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[quote=stepka;49152945]I suspect the OP is ready since she started this thread. Either that or she is in the process of getting ready.
Not necessarily. A lot of people who want to lose weight will do everything but put in the work. Buy books, buy new workout shoes, post on threads, etc... But not buckle down and make the hard choices. I am not saying this to discourage the OP, just to point out there are million ways to prepare or get advice or psyche oneself into it, but it does not mean a thing if the person is not really ready.
I agree with stepka that certain foods are almost like an addiction for some people. I have foods that I cannot moderate. For me, it's best to just totally stop it. Now after months and months go by, I can add it back in but I still have to be extremely careful because I can quickly go off the rails.
Additionally, another thing that sets people up for failure is either not realizing or not accepting that being at a calorie deficit often doesn't feel good. I think there is an expectation that if you eat healthy, have all the right ratios of fats/proteins/carbs, that magically, you'll feel entirely satiated on 1500 calories. I suppose that works for some people. Not for me. I have had a large appetite most of my life. I am a big eater. I was fortunate that for my first 40 years on earth, my metabolism seemed to handle it just fine. But I'm a hungry person.
No matter what kinds of foods I eat, generally at 1600 calories, I feel like I could always eat more. Now, I'm not so hungry that I'm going nuts like I did on 1200 calories, but I always have a mild hunger. I've accepted it and once I learned to accept that maybe we are supposed to feel somewhat hungry biologically, I got past it. But many diet programs or inspirational speakers (such as Oprah), will have you believe that you can totally reduce calories and be satisfied. Don't set yourself up for this. I mean, great if that happens to you, you're lucky. But if it doesn't, it's normal.
I suspect the OP is ready since she started this thread. Either that or she is in the process of getting ready.
Not necessarily. A lot of people who want to lose weight will do everything but put in the work. Buy books, buy new workout shoes, post on threads, etc... But not buckle down and make the hard choices. I am not saying this to discourage the OP, just to point out there are million ways to prepare or get advice or psyche oneself into it, but it does not mean a thing if the person is not really ready.
Well I would like to see the OP come back to this thread, but I do keep in mind that when I post I am trying to help many people and not just the OP.
I agree with stepka that certain foods are almost like an addiction for some people. I have foods that I cannot moderate. For me, it's best to just totally stop it. Now after months and months go by, I can add it back in but I still have to be extremely careful because I can quickly go off the rails.
I still can't moderate sweets. I have been off them for 3.5 years and went to volunteer at a youth camp--a trigger for me--and ate cookies all week! I could not stop--OMG they were so good. . . Fortunately I got right back off the sweets when I got back but I had to do a fast to calm my metabolism down and lose the weight from the sweets. I've found that fasting is an excellent strategy for me after too much feasting on the wrong foods.
I still can't moderate sweets. I have been off them for 3.5 years and went to volunteer at a youth camp--a trigger for me--and ate cookies all week! I could not stop--OMG they were so good. . . Fortunately I got right back off the sweets when I got back but I had to do a fast to calm my metabolism down and lose the weight from the sweets. I've found that fasting is an excellent strategy for me after too much feasting on the wrong foods.
I might have to keep that in mind. I'm having a bit of a struggle with some Ben & Jerry's Limited Edition Bob Marley's One Love flavor....
Few brief things that will have an immediate positive impact on your weight and health and how you feel about yourself
1. You already identify with the problem of visiting fast food joints for their fat - carb filled meals. YOU HAVE TO STOP - do anything else other than pull into that drive thru or park and walk inside. bring a lite snack to work to eat near the end of your shift so you are NOT so hungry on your way home and have the urge to stop at the fast food places
2. REMOVE EVERYTHING from your home fridge and cupboards that is a bad food choice ( breads - potato chips - sweets soda pops sugary treats etc ...
3. Drink only water as 99% of your liquid intake ( coffee is fine if a coffee drinker ) Just stay away from soft drinks ( yes diet pop is BAD for you ) sport drinks are all sugar and carb loaded and terrible for you as well
4. work on your portion control and try to eat just alittle less on all your normal meals
5. FORCE yourself to have fresh veggies around your home and learn to prepare them in a way that you enjoy them so you continue to eat them DAILY
those 5 are a great start and I guarantee you will lose 20lbs the 1st month and close to 5-10 ea following month just by following those 5 simple steps I outlined
YES these are drastic immediate changes and you may see them as too much too soon.
But instant gratification and visible proof of dropping weight is a HUGE moral boost and great confidence builder so I recommend this jump in feet 1st approach vs dipping a toe in the deep end to see if you like the 'feel' of things.
Very often huge and impactful diet / food choice changes are exactly what someone likes you need to get them over that 'bump in the road' and you quickly find that yes YOU CAN do this and get instant compliments from friends co-workers after a month or 2 how good you look.
Nobody can drop 20-30lbs and people NOT notice.
best of luck
this site is a great resource for help support and great ideas as many posts above mine are excellent posts
Yeah, they can. I am overly tall for a woman, so when I lose 20 pounds, it's not noticeable to anyone. I don't go down a size just from 20 pounds. I am down 18 from when I started in late April. I notice that the fat on my belly has receded somewhat, but no one else seems to have. The OP is much shorter, so it might be more noticeable on her.
And sometimes people are just clueless and don't notice things. Like me, for instance. . Years ago a coworker from another facility came into the office, and I thought something about his face looked different. I said, "Hey, Alan, did you shave off your mustache?" He said he never had one. I said, "Then you have a different haircut. SOMETHING is different about you." He finally said, "I lost 35 pounds." DUH.
I'm "ok" when it comes to moderate consumption of sweets. Meaning I eat two sweet treats per day. Or I would eat one cookie per day. I admit that I do have great willpower, but that will power needs to be balanced by "lack of it". Meaning, I dedicate a day of eating "vices".
I feel like my mind is not in the right place, even though I have the desire to look good and feel better. I do an awful lot of talking about what I want, and then end up slipping up or not following through. I appreciate y'all's thoughts and advice on this. Thanks.
CoffeeClaw, you are not alone, we all slip up from time to time. The most important thing when you do slip up or not follow through is to pick yourself up and start over again. Never stop trying, never give up. Recognize what you are doing that is bad for you, forgive yourself, then try to do better. Repeat as necessary.
We all have different ways to lose weight or keep it off. You have to find what works for you. You've identified some of your biggest problems, so they would be a good starting point. Think about the great meal waiting home for you as you drive by the fast food place. Keep the really bad stuff that you can't turn away from out of the house. Limit trips to the grocery store if you're too enticed to buy bad stuff. And if you do have to have something from the bakery, make it small like one cupcake. You'll pay a premium that way, but it's worth it.
I don't know if you eat many fruits and vegetables, but aim for 9 a day. For health reasons, I aim for 9, won't eat less than 5, but usually end up eating 7 servings daily. Even if you think you don't like fruit and veggies, the chances are there are some you really do like. Make a list and only buy those because those are the ones you will actually eat. If you hate something, don't make yourself eat it. Like peaches? Have one a day. Hate cauliflower? Don't buy it but buy something else you might like such as broccoli.
Some people have to give up everything that's bad for them to lose weight. Others can have a little that satisfies them enough that they won't give up the diet. I use a little trick when it comes to eating some of the bad stuff. I can have that dish of ice cream but only if I eat something really healthy like broccoli beforehand. I know, weird combination, but it works for me.
You might have to do baby steps, but like with finances, every little thing adds up. If you replace one bad thing you eat most days with one good thing, that's a start. Every few days make another adjustment like that. If you find doing it gradually like this isn't too painful, maybe you'll stick with it. After a few months, you'll have more good than bad things in your diet. The odds are you'll feel better too and that will keep you motivated.
The late night eating is a problem. If you must have something, you can make a promise to yourself that it has to be somewhat healthy. Usually I stop eating at 7 pm, but if I must have something, I'll have some oatmeal with blueberries or some other fruit. I'll also make a cup of decaf coffee sometimes.
Whatever you do, never stop trying to be healthier.
You have gotten some good advice here. I am a fan of starting and cutting out trigger foods entirely. You don't have to cut out all trigger foods at once. You can tackle fast food one week, chips the next week, sweets the next week, etc....You can do the same thing with the gym. Week 1 walk for 30 minutes (or whatever you can do). See if you can add 5 minutes the next week. Once you work up to 45 minutes see if you can increase your speed for part of your workout. Set small, attainable goals for yourself.
Set interim goals for yourself. It can be too overwhelming to think that you need to lose some massive amount of weight. Set your first goal as getting to the 270s. When you get there reward yourself with a NON FOOD reward. Keep doing that every time you get to a new place. Buy yourself something pretty, or some make up that you want. Anything to reward yourself for your progress.
Nobody can do this for you. You have to do it yourself. Remember that even if you don't get to your ultimate goal weight your health will benefit if you lose 5-10% of your present body weight.
Coffee, one more piece of advice--there are foods that when we start eating them we can't stop. For me it was sweets and I had to stop eating them altogether b/c I was very clearly addicted and no amount of moderation was going to help. I know some folks will say that with portion control you can eat anything but I'm here to tell you that for many of us, sweets addiction is like alcoholism and once we start we can't stop. If this is the case for you, I suggest that you look first at giving those up. The first time I gave up sweets I had 35 lbs drop off quickly, like over a matter of weeks, and that was with no other changes. I'm still off them but now bread is the new sweets for me so I limit that.
This is me too. And alcoholism does run in my family. There are studies that say the addiction to alcohol and sugar are similar.
The best way for me to stop the sugar craving is to have more protein and fat and limit my carbs to vegetables.
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, but I do keep in mind that when I post I am trying to help many people and not just the OP.
. Years ago a coworker from another facility came into the office, and I thought something about his face looked different. I said, "Hey, Alan, did you shave off your mustache?" He said he never had one. I said, "Then you have a different haircut. SOMETHING is different about you." He finally said, "I lost 35 pounds." DUH.
