Struggling 😕

Amioc, how have you approached dieting most recently? How many calories a day, for example, what kind of foods did you try cutting out, etc? Losing and keeping weight off means a permanent change in how you plan to eat forever--So it makes sense to find a pattern that you don't find overwhelmingly difficult--Don't aim to get calories too low, don't cut out foods you absolutely love and plan to go back to eating. Find a way to refashion your diet so you can live with it, and don't obsess over quick results.

I had trouble with binges and fasting/super low calorie consumption in my late teens, and when I try to go too low-calorie here now, at the age of 60, I again fall into the pattern of binging. I've found much more stability and success eating a fairly high number of calories (1700 for me) with my usual exercise burning around 350 calories a day and just sticking to both of those. If I exercise more or less, I still eat my 1700ish calories. This has removed the drama around the whole process. Your numbers may be different, depending on your own body, but find that happy place and stick to it, even if the weight loss seems painfully slow. It's important to find a way of eating you can live with.

For me and many others, a smaller group of very supportive friends on here really helps with motivation--When I feel like going off track, I check in with them. When I'm bored and thinking of eating, I check in with them. So I'd suggest finding some *interactive* friends, setting your goals based on what MFP tells you will result in a small amount of weight loss per week, and pre-log your meals based on what is really important to you (taste, nutrition, etc), then stick to what you've pre-logged at the appointed times. For me, this also means keeping trigger foods out of the house or off the table, but I see many people manage to live with, say one dessert a day or a drink or whatever and still lose. You really have to learn your own psychology as you go along here, and also how your own body metabolizes food and what works for you.

The first thing that struck me from your post, is your target could be too ambitious. A UK size 8 is really skinny. You don't give your height, but unless you're really short, a UK size 10 is a healthier size to aim for. Maybe you need to tone up more rather than lose weight.

this will work. figure out your bmr for your target weight. pick a movement level below what your activity is. do the intermittent fasting calculating the intake targeting that calorie count. what i find helpful is entering in the food way before you eat. i'll enter the whole day when i'm having coffee. that way you can adjust as you go. if you do a particular shake/smoothie build a recipe in mfp. it is way easier to log that recipe than all the ingredients.

also eat slowly. no phone, tv, electronics. be intentional. if you go over so what? the more intentional you are the better the quality of the food will become. you'll discover how many calories convenient food has. i love leftovers so i can eat for 3 days on a single cook. sometimes i will cook a roast or large steak and eat it differently each day.

sous vide is your friend too. not just meat but all kinds of veggies. and also the anova precision oven. amazing.

Many people claim to have 'the' solution when it comes to dieting and I see some above. Amazingly, many so-called experts contradict each other. For example, some say carbs are great for weight loss while others claim they are the enemy. The same can be said about fat, sugar, salt, etc. And yet each can point to victories using their strategy. No wonder people are so confused about dieting! I know I was.

My solution was to stop listening to YouTube personalities and the like. Many of them have hidden agendas anyways. Anyone can follow any advice for a few days or weeks or maybe months, but unless you are following a lifestyle that you can maintain indefinitely, you are going to face setbacks sooner or later. I came up with the following lifestyle plan that works for me 6 years ago. I lost 60 pounds and have kept to my target weight since then.

1) Eat what you want, but log everything. You soon realize that the ice cream after dinner was not worth it. I currently eat a wide variety of foods, but avoid sweets and deep fried food. I seldom eat deserts and I no longer miss them. But bottom line, I don't hard ban anything except sugar based drinks. I worked with a nutritionist for a short time in the beginning to jumpstart things and get the basics like portion control down, but after a short time I was fine on my own - while using myfitnesspal, of course!
2) Avoid drinks and foods that can potentially trigger a loss of control. Ex. Alcohol (a couple of beers and suddenly a full order of nachos seems like a good idea!). Someone above said avoid sauces that add calories on their own and have the added problem of making food tastier, potentially leading you to eat even 'healthy' food in excess. This is good advice. My weakness is sour cream. I log all drinks, sauces and the like with extreme prejudice.
3) Exercise 5-6 times a week, even if its a short walk. Log all workouts.
4) Sign up for a physically challenging event like a 5k, etc. Always be working towards a goal. I went from being unable to run 1km without stopping to finishing a full Ironman triathlon within 4 years. I am still setting long term goals for my self. An Everest Base Camp trek is next. Having these events scheduled up to 1 year (or longer) is great, but make sure to have smaller challenges on the calendar in the meantime to keep your focus.

Anyways, that's what I did. It may or may not work for you. Don't do what I did unless it's a lifestyle you can maintain indefinitely. The only rule that is non-negotiable is that you log everything daily.

lilyann087 wrote: »

try intermittent fasting 16/8 and long walks , I have been doing that for the last 4 weeks and have lost 12lbs so far , I cut out all sugar and bread and ate healthy lots of veg , some fruit and fish as I don't eat meat , intermittent fasting has changed my life , its hard the first couple of days but once you get the hang of it .. its a breeze

I love your post. Thank you. Is chicken included as meat or did you mean you cut out beef, etc?