Determined not to be fat!!!help meeee!!!

hi there!
first of all you can do this!! everyone slips now and then. I have already hit my goal weight and use MFP to maintain, but there are days I totally mess up and over eat or eat bad foods but instead of staying down just get back up and try again the next day even if you do eat cake one day, that doesn't mean you can't stay on your diet and try again the next day! and btw, we ALL cheat at some point and eat cake ;p

as for tips, i had the same problem when i first began MFP. I was exercising every day, counting calories but the scale didn't budge. I started looking closer at my food diary. I would be at my calories worth mostly, but the foods I was eating was not the best. I was still trying to work fast food into my diet. Once I cut it out completely, the pounds starting falling off! Also, I only drank waterr (still do). No diet soda, no tea, no nothing BUT water. again, the pounds started dropping a lot quicker. I even quite exercising when school began (I'm in college) but since I cracked down so hard on my food I still lost 20 pounds without exercise.

I do exercise now though, to tone up my muscles and I love it

I hope I encouraged you a bit! Sorry if my tips aren't the best, lol but I hope I helped somehow

you are welcome
Oh yes, drinking only water at first was hard for me, but it helps so much! It helps keep my digestive system regular. I have had problems with that since I was a child, and eating more fiber and taking medicine never helped. Since I started drinking water on my own, it has fixed that problem completely! I was amazed.

What helped me drink water though was buying a special water called Propel. You have probably seen it in stores! It has flavor, and is enriched with vitamins and minerals. It is zero calories but has great taste. That's all I drink at home!

I cut out french fries entirely so sad but that was my biggest help! I also cut out all fried chicken--only got grilled. And instead of using ranch on sandwhiches or salads, I started using honey mustard. cutting ranch out of my diet=huge help!

oops forgot to add my ticker when I posted so you could see, lol, I lost 20 pounds


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

You can do this!!!
Try to take it one step at a time. Make small changes first, and set realistic goals each day/week/etc that you can achieve.

For me, getting to the gym is impossible. I'd always say "i'm going to go at least 3x a week" but that never seems to happen. So I tell myself, I'm going to go at least once a week. Once I've managed to go once a week for a few months, I'll up the goal.

remember, you can do this -- and no one is perfect. You'll have good days and bad days but keep your eye on the prize and you'll get there!

I can definitely relate to what your going through. Find people you can be accountable to and put down the darn bat when you make a mistake. My trainer gave me the best thing to think about.. anytime your shopping or about to eat think to yourself "Will this put on weight on me or help me lose weight?" Made alot of sense to me. YOU CAN DO THIS. WE believe in YOU.

I'm just starting out...again. My perfectionist personality has made it hard to succeed in the past; when I made a poor food choice I would tend to give up completely. This time I keep telling myself, "a thousand little choices a thousand times a day". It is my mantra. I don't even try to set daily goals, or hourly. I just remember that every single little choice...stairs or elevator, grilled or fried, with or without dressing, makes a difference. I don't have to make perfeft choices every time, I just need to recognize the power of the choice, and make progressively more good ones.

Some thoughts....
-I looked through the last few days in your diary. Are you logging EVERYTHING? If so, you are not eating enough. You don't want to go under 1200 calories. I understand not wanting to go over, so if you are going with a goal of 1200, you need to get as close to that as possible. If you exercise, eat back most if not all of your calories.
-What is your weight loss goal set to? If you reduce from 2lbs per week to 1lb, or from 1lb to 1/2 lb, it will allow you more calories to play with. You don't look like you have all that much to lose.
-Consider tracking your sodium. Too much sodium can make you hold onto water.

Some tips - based on what worked for me. It may or may not fit your needs or lifestyle, but it did help me to be successful.
-I'm an all or nothing person. I initially completely eliminated all junk food from my house. So if I really wanted something, I would have to go out and get it. That would at least make me stop and think how much did I really want that ice cream or chips, and was it really worth it. Most of the time I decided no.
-Initially I avoided eat out/take out as much as possible, except for special occaisons. When I need to eat out/take out - research the menu ahead of time and choose lower calorie healthy options. I've reserached the nutritional content of all the fast food restaurants in my area, so that ina pinch if I need to pick something up while running errands or coming home late, I know ahead of time exactly what to order.
- I also had to figure out good substitutions that would work for me. For example, I went from potato chips, to pretzels, to carrots with hummus or celery with salsa. From ice cream, to sugar free jello, to yogurt, to greek yogurt.
-Eat three small meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Get fiber and protein at every meal - it keeps you feeling full.
-Get at least one serving of fruit at breakfast and am snack, and at least one serving of vegetables at lunch, dinner, and afternoon snacks. I've since been able to progress to some veggies in my am snack, but that took work.
-No white sugar or flour. Look for 100% whole grain breads, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. They can still be high in calories, so eat in moderation.
-Stick to non fat dairy.
-Eat only healthy fats - olive oil, avacado, nuts - but again high in calories so eat in moderation.
-In the beginning, I did strength training 2x/week, and 30-45 min cardio (usually walk/run) 3x/week.
-Most recently, I've turned to making large batch meals and freezing individual size portions. My schedule nowadays with work and training/workouts is crazy and I'm often just too tired to cook when I get home. It has been a huge help to be able to grab something out of the freezer that I know tastes great, and is also healthy. Eatingwell.com and skinnyms.com have some great recipes.

It's a lot to think about, and it takes time. Try to tackle one or two steps at a time. Get consistent, and then try to improve on that. It's not a race. Make gradual lifestyle changes that you can keep when you get to your goal weight - no point in losing just to go back to old ways and gain again.

There have been some really good tips given to you. Water is very important and you should try and I would recommend you drink at least the equivalent of 12 glasses a day. Also, you may want to check and see how much fiber you are getting and how much sugar you are consuming. Sugar is hidden in everything. Low fat usually means high sugar. It has helped me in losing 53 lbs. to get rid of all the tempting "junk" food in the house. That way I really have to decide if I want to eat something.

Also, the sad but harsh truth (it has taken me a lot of years to accept this) is exercising 30 minutes several times a week will not help you lose weight. Reality is you need to starting working towards 60 minutes. This really stinks for women but it is the truth.

Hi! You can do this!!!! Don't reach for the cake!!!! Add me as your friend - we can talk through the cravings and get you there!!!

I've tried many things in the past but nothing has ever stuck. There's been some great advice from you guys and I hope it helps us all. Good luck on your journey. If its OK I'll add you