Why do I keep eating chips.

samvalen113 wrote: »

5 11 315lbs 26 year old , been on a really strict low calorie diet for a month now and keep eating chips just can’t get over them. The goal for me is 165 lbs with in next year like I once was.

1) Are you eating enough or is your calorie deficit too aggressive?

2) You might be better off not keeping trigger foods in the house.

You’ve gotten some sterling advice here.

I had some Cheetos Friday night, first time I’ve had chips’ish snack in months. Adter I got home, logged the 160 calories for what was essentially three or four bites, and realized I wasn’t getting my big bowl of pudding, whipped cream and sprinkles as a result, that did it for me.

You have to make a plan, and spend the calories where you want them. For me, it’s a lot more enjoyable to have a big snack that can be savored at length than a gone-in-an-instant snack.

You get to choose what you spend your budget on.

Timelines and weight loss tend to not mix well at all.

Eat like the person you want to be would be eating and the way he will be eating in the future.

That will be good enough to get you there soon enough.

The reasons behind your gain to 300 have not disappeared--not yet. The "I've been obese genie" is out of the bottle now. Returning to the 160s and staying there is a 5++ year ongoing commitment to yourself. Not a one or two year one.

The "I lost weight in a year and life is back to normal" fantasy, without a strong ongoing commitment moving forward, is just that, a fantasy, when it comes to formerly obese people maintaining our weight loss long term.

The biggest mistake is not trying. The second biggest mistake is trying so hard you end up having to try again! Or is that flipped?!??

When I was starting out I had pre-portioned snacks (weighed in baggies) and rules.

Get up, get snack, sit, log, eat, no tv or computer. Enjoy. By itself.
Repeat for second snack but 250 or so steps first.
Repeat for third, but walk around the block or nearby stores first (1 to 2k), too bad if raining, them's the rules.
Fourth in a row required walking to store up the hill to buy. If not open still required going there and back (one hour)
Wasn't too many times I had four snacks in a row!

That said, that only lasted for a few months and went away when I got a grip at creating sustainable deficits. And, to be honest, a grip at making more satiating, for me, choices.

I'm going to guess that the answer to your question is in your post:

samvalen113 wrote: »

315 lb been on a really strict low calorie diet for a month now

How low are your calories, and how strict are you being? If you're eating at a very large calorie deficit, this can be difficult to maintain. Many people do well on restrictive diets for a few weeks, and then find themselves relapsing because they just can't continue eating like that.

samvalen113 wrote: »

5 11 315lbs 26 year old , been on a really strict low calorie diet for a month now and keep eating chips just can’t get over them. The goal for me is 165 lbs with in next year like I once was.

You have a lifetime of habits that got you to 315 pounds, including overeating chips. It's really hard to change those habits. Sometimes it's easier to create a new good habit. Over time, you'll eventually edge out the bad habits with the new good ones.

With that said, you probably aren't going to lose 150 pounds in a year, if you do this in a slow and sustainable way. The good news is, though, is that you will be more likely to maintain the weight loss with all the good habits you've created.

Half_Size_Me is a great podcast, if you're looking for some more inspiration.

Why do you want to eat potato chips? Because they taste fantastic. There is a reason chips are so dangerous for so many dieters to have in the house. They are a classic trigger food.

In my mind, the main issue here is not the chips, but setting a goal of 150 lbs lost in one year.

These two things are not unrelated. In fact binging and setting an unreasonably aggressive weight loss goal are two sides of the same coin.

If you put yourself on a solid, moderate weight-loss journey, like 1.5 lbs/week, you will find that you have some calories available each day for treats, which could be potato chips. You will discover that you can stay within your calories and still enjoy modest portions of things like chips, such that you will not have a burning desire to eat them beyond your caloric limit. Your odds of dieting successfully and managing your intake of trigger foods are phenomenally higher if you dispense with the "I have to get back to my lowest weight ever within 12 months" mind set and set a reasonable goal.

BTW, you are 5'11" and 315 pounds. I started at 5'11" and 320 pounds. So ... same kind of starting point,. I am now in month 13 of my diet and have lost an average of 1.4 pounds per week during that time. I rarely go off the rails with trigger foods, even though I absolutely friekin' love them. Why? Because I have some every day. Chocolate chip cookies, jalapeno potato chips, you name it, I have it, but only up to 150 calories or whatever cals I have left after I've finished my reasonably healthy food for the day, whichever is less. That's a small but not insignificant bowl of chips, or two cookies, etc. I have this treat EVERY SINGLE DAY. 365 days per year. While losing weight. Think about it.

As long as you are trying to starve yourself (which ultimately will not work), you are going to dream about chips, and then you are going to break down and eat them, unwinding all your hard dieting work. Then you will start all over, possibly from a higher weight. Save yourself all of this trouble. Set a reasonable goal like 1.5 lbs per week, or 2.0 lbs per week if you absolutely must (but you will set it lower later, when you get sick and tired of the calorie deprivation in a couple/few months), use the MFP Goals tool to determine how many calories you're allowed in order to hit that target, and then stick to it. Don't eat more calories, or less calories.