Pitfalls and Weight Loss Tips!

flowergirl829 · April 6

I hope to hear from many of you as this thread may help others; I know I am open to everyone's ideas. So far I'm doing okay, but still struggle with wanting the fountain drink soda that I am addicted to....lol...and with wanting to snack on something sweet or salty late at night in front of the tv.

flowergirl829 · April 6

Ok, so far I've decided to just go on to bed at night and drink water to fight off the cravings; also to just stay away from the fountain drinks. A tip I would like to share is that before I got serious about losing weight with myfitnesspal I would walk off weight; I lost 47 lbs in 2017; I was walking 2 miles a day that incorporated some serious inclines by that I mean where I live we have a walking bridge that is 1 mile across each way, but the inclines on both sides are a hard workout, especially if you smoke cigarettes; it only took me 4 months to lose that much, but my stomach was flat and you couldn't pinch an inch of fat off me. If you're working out remember, too that you may weigh more at first, because you're building muscle which is good; muscle burns more calories than fat.

lisakatz2 · April 6

Have you thought of maybe a seltzer with a splash of tart cherry juice or another type of juice? Will that work for you? Sodas add up in terms of calories/sugar. Myself, I like La Croix flavored seltzer waters, They have no calories and are naturally flavored, plus no yucky artificial sweeteners.

jmcmahan61 · April 6

I'm trying to keep my shopping list simple and inexpensive. I don't fall for any fad diets out there, because they don't work in the long run. Not knocking any of them just how I personally feel. I eat eggs, tuna, yogurt, cottage cheese and veggies of course. Haven't been eating potatoes and trying to eliminate bread and carbs. No sweet or salty snacks here!

LiveOnceBeHappy · April 6

flowergirl829 wrote: »

I hope to hear from many of you as this thread may help others; I know I am open to everyone's ideas. So far I'm doing okay, but still struggle with wanting the fountain drink soda that I am addicted to....lol...and with wanting to snack on something sweet or salty late at night in front of the tv.

Drink diet soda. It's okay to drink diet soda to support your weight loss goals. For cravings, sometimes a soda and a piece of gum help me if I'm not actually hungry but have the munchies.

flowergirl829 · April 11

jmcmahan61 wrote: »

I'm trying to keep my shopping list simple and inexpensive. I don't fall for any fad diets out there, because they don't work in the long run. Not knocking any of them just how I personally feel. I eat eggs, tuna, yogurt, cottage cheese and veggies of course. Haven't been eating potatoes and trying to eliminate bread and carbs. No sweet or salty snacks here!

Ha...No sweet or salty snacks....wish I could say the same; I've really been messing up eating crackers before bedtime and drinking the fountain sodas; I don't drink one every day, but still. I bought some pants that will inspire me I hope, since they run a size smaller than the tag size....sigh

AnnPT77 · April 11

I looked for sweet or salty snacks that were a little more nutrient-dense, then moderated portions to keep things reasonable. Self-deprivation is not a winning strategy for me (. . . yet I'm now in year 8 of weight maintenance after 30 years of overweight/obesity, will wonders never cease!).

Examples: Crispy chickpeas (or lentils, broad beans, etc.), string cheese or other calorie efficient cheese, sauerkraut or kim chi, pickles (not just cucumbers, anything), cucumber with seasoned salt, raw veggies with home-made Greek yogurt dip, prunes (or other dried fruits, in small portions - chewy ones take longer to eat, have water or another low-calorie fluid alongside so they're more filling), fresh fruit, home-made popcorn, black bean chips with salsa, etc.

I don't think this tastes exactly like Doritos, but it's pretty tasty IMO:

http://naturalchow.com/2014/03/healthy-dorito-flavored-popcorn/

There are lots of options for home-made popcorn. I just buy kernels, put some dry in a covered (big!) glass dish in the microwave, then zap until the popping slows, and add . . . whatever. I tried popping some in a bit of salt water to get salted (but no-oil) popcorn, and that worked pretty well.

I never was a huge lover of sweetened bubbly drinks (soda/pop). I do like plain sparkling water (like LaCroix plain) with a few drops of bitters (the stuff people use in cocktails), or a citrus wedge.

Bitters come in a bunch of different flavors, not just the class Agnostura and such that taste kinda like cough medicine. I like grapefruit bitters especially well. A bottle of bitters is expensive, but one literally uses just a few drops, so the bottle lasts a long, long time.

I buy multiple citrus, cut the wedges, and freeze them for convenience. Putting parchment baking paper or wax paper between layers keeps them from becoming one solid mass! Infusing water with fresh fruit or veggies is also an option, and of course the non-calorie fruit essence commercial bubbly drinks come in dozens of flavors you could try.

Best wishes!

flowergirl829 · April 15

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I looked for sweet or salty snacks

^Thank you for the advice; by the way I have looked for chickpeas in the grocery, but couldn't find them any suggestions as to which section they might be in.....also you should be glad you don't like these daggone fountain sodas like I do....whew...them and before that the last time I was overweight I was drinking these cappuccinos daily and I quit those. I've been doing a little better like only having one of the sodas on the weekend if I can afford the calories and I threw out the crackers and peanut butter, too....

AnnPT77 · April 15

I've seen crispy broadbeans, chickpeas or lentils in various places in stores: Some brands are pseudo-international, so in an international foods section. (Saffron Road is one of the brands I've seen in the international section at one of our local big chains, Meijer.) Sometimes in other stores various brands are near nuts, or near other salty snacks like specialty chips/pretzels/etc. Sometimes they're in a health foods (?!) area, if there's a separate section for that.

There are also recipes online to make your own, but it can take a little experimenting to get them the right amount of dried/crispy but not burned.

My main commercial one I like is Enlightened Bada Bean Bada Boom Crispy Broad Beans, which come in various flavors. I prefer to get them in single-serve packets (1 oz, 28g, around 110 calories, 6g protein). The single-serve packet is mysteriously easier for me to moderate.

I can get bigger bags at local stores, but not the individual ones. I know I like them, so I order a big box of the individual packets from Amazon. (If you want an Amazon link, I can provide one, but I don't want to look like I'm one of those people who posts commercial links in order to be compensated for doing that!).

If you have a big chain grocery near you, you could maybe look at their corporate web site for your store, and see if they stock anything like this. Sometimes the web site will say what section they're in, but if the site doesn't have that, but says they're in stock, you could ask the customer service desk where to find the specific brand you know they have.

I think what I'm trying to suggest as a generality is to look around and see whether you can identify foods that taste treat-ish to you, but are either lower calorie, or have enough nutritional value that they can fit in as part of reaching nutritional goals. It's a process!

flowergirl829 · April 16

Well... everybody, in spite of my shortcomings I have been following this for 3 weeks now; my goal is to lose 1.3 lbs per week which is what MFP recommends; glad to say I've lost 7 lbs, since I started; now I am somewhat of an active person meaning I'm pretty much always doing something household chores, yard work, browsing the thrift stores or just shopping period; I don't like tv or sitting idle for too long...guess that helps...lol

ps...Ann, I'm going to try one of those LaCroix drinks you mentioned; I have seen those at Meijer where I do most of my grocery shopping.

flowergirl829 · April 19

Ok, so I've had these cravings and I've kinda messed up....I've had some fountain sodas again and 2 pieces of fried chicken and a couple of tablespoons of mac & cheese and even a Klondike bar one evening; I have got to stop eating in front of the TV that's for sure!! I had a really healthy, for the most part lunch yesterday then went grocery shopping; had skipped breakfast entirely except for the dang soda, so I ate at Golden Corral before the store, so I wouldn't be tempted to buy junk to eat; needless to say although I had this nice sized lunch I still had all these cravings inside the store everything sounded good and looked good; I guess I just LOVE to EAT...oh my what do I do?

AnnPT77 · April 19

flowergirl829 wrote: »

Ok, so I've had these cravings and I've kinda messed up....I've had some fountain sodas again and 2 pieces of fried chicken and a couple of tablespoons of mac & cheese and even a Klondike bar one evening; I have got to stop eating in front of the TV that's for sure!! I had a really healthy, for the most part lunch yesterday then went grocery shopping; had skipped breakfast entirely except for the dang soda, so I ate at Golden Corral before the store, so I wouldn't be tempted to buy junk to eat; needless to say although I had this nice sized lunch I still had all these cravings inside the store everything sounded good and looked good; I guess I just LOVE to EAT...oh my what do I do?

I love to eat, too. Food is tasty, and I'm a hedonist . . . big time.

Here's the thing, for me: I want future me to have a good life, too. That wouldn't happen if then-current me kept over-eating. I could look around me and see how aging was going for overweight and inactive people in my social circle. It wasn't good.

So, I want good quality of life going into the future, and I want as much tasty food as possible. The trick is to find a personalized way to balance those competing goals.

One reason I like calorie counting is that it lets me eat every delicious calorie I can, while staying at a healthy weight. (I'm in about year 8 of maintaining healthy weight now; obviously, I was running a moderate calorie deficit for the nearly-a-year of weight loss from obese to healthy weight.)

You'll need to find your personal balance if you want those same things, happy now and happy future.

Advice?

Fun activity - exercise or daily life stuff - buys more calories a person can eat. Find some fun activities, and add them to your routine. (Don't overdo: That's counter-productive.)

Don't try to lose weight super fast. Try to find the easiest possible habits that permit gradual weight loss. Sooner or later during weight loss, find and practice the habits (habits!) you'll use long term to stay at a healthy weight. Look for habits you can continue happily and easily forever, almost on autopilot, when other parts of life get challenging . . . because they will.

Minimize the need for willpower, discipline, or motivation. I don't know about you, but there's no way I'm staying motivated for the whole rest of my natural life . . . but I do want to stay at a healthy weight permanently.

Weight loss isn't a quick project with an end date, after which things go back to normal. That's the recipe for yo-yo loss and regain, probably the least healthy scenario. Weight management - at least for people like me with a tendency to overweight - is a forever endeavor. The majority of our days cause the majority of our results. That's why our routine habits matter so much. That one rare day where we eat too much cake, or work out for 5 hours, is a drop in the ocean.

It's easy, positive routine habits for the win.

At the very bottom-most bottom line, what to do? Commit. Take responsibility. If there's anything most of us totally control, it's how much movement we include in our lives, and how much food we put in our mouths, chew and swallow. We have the power. It's a matter of how we choose to use it.

Best wishes for success: The effort is worth it.

Hobartlemagne · April 27

It seems like you're still a dabbling a little bit rather than fully committing.
What is working for me is to understand that my old eating lifestyle was bad for me and I had to learn a new one. My relationship with food was not functioning correctly. I LOVE food! I cook a lot, I eat a lot, I talk about food a lot. I'm definitely a foodie. My unhealthy approach to food was- believing that eating was a celebration of the delights of life and culture, and I should participate whenever I felt like it. I indulged with no thought of what total volumes of food I was shoveling in my mouth.
Consider this- most of us are overeating at every meal.

The first mental change I made was to understand the purpose of food.
We eat to stay alive. All excesses must be justified or eliminated.
On the other hand, we are not robots. We cant use self-discipline 100% of the time. You have to be kind to yourself and allow some food rewards. Bodybuilders plan a weekly 'cheat day'. I try to stick with a weekly cheat meal. I'll admit- half the time it turns into a cheat day.
Beware of snacking for 'tasting entertainment'. Thats a bad habit all of us must deal with. Sugar-free chewing gum can help in those times.

A good way to tolerate cravings is to always have the next meal and exact mealtime decided on ahead of time. Cal it a short-term goal, making it to the next meal without a snack.

I've completely cut out snacks as an easier way to control the calories. I do follow one exception- I'll drink a protein drink before bedtime if my calorie intake for the day was too low. I don't want to wake up hungry in the middle of the night. I distribute calories a bit backward compared to a lot of people. I eat a smaller breakfast in exchange for a bigger dinner. It's easier for me that way.

You have to develop a tolerant relationship with hunger. You will feel it multiple times a day. It follows you like a shadow. Consider this- through most of human history people could not eat the moment they felt hunger. Its pretty normal.

Lastly, I highly recommend a book I recently read: "The Hunger Habit" by Dr Judson Brewer. He has a website will free info too: drJud.com. He discourages calorie counting, but I have to count or nothing works.

Pitfalls and Weight Loss Tips!

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