Well, i guess im having kind of an off day.. I guess its the realization that im going to have to watch what i eat for the rest of my life in order to loose and then maintain my weight.. Ive never been good at that in the firstplace.. then today, counting calories is driving me nuts! Ive been doin it for a few days now and its just getting so tedious i guess..
I really WANT to lose weight but its just crazy.. things i was eating that i thought were healthy, now looking at them they arnt as good as i thought.. I just dont know how long i can do this so I could really use some tips right now. How do you guys do it for long periods of time? I know its going to take time to lose weight and thats whats upsetting me the most i guess.. The fact that i let myself get this way, and that i know that i cant just got to Mcdonalds and buy a value meal, and stuff like that.. i dunno.. just not a good day for me i guess.. And it doesnt help that when i get like this i tend to eat and im trying so hard not to.. HELP!

Please hang in there! We've all had days like you're having, it gets overwhelming and frustrating and discouraging. It will get easier, it will become second nature. I saw a quote on someone's sig that said "a year from now you'll wish you'd have started today" and it really just brought things into perspective. When I really just want to say screw it, I tell myself that this food is not worth feeling bad about myself. I figured I had 2 choices, eat the food and don't workout and continue to gain weight and feel bad about myself OR be conscious of what I eat, workout and lose weight and feel great about myself. Of course it's more difficult than that, but when you have that moment of clarity grab onto it! I found that my fat was kind of a protective layer for me and I am still having trouble letting go of that, but thinking about all that stuff helps sometimes, ask yourself (other than food) what about being fat is working for you (totally Dr. Phil I know). Keep your head up. I am glad you're here!

You have to find a plan that works for you.

Plenty of people lose weight without tediously counting calories.
Lot's of people drop pounds without totally giving up the food they love.

If you want to eat then eat! But eat a piece of fruit...or a small salad...or something healthy. If you are just eating because you are stressed then try exercising instead.

Heather don't get discouraged.

Once you do it for a few more months you will get used to it and not have to look at every single label to know how many calories a certain food is or how much fat it has. Maybe you should consider taking steps to better nutrition?

What i do is i LET myself have a piece of candy or a handful of fries every now and again. What really helped me was being able to indulge but having portion control. It doesn't work for everyone but i do suggest trying it.

Make sure to exercise daily to burn off the extra calories you consume, plus it will tone your body AS you loose weight.

Well after sitting down and eating like 17 saltine crackers and about to go for more i decided to get off my butt and go for a walk.. i was out for 25 minutes and i feel a little bit better, and it got the kid out into the freshair.. I think im gonna try to do some situps now.. ugh lol

I was a calorie counter and yes in the begining it was very hard. You do get used to it though and it does become second nature. I found having a site that had a comprehensive list of foods and the calories in them very handy.

It didnt take long for me to know just how much was in any given thing and planning my days became remarkably easy. You do learn that you can eat TONNES...so much so that I was undereating by stuffed all the time. It's just different foods...fruits, salads, legumes etc, smaller portions of meat and all that. It's re-programing our thinking thats probably the hardest bit...the body adjust very rapidly.

It took me 9 months to lose 20 kilos or about 45 pounds and I have kept it off for about 2.5 years now...I don't count calories strictly anymore but I am mindful of them every day as it all comes down to energy in - energy out.

Hang in there, its very much worth it in the end.

And if nothing else...exercise releases endorphins which make you feel very good hehe...so choose something you enjoy!

Livi

Ive come to a conclusion..
THe last probably about week I have been counting calories and such, so now i think, to lower my stress level, im going to stop "ofically" counting. Ill still watch what i eat, and now i learned alot about serving sizes and stuff and what things are good and bad, and i have the Calorie King book that tells me the calorie ammounts from fastfood and stuff so ill still check that if im not sure.
I really think it was just too much to deal with.. I was spending almost my whole day figuring out the calories and stuff and just giving myself a headache.. And i lost ANOTHER pound from the 5 i already lost, so i think i was doing ok anyway.. If i find myself not loosing weight i think im gonna start counting again, but for now i think im just gonna try to kick my exercise up a notch and watch what i eat.
As a little reward for myself and my husband for eating so good we had ice cream sandwiches (we tried to get the low fat cones from MCDonalds, but they were out). I feel so much better just gettin a little something sweet in me, and i still stayed within my daily allowance of calories. lol oh well

Thank you all so much for your encouraging words. It helped me so much today. I didnt completley throw my diet away.. And i went for a decent walk (as much as my sprained ankle would allow).