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Question for those of you that have lost a lot of weight and kept it off.
I have changed the way I eat for the past 4 years (I know a lot of you hate the D word which is why I put it this way). Anyhoo, I lost 65 lbs. Slowly in one year, I have regained 15lbs of that back.
Every day I get up with the strength to continue on the new way of eating. More often than not - I will fail by the end of the day.
I still write down what I eat. Have everything out of the house that I overeat on but I still go over my daily calories at least 3 times a week.
What's going on? Any idea?
I know I'm bored with the same way of eating. I do still work out (which is why I have not gained double) but this morning I kinda thought that maybe I was fooling myself and am slowly going back to my old ways.
Writing down what you eat doesn't do you a bit of good if you're not analyzing the data and adjusting it, and have specific needs met.
I can write down that I ate 4 scoops of ice cream today, and it isn't going to change the fact that I ate too much ice cream and should expect to not lose a single ounce this week.
Writing down your food is to help you learn how to eat responsibly, eat appropriate portions of foods you need AND foods you simply enjoy.
You might benefit from (believe it or not) something similar to the old fashioned Deal a Meal program. You have categories of foods you can eat, and categories of foods you should eat. You get to pick 1 of these, 2 of those, 1 of those, 3 of those, etc. etc. You can pick anything from those categories - but when you've used up your picks, you're done eating for the day.
So for instance in the morning you might put on the left side of your folder:
4 1-cup servings of leafy or other raw veggies, NOT including corn or carrots.
1 1/2 cup serving of either corn or carrots
2 4-ounce servings of fish, boneless chicken, or lean beef
2 1/2 cup servings of rice, cereal, or other grain PLUS 2 slices of any bread
2 1/2-ounce servings of fats (butter, oil, mayo)
1 4-ounce serving dessert
2 pieces of raw fresh fruit
And during the day, you switch those cards over to the right side whenever you eat a serving of that item. At the end of the day, the left side should be empty and the right side should be full.
Yes, it's a gimmick, but it teaches you discipline and portion control.
This seems like what you need more than anything else.
You can check online for Richard Simmons' Deal a Meal - I don't know if it's even sold anymore, but maybe there'll be more details on the program that you can use in your own way.
Anyone coming off a diet will have some gainback. Did you gain soft inches or just lbs?
I always suggest the spark people diet website for those who feel lost.
It can come up with a menu for you. Recipes too.
It will also give you feedback on not only the calorie level but the calorie quality.
Not having a complete diet can make anyone munchy.
It has workout stuff as well and lots of great articles.
When you say going over your calories:
What are your stats -weight and height?
What is your calorie goal?
How much are you going over?
Do you track nutritional balance too or just calories?
Well, I have never actually gone off it - if you know what I mean. THAT would certainly mean that I have given up. But I've gained both lbs and inches - or maybe I have - dunno.
I do and have done WW for the past 4 years. So I still count my points (even when I go over) and have started to count the calories too on Lose it just to change things up a bit.
My cal goal is whatever lose it tells me - I don't eat my workout calories anymore. Again, trying to change things up.
I actually became a member of Spark People - thanks. I'll try that.
I do still work out (which is why I have not gained double)
Actually, you probably wouldn't gain any weight if you stopped working out. Working out means very little in the weight loss equation. Working out intensifies your demand for food (makes you hungrier); If you didn't work out, you'd be less hungry - by about the amount of calories you didn't burn.
Notice at the gym, there are people who work out regularly yet they still carry extra weight?
You still need to work out, fat or thin but it's pretty much a myth that working out will help you lose weight.
So for instance in the morning you might put on the left side of your folder:
4 1-cup servings of leafy or other raw veggies, NOT including corn or carrots.
1 1/2 cup serving of either corn or carrots
2 4-ounce servings of fish, boneless chicken, or lean beef
2 1/2 cup servings of rice, cereal, or other grain PLUS 2 slices of any bread
2 1/2-ounce servings of fats (butter, oil, mayo)
1 4-ounce serving dessert
2 pieces of raw fresh fruit
And during the day, you switch those cards over to the right side whenever you eat a serving of that item. At the end of the day, the left side should be empty and the right side should be full.
This will work for about a week for 99% of people. After that, "4-ounces" turns into "as much as I want because I am sick of the deprivation".
There's no deprivation. Perhaps you didn't know this but 4 ounces of meat is 1/4 POUND of meat. Y'know, like a Quarter Pounder at the fast food joint. It's bigger than the average burger at the same fast food joint, which is 1/5 of a pound. 1/4 pound of chicken is 1/3 of a whole chicken breast. 1/4 pound of fish is just slightly smaller than a typical-sized flounder fillet.
1/4 pound of t-bone steak is just a couple bites smaller than the typical sized t-bone, without the bone and gristle.
1/4 pound is a perfectly reasonable and filling portion of meat, there's no deprivation whatsoever. It's called taking responsibility for your own choices, portion *control* (not elimination or deprivation). There's no deprivation when you're still enjoying ice cream, and cake, and a cookie, and a couple slices of pizza, and a cheeseburger, all full-fat, full calorie, and full-flavor.
You can still eat all of those things. You just have to eat smaller amounts of them. If you think that's deprivation, then you are very badly spoiled and might consider checking a few National Geographic magazines to see what real deprivation looks like.
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