Why can't i do this?

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conniehv40
conniehv40 Posts: 442 Member
in Motivation and Support
Why am I so lazy and just fight the fight in the wrong direction????? I eat too many calories in the afternoon or evening. I see myself doing it, I am mad while doing it, and then, in the mornings, like today: I just wonder? Would I drive too fast, unbuckled, would I smoke, would I drive drunk, would I stop thinking with a healthy mind, would I steal or cheat, would I be mean to others? NO, I am a really nice person and have people's backs. I follow the rules and volunteer. I am a sweet mom and nice wife. My dogs love all the extra attention. My yard looks great, the laundry is done!

Why can't I just lose weight by doing this? The calorie intake is too high every single day..... I stay at the stupid same weight every month.

It is so logical, so easy to follow on paper-I follow everything else, why can't I just go one day without extra calories????
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Replies

  • Creamshakes
    Creamshakes Posts: 38 Member
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    I know exactly what you mean! I'm a food addict, though, so that explains it in my case.

    I'm good in the morning, afternoon and then when night strikes I spiral out of control. I started preparing huge bowls of sugar free Jell-O to help combat the snackies when I can, or I just try to abstain. I created a rule for myself: no eating after about 9pm.

    Not that I'm following it so well recently, but hey. It's a start!
  • wonderlilly
    wonderlilly Posts: 27 Member
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    you CAN do it! i think the first thing is just telling ourselves we can :) mind over matter!

    someone recently pointed out to me that it tends to work better when you log/look up what you want to eat BEFORE doing it; that way, you go into calories eyes open. i am going to stop making those "red" points days even a possibility.

    the amazing thing with this system seems to me that if you stick with it and really count what you eat, the weight just comes off. lately i've been going easy on myself, and i see it coming back on. i'm stopping it in its tracks!

    i once heard the phrase "Don't quit before the miracle". (Here: Miracle = my goal weight, ha!) Don't quit, you can totally do this the second you decide you can. And feel free to add me!
  • ccpowers
    ccpowers Posts: 203 Member
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    This is in my mind all the time too. My issue is more the loss of motivation for exercise not for food. Well, ok, once I start eating something bad, I just continue. Lately I have been trying to combat the over calorie days with more exercise. I am still waiting for the lbs to start dropping off but they are going to have to eventually, right????
  • rodafer
    rodafer Posts: 63
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    Awww, this is sad :-(

    I know how you feel. I really do. I am so in control of all other parts of my life except the one that matters most - my body.

    You can do it!!! You will find a balance and something that works for you and then, bam! it will all fall into place.

    Hang in there and just fight the fight everyday. You can do it!
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    Besides losing weight, what else do you want to achieve? If you have other goals not losing weight will not make yo u fell as bad. I am in the same boat as you right now, it is all in our heads. Last year i was more motivated and lost 24lbs but now i have gained about 14lb back since Christmas when i twisted my ankle and now i cant seem to get back on track. Last year i had a bunch of mini goals that i wanted to meet that kept it interested to me. I challenged myself and it was a game for me.
  • chipugmom
    chipugmom Posts: 4 Member
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    It really is hard. I definately understand what you are going thru. I LOVE to eat and sometimes its hard to make the right choices but more than that, it's hard for me not to overeat. I've been working out consistantly doing strength training for 6 months and for the first few I felt great but didn't lose anything. For me, I think things changed when I got my Fitbit because I see the calories I'm burning vs those I'm eating and it changes the mindset. Plus I have a goal for daily steps and I like to beat it and feel lazy when I'm significantly under. Even so, weight loss is slow for me with ups and downs. I just have a goal of having a downward trend and to stick with it.

    So it is hard but I KNOW you can do it!
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    Be patient with yourself and be strong. You are your own teacher. This stuff doesn't happen overnight, even just eating less everyday is hard to get into. But everyday push yourself to cut a few more calories, before too long something like 1200 calories starts to come naturally, trust me!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    What's your daily calorie goal? It's possible that it's too low, giving you a feeling of being restricted and causing you to subconsciously say "screw it" and eat everything in sight. If you haven't already, try upping your calories to your BMR. Then tell yourself that you CANNOT go over that number. Just don't do it. It's all about willpower!

    Like the above poster said, logging your calories in advance is often helpful. The other night I went over my calories for the first time in forever because I decided to try a new recipe for black bean burgers. I ate two burgers and didn't think they'd be that bad. I was wrong - I ended up over by 400 calories that day! Logging ahead could have prevented that.
  • weetabix34
    weetabix34 Posts: 14
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    you can do it and will do it. dont beat yourself up it will happen. i did weight watchers and nothing happened but this does work. it is easy to put on the weight but soooooo much harder and takes soooooo much longer to lose it. if u want to add me as a friend thats fine. have faith in urself, sounds cheesy but true.
  • 416runner
    416runner Posts: 159
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    I eat too many calories in the afternoon or evening. I see myself doing it, I am mad while doing it, and then, in the mornings, like today: I just wonder?

    Identifying your trouble zones is a great place to start - what's going on at those times where you're eating too many calories? Boredom or stress maybe? In addition to logging your calorie intake, maybe try logging what you're doing in those moments, how you're feeling, etc and maybe that will give you some clues as to what to change so you don't hit the trouble spots?

    Good luck - hang in there!
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
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    Planning is the key and eating sensible choices that will fill you up not silly empty calories where you are hungry again in 5 minutes. I have made it a rule to sign off on my diary straight after my evening meal and vow not to have anything else except maybe a green tea or something with no calories later in the evening. This is helping me to stick to the plan. Hope it helps you
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I like to snack at night, so I make sure I leave enough calories to do that, so I don't feel too deprived. Don't know what your workout schedule is, but it was getting into exercise and learning to love it that really made the difference for me. Allowed me to eat more too!
  • weetabix34
    weetabix34 Posts: 14
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    p.s you are not lazy. you are a wife and mother and sounds like you are doing great job on both sides. never say you are lazy you are on duty 24/7.
  • rosieflo
    rosieflo Posts: 218
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    Sometimes trying to simplify things makes it more managable. A "brick by brick" approach. What is your next healthy choice going to be? What about after that? Just keep it up and soon you will have all kinds of momentum!
  • BLKeisha
    BLKeisha Posts: 22 Member
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    I use to do this ALOT do great all day then come dinner Im out of control and i ruin the entire day with one meal. Then i feel bad so then i go on a snacking craze.
    I have tried tracking calories befor but i just started MFP and i feel like people are watching me and holding me accountable and that helps. But i have foun that planning my meals ahead of time gives me controll to change things around to be what i want it to be and then fix only that nothing extra and then serve my food on a small plate.
    Your not alone its just comes down to a made up mind and that your worth the time it takes to get it done!
  • Vonnie2006
    Vonnie2006 Posts: 246 Member
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    Why not make small goals first? Like, I will only eat a true portion of this and that and log it BEFORE I eat it. Do this for a whole week, then add something to it, like: I will drink 8 glasses of water AND only eat a true portion of this and that. Then add I will exercise (give yourself realistic time frame) in addition to the other. By the end of the month you should have a pretty good system in place to help you reach your ultimate goa l - weight loss and healthy living. You CAN do it, you are just choosing not to.

    Sometimes we have to eat the elephant..one bite at a time.

    LOG FIRST! If you didn't earn it (exercise) you don't eat it. If for some reason you slip, then you buy it (make time to exercise to earn it). Small changes likek that will give you small successes and when put together you will have a mountain of them.

    Or..keep doing what you are doing and you'll keep getting what you are getting.
  • Danita_1973
    Danita_1973 Posts: 8 Member
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    "If you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

    General George S. Patton, U. S. Army, 1912 Olympian

    Get your mind right first...Success will follow. For me, taking weight off is 95% mental. Decide to do it. And don't let that little voice that tells you it's too hard talk louder than than the voice that tells you why you are worth it. You can do it.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    It is so logical, so easy to follow on paper-I follow everything else, why can't I just go one day without extra calories????

    Sounds just like me. You need some skin in the game for motivation to eat right. For me it's cardio first thing in the morning. I hate getting up early and hate doing 30 min of cardio 4-5 days a week. But I do it. I make myself get up early and go and unlike an extra burger or ice cream I never ever, ever regret it. What does that buy me? How does that relate to food? In the afternoon when I want a snack I remember "You got up an hour early to work out. Are you going to waste that?" And that is enough motivation for me to eat right. I'm investing time, energy, and precious sleep and I find that I value those things more than extra food.

    It's become a routine now. I set my alarm for 6 am last night and sighed knowing that I wouldn't like getting up to run but I did it anyway. It wakes you up better than coffee and I find that I enjoyed it when I'm done. It's an accomplishment and you feel good. Honestly I only dread it for just a minute till I get my shoes on. By then I'm ready to go and feel great about it the rest of the day.

    What are you investing in your health to give you the determination to eat better? Are you buying better food, getting up early to exercise, or maybe just using the stairs at work. Whatever it is get some skin in the game. Put something you value on the line and you'll find that you have more motivation than you realized to eat healthy.

    Don't attack the food issue directly. Work at it from a side attack and sneak up on it.
  • akaporn
    akaporn Posts: 231 Member
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    It seems like you are a very organized and detail-oriented guy. Here is what I've been doing. Again, it's the approach and procedures that I used to get myself organized.

    1) Set your plan set on how many meals do you plan to eat in a day. (Mine is six). Then customize MFP Diary to reflect that. I even suggest that you put the calorie goal of each meal on the description. (Ex: my BMTI is 1800 cal. So mine meals are Breakfast (300), Mid-Morning (200), Lunch (450), Late-Afternoon (200), Dinner (400), Late Night (000)). This will give you more of a meal-to-meal goal and it will be easier to manage. As you may realized, if you add all the calories up, it's only 1,550 which gives me some room to play with.

    2) Log before you eat: I always put it in MFP before I put it in my mouth. This will help you deal with the surprises. It will help you make those decisions like Should I put one or two spoon of peanut butter on my bread...

    With these smaller and managable goals... you gonna do just fine. Good luck and have fun... Again, this is a lifestyle change.. It has to be sustainable... So, be patience, my friend. Feel free to add me if you want to.
  • AmandaSSowle
    AmandaSSowle Posts: 14
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    Maybe just start a little smaller? Like swapping out some of the foods you eat regularly for lower calorie substitutes. I am sure with the kids, its hard to make something low cal for the whole family. I live with 3 grown men, and calorie counting really isn't cool to them. Our supper tonight is going to be Jalepeno Cheddar burgers, baked beans, cottage cheese, and corn on the cob. I got it down to around 700 calories for all of that just by getting different buns, cottage cheese, and meat. We normally buy 80%, but if we get 90% that saves a few calories. Fareway has a fastco brand of cottage cheese that is 1% fat rather than the normal 4% and it is still the same price (its like 80 less calories per serving). Sara Lee makes low cal buns (I cant tell the difference in taste and the boys dont complain). You definately can do it. Just some more planning ahead and maybe a little more time comparing labels at the store.

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