My plan
 

I want to sort of "announce" my plan here with the hopes that that will make me stick with it. In the past i've always fallen off the wagon after 1, 2, 3 months. This time that is NOT going to happen. For at least the next 11 months (a year from my start date) i am going to do the following at a bare minimum:

1) Write down everything i eat.
2) Eat STRUCTURED meals and snacks Monday through Friday. No constant/endless snacking. Weekends are a little crazier so i don't have a specific plan for those, as every day is different.
3) No binging EVER AGAIN. I know what is a binge for me...it is a LARGE amount of food, like 2000-3000 calories in a sitting. And it is out of control eating. I am allowed to have large meals, go over my calories, whatever--but NO binging EVER again.

The rest could be subject to change. Right now i'm eating 2000 cal/day. I'm hoping to slowly drop 5-10 pounds in the next year, but if i stay at 150, i'm ok with that. So i don't need much of a calorie deficit--what i need to do is stick with a plan and NEVER binge EVER again.

My plan, starting next week or in a couple of weeks, is to add additional 1500 calories over the course of the week. So essentially i'm zigzagging my calories. It could be 500 additional calories for 3 days of the week; 2500 calories for those days will still be at or below maintenance (which is roughly 2800 by my best estimates). Or it could be 3000 one day, 2500 one day, and 2000 the rest. I'll change this up if i feel it's appropriate. I used to eat well over 3000 calories per day while maintaining, so this should still put me in a slight deficit.

And if, god forbid, a binge happens, i will neither starve myself the next day nor go on another binge. It used to seem like those were the only two options!!

Thanks for letting me share :)

You're only 2 pounds from goal and your well within your healthy weight range. Why are you being so strict? o.o

I think it is important to realize you have to be strict and stick to your change for life. Believe me, slacking off because you are close to goal doesn't work.

I have lost the same weight 3 times because as I get closer to go I stop being so strict, guess what I happens, I gain back 80% of what I lost.

Well, the only parts that are strict are items 1-3. And those are mainly to address my habits of compulsive/binge eating. I may be close to my goal weight, but my compulsive and binge eating are a serious problem, and i will easily gain weight if i don't control those. If i can address those issues, that will be a huge change to my lifestyle.

I think i can make those changes if i really work on them. For example, two things (just off the top of my head) that are so ingrained in me, they are nonnegotiable, are: 1) eating multiple servings of vegetables every day, and 2) exercising every day. I don't have to think about those habits--I just do them no matter what. I hope the other stuff (the 3 goals above) will eventually become habit as well.

well i am of the belief if it's a change for life then its something you should get use to and not have to be strict about. if you obsess over it then you are setting yourself up for failure. i could be wrong though this is the first time i've ever tried to lose weight. maybe i'll gain it back someday. i usually don't think about it since i know what my most of my calories are before i eat stuff i normally fall right into the correct calorie range without thinking and just count it up if i worry i might be getting close to going over or that i'm not eating enough. 95% of the time i'm spot on.

I agree and disagree. I used to think if i stuck with my plan for 1 month, it would become habit. **** no! I'd just go right back to overeating after 1 month. It is going to take much, much longer before these changes become habit. I DO hope that eventually i will just do them without thinking about them. That's why i set a goal to stay strict for 1 year. Maybe after 1 year, they will become habit. Even that is not a given.

oh with a year you'll get there for sure. i didn't get use to it till like month 8. if being strict is what you need right now. then go for. i just wasn't sure if you were trying to maintain or if you were pushing really hard for goal.

I know the calories of everything I am eating. I know roughly what I can eat to stay in my range.

Unfortunately for me, knowing and doing are two different things. If I start slacking it just gets worse and worse, like how a snowball grows.

Just because I know what to do, doesn't mean I do it. I have been calorie counting for 5 years and I still haven't reached my goal weight. Because I get to a point where I think I can ease of a bit. Maybe not count calories for a few days and then it just compounds and that few days turns into a few weeks and turns into a few months, and then I gain about 30 pounds. It is always about 30 before I catch myself. lol

Of course this is not the way everyone is, but for me - I know I have to track and count my calories every single day. Even if it is a super high day, I have to admit defeat it write it down. If I skip even one of counting, it quickly becomes two or three.

Again. I KNOW what to do. Exactly what to do. Doing it is a whole different story... lol

EDIT: 5 years and it still isn't a real habit for me the way one would think it should be.
Also, I am not trying to lecture anyone or anything, just sharing my experience.

Same here. I've basically calorie counted all my life--i ALWAYS keep a running tally inside my head of how many calories i've eaten that day. That never stopped me from overeating. So then I tried writing it down on paper. That still didn't stop me. There would be days that i'd write down calories totaling 3800.

So, writing it down is not enough. I also have to plan my meals. I'm hoping if i have a specific plan, and keep a log of it, that will help me stay on plan.

I totally know what you mean about staying accountable and going right back to plan if you have a bump in the road. It's the only way to catch yourself before you spiral out of control. Fasting the next day has never worked for me; I always end up binging by the end of the day.

Plan those meals, plan those snacks, plan your exercises. If you have to be diligent and militaristic to stay on plan, do it! It's all about you and what works for you. We're all here for you to be your cheerleaders! :cheer3: :cheer2:

Yep--i want to be strict but flexible. I know that sounds contradictory. But i know there WILL be days when i am just starving, or just absolutely feel like i need to eat chocolate. Those kinds of days will happen if i'm sticking with it for a year. So if that happens, i might go over my calories for the day...and it's not the end of the world. I will NOT let that be an excuse to turn the entire day into a binge!

Go!
 

Go girl!

Keep us posted on how it all works out.

The effects of the calorie zig-zag will be interesting. :)