After some trial and error, I found the approach that works for me:
* Emphasis on whole foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, limit processed foods
* Volumetrics - fill up on low cal options
* Calorie counting - at this point, it's just ballpark estimating in my head, but I need to stay accountable, every day
* Reduction in carbs -certain foods make me want to eat (chips, crackers, bread, rice, baked goods, cookies), so I limit these foods
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pointspluspioneer
I think the most frustrating thing for me is that my best friend is doing ww with me and has lost a TON of weight and she insists that i should be able to lose the same way. I've told her a million times that our bodies are not the same when it comes to losing weight. She disagrees to the end with me. I can't argue with that anymore lol! I told her i couldn't make ww tomorrow morning as i'm having a home gym delivered and need to be there. She said i'm starting to make excuses. It's alot of pressure to defend myself AND stay on track. I've never been this off track in the 37 years of my life. It's a bad feeling but with what i'm going through depression wise, surgery, loss of a parent, etc i don't know up from down.
I did Atkins for 2 years and only lost 4 lbs. BUT i was NEVER hungry, just disappointing the weightloss didn't come with it. It's hard to know how many calories i should stick with. As a rule i try to stay around 1300. I know that my lack of water drinking probably isn't helping either.....uggghhhh someone needs to create that magic skinny pill!!! This on top of trying to get pregnant, i'll be 800 lbs. if that happens!!
I found that dieting with a buddy never works for me. The feeling of "competition" stresses me out and I eat, then I figure I already blew it so I might as well eat some more. I have to do it on my own, at my own speed.
I have yo-yo'd nearly my entire adult life. I've tried, and succeeded! - many different diets, including South Beach, Metabolic Research, Herbalife, Slim Fast, WW (points), Medifast, etc... I've exercised, taken pills (both prescribed & OTC) and you know what? Every.Single.One.HAS WORKED. But - here's the dreaded yo-yo part! - I always ended up gaining the weight back, plus more pounds that I started at. IRRITATING!!!
Now I am simply counting calories. It is easy, quick, and I don't have to eat "pre-packaged" anything or cut my favorite foods out of my diet. Whereas before, I'd lose weight quickly (30 pounds in 6 months, etc) - I am now losing weight slowly, but I see now how this "diet" IS a "lifestyle change" -I am relearning how to eat, relearning what a serving size truly consists of, relearning how to notice my hunger cues, etc. I am not "just dieting to lose weight" - I'm trying to get healthier & maintain that health. Cutting down on sugar, sodium, processed junk. And I actually FEEL BETTER for it, and don't miss that "stuff" like I thought I would.
And while I do, at times, get pissy with my body for "not losing faster" - I understand with full clarity that I am much more likely to keep the weight off this time. This is completely doable! Totally sustainable! Whether I'm eating at home, eating out, or at someone else's dinner table, I can control how much food I eat. And really, when you get down to the nitty gritty, all diets are about controlling how much you eat, in some form or another.
I've been counting calories since January. My all time high weight was 192 - in January, I started at 184. I am currently 159. Goal weight: 140. I'm getting there. And my new mantra? NO.MORE.YO-YOing. EVER!
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,396
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beach Patrol
I have yo-yo'd nearly my entire adult life. I've tried, and succeeded! - many different diets, including South Beach, Metabolic Research, Herbalife, Slim Fast, WW (points), Medifast, etc... I've exercised, taken pills (both prescribed & OTC) and you know what? Every.Single.One.HAS WORKED. But - here's the dreaded yo-yo part! - I always ended up gaining the weight back, plus more pounds that I started at. IRRITATING!!!
Now I am simply counting calories. It is easy, quick, and I don't have to eat "pre-packaged" anything or cut my favorite foods out of my diet. Whereas before, I'd lose weight quickly (30 pounds in 6 months, etc) - I am now losing weight slowly, but I see now how this "diet" IS a "lifestyle change" -I am relearning how to eat, relearning what a serving size truly consists of, relearning how to notice my hunger cues, etc. I am not "just dieting to lose weight" - I'm trying to get healthier & maintain that health. Cutting down on sugar, sodium, processed junk. And I actually FEEL BETTER for it, and don't miss that "stuff" like I thought I would.
And while I do, at times, get pissy with my body for "not losing faster" - I understand with full clarity that I am much more likely to keep the weight off this time. This is completely doable! Totally sustainable! Whether I'm eating at home, eating out, or at someone else's dinner table, I can control how much food I eat. And really, when you get down to the nitty gritty, all diets are about controlling how much you eat, in some form or another.
I've been counting calories since January. My all time high weight was 192 - in January, I started at 184. I am currently 159. Goal weight: 140. I'm getting there. And my new mantra? NO.MORE.YO-YOing. EVER!
That's why I always say that any diet works if you stick to it. You lose the weight. But if it is a "diet" you eventually go off it after you lose, and that's when you get in trouble. If you just watch calories, you still get to eat what you like, you just have to control the quantity to stay in your calorie zone. After reaching your goal, you just continue counting the calories to maintain your loss. You don't go back to the old foods, because really, you never gave them up. You just cut the quantities. The one mean thing that nature does though is once you weight less, your calorie requirements go down and you have to either lower your calories, or burn more.
Unlike many people who have posted, I'm not a calorie counter or on a low-carb plan. I guess I would say I'm not on any specific plan at all. My main focuses, like Glory87, are just to eat as many whole foods as possible. This means I make it my first priority to get all of my veggie/fruit requirements in daily.
Beyond that, I usually monitor my protein intake to make sure I'm getting enough iron as I tend to have anemia issues from time to time.
I've tried both calorie counting and ww before, but honestly, both of them drove me crazy. I think they are wonderful tools and I've seen them work magic for friends and family, but I think the plan has to fit the person. For me, constantly counting the nutritional value of every thing I ate was too overwhelming and I became borderline obsessive, which was dangerous.
Since then, I've backed off any sort of weight loss plan, and just try to make smart food investments and give my body what it really needs to be healthy and strong, instead of what the commercials and advertisements tell me I want (Dairy Queen!!). That being said, by not following a plan or knowing my exact limits, I've had to learn to be very in tune with my body and know when enough food is enough.
So far it's working great though-and I feel like I'm living my life--not waiting to live my life once I lose the weight. That's the best part of all
So far it's working great though-and I feel like I'm living my life--not waiting to live my life once I lose the weight. That's the best part of all
This is how i live now, and it's not a good feeling. I just said to my friend yesterday that i couldn't imagine getting married or pregnant at this weight. My tracker is wrong, i'm 208 at the moment haven't felt this out of control in years. I'm hoping after having after having a home gym system delivered on Saturday and getting back on track with cc and ww that i will get my grip again. When i was in control i was SO dedicated, somewhere along the way i've really lost it. It's so depressing.
I feel i won't be able stay on track long, like i've gotten this off track, why start over which i know is wrong because i'll only get heavier.
This is how i live now, and it's not a good feeling. I just said to my friend yesterday that i couldn't imagine getting married or pregnant at this weight. My tracker is wrong, i'm 208 at the moment haven't felt this out of control in years. I'm hoping after having after having a home gym system delivered on Saturday and getting back on track with cc and ww that i will get my grip again. When i was in control i was SO dedicated, somewhere along the way i've really lost it. It's so depressing.
I feel i won't be able stay on track long, like i've gotten this off track, why start over which i know is wrong because i'll only get heavier.
I completely understand where you are coming from. I was just as unhappy and frustrated for quite a few years (coincidentally, when i was cc and doing ww). It was just like my ENTIRE life became weight loss and body/confidence issues, until i couldn't handle it anymore!!
I'm not saying you shouldn't do cc or ww, because I think they are great tools for the right people, but as hard as it may be, you need to find a way to compartmentalize your weight loss/body issues into one small part of who you are and what your life is. Once the focus shifts to living a happy, healthy life--being back on track, working out, eating right--it will all be so much easier and more gratifying.
As for right now, I know the feeling of just absolute let down you are feeling. But as I saw on another thread earlier, just think of yourself a year from now. If you get back on the wagon today and push through, in 3 months, 6 months, a year-you'll be SO GLAD you started today. Whereas, if you put it off or just give up altogether, in a year, you'll be just as unhappy and frustrated as you are right now. So, it's a choice. Choose to be happy and healthy, or choose the life you lead right now.
Good luck PPP--I really wish you the best and hope I at least was able to say something to give you a little motivation!
I follow a slightly modified SB plan, and it works well with me. I do struggle with staying OP, but not nearly as much as I did when I was just CCing. I've found the best effects have been physical and immediate- less mood swings, less extreme hunger, more energy, and I just feel better. I always thought that I could never give up certain foods, and while I will never truly say never, there are a lot of things I simply won't miss. (I'm actually looking forward to my 100% OP, sugar and potato free Thanksgiving, which is something I never thought I would say)
I like that I don't have to think about things too hard- no counting to trip me up, etc. It's hard because my diet is entirely fresh foods, so I don't have a whole lot of convenience foods to grab when I'm busy or in a rush. But, I have gotten more adventurous with food than I ever expected, and increased my veggies like crazy.
Overall, it works for me because I don't feel like I'm dieting- I just feel like I'm eating.
The one mean thing that nature does though is once you weight less, your calorie requirements go down and you have to either lower your calories, or burn more.
That's why some people START calorie counting eating the # of calories required for their GOAL weight. By doing that, you start exactly at the level that you plan to continue.
Im torn, i pay for WW, however i haven't been much since May. But for some reason i ALWAYS track daily on e-tools. Even if i do bad, i track. My hardest part of the day is 8 pm when i'm on the couch watching tv. My bf works the overnight shift so i'm alone every night and tend to have frozen yogurt or some snacky thing i don't need! I may try to have a slightly larger dinner and maybe that would hold me through. I'm never in the mood for a piece of fruit later on in the night...i dread it actually!!
Plus going with someone that critiques my meals is difficult. I know she does well on plan, and loses easily but at the same time she hardly eats and that's how she's losing where i can't do that. I know it comes from a good place as i do complain to her but i'm trying not to because it's hard to always hear what i'm eating wrong even if it's within my daily pts. So i was telling her my dinner last night and she tells me what i'm doing wrong! So yes, it's very hard to do ww with someone else
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,396
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Quote:
Originally Posted by pointspluspioneer
Im torn, i pay for WW, however i haven't been much since May. But for some reason i ALWAYS track daily on e-tools. Even if i do bad, i track. My hardest part of the day is 8 pm when i'm on the couch watching tv. My bf works the overnight shift so i'm alone every night and tend to have frozen yogurt or some snacky thing i don't need! I may try to have a slightly larger dinner and maybe that would hold me through. I'm never in the mood for a piece of fruit later on in the night...i dread it actually!!
Plus going with someone that critiques my meals is difficult. I know she does well on plan, and loses easily but at the same time she hardly eats and that's how she's losing where i can't do that. I know it comes from a good place as i do complain to her but i'm trying not to because it's hard to always hear what i'm eating wrong even if it's within my daily pts. So i was telling her my dinner last night and she tells me what i'm doing wrong! So yes, it's very hard to do ww with someone else
Oh, I can soooo relate to this! My DH will wait until I have something in my mouth and then say "I thought you weren't supposed to be eating that." But when he wants to stop for ice cream, he insists that I get some, too.
I did WW years ago and I couldn't stick with it so I haven't been back. I have heard though, that the most important part of WW is attending the meetings after the weigh-in. That is where you get your support. If you really don't want to attend the meetings anymore, maybe you could switch to the online version. I think it would save you money and you already have your materials from when you signed up originally. I think your friend is just trying to help you, but maybe she isn't doing it in the best way. As long as you are staying within your points you know you're doing the right thing. I wouldn't discuss your meals with her anymore unless she asks directly, and then you could just say "I was within my points."
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,396
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Quote:
Originally Posted by lin43
That's why some people START calorie counting eating the # of calories required for their GOAL weight. By doing that, you start exactly at the level that you plan to continue.
That's a great idea! I don't know why I didn't realize that. I always would cut back on calories until I started losing, and then that was my calorie level. I will have to look up my calorie count for my goal weight. I'm scared.....LOL
Well me I count my calories and watch my carbs and fats intake. I eat about 1600 Cal's a day but sometimes I only eat half. I don't eat junk food at all. You have to figure out what work best for you. I have diabetes type 2 so counting out junk well better for me. Everybody body is different. So don't give up. Just keep on working at it.
I tried doing the buddy system with my neighbor. she starved herself and lost 40 pounds. I did everything people stated above and lost a lot less. I had to tell myself I was doing it the right way. well she gained it all back. I gained 10. WW was frustrating for me as I was a slow loser. Watching carbs worked great for me, but I love them! I have to knuckle down and get back into action. Its great to read what everyone has tried and what has worked. Sounds like we are/were all in the same boat
I'm doing the Dukan Diet. It has 4 phases -right now, in the active weight loss phase, it's very low carb and low fat. But I actually find it very easy to stick with, as I don't get a lot of cravings for the foods that are currently off plan (grains, starches and sugars).
But the plan also recognizes that most people don't want to eat like this forever, so after you lose the weight, you move into the next phase where you slowly start to reincorporate foods that are currently off plan. That even includes adding back in "Celebration Meals" where you can eat a meal of whatever food you want- fried chicken, pizza and pasta, ribs, dessert, all of those foods are ok once (and eventually twice) a week. The rest of the time, you eat mostly whole foods in reasonable quantities. You don't track and measure but I can easily see that my reality will be that I am not eating tons of calories because the kinds of food I eat fill you up more anyway.
haven't felt this out of control in years. I'm hoping after having after having a home gym system delivered on Saturday and getting back on track with cc and ww that i will get my grip again. When i was in control i was SO dedicated, somewhere along the way i've really lost it. It's so depressing. 
