Tried many diets before need a bit of help

anneouel · January 2012

Hello my names Anne-Marie and i've tried a few diets and never had motivation to see them through, or I just starved myself on it. My sister and I decided to make a change together and lose the weight by eating healthy and exerciseing, while she has only a little too go (stubborn fat :P) my goal is 101 pounds which seems daunting. I get frozen with fear during each diet.. "what if I give up?" "what if I get depressed again cause I failed?" I dont know, its tough.

Anywho what I was wondering is if anyone has any great advice for all the nasty little habits and tendancies, lets face it, overweight people have. The cravings, how to get the right amount of calories, what exercises do you do that is really effective, what foods are great to eat?

Thanks :P

skirtinthedirt · January 2012

Everyone is different but i can tell you what worked for me (twice!)

Cardio Cardio Cardio to start. 30-60 mins of high intensity cardio 4-6 days a week in addition to a healthy (not insanely low) number of calories consumed (I'd say I was logging about 1500, and now I'm around 1700).

If you feel like food is going to be your weakness and the reason you may not reach your goals, don't focus on it as much, and workout with all of your might. Concentrate on that, which makes you feel good, feel accomplished, and gets results, and the diet will fall into place naturally.

I found that for me i wasn't able to do a lot with my poor eating habits until I saw results from working out. once I lost about 10 pounds from exercise, I got so motivated it was EASY to stick to a diet plan. a year later, it's not even a 'diet" anymore. It's just how I eat.

My biggest complaint about MFP thus far is it seem like the primary focus is on food which I think people have way more 'issues" as opposed to exercise. Try cruising around bodybuilding.com as well. don't let the name scare you. 'Normal" people use the site too, and it has a lot of advise about working out that is really helpful.

stevwil41 · January 2012

I've failed on several diets (Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc) and been thoroughly discouraged in the past. It's not fun but this time it seems to be a little different for me. I'm counting calories and I've made a lot of changes to my diet but not all at once and not too dramatic.

I'd suggest tracking for a few days what you'd typically eat. That can be a real eye opener right there. Once you know what you're eating then make a couple of changes. I started with portion sizes and eating more vegetables. I went from having a cheeseburger with a side of cheesburger for dinner to a piece of grilled chicken or sirloin, broccoli and rice for dinner (this was during the summer). I still felt completely satisfied and it really didn't take any longer to cook that than to fry a couple of cheesburgers. I still have a burger once every couple of weeks but not everyday. Same goes for dessert, fries, mashed potatoes or whatever. I still have all of my old favorite foods sometimes but not all at once and not too frequently. It's all a balancing act and it may take a little while for you to get the hang of what works for you but don't give up and don't be afraid to try new things.

I also started walking in the mornings anywhere between 20 minutes and 45 minutes depending on how much free time I had before work. Once I had lost a bit of weight and the weather went to crap I joined a gym and started a more regimented routine but I'd already lost 40 or so lbs by then. Make it a part of your day! Don't try to fit a trip to the gym, make it part of your routine. I started getting up about half an hour earlier and streamlined my mornings a little. This gives me an hour to workout before I have to be at work. I don't think about whether I'm going, I just go. Some mornings I'm not feeling it as much as others but I'm there doing something. There's no question about it and everyone who interacts with me in the mornings know this is part of my routine.

Lastly, don't stress over losing weight! If you have a bad day then so what? Have a better one tomorrow! If it's your birthday, then have a piece of cake and send any leftovers home with someone else. If you're on a date, then make good choices and if you go over your calories it's not the end of the world. Do a little extra exercise and make better choices next time. You have to be able to live your life. There will always be birthdays, dates, outings or whatever. Use them as learning experiences so you know how to eat to sustain your weight loss. Otherwise, if you just deprive yourself and lose 100 lbs then what are you going to do when you reach your goal? You won't have the skills to maintain. I've been there and it sucks!

Anway, I hope this has been helpful and good luck!

Steve

HonkyTonks · January 2012

Some tips from my experience -

1) Be patient. Weight loss is a game of patience, and the harder you try to win the harder it gets. You just need to relax, make the best choices possible, don't beat yourself up for going over your daily alloted calories, and try and maintain that overall deficit, rather than stressing you've gone 11 calories over one day (despite being under your goal by 100 calories every other day)

2) Eat your exercise calories, you earned them

3) Don't label foods good or bad, food is good and shouldn't be treated as some evil thing.. moderation and smaller portions are key.

4) Don't beat yourself up over a bad day, just log it and move on

5) Don't weigh yourself daily.. heck, I don't even do it weekly.. progress is better measured by clothes sizes and measurements

6) Do some strength training - don't lose muscle mass, burn fat

7) Drinking lots of water and eating good proteins can help keep appetite under control

8) Set yourself a realistic calorie target.. 1200 a day is too low for a lot of people. You should try and eat your BMR, and increase your TDEE by moving about and doing some exercise

9) Good foods are veggies (colourful greens), lean protein, sweet potato, fruit, wholegrains, greek yoghurt.. try and get plenty of these but don't think you can't enjoy other things either:)

anneouel · January 2012

ty steve thats awesome insite, I have help from my sister which is great and we both laughed at the cheeseburger part :P I think Im just stressing about having to cut things out, but when looked at that way seems less daunting.

OLFATUG · January 2012

1) Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as a complete change to your relationship with food.
2) Don't sweat the small stuff, everyone makes mistakes and has bad days. The worst thing you can do is have a bad day and use it to justify being worse, instead challenge yourself to be better the next day.
3) Exercise. No matter what your fitness level, get something in. Walk the dog, take the stairs, get moving, every little bit helps!
4) Make friends and ask questions, this is the internet so you can be as 'stupid' as you want to be and you're not being stupid!

TRichmond2012 · January 2012

HI there you are not the only one in this boat, I have been on the LA weightloss diet or have been I mean and I lost 100lbs but then I got married. I need to loose the same amt again and it is so hard for me. I enjoy eating but sometimes my biggest problem is types of food and exercise. Take it easy on yourself, maybe we could support one another.

ginapeterb · January 2012

Anne,

Good advice from KINRAD,

its true, don't start talking about diets ! diets are things we don't want to talk about, things we have to stick to, "Think of it as a change to your relationship with food"

THE ABOVE STATEMENT IS PERFECT FOR YOU !

How about looking at it like this, If its to be, its up to me !, start looking at food as something nice to enjoy, you have to have, but you are in command of your own personal food store, with all the modern information available about foods these days, you can decide what your body should have, and what it shouldn't have, its about life style choices, so instead of telling people, Im on a diet, they will say oh yeah right, a diet eh, how its that going, try saying this, I make balanced choices regarding my life, and exercise regularly, in this way, loosing weight is just a bi product of your lifestyle changes, and your lifestyle is really who you are, once you grasp the concept of balanced lifestyle choices, loosing weight won't be a problem, and as the others have said, don't beat yourself if you have a rep lapse and suddenly eat something that is not the best nutritional value for your body, just make a note of it, and don't repeat it next time, after all, life should be fun, as kinrad said, exercise and do something, in fact don't worry what you do, do anything ? the hardest door to walk through is your own, show up at the gym, and do 30 minutes if you can, 30 minutes a day, is better than nothing at all that day, do some walking around town, in fact you can do anything, to get the metabolism working, set weekly goals, regular small weight loss is preferable, so don' t look for great results all the time, its a gradual process, and most of all as Kinrad says, make friends with like minded people who are talking about their live style changes, it will encourage you to do the same......best wishes...and good luck.

evergreen1959 · January 2012

We My daughter and I have been doing the HCG diet. She has lost 80 lbs I have lost 77. We started our diets at the same time and have done all our rounds together. As you can see our weight loss as run pretty much the same. Of course Im 26 years older than her so I loose just a tad slower. She has taken up running and bike riding. I think I will join her on the bike riding this spring-fall. We have followed the rules put down by Dr Simeon in his Pounds and Inches protocol. And followed the Weight Loss cure book for learning how to maintain. I have finally in all my 30 years of dieting learned how to keep it off. And it is not all exercise. It is also knowing how our bodies use food and what protein vs carb ratio works for my body. I wish you all the luck on your weight loss journey.

swiftfox82 · January 2012

good news! it is possible to nip the cravings in the butt! Personally I had the same depression about losing weight and hunger, but now i have found out what works....I eat fat to lose fat . Now I know this sounds weird but if you eat the right kind of fats it will make you happier because the brain needs fat since it is fat. People that go on low fat diets get depressed. Try eating scramble eggs with real butter, coconut oil, or my favorite extra virgin olive oil. I have that for one of my meals a day since i lack imagination..lol. Also i find that having chocolate milk or a string cheese after a workout greatly recouperates me. Personally I only buy organic whole milk since I have discovered I much more satisfied and happy it makes me of course i watch how much I use everyday since it has more calories, but i find that it is worth it since it is so much more healthier for me.
I have hypothyroidism, and many people have told me that it is almost impossible to lose the weight and I should just accept that. i do lose weight slower but it is possible!! Also I have gotten into juicing and wow it's makes me feel really good so i have that before my dinner..my favorite is carrot apple juice since I find it really monotonous to sit there and eat countless veggies and fruits for my vitamins juicing is a great way to get it over with!
I hope this may be of some help since it has worked for me so well

Captian_Dathon · January 2012

Just know that you don't need a DIET to lose weight, you need to change your LIFESTYLE.
Its impossible to eat right and exercise and NOT (eventually) lose and maintain a healthy weight and body.

thelovelyLIZ · January 2012

Set yourself mini goals. I started at about 145, so first it was to get back down to 135 and lose the 10lbs I packed away during the summer. Then it was to get below 130 an be at my lowest adult weight. Now I want to get to 125 by Valentine's Day, and 120 by my birthday. Once I get to 120, I'm going to reevaluate and see if I need to go down to 115. I have a small frame, so even 135 on me looked pretty heavy, but I don't want to set myself a goal that is too low and then never get there and be discouraged.

Also, don't think of it as a diet. Think of it as a lifestyle change. You're making a change in your life to make you happier int he long run. Again, think in small steps. First I cut out soda. Then I cut back on my fast food. Then I made a point to eat less meat and more veggies. Now I'm working on incorporating fruit into my diet, as well as foods I used to not like. Each change was small and manageable. Once I got the hang of it and it became second nature to me, I was able to make another change. A little adds up to a lot.

Also, I make a point to give myself cheat days, eat cookies, etc. My philosophy is I would never permanently cut ice cream out of my diet, so I'm not going to do it to try and lose weight. I just limit the intake to once a month tops and make healthy choices.

XXXMinnieXXX · January 2012

Zumba is the best exercise ever burns great calories. If there are deep seated reasons you comfort eat, therapy. Helped me heaps x

shivanouellette · January 2012

I think what my sister means by "diet" is an overhaul of how terribly she was eating before. Before she was eating a lot of chocolate, kraft dinner (it's one of the only things she can make :P), red meats and rarely any fruit or vegetables. And I wasn't much better. Both her and I are working on eating A LOT more vegetables and fruit, cutting down on red meats, and increasing our chicken and fish intake.

Anyways... Since I'm here I thought I'd throw this out to see if anyone has some advice. I've been going to the gym consistently for a month and a half, since December 1st, and have being eating much, much healthier. When I go to the gym I do intensive running and free weight and body workouts, and sometimes I'll use weight machines. I don't skimp on strength training and I do a TON of cardio. And pretty much nothing has happened. The measurements around my waist and my stomach, as well as bust and underbust, have not changed. The only measurement that has gone down is my hips and butt, by 2". Is this normal?

I think it might have something to do with not reaching my calorie goal, ever. But I have difficulty eating that much food. I get full off of very little food. Some days I've been under calorie intake, after working out, by nearly 1000 calories. Any advice? All is appreciated!

Thanks!

alisha232 · January 2012

I think what my sister means by "diet" is an overhaul of how terribly she was eating before. Before she was eating a lot of chocolate, kraft dinner (it's one of the only things she can make :P), red meats and rarely any fruit or vegetables. And I wasn't much better. Both her and I are working on eating A LOT more vegetables and fruit, cutting down on red meats, and increasing our chicken and fish intake.

Anyways... Since I'm here I thought I'd throw this out to see if anyone has some advice. I've been going to the gym consistently for a month and a half, since December 1st, and have being eating much, much healthier. When I go to the gym I do intensive running and free weight and body workouts, and sometimes I'll use weight machines. I don't skimp on strength training and I do a TON of cardio. And pretty much nothing has happened. The measurements around my waist and my stomach, as well as bust and underbust, have not changed. The only measurement that has gone down is my hips and butt, by 2". Is this normal?

I think it might have something to do with not reaching my calorie goal, ever. But I have difficulty eating that much food. I get full off of very little food. Some days I've been under calorie intake, after working out, by nearly 1000 calories. Any advice? All is appreciated! Thanks!

I am also struggling with this same issue. I eat a lot healthier although I treat myself to an indulgence at least once a week but nothing major just a single beer or a soda. I also do ALOT of cardio in fact I do at least an 30 minutes a day but for the most part I do upwards of an hour. It can be quite frustrating. I am experimenting but upping my calories. I started this week. It's hard to eat when you don't feel hungry but choose healthy choices like celery or other fruits and veggies. I have also started incorporating protein shakes in my diet. I know I'm not much help but I'm here for support!

adevereux · January 2012

Can I suggest a check up with your doctor first. It was a nice jumping off place, get a proper weight in, get a full work up so I know my body was ready. Was going to go high protein so had kidneys checked and cholesterol. It's also great to have your thyroid checked to make sure that's good. And for females those nasty hormone levels. It's not a cure (there isn't a magic pill) but it was a good starting place, kinda sets a "line in the sand" if you know what I mean. And here's another tip. This site is awesome because of the support and finding like mided people. What I found was I needed to tell people I was trying to lose weight, co-workers, employees, friends, family (linked MFP to facebook). It held me super accountable, and I was getting support from all over the place. I had to be honest EVERYWHERE, and in no time at all, I created healthier eating habits, didn't have as many cravings to cheat. The biggest challenge in any change is creating the new habits- find support for those days and then it'll be easier.

anneouel · January 2012

thank you all for your advice. I've done a lot more soul searching and really thought about why i ate the way i did. It's no longer a diet :P its a life style

Tried many diets before need a bit of help

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