[Colex]

Hi. I'm new. So first an introduction. I am 26 and a spec ed teacher. I've been chubby all my life and overweight in high school. I weighed in at 180 during sophomore year and swore I wouldn't go back there. By senior year I weighed 150, still chubby but comfortable.

Throughout college lost 20 pounds but that was due to the unsavory lifestyle I lead. Once I finished college and began working I evened out to 145-155. My body is just comfortable there.

Then this past year happened, my mom was hospitalized for about 6 months due to surgery complications (weight loss actually) and my weight ballooned. I got to 180 before I knew it. I started ww at 180 and quickly got to thr mid 160s then quickly gained it back within two weeks with no explanation. I kept at it. Never leaving 168-169 for 3 months.

That's when u began the 5:2 diet. So far it's working for me and I find it easy. I loose between .2-.8 pounds a week, I've always been a slow loser.

Anyway, this is where my problem comes in. I now and for a while have felt guilty if I go over 1200 calories. I'm supposed to eat 1600 calories on non fast days but sometimes my mind gets in the way. Any advice on how to get past this?

[luckymommy]

Stop looking at food as the enemy (which I tend to do as well sometimes). It is here to nourish your body. If you don't eat enough food, it will start eating its own muscle. The diet clearly works for you, so believe in it and trust in the process, as slow as it may feel. That kind of loss is slow but steady, which will get you to the finish line and keep you at maintenance. Look at this as a life long marathon and not a sprint. Make sure that the calories are coming from nutrient dense sources.

If all that doesn't work, consider preplanning your meals in advance. That way, you just eat it the next day without giving the emotions too much power.

I hope that helps!

[Palestrina]

I agree 100% with luckymommy, food is not the enemy. We often think that we have to deprive ourselves in order to lose weight and that's not really true. Eating is a nurturing act, don't make eating punitive. The mind has a way of keeping score about these things, your body expects and demands that you take good care of it. Deprive it for too long and it may come back to bite you.

I can only speak for myself but guilt destroys anything good I do. It gets in the way, takes over my mind and keeps me down. Getting rid of the guilt has been tr single best thing I've done for myself this year, with a 19lb loss to prove it.

Take good care of you.

[JohnP]

The entire point of intermittent fasting is to give you greater flexibility. Some days you might eat 1200 other days 1600 other days 2000. You shouldn't feel any guilt one way or the other.

[IanG]

Yeah, I agree with the others. Food is medicine. Pick the right ones and it helps and fixes your body. I used to really cut my intake and that helped with loss but now I eat a much more balanced diet and I feel and look so much better.

So think about the what you eat, as well as the how much.

[Colex]

I eat a pretty balanced diet comprised of whole foods and fruits and veggies. So I know I'm eating pretty healthy. I know it's a mind game :-/