Diet Burnout
 

Hi, I have responded to a few threads in this particular forum, but haven't felt quite feather-like to be posting. I weighed in at 136 this morning, one pound from my goal, so here I am. (135 is my original goal weight. I am thinking in the 125 to 128 range will be my final goal.)

The last three weeks have been rough diet-wise. I am still losing at the rate of about a pound a week, give or take a half-pound and am satisfied with that. But all of a sudden I am just feeling hungry, just like a constant little bit hungry feeling all of the time, and it is making these last few pounds feel like a real struggle. I just feel like I have no wiggle room in my 1200 calorie diet, that it is too restrictive, that it takes too much planning to fit in three filling meals and a snack on 1200 calories a day. My intake hasn't changed since January, so I think it is more just a mental barrier right now of getting close to goal, of summer almost being here, of just wanting to be done and able to eat a LITTLE bit more and maintain. I had my first weekend of no counting calories last weekend (I went over, but it certainly wasn't a weekend all out binge) and it provided the break I was needing, but the weekend is nearly here and I am feeling the need to do it again.

I really want to get to the 135 pound mark in the next two weeks, so I am going to resist temptation and keep tracking, but gosh I wasn't expecting it to get harder when the goal is in sight.

I had some similar experiences and took what I called a "maintenance break" for about 2-3 weeks. I had a thread about it that I updated daily (if you're so inclined to look for it, but it wasn't too profound! :)). I did keep counting calories because I intend to count cals even in maintenance, but I did up my cals from 1200-1300 a day to 1600 a day. And I ended up losing a couple of pounds anyway. :?:

I found it really helpful as a way to recharge my batteries. Going back to a lower calorie amount at the end of that was almost easy. It also helped me think about what maintenance is going to be like, as far as getting in more calories in a healthy way, without feeling overly full.

I know you what to get to goal as quickly as possible, but taking a little maintenance break may be worth it for your mental health if this is getting to you.

Why not do it again? If you can survive the week and not count on weekends without binging, it sounds like that might be a system for you, equivalent calorie-wise to a "maintenance break" when you add it all up.

The last few pounds are brutal, absolutely brutal, because (this is my unedumacated opinion btw) it often becomes a matter of battling set points - e.g. my body wants me to weigh 130-135, but my mind wants to weigh less than that.

Is exercise a part of your routine?

Hmmmmm.....It is good to hear that it was easy for you to return to a lower calorie amount after taking a break. I have heard that sometimes the best thing to do is to take a week or two off, but my fear with that is that I would not be able to restart. So many times before I began this journey, I started on "Monday" and then "tomorrow." The first two to three days staying on track is the hardest part for me.

Brutal just about describes it. I am still losing at a decent rate. I am just hungry and want to feel satisfied. I don't know why since my calories haven't changed recently.

My not counting weekend was actually my regular breakfast and lunch, but unplanned dinners out at restaurants. You are right, those two days were probably in the maintenance range. If I am still feeling edgy and dissatisfied tomorrow, I may consider taking another weekend off to eat in the maintenance range. That way I still have 5 days on and two off, with an overall calorie deficit for the week. I know I can get right back into the swing of things if I take two days off, but I am not so confident that I will if I take weeks off.

Yes, I run 2 to 4 miles three to four days a week and I do 20ish minutes of freestyle exercises in the evenings if I watch TV, just my favorite moves from old pilates and tae-bo videos.

I think I'm taking a diet break right now. Within about a two week period my scale broke, I went on a one-week trip with no computer access, and then I went back to the US to visit family (I live overseas). I stopped obsessing over calories, stopped posting on 3FC every single day (:P), and stopped weighing myself. I still generally eat well and now on most days still count most of my calories. I know I've gone well over my 1200 several times this week now, but I also know I've lost weight (if only just 1-3 lbs) and feel smaller. Daily accountability, whether it's weighing, checking in on 3FC, is good, but you can't become a slave to it. I've enjoyed mentally and physically letting loose a little bit. Right now it's not about daily accountability but more about commitment over the long term, and what I need right now is a break from that daily requirement to weigh X and intake X calories. At some point if I want to continue to lose I'll have to start tightening up again, but I'm enjoying myself right now and taking a needed break. Hope you can do the same :)

Well, I definitely burned out. I think I tried to change things up a little but didn't particularly enjoy that, and now I'm just setting other health goals: tons of fiber, minimal refined carbs, no meat (I'm going back to my old vegetarian ways), reasonably low dairy, try to work out in some way every day, if only by walking everywhere. I have my last final exam tomorrow and I'll probably recommit to serious workouts and calorie-counting after that. I still have a way to go, but I think my body is definitely reaching a set point at which I can eat 1200 or 1800 and nothing changes.

Well, I am burned out...so burned out I stopped posting here for the last month because I felt like my negative attitude was just going to drag everyone down.

I stopped calorie counting and have since been focusing on weight training / building muscle. Next week marks the 1 month mark for me on this new weight training program, at which point I plan to start counting calories again and sticking to 1500. I really think my body needed a break from eating low cal...it seemed no matter what I did, it had adjusted and I wasn't going to lose more than a half pound a month. I hope my metabolism has raised when I restart calorie counting.

I am also in grad school and have 5 weeks left until summer. I know when summer comes I'll have a lot more time to commit to planning my meals/exercising. Right now I am doing okay with weights 3 times a week and yoga 1 time per week, but it's hard to work any more than that in. And if summer ever comes I'd like to add back in running.

Good luck to you...you might want to try eating at maintenance for a bit before going for your new goal. The mental break has been amazing for me. But then again, you said you are losing at a good rate still, so that is very motivating. If I continued to see weightloss, I don't think I would have burned out as badly...

Ditto for me on the attitude, Wildflower.

I'm burned out too. I can't seem to get the scale to move regardless of eat more/eat less. I never feel worthy of posting because I can't seem to lose even an ounce of weight or even a fraction in my measurements. I'm planning some 16 and 17 mile hikes, and if that doesn't shock my body into dropping an ounce, then I am going to return to my doctor for another thyroid test. I think after committing for six months, I should have at least seen a 5 pound loss....

I wish I'd seen this thread before I whined in the chat thread about feeling conflicted about not hitting goal yet. I kind of like the idea of a "maintenance break" and think that may be exactly what I need.

Dieting is hard work, just like anything else, and sometimes a little vacation from it can not only be in order but can recharge your enthusiasm for it. Switching goals from diet to exercise can also be helpful.

But two pounds from goal, two to four weeks of hard work, it is hard to take a break now when we are so close. I made it through the weekend on plan, but frankly it just isn't much fun most of the time. I went to a MLB game and walked the entire around the entire stadium looking for something semi-healthy with no luck. Nothing seemed really "worth it" so I waited until on the way home and stopped at Panera Bread, my favorite "healthy" place to eat, but I only go once in awhile because even though it is better than fast food, a cup of soup, a roll, and half a sandwich still adds up to 810 calories, 3/4 of a days worth in one meal. It is things like this, feeling like I am missing out a major part of the enjoyment of activities (the food portion) and a single simple, healthy, delicious meal taking up the majority of my food budget, that makes me feel burnt out. It is worth it, but I am really anxious to get to maintenance and have a few hundred more calories to play with.

Thanks. It looks like it is pretty common to feel burnt out so close to goal. I may try eating at maintenance for awhile once I hit my first goal. For now, I think a trip to Trader Joe's is in order. Fun, new foods and my usual TJ treats may be just what I need to get out of this diet funk.

I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and stocked up on fun snacks. Only.....I didn't get to eat any of them because after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I only had 37 calories left LOL Still, I will eventually eat them, just not all at once, and my Trader Joe goodies will last a month rather than a week, like old times.

This is the kind of thing that renews my motivation. BUT even more so, I woke up feeling skinny, thought about how much "tighter" I have felt the last couple days, and decided to hop on the scale, 135.4 WOOHOO!!! Now, that makes it worth it and keeps me going! Perseverance/