how to be consistent with a diet

fitness4812
fitness4812 Posts: 3
edited December 17 in Health and Weight Loss
hi i've been trying to lose weight for a while now (nearly 2 years)but i never had any supoort i really want to lose 30 pounds but i just don't know how to stick to a diet i just find it soo hard. firstly i start a diet on mondays then when friday comes along i always feel like i have a right to eat what ever i want becuae i worked so hard in the week but then i end up being the weight i stated of with or even more and then i say im going to start agin of monday so the whole weekend i eat realllllllly bad. i just want to start fresh from the first of april becaue i'm going to start the 30 day shred then but i really want to control my diet because every thing i eat on week days are so healthy and i actually like them but i can't contol myself in week ends and holidays so has anyone experienced this before and i really want to know what i can do to help this problem and start my journey. thanks everyone

Replies

  • Mehagon
    Mehagon Posts: 83
    One of my biggest suggestions. . . don't think of it as a diet. The diet mindset tends to sabotage you because you feel deprived and end up over-treating yourself and rewarding yourself with food along the way. Think of it as a life-style change. You are making changes to be the best version of yourself.
  • laursey
    laursey Posts: 307
    Diet is a dirty word!
    Good for you for starting with 30DS. If you're doing well eating healthy during the week, save some of your calories for the weekend. Also make Saturdays and Sunays heavy workout days. Do the 30DS and go for a long walk or jog. If you like to eat, you have to earn it. It's so easy to earn extra calories. You can do this, but get the diet word out of your vocabulary. MFP is a tool to teach you how to balance exercise, food, and life forever. Oh, yeah, and don't restrict things. If you ban them from your life, you're just going to want them more. Have a little or exercise to earn those things so you can still have them occasionally.
  • csquaredsmom
    csquaredsmom Posts: 53
    Not that I have room to talk because i so understand where you are coming from, but you cannot DIET your entire life. You have to make changes that you CAN do for a lifetime. Start by making small changes...get a side salad instead of the fries. Maybe pick out ONE of the weekend days you are going to stick to eating great. Also, I find if I exercise that day, I tend to eat better. If I skip the exercise, i tend to not eat as well.
  • enginerd81
    enginerd81 Posts: 50
    Don't do anything drastic, ease into the change.

    Just lower your portions at the start. Eating 2 bigmacs for lunch? just eat 1. Supersizing? get a small.

    Then start replacing unhealthy food choices with healthier ones. one thing at a time.

    Too much change all at once you'll reject it.
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
    There is no such thing as a diet. It takes a lot for many people to understand this, but when you can, you will understand that eating, like moving, sleeping and activity patterns are a part of life. How you choose to do these in your life is up to you, but changing your activity patterns for a temporary time (ie changing your food style and intake) does not work long term.
    Get off the idea that you are on a "diet" and start changing your activity patterns long term.

    Trust me, it WILL work.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    Until you want to take your new lifestyle seriously then it isn`t going to happen. I joined this website a couple of years ago in the same mindset as you. then I realised that the only person that could change things was myself. No amount of support that you may get from your post will help you lose weight...you have to start yourself and make the change for yourself.

    Maybe do the 30 day shred if you think that is important to you..but more important is taking control of your life!

    YOU can do it.. but only YOU and you will have this forum for help along the way
  • Kbritske09
    Kbritske09 Posts: 31 Member
    I too have gone up and down with my weight. I have never really been over weight but when I weigh my most I am at the top end of the healthy weight for my height (I'd like to be in the low end of that category). I have figured out a trick that works for me. I have done many "diets" in the past only to gain the weight back plus some. So this time around I find it extremely helpful to log everything I am eating. I often log what I eat before I eat it so I know that's all I'm going to eat. I set my mind to once it is written then that is it....no changing it and no cheating. I allow myself to eat healthy but also whatever I want, my trick is that I make sure I burn 500 - 1000 calories more than I eat everyday. This is allowing me to lose weight and still eat what I like. Good luck!!!
  • ashditty2
    ashditty2 Posts: 7 Member
    i think everyone experiences this- you aren't alone!

    one of the things that has really helped me to stay on track is putting in what i plan to eat ahead of time ( if I know so and so always makes some dish I like and it will be there or if I know I plan to drink 3 cocktails and I know the restaurant I'm going to I look up the menu online to plan what to eat)... planning ahead has helped me a lot- I still indulge once in a while I just do so more thoughtfully and instead of eating without thinking about what I am putting in my mouth.. . it can also help you adjust the rest of your caloric intake and exercise for the rest of the day. i've lost 3% body fat and 8 lbs just in the last 1.5 months (30 lbs total) and i've done it by making small changes and tracking everything w mfp...

    nothing is every going to be completely by the book, you can't live like that!

    good luck & don't beat yourself up if you have a few mis-steps along the way!
  • jrojeck
    jrojeck Posts: 51 Member
    Yeah, I think seeing your journey as something temporary or labeling it a diet is not a good mindset. It's a long term commitment you need to be willing to participate in. It's either you want lasting results or you don't. I think you have to want a healthier body just like you need to breath air. You won't make excuses, you will fight and overcome temptations because the end goal is fixed so solidly in your mind.

    You're part of a wonderful supportive community here on MFP. There will always be someone willing to give you advice, moral support, and inspiration on your journey! But you have to want it like oxygen!
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
    How to be consistent with a diet?


    Don't think of it as a diet. Think of it as eating healthily.
  • MommyBea
    MommyBea Posts: 84
    One of my biggest suggestions. . . don't think of it as a diet. The diet mindset tends to sabotage you because you feel deprived and end up over-treating yourself and rewarding yourself with food along the way. Think of it as a life-style change. You are making changes to be the best version of yourself.

    I 100% agree do not call it diet...as soon as i say im on a diet i fail..
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Plan ahead.
    Go ahead and take a splurge day on the weekend, but not 2 or 3. The day after a splurge, get right back on track.
    Use the smallest possible calorie deficit that will still give you results.
    Use punctuation.
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
    every thing i eat on week days are so healthy

    This is your problem. You aren't actually eating as healthy as you think you are. There's something called the discretionary calorie allowance (you can look it up). Essentially, if you eat a portion of your calories (10-20% but it depends on the amount of calories) from "non-healthy food" (this is stupid since a food is not either healthy or unhealthy outside the context of a complete diet) then your health and weight loss will be identical to someone who remains 100% strict.

    People are too thick-headed to realize that eating 200 calories from a chocolate bar, fries, pop tarts, ice-cream, or whatever won't make a lick of difference in your overall health and fat loss. So, please, drop this "healthy" nonsense and ascribe to flexible dieting. It's a proven fact that flexible dieters are more successful and equally as healthy as someone who is completely strict by eating "so healthy."

    Read this article and it will save you: http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/
  • brenkruss
    brenkruss Posts: 14 Member
    Are you working out? I find that working out actually helps me stick to the diet. If I've spent an hour or so lifting weights or doing cardio, I don't want to undo my hard work by eating food that is going to negate my hard work. Instead, I want to eat foods that are going to help optimize fat burning and muscle building.

    Also, make sure you aren't going hungry. That is a huge trigger for me to start eating badly.

    ETA: I second the suggestion to set aside at least a day when you can eat as you please. I eat as I please on the weekends, but I find that I don't actually eat *that bad* because I am in the habit of eating pretty healthy and I don't want to deal with an upset stomach.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    Use punctuation.

    I died.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    I tend to have a similar problem, however since I'm getting married in two years, I decided that BY MY WEDDING DATE I will have achieved my goal weight!

    Applying a goal and a time limit is REALLY helping my motivation and drive! Now when I think about getting a pizza or Chinese food or whatever, I think about my MFP calorie tracker and my MFP friends and about the wedding dress I want to be able to wear, and the spreadsheet I made that will track my weight loss over the next two years - and then I remember why I have to be able to say no to these foods. I have something more important to think about than that food, and I'm not going to let my stupid cravings ruin my progress! I'm doing well and I plan to continue doing well so that I will be healthy and strong and SOOOOO SEXY in my wedding dress!!!

    Now that's MY motivation, but YOUR motivation has to be YOURS. Find that reason, that drive, that one thing that you really really really want. It's gotta be positive and make you excited to achieve it. And you'll see it as SO much more important than that stupid extra slice of pizza or stupid cupcake that you don't even need!

    It's great once you learn to say NO to those foods! It's so freeing! :D

    Good luck!!!
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
    It's great once you learn to say NO to those foods! It's so freeing! :D

    I don't say no to any food. Am I more free than you?
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    Oh and working out regularly really helps too. As said above.

    Also treating yourself to something that would generally be considered "unhealthy" every day but staying within your calories.

    Like today I got a McDonald's Classic Chicken Sandwich, which was SOOOOO tasty, and 510 calories. Not bad. And did I mention it was SOOOOOO tasty? lol.

    Anyways doing that keeps you from getting those serious cravings once you get to the weekend.
  • Jd1360
    Jd1360 Posts: 170 Member
    There's nothing I cut. Only things I limit. I mean I snack DAILY on Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips. I couldn't do it without them.

    And really, my best advice is more of "don't think, just do". Don't over think "dieting" just do it. Figure a pattern that works for you and DO IT.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    It's great once you learn to say NO to those foods! It's so freeing! :D

    I don't say no to any food. Am I more free than you?

    Hahaha... I guess you gotta understand where I'm coming from for that to make sense.

    I'm used to feeling trapped by food. If a co-worker brought something tasty in to work, I would have to eat it. I couldn't say no. I felt some kind of... obligation? It was so frustrating because I knew that my body would not appreciate it and I would feel all gross and bloated after, and I would definitely go over my calories for the day, and it would make me depressed and I wouldn't want to work out that evening. It was just a cycle of negativity.

    And I knew that if I could just have a teeny tiny taste of those things, or could just realize that I don't need or even want those sweets, then I could just keep going about my day like planned with all of the lovely, tasty, healthy foods I already have and not let the presence of sweets at the workplace mess me all up.

    I think this is coming out weird. Maybe an example will help. One day I went to work all ready with all my lovely foods. Yogurt, cereal, banana, some dark chocolate, all that good stuff. And someone had bought donuts. DONUTS. They were in my cube ALL DAY. And I couldn't say no!!! I ended up eating 2 and a half donuts that day! UGH. I was so mad at myself, I just didn't know how to say no or just moderate my eating. SO FRUSTRATING. In summary: I felt trapped.

    It took me a long time to finally realize that I don't NEED to eat those foods. I could just say "Nope, I'm good." And let that be that. It seems like such a simple concept, but it was a huge thing for me. I guess that's weird? I dunno. It sounds kinda silly writing it down, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. Anyways now I feel like I have a much healthier relationship with food. I don't restrict myself to ONLY HEALTHY FOODS ALL THE TIME cuz that would be silly, but I know how to say no to unnecessary foods too. :)
  • mittensofdoom
    mittensofdoom Posts: 69 Member
    There is no such thing as a diet. It takes a lot for many people to understand this, but when you can, you will understand that eating, like moving, sleeping and activity patterns are a part of life. How you choose to do these in your life is up to you, but changing your activity patterns for a temporary time (ie changing your food style and intake) does not work long term.
    Get off the idea that you are on a "diet" and start changing your activity patterns long term.

    Trust me, it WILL work.

    Truth.

    MFP is a lifelong commitment for me. I'm at the size I'm most comfortable at and now I plan to stay here but if I went back to eating the way I did before, I'd just gain back the weight.
  • mittensofdoom
    mittensofdoom Posts: 69 Member
    It's great once you learn to say NO to those foods! It's so freeing! :D

    I don't say no to any food. Am I more free than you?

    Hahaha... I guess you gotta understand where I'm coming from for that to make sense.

    I'm used to feeling trapped by food. If a co-worker brought something tasty in to work, I would have to eat it. I couldn't say no. I felt some kind of... obligation? It was so frustrating because I knew that my body would not appreciate it and I would feel all gross and bloated after, and I would definitely go over my calories for the day, and it would make me depressed and I wouldn't want to work out that evening. It was just a cycle of negativity.

    And I knew that if I could just have a teeny tiny taste of those things, or could just realize that I don't need or even want those sweets, then I could just keep going about my day like planned with all of the lovely, tasty, healthy foods I already have and not let the presence of sweets at the workplace mess me all up.

    I think this is coming out weird. Maybe an example will help. One day I went to work all ready with all my lovely foods. Yogurt, cereal, banana, some dark chocolate, all that good stuff. And someone had bought donuts. DONUTS. They were in my cube ALL DAY. And I couldn't say no!!! I ended up eating 2 and a half donuts that day! UGH. I was so mad at myself, I just didn't know how to say no or just moderate my eating. SO FRUSTRATING. In summary: I felt trapped.

    It took me a long time to finally realize that I don't NEED to eat those foods. I could just say "Nope, I'm good." And let that be that. It seems like such a simple concept, but it was a huge thing for me. I guess that's weird? I dunno. It sounds kinda silly writing it down, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. Anyways now I feel like I have a much healthier relationship with food. I don't restrict myself to ONLY HEALTHY FOODS ALL THE TIME cuz that would be silly, but I know how to say no to unnecessary foods too. :)

    I save myself the painful decision by telling people I work with that I'm vegan. Crap food always has dairy.
  • vivo
    vivo Posts: 80
    In my opinion how to be consistent is to be a creature of habit. My problem was that when I was trying to be careful with my eating I tended to think too much, and ended up eating bits and pieces of different food all over. Stick to the foods that are easy for you to reach and the ones you can eat on a day to day basis. For example for dinner I tend to stick to microwave meals :p I stick to steamed fish with lemon and parsley and take that with steamed brocolli

    Beforehand I made different options of dinner, which personally didn't work for me because I never took into account how the different dinners would alter my calories for the day etc. Also, I ended up not cooking the meals cos I thought of too much food I thought I needed to eat well 0.0

    Try to stick to a few, stick to what you know, be a creature of habit ;)

    xx
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
    I don't restrict myself to ONLY HEALTHY FOODS ALL THE TIME cuz that would be silly, but I know how to say no to unnecessary foods too. :)

    Good job. I had misconstrued your meaning. I'm not particularly adamant about labelling my food healthy or not, though, but congratulations on iron will! Not many people have that.
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