Help please Im on my last thread

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  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
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    I can't see your diary but I wonder if maybe you're trying to hard? What I mean is are you packing a lunch of lettuce and carrot sticks with a side of starvation? If that's the case of course you crave McDonalds.

    It's damn hard to go from a steady diet of junk to eating healthy. The good news is you don't need to change completely overnight.

    Eat foods you enjoy. Just find ways to keep them within your calories. Plan ahead. Best thing you can do.

    But I'll tell you now if you don't like the foods you have planned you'll ditch them for junk. So find healthy ways to eat what you like. You can even have McDonalds (suck it food nazis). They have salads and chicken wraps and a little burger isn't the worst thing in the world.

    Find healthy options that you really look forward to eating. You can do this. I used to eat fast food daily, often twice a day. But with a little effort you can break the habit and still enjoy your meals. Good luck to you.

    Their grilled chicken sandwich is also a good option. Just get it plain or put some ketchup on it if you must instead of mayo.

    MUSTARD- Is a great alternative to ketchup!! :)
    Good luck!
    When the willpower and drive is there, it will click. You may also want to start a journal to see when these hungers attack to get a better sense of whats going on during the time of day. I know that when I started this is was mainly in the afternoons when I was BORED! So now I find myself looking at inspirational blogs, photos, ect. to curve those hunger thoughts. I am new at this too so if you would like to add me as a friend, we can help each other stay on the right paths for this new journey!! ;)

    Mustard is awesome, especially spicy brown or dijon.

    If you have to do McDonalds, get a plain chicken sandwich and add your own dijon mustard on it...and just add some carrot sticks and a bottle of water with it, yummy!
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
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    I understand and sympathize with you. We all have our areas of weakness. It is not like you have some sort of disease or are a huge exception. I think it is pretty safe to say that a lot of us on here would enjoy indulging a little bit too.

    If this is more of a mental thing then seek counseling of some sort.

    Perhaps there are underlying things in your life that are causing this?

    In the end the choice is yours, you know what you need to do. Make a promise to your self to make one small change a week and stick to it.
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
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    You have to build your self discipline. It's not easy, and it's not always fun, but in the long run, it's the only way you will be successful!! Mind over matter! Have a conversation with yourself- you brought lunch, so eat it. You get home, you want to sleep, but try taking a 5 minute walk first. Start in small increments. I promise it gets easier and eventually even is fun! The cravings will go away and so will the taste for the fast food. I had McDonald's the other day after not having it for like a month, it didn't even taste good anymore!!

    You can do it. You do have the power to control what you feed yourself. Friend me if you'd like!

    I agree with this!

    Also, I took all the wiggle room out of my budget so I couldn't just swing through a drive through anymore. I started putting that money into savings so I HAVE to go home and eat.. I don't have the money for fast food. It's adding up too! 45 a week (from my husband's and my lunch habits) put over into a savings account, and by September we'll have our Disney vacation paid for! :)
  • 1slimlinda
    1slimlinda Posts: 44 Member
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    When is the last time you saw a physician? Maybe your thyroid levels need to be checked, or your blood sugar. Just a thought. Good luck. Stay focused. Do this for you . Try not to focus on what you cant or should not eat but what you can eat. Make good choices that taste good It gets easier. Watch that Mc Donalds video on what is all in their food.
  • mgoetsch1982
    mgoetsch1982 Posts: 392 Member
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    I know how you feel. I am 5' and 193. It is hard to STOP over eating. I am a very emotional person and I have the habit of eating out of boredom. It is something that is hard to break. Here are a few things that I have done to help. The first thing is that I have increased how much water I drink. While I am at work all day, I drink at least 3 20oz bottles of water (easier with Mio). I also have started to have healthy snacks in between my meals. This helps keep hunger at bay. By doing this, there are only a few hours between when I eat and it helps boost your metabolism. It is harder for me to do what I do at work when I am off and am at home where there are more temptations. I am also doing 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. It is an at home work out and is only 20 min!

    Keep your head up! You can do this :)
  • momo2011Tuck
    momo2011Tuck Posts: 49 Member
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    I can't see your diary but I wonder if maybe you're trying to hard? What I mean is are you packing a lunch of lettuce and carrot sticks with a side of starvation? If that's the case of course you crave McDonalds.

    It's damn hard to go from a steady diet of junk to eating healthy. The good news is you don't need to change completely overnight.

    Eat foods you enjoy. Just find ways to keep them within your calories. Plan ahead. Best thing you can do.

    But I'll tell you now if you don't like the foods you have planned you'll ditch them for junk. So find healthy ways to eat what you like. You can even have McDonalds (suck it food nazis). They have salads and chicken wraps and a little burger isn't the worst thing in the world.

    Find healthy options that you really look forward to eating. You can do this. I used to eat fast food daily, often twice a day. But with a little effort you can break the habit and still enjoy your meals. Good luck to you.

    ^^ I agree and like everything said above!
  • Clarevmb
    Clarevmb Posts: 211 Member
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    I completely identify with you, can't stop eating, emotional eating the whole lot.
    I've also taken a packed lunch to work and then gone to the canteen.
    You need to ask yourself the following:
    - do you really want to loose weight and you're willing to put the effort in. I've wanted to loose weight for ages but often just have not had the motivation
    - are you interested in what you've packed yourself for lunch? When you shop next buy a different type of lettuce, tomato etc and keep changing. Buy a salmon fillet in a sweet chilli sauce or similar, something more 'special' and if you still don't feel like eating it maybe guilt over how much you paid for it will make you have it!
    - make McDs less attractive. My sons are on holiday this week so we went for lunch today. I didn't loose any weight last week, we've just had the long Jubilee weekend and my weigh in is tomorrow - I sooo don't want to have put weight on so had a fillet of fish and a white coffee (380 cals). There's nothing wrong with McDs but it is a treat, not everyday occurrance
    - try to get up early and do some exercise, 10-30mins makes me have a better mindset for the day. Go on the way home from work. Even McDs could be justified if you walked 2 miles or so to get it!!
    - don't let yourself get too hungry mid morning, have a small snack like a pack of raisins or a piece of fruit
    - don't take enough money to work with you to buy any food
    - break the craving cycle, only willpower will do this.

    Hope above is useful, I'm not getting at you at all as I know completely where you're coming from and the above have helped
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    See your doctor to make sure you're healthy, but realistically you're the only one who can help you get a grip on this. If you cant resist going to McDs instead of eating tout healthy lunch.. don't bring money with you. Or find some other trick to keep you on track. Self discipline is hard, you have to want the reward more than the temptation. But you're the only one who can make the choice. Be strong...you CAN do this!
  • Gergal73
    Gergal73 Posts: 36 Member
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    I finally realized that I loved myself more than I did food. I had to come to that realization before anything happened. I'm a Type 1 Diabetic for 37 years. I've struggled with weight my entire life. After this realization I went and found a fantastic Endocrinologist, Diabetic Educator, and Nutritionist. I send in my food reports to them 2 times a week as well as my blood sugar levels. Knowing my support team is waiting for my stats so they can help me has been a huge help. I also go in every 3 months for a check up and visit. They have helped me realize that when I am not honest with my diet that the only person I'm hurting is myself. It took many years to come to this realization. I now look at food and say, "You will not win. I am in control!!" It may seem silly, but it's the truth! Even if progress is extremely slow, at least it's progress and sometimes progress means taking a few steps backward before moving forward again. Don't let little things get you down. Keep at it!! Good luck to you. :smile:
  • Curvimami
    Curvimami Posts: 1,853 Member
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    Dont Stress Love. You have to find what works for you. Dont try and starve yourself only to binge later. Have what you like, but watch your portions. If you are feeling hungry have some water. Dont like water (Like me) then add some flavoring like MIO or crystal light. then once you're filled with water have a bite of something. Believe it or not the small changes count, and they add up to big changes. Walk a few more steps one day, 5 more minutes of exercise. A whole cupcake to half a cupcake (personal experience.lol). And dont beat yourself up. It is a lifestyle change, not a race. You will get to your goal. Slow and steady, right? 10lbs loss is awesome, Youre doing great. Good luck :wink:
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Figure out how to make what you like from McD's in a slightly more healthy, homemade way. If you like burgers, make yourself burgers out of lean ground beef or turkey (or even buy premade frozen veggie burgers - the original Boca are really good) and serve them on a whole wheat bun with some lettuce, tomato, pickles and whatever else you like. If you like the chicken sandwiches or wraps, those are easy enough to make on your own too.

    I agree that you may have tried to be too strict with yourself at the beginning - it seems to me that this is the root of failure for a lot of folks, myself included. If you try to cut out everything you like, what's to enjoy? Food shouldn't just be fuel, it's meant to be enjoyed as well. The key in a lot of cases is to find what foods work best for you and then find ways to either control the portions or find substitutes and prepare them in ways that you'll enjoy.

    Like someone else noted, it could be your food choices that make you hungry and leave you wanting. For me, starting the day wtih cereal, milk and a banana was the way I was raised but it doesn't work for me. I'm starving and light headed in about two hours and it usually sets me up for carb cravings for the rest of the day. So now I either eat a homemade breakfast sandwich (2 eggs over medium & low fat pepperjack on a sandwich thin) or oatmeal followed by a protein bar mid morning. In fact, almost all of my snacks and meals have protein in them because I know that's what sticks with me the longest and the less hungry you are, the less likely you're going to give in to cravings.

    Remember that boredom/procrastination is a huge eating trigger too. This has been the hardest hurdle for me on the weekends when I don't feel like doing housework. If this is the case with you at work, instead of turning to food, take a 5 minute break and walk around. Or maybe even consider asking for projects or finding another job that better suits your interest.

    Good luck! You CAN do it!
  • msudaisy28
    msudaisy28 Posts: 267 Member
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    I've been there! Making a lifestyle change like this is hard work! Here are some ideas that have worked for me, now and in the past...

    - pre-log your day the best you can. Each weeknight I log my next day as I pack my lunch and snacks for work. If I don't know what dinner will be I log a quick add calories for 500 to dinner as a placeholder just so I have an idea of how many calories I will have available
    - pack more snacks than you will need, and always keep a nutritious snack in your purse in case you get tied up somewhere and are hungry (I keep some pistachios or almonds in an old baby food container)
    - make a game out of your snacks and see how long you can stretch out the time between snacks. For example, I would bring breakfast, lunch and 5 snacks to work, then set out a schedule for the day based on that. If I was eating breakfast at 8, I could eat something every 1.5 hours (i.e. snack at 9:30, snack at 11:00, Lunch at 12:30, Snack at 2:00, Snack at 3:30 and snack at 5 as I was walking out the door). I wasn't allowed to eat anything else until 9:30, then if I was hungry at 9:30, I would eat my first snack. If I wasn't then I would wait until I was hungry to eat it. Then I would readjust my schedule based on when I actually ate something. It gives you something to do when all you can do is think about food. (FYI,Your body will adjust to your new eating patterns over time. I've settled into a pattern now where I typically eat 2 snacks in the afternoon and none in the morning.)
    - Is there something that you can only allow yourself during a workout? I used to listen to audiobooks while on the treadmill, and that was the only time I was allowed to listen to the story. I've also heard of poeple only allowing themselves to watch TV shows if they are working out.
    - I switched my workouts to the morning to give myself the time and energy to complete them.
    - before kids when I had a gym membership I would pack my bag and go straight from work to the gym. If I went home first I never went back out to go to the gym.

    I hope these help - if you want to add me as a freind feel free!
  • Jcox300
    Jcox300 Posts: 62 Member
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    Thank you all so much, All your advice is very helpful and it was crazy to see how many people said they understand me. Someone said to relate Mcdonalds with a bad thought. I found a picture online of MCdonalds with a very very overweight man that says Im Luggin it becuase his fat is in a wheelbarrel and hes pushing it. I thought it was funny and so true so i made it my wallpaper on my phone to remind me. I downloaded the MFP app on my phone and plan to start truely truely trying. I was hard on myself in the begining and was very strict I would have yogart and applesauce every day for lunch. Im looking to try and not go on an over dramatic diet but to cut back. I know I can do it. Thank you everybody. I really appreciate all the wisdom and advice. You dont know how much it means to me to have so many people reply with helpful hints.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    You can do this!!! I'm glad you found the suggestions helpful.

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