Hello -

I am looking for some help.
I am 26, have a good desk job, have just moved to a new town with my boyfriend. My life is going well in pretty much every way that I could want, besides one thing.
I am struggling with losing weight and being motivated to stick to it. When I do manage to do well, I feel like I am not getting enough nutrition and feel weak. I was on the 21 day fix plan, and liked her style but as soon as I ate "normal" the weight came instantly back. I am having a hard time mentally sticking to a diet plan. I feel like no matter what I talk myself into the bad habit, or assure myself it is 'okay'. I have been on a roller coaster with weight. After graduating college, I was my highest and only lost it (35 lbs) because I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail with my boyfriend over a 6-month period. That was in 2012, and it seems like ever since then I was struggling to have a normal eating/work out plan, because although I lost 35 lbs, I hiked 20 miles a day and ate pure 'crap'. I am just really struggling and am hoping someone can help me get passed the mental blocks and help me to learn how to eat. I am not the type to want to eat a salad all the time, but I know there are lots of things I can try.
Because of the bad food habits, I also don't feel motivated to work out at all. I have to force myself to go for a 2-mile walk. I feel tired most of the time and have little/no energy to do anything. My boyfriend really doesn't ever want to do much besides relax and save money (he is super thin, high metabolism and can eat/do anything and never gain!).
I am just hoping to get some help. I have gained all the weight back; I feel awful about myself and I wonder if my boyfriend is disappointed in what I have become. I'm embarrassed to see pretty much anyone that knows me and wonder what they are thinking of my appearance. I don't want to be this way, but I enjoy food and sometimes feel obsessed over a certain food, etc.
thanks for any advice!

Hi dserum06

I can totally empathize with how you are struggling. Please do not be so hard on yourself, sitting at a desk all day is hard on the system; I am sure your boyfriend understands that.

I recently ( less than two weeks ago) decided it was time to lose the weight, and I am 56, with disabilities, so I cannot be active like I was before.

I find using myfitnesspal, and tracking EVERYTHING I eat and making sure I do not go over my set plan of 1200 calories, 65 carb grams, 5 to 15 fat grams,a nd 125 protein grams has really helped me a lot. The first week I lost between 12 and 8 pounds depending on which weighin my scale gave me I want to believe as if kept giving me 3 different one; I choose the 8 pounds) But I can also see a difference in the mirror too now.

If you want to have a buddy there to encourage your keeping on your food plan as well, you can add me (Cikan-vuz).

Be sure you cut out starches and if you needa good protein drink, that is cool and freshing, I suggest ISoPure zero Carb Protein powders. They mix with water and are great. No aspertame or icky aftertaste too. I love the Alpine Punch and hte Banana Cream. I do not use a full serving, but I only use one scoop, I add in one cup of water and mix it all to dissolve it, then I add another cup of water and then a cup or so of ice and have that as a meal as it fills me up and gives me 25 grams of protein, with only 105 calories. I do not just drink it down, but savor it over 10 or 15 minutes. I get full and do not need anything starchy or sweet, and I save money on food costs as with the 3 lb container being right around $50, with using only 1 scoop a serving, I get 42 servings; that is the cost of $1.20 a meal. so my wallet loves it too!

If you are up to it, I am more than willing to be your friend. I don't have anyone, I am single since 1999 and I live in the middle of nowhere. When I became disabled and retired, all my friends disappeared, so I am pretty much available to chat with anytime. =])

dserum06! I would suggest you read through the Diet Central section, do a little research on various dieting plans, choose one that you think "matches" your lifestyle and taste in food the best, and give it a try! The good news is it's not set in stone. You can tweak it or try a whole different plan if it doesn't suit you. I used to calorie-count, until I just couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't the best plan for me. I feel I am on the best plan for me now, and that's the key. Find what will work best for YOU. I could advise you to eat low glycemic index foods, but since you are not a salad kind of gal, perhaps calorie-counting would be best for you so that you can eat any kind of food you want. Then again, if you are the type who craves bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, and/or sweets and those cravings are contributing to your weight gain, then you probably need to go low- or slow-carb to reduce those cravings. If you are the type that needs structure, perhaps an organized program like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc., would be best for you. But only you know what you would be able to stick to, so again, you may want to research various plans first. I think once you get the eating part down and see some success on the scale, you'll find you want to exercise to keep it going strong. I wish you the best!

Welcome, dserum06!

I am new to this forum as well and have already found it to be enormously helpful. I can relate to a few things, one, finding the motivation to make lifestyle changes that last, and two, without my husband joining in! In fact, this time is entirely without him which is why I'm looking for support elsewhere.

I have taken the approach already mentioned here by picking a plan that has helped others and seem doable and I will reevaluate later. In the past, I have either forced things that don't work and made myself miserable or just completely gave up, neither of which have helped much in the way of health, weight, or self-esteem .

I wish you the best and hope that you find something that really works for you! I look forward to seeing you around the forum!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post - I am really trying to stick to my goals and find SOMETHING that works for me. I have decided to try a "From couch potato to running" 30 day challenge to see if I can attempt to learn how to run. It seems to be the thing behind everyone I talk to about weight loss. So we'll see. Eating right is always a struggle, I do good one week, then fall off, then get back on - I travel home every weekend to be with my dad and that to me is almost like 'vacation' so I tend not to care and it ruins all the weeks progress. It can be frustrating. I don't know how to stop being bad on weekends, other than to never go home!

dserum: Welcome! No, you can still go home. Does your dad know you are working on your weight? Perhaps its something where you can meal plan together for the weekend. If you are an eat out type of family, maybe choose just one meal out and try the rest at home. I'd agree, watching the sweets for myself has been a big help (less my cookie bender last night) and I am holding myself accountable w/the apps on my phone to track meals and exercise: Noom for that and then Happy Scale for my weight per some suggestions on here. Both help me stay a bit more focused. And I am finding that if I don't eat an egg for breakfast I am hungry moreso all day then when I do. Perhaps this might be an area for you to start. Too often people bypass breakfast, don't do it.

Good luck on your journey! You can do this too, it just takes some time.