or close to it) you actually reverse out of the diet instead of just stop and go back to overeating?
Also, diet breaks. very useful.
Thanks @Cahgetsfit maybe this could be an issue. I think I probably try to aim to lose too much too quickly. Usually aim for 1lb a week loss. I think I feel anxious about aiming for less in case there are days where I go over, or in case my fitbit overestimates my calories burned from exercise, and then it’ll be easy to wipe out the deficit. But maybe I just need to give it a go. Because at the moment I’m stuck in this cycle of strict restriction and overeating. Any tips for maintaining a smaller deficit?
When I started here 6 weeks ago, I chose 1200 calories for a 2 lb/week loss. I had trouble sticking to 1200. I was hungry. So, I upped to 1370 calories for a 1 lb/week loss. That's when the weight started dropping off, I'm no longer hungry and actually have leftover calories at the end of the day.
Not sure if this helps.3 -
I'd recommend tallying up CI and CO over a span of a week or a month. It's easy to get down on yourself if you "miss" a goal one day, but if you quickly get back on track you may find that the week (or month) is very often not that badly impacted by one or two bad days. You can still keep your focus on the goal while allowing some leniency, and still see results. Above all, be kind to yourself!
[Edit to elaborate] - I don't do this all the time, but occasionally I log for myself in a spreadsheet my intake and burn over a biweekly span (and not just because I'm a huge nerd). I wish MFP had a feature that calculated cumulative CI+CO over a larger span of time than just a day, because I think that is really more meaningful information. Anyway, I have found that seeing that the numbers trending in the downward direction overall, even though there may be one or two bad days within that 14-day span, has allowed me to be a bit more lenient with myself as long as I quickly get back on track. I don't like the phrase "cheat day" because if such allowances are a part of your routine it isn't really cheating. YMMV of course. Some work better with the boot camp mentality and going full tilt, but I've found for myself that the higher the mountain the deeper the valley.1 -
I lost and regained the same 20-40 lbs over and over from the time I was 16 until I was in my mid-50s. Slowly my total weight trended upward. I would lose 20 and gain 25, over and over, ending up about 55 lbs overweight when I decided something had to change. For the past 5+ years my weight has been stable. I lost the weight I needed, plus a bit more and have kept it off. How?
1: Exercise is a priority. I enjoy it, so I make sure I do it every day. It also allows me to eat a lot more than I would eat if I weren't exercising. 2: I cook most meals, so I know what I am eating. I love restaurant meals, but restrict them to once a week most of the time. When I do eat out, I pay attention to the calorie counts. I still get food I enjoy that I don't usually make for myself, but I do try to choose the less fattening options, most of the time. 3: I continue to log what I eat and the calories I burn with exercise so I know where I am regarding CICO. and 4: When I eat too many calories, for whatever reason, I don't worry about it. Each day is a new start. If I gain 1/2 lb. today, tomorrow I'll go back to eating more carefully and I'll start to lose it again.3 -
maureenseel1984 wrote: »Funny...because this is demonstrating a point I just made on another thread where many keep insisting:
"It's calories in and calories out...simple."
Folks...it IS NOT that simple. Hence...it is a simple equation and a very complicated application.
The point I'd been making is that for many people (not everyone-but many), tracking calories-particularly for those who are chronic dieters-can be counter-productive. It's fixating on the number and then feeling like a failure when you don't meet the "goal"...
1.) Try to talk with someone such as a therapist about the underlying problems behind the eating pattern (remember: it's never just about food)
2.) Maybe take a break from tracking so you don't become overly fixated?
I agree about it not being as simple as calories in calories out and simply deciding to follow that. Fundamentally, yes it is calories in vs calories out. But the reality of it is that it’s so much more complex. There’be been times over the past 6 years where I’ve been more committed to losing weight than anything else in my life but that wasn’t enough to make a sustainable change, because the reality it’s more complicated than just making a simple decision to change. So many factors feed into your ability to do that.
Maybe I’ll take a break from tracking for a little while and then have a go at eating at just a slight deficit, and trying to be less all or nothing about it all. I like the idea someone else suggested about tracking intake over the course of a month rather than just each day or week. I think that might help. Thanks for the advice.3 -
*sigh*
I tried to let this go, but I just can't.
CICO is simple. Always. For everyone. The difference between calories absorbed and calories burned over time determines weight change. Period. That's it.
The complexity and difficulty comes from...
(1)
How one chooses to manage CI... IF, keto, calorie counting, skipping snacks, eliminating bread, portion control, raspberry ketones, intuitive eating, whole foods, etc etc etc etc etc etc...
(2)
All the factors that can impact CO, and the difficulty estimating CO because of those things (weight, body composition, metabolism, activity level, exercise, genetics, etc etc)
and...
(3)
Health conditions that can impact both CI and CO (food allergies, diabetes, cancer, etc)
Those things can make it difficult to manage your CI and know your CO, but they don't change what CICO is.
People need to stop using CICO and calorie counting interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
To complicate the bigger conversation even more, CICO has nothing to do with nutrition/health... They are separate issues, and separate sides of that bigger conversation.20 -
*sigh*
I tried to let this go, but I just can't.
CICO is simple. Always. For everyone. The difference between calories absorbed and calories burned over time determines weight change. Period. That's it.
The complexity and difficulty comes from...
(1)
How one chooses to manage CI... IF, keto, calorie counting, skipping snacks, eliminating bread, portion control, raspberry ketones, intuitive eating, whole foods, etc etc etc etc etc etc...
(2)
All the factors that can impact CO, and the difficulty estimating CO because of those things (weight, body composition, metabolism, activity level, exercise, genetics, etc etc)
and...
(3)
Health conditions that can impact both CI and CO (food allergies, diabetes, cancer, etc)
Those things can make it difficult to manage your CI and know your CO, but they don't change what CICO is.
People need to stop using CICO and calorie counting interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
To complicate the bigger conversation even more, CICO has nothing to do with nutrition/health... They are separate issues, and separate sides of that bigger conversation.
Yes, agreed, that is the point I was trying to make. The fundamental concept of it is incredibly simple, but actually applying it through calorie counting can feel complicated.
3 -
I used to yo yo a lot but it was also an eating disorder. My weight didn't radically change but I kept gaining/losing the same 7 or 8 pounds quite quickly, and near the end it was starting to creep higher each time.
What I would perhaps suggest:
1. Log but aim to eat maintenance calories for at least few weeks, so you get used to what actual maintenance ranges look like, since as you say you have always been either under eating or over eating. Log reasonably accurately, but if weighing every gram stresses you out, weigh the high calorie things (e.g. peanut butter) and be a little looser with things like salad leaves or an apple.
This was a bit of a revelation for me, since whenever I logged I was trying to eat like 1500 calories. Once I started actually tracking maintenance, since I'm tall and active I was surprised and how much I needed to eat to maintain. Small wonder I found 1500-1600 calories hard to stick to consistently--it was like a 700 calorie deficit a day. Too aggressive considering I didn't have much fat to lose. It also stopped me being afraid of seeing numbers over 2000 in a day which would often make me go 'well whatever, I already ruined today, let's bust out the biscuits.' We've heard diet culture throw 1200 and 2000 as numbers at us so long, it's hard to shake when you realise some of us need more food than we think.
2. If you have an off day, try not to let that derail you. Just get back to your usual routine. Do not compensate by massively restricting the next day. Try to look at this as data collection and leave your judgement of yourself at the door.
3. Maybe read some stuff on intuitive eating or IIFYM and see if there are some observations in there that help you with the black/white thinking. I personally did therapy and it's been really helpful to understand why I was distracting myself with food instead of dealing with certain emotions.
4. When you feel comfortable logging maintenance ranges, set to losing .5 pounds per week, not a pound. Get a little stricter with your logging because you don't have massive amounts of wriggle room with 250 calories as a deficit.
5. Be patient. Stop thinking in days or weeks but months. Far better than crash dieting for a few weeks and ultimately ending up where you started 6 months later anyway.
6. Try and make it fun--an excuse to try new activities, an excuse to try new recipes that look delicious. I like to do active things with friends now, like hike around a lake, or try a ballet class. I'm in maintenance but still very active because I like to be rather than I feel like I *have* to be.5 -
I first used this app 6 years ago when I was 18. Since then, pretty much once a year I’ve gone through a spurt of calorie counting and weight loss, usually losing between 10-20lbs. However, no matter how hard I try, it reaches a point where I stop and become ravenous and end up eating a surplus and gaining pretty much all of it back and I eventually gain back to my starting weight and the cycle repeats.
I’m currently in a phase where I’m overeating consistently, after tracking and losing about 10lbs over the course of about 4 months.
I feel like since I was 18 eating has been difficult for me. Always swinging between being very controlled and committed, to the other end where I just have the urge to way overeat. And when I’m losing weight, I always feel convinced that it’s sustainable and it’ll be the last time. And when I overeat, it’s never happy overeating, I always feel guilty about it and try to will myself to get back on track but it’s hard. If there’s food around at home, I will overeat it.
I’ve gotten really into cycling, which I really love. I cycle to work each day, and go on longer trips at weekends. And I’ve kept that up, despite the diet side of things going off the rails.
But I know that a lot of people experience this yo-yo dieting. But I honestly just feel really hopeless that this is never going to change. I don’t want to battle with my eating my whole life like my parents have. But this has been my life for the last 6 years. There hasn’t been a time where I wasn’t trying to control my eating/weight - and I’m either being successful at it, or feeling bad that I can’t. Even as a little kid, I always had a propensity to overeat. That is my default.
Idk I’m just posting to hear whether other people think this is something that can actually change. I don’t want to battle my eating for the rest of my life. But I also refuse to let myself gain a significant amount of weight. Advice and others’ perspectives would be much appreciated.
@mfp2019jg after 40 years of yo-yoing weight my health was a mess. My arthritis (Ankylosis Spondylitis) pain made walking harder and harder. On a hunch in October 2014 cold turkey I stopped eating any food containing added sweeteners and or any form of any grains and added coconut oil to replace some of carb calories lost.
Today I still eat low carb high fat because it works to give me better health and good pain management. For over 4 years now I have maintained 50 pound weight loss.
While the LCHF Way Of Eating works well for many it may not in your case since no 2 people are the same.
Best of success in finding the WOE that gives you the best health.
1 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »tends to happen if you deficit is too large to begin with. have you tried a slow and steady approach? Like a small deficit and when you get to a lower weight (be it your goal or close to it) you actually reverse out of the diet instead of just stop and go back to overeating?
Also, diet breaks. very useful.
Thanks @Cahgetsfit maybe this could be an issue. I think I probably try to aim to lose too much too quickly. Usually aim for 1lb a week loss. I think I feel anxious about aiming for less in case there are days where I go over, or in case my fitbit overestimates my calories burned from exercise, and then it’ll be easy to wipe out the deficit. But maybe I just need to give it a go. Because at the moment I’m stuck in this cycle of strict restriction and overeating. Any tips for maintaining a smaller deficit?
I personally like to use the TDEE method and log all exercise as 1 calorie. This takes away the whole guesswork from the how many exercise calories you can eat back etc etc. It's one flat blanket number to aim for each day.
I also, depending how i'm doing, will take one day at maintenance calories per week just to feel like a human again. Then it's easier to get back on less calories when you know that there is more coming at the end of the week.
3 -
*sigh*
I tried to let this go, but I just can't.
CICO is simple. Always. For everyone. The difference between calories absorbed and calories burned over time determines weight change. Period. That's it.
The complexity and difficulty comes from...
(1)
How one chooses to manage CI... IF, keto, calorie counting, skipping snacks, eliminating bread, portion control, raspberry ketones, intuitive eating, whole foods, etc etc etc etc etc etc...
(2)
All the factors that can impact CO, and the difficulty estimating CO because of those things (weight, body composition, metabolism, activity level, exercise, genetics, etc etc)
and...
(3)
Health conditions that can impact both CI and CO (food allergies, diabetes, cancer, etc)
Those things can make it difficult to manage your CI and know your CO, but they don't change what CICO is.
People need to stop using CICO and calorie counting interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
To complicate the bigger conversation even more, CICO has nothing to do with nutrition/health... They are separate issues, and separate sides of that bigger conversation.
Yes, agreed, that is the point I was trying to make. The fundamental concept of it is incredibly simple, but actually applying it through calorie counting can feel complicated.
But here's the rub. How complicated it gets is entirely up to YOU. You and you alone get to decide how hard you want to make things for yourself.
Set an appropriate calorie deficit = easier
Set a maximum extreme calorie deficit = harder
Eat foods you enjoy = easier
Force yourself to eat foods you don't really like = harder
Pick an activity that you enjoy doing as exercise = easier
Thrash yourself with a punishing exercise regime that you hate = harder
Accept you're human and will get it wrong sometimes = easier
Try to be perfectly perfect 100% of the time = IMPOSSIBLE
In short it takes effort but you decide if that effort is manageable and sustainable or miserable and punishing. I recommend manageable and sustainable.13 -
@Danp, IMO, you've been contributing some wonderful, clearly-written, pithy, useful things on threads recently. The ones on this thread are excellent. Thanks - good show!:
<snip some really good content that you can still read earlier in the thread>
Apologies, OP, for the digression.
1 -
OP, this forum is a super useful resource. Not necessarily for the advice, but to see the sorts of psychological struggles thousands of people on here have posted about. I'd suggest spending many hours just crawling through the back posts and reading the accounts of people with similar problems. Sometimes they have epiphanies that can be applied to your own situation.
I think it'd be helpful to look into "self-identity" and how to reprogram that into someone who's fit and looks at food as fuel rather than something to overindulge with. There's a guy, Allen Carr, who's written a lot about this sort of thing.
3 -
One thing all of us yo-yo dieters have to learn is to not let one slip up be a slippery slope that can turn into days, weeks, months, or even years of “starting over tomorrow’s “. It isn’t easy.5
-
feisty_bucket wrote: »OP, this forum is a super useful resource. Not necessarily for the advice, but to see the sorts of psychological struggles thousands of people on here have posted about. I'd suggest spending many hours just crawling through the back posts and reading the accounts of people with similar problems. Sometimes they have epiphanies that can be applied to your own situation.
I think it'd be helpful to look into "self-identity" and how to reprogram that into someone who's fit and looks at food as fuel rather than something to overindulge with. There's a guy, Allen Carr, who's written a lot about this sort of thing.
Yes. I think what some people are ignoring here is the "yo-yo" part of your struggle.
CICO...the equation of calories in vs calories out...yes. Simple.
Sticking to something for sustained and permanent loss...and also losing for the right reasons and in a healthy way...the mental aspect of it...this is where applying CICO by calorie counting (note-I do not have the two confused) is really problematic if you don't have a healthy mindset or when people try to lose weight too quickly...or lose then "fail" (note-the quotes are important) and eat things not on the diet then have the mentality of "oh I failed-I'm going to eat what I want"...this is where I think everything becomes frustrating and complicated.3 -
maureenseel1984 wrote: »feisty_bucket wrote: »OP, this forum is a super useful resource. Not necessarily for the advice, but to see the sorts of psychological struggles thousands of people on here have posted about. I'd suggest spending many hours just crawling through the back posts and reading the accounts of people with similar problems. Sometimes they have epiphanies that can be applied to your own situation.
I think it'd be helpful to look into "self-identity" and how to reprogram that into someone who's fit and looks at food as fuel rather than something to overindulge with. There's a guy, Allen Carr, who's written a lot about this sort of thing.
Yes. I think what some people are ignoring here is the "yo-yo" part of your struggle.
CICO...the equation of calories in vs calories out...yes. Simple.
Sticking to something for sustained and permanent loss...and also losing for the right reasons and in a healthy way...the mental aspect of it...this is where applying CICO by calorie counting (note-I do not have the two confused) is really problematic if you don't have a healthy mindset or when people try to lose weight too quickly...or lose then "fail" (note-the quotes are important) and eat things not on the diet then have the mentality of "oh I failed-I'm going to eat what I want"...this is where I think everything becomes frustrating and complicated.
The nice thing is that CICO "can be applied" in many many many ways that do not include actual calorie counting. However, on a calorie counting website that is driven by a calorie counting app and a calorie counting database... most of the advice you're going to get is related to calorie counting methodologies.2
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions