Need encouragement. :( Weight lost.

I've been wanting to lose weight. A lot of weight for a long time. I've done and try so many things but it never lasts. I find the hardest thing for me is I'm ALWAYS hungry! I don't mind eating heathy and never really found it hard to chose salad or fast food. But after a while I feel it's not working and I resort back to junk. I feel after a while that I hate eating like a rabbit. I'm always hungry and I hate going into the kitchen and only grabbing carrots, fruit or nuts. It's boring after awhile and these "heathy foods" NEVER fill me up. I cry because Im so hungry! I also find it hard to prep food. When I'm hungry I just want to go grab a bag of chips and fill my hunger quick. I don't have the energy to stand in the kitchen while I'm starving to prep food. I'm just feeling discourage. I'm trying to save my marriage and I want to feel and look attractive again. But it's hard :(. I also think about how I'll look after weight lost, when u lose so much weight. It's not as pretty under the clothes as it is with clothes on. If u get what I'm saying. Lol. Thanks for letting me vent :(

I think the thing that works the most for me is to just not buy the stuff. If I have chips in the house I can't refuse them so I just don't buy them. My husband understands and we don't feed it to the kids so it works well. Salads etc are great but eat them in addition to other foods. I lost a lot of weight by eating a salad before every meal. I would end up eating a bit less of the main meal but also just having that salad I found made me feel better etc. We don't really order take out and I just go grocery shopping once a week so I can avoid the temptations. If you don't have "quick foods" in your house then it forces you to learn to wait to make stuff.

Snacks that fill me up: whole grain pita with hummus (my "go to snack.")
veggies and hummus
fruit
almonds
yogurt

Now, I say all this but I am pregnant now so I have not been as strict on myself :)

Thank you. I didn't think of just not buying junk stuff. Hubby and kids eat it so it be hard not to have it in the house for them. I don't know if hubby would change his eating ways just to help me out. I also struggle with portion control. Diets suggest so very little. I love pitas and hummus but then I think it's grains and carbs and carbs are bad. I can't eat just one. I eat till I'm full which sometimes can be a lot :(

I have always had the same problem! After my pregnancy even with nursing it had been impossible for me to loose the weight I had gained but with my wedding coming up in March I decided to change things up and it has been working great!

First i used to think dieting was just about eating salads and counting carbs and calories but it really isn't. It's all about moderation! You can eat more than just salads. Chicken, pork and vegetables high in carbs are great at filling people up! Try to get your husband involved. Weather it's eating healthier or exercising together it has been so great for my relationship because we always look forward to that work out time together.

It's never going to happen fast that's why you have to keep yourself motivated! Eat healthy foods and eat in moderation. I always use Saturday or Sunday as my cheat day to that way I have something to look forward to. Remember that losing weight involves more than just salads! I'm trying the 21 day fix diet right now and it's going really well. I do the 30 minute exercise during nap time, then in the evening run and do weights. It also comes with a shake called shakeology which is good when your super hungry cause it fills yu up so you can prep yourself something healthy.

Try not to get discouraged and know I have been going threw the same thing! Just try changing it up! It has changed my life implementing these diet tips.

Try looking up the 22 day fix diet, I always suffered from over eating especially carbs but it basically gives you a list of food and containers so you can portion the proper amount for each food group. I was skeptical at first but it had really hanged the way I diet. I will never count calories or carbs again

I think the key to feeling full is making sure you eat a protein of some kind during every meal and snack. The veggies and hummus suggestion is great. I go for peanut butter, lean meats, eggs, nuts. Just having some fruit or veggies definitely doesn't cut it lol. Research some recipes that include healthy proteins that you enjoy.
If you're starving all the time, your body might be in starvation mode. That's bad as your body starts to store fat to compensate when you eat again.

Incorporating a workout routine is super important too. Even just 10 or 15min a day is better than nothing. I'm really lazy about exercise and it's hard to me to keep at it, but I'm trying my best. I have a bunch of workout dvds that I cycle through to keep it from getting boring. It feels sooo great after, it's worth it :)

edit to add: another thing I forgot to mention regarding overeating and portion control. This might sound stupid, but eating slower makes you eat less. I've always been a really fast eater and often I'd eat way too much. Once I consciously decided to eat slow, taking time to chew, I found I needed less food to feel full because my mind had a chance to process that I've had enough.

Carbs are not bad. Our bodies need them, that is the fuel our cells need to function. The problems are with the empty carbs. Plain sugar gives energy, just like carrots or whole grain breads, but, sugar doesn't have any nutrients.

I know I'm not an expert, but I would suggest, first, make small changes to your eating habits, slowly. Trying to do too much, too fast is overwhelming and you are likely to feel frustrated with all of it and quit. And eat a little bit of protein with every meal. I don't know if you are a vegetarian, but meat or alternative. It can give you the full feeling that lasts longer than with carbs, which are digested faster. And the last thing, don't wait until you are hungry to prepare the meal. Eat something and then prepare more food for a later time. Like cooking a lot of chicken breasts all at once and then freezing them. If you cut them up before freezing then you can take out just a bit every time you want some, like when you make a salad. Then your salad is more filling too. I also like to put some cold noodles in salad too, and make a meal out of it.

I am addicted to sugar. It is funny because i do a lot to avoid it in what we eat. Heck, I buy pain yogurt and add frozen berries to it to avoid the sugary stuff. But I am ADDICTED to sugar. I get it in my tea. which i now drink too much of just to have sugar. Lots of sugar. If I try and skip my tea for the day it is ALL i think about. I stand there debating and restraining myself before I finally cave and have tea...with sugar.

I go thorugh good periods where i can go without for over a week and i start to feel better...next thing i know i am having a tea (with sugar) and then I am back in the cycle of NEEDING sugar.

I seriosuly can't help but feel like it is the same as being addicted to alcohol (i don't drink any...thank goodness what if it is as addicting as sugar for me!).

Anyways my point here is...do you find the same? What is it that draws you back into the unhealthy foods? Is it sugar? Something else. I think being awake of this would be helpful. not sure how. But trying some strategies to either get over the "withdrawals" and kick the habit or having a bit a day to let your body have the taste without bingeing after trying to avoid it.

I also agree with the above. Maybe shift the focus from food to exercise or something else to help you get healthy. If food is the weakness then maybe you can muster up the self control to focus on exercise for the time being!

All this talk about sugar and I seriously need a tea now. I didn't have one yet...so it should be ok...right???

Every now and than my husband and I try not to buy junk....but than we cave and buy it lol. Pop is his weakness, chips are both of ours. We try to eat healthy and have junk in moderation because we found cutting it cold turkey made us overindulge the next time!!

Exercise is our issue right now. We actually don't eat that bad (could def be better tho) but our lack of exercise is our biggest problem I think!

I've been big my whole life and I dream of being thinner...but I just never have a desire to do it lol. I thankfully was never teased for my weight and my husband tells me all the time how beautiful I am. I think I'd be more motivated to lose weight if someone just called me a fat slob lmao....probably not, I'd just tell them to F off but maybe it would get my butt in gear!!! ;)

I do wish you luck though! The ladies have given lots of good tips and suggestions!

Thank you so very much. I don't have much support or encouragement around here so it was nice to come to this site :)

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

I am addicted to sugar. It is funny because i do a lot to avoid it in what we eat. Heck, I buy pain yogurt and add frozen berries to it to avoid the sugary stuff. But I am ADDICTED to sugar. I get it in my tea. which i now drink too much of just to have sugar. Lots of sugar. If I try and skip my tea for the day it is ALL i think about. I stand there debating and restraining myself before I finally cave and have tea...with sugar.

I go thorugh good periods where i can go without for over a week and i start to feel better...next thing i know i am having a tea (with sugar) and then I am back in the cycle of NEEDING sugar.

I seriosuly can't help but feel like it is the same as being addicted to alcohol (i don't drink any...thank goodness what if it is as addicting as sugar for me!).

Anyways my point here is...do you find the same? What is it that draws you back into the unhealthy foods? Is it sugar? Something else. I think being awake of this would be helpful. not sure how. But trying some strategies to either get over the "withdrawals" and kick the habit or having a bit a day to let your body have the taste without bingeing after trying to avoid it.

I also agree with the above. Maybe shift the focus from food to exercise or something else to help you get healthy. If food is the weakness then maybe you can muster up the self control to focus on exercise for the time being!

All this talk about sugar and I seriously need a tea now. I didn't have one yet...so it should be ok...right???

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I don't think it's the sugar. I think I get drawn back because I get bored of the heathy foods. I can find enough variety of foods I like. Doesn't help I'm a very picky eater :(. I also get drawn back because of the prep. Junk u can just grab and go but if it's heathy up gotta stand there and prep it.

What I find works best for prep is to cut all my fruit and veggies for the week on Sunday or Monday morning. I have a couple of the divided trays and I like them best. I sometimes make up ziplock bags of mixed veggies too so they're easy to grab and go.

I also like to make freezer meals for the nights I'm too lazy to cook (so like every night lol) I put them in tin foil trays from the dollar store and just reheat in the oven.

"I also like to make freezer meals for the nights I'm too lazy to cook (so like every night lol) I put them in tin foil trays from the dollar store and just reheat in the oven."

I made a bunch of freezer meals to help me these last 3 weeks because my husband had surgery. My only complaint is they seem to take forever to cook. Maybe my lasagna/sheppards pie is thicker more hearty than a store bought one but I have found it has actually been an inconvenience as I could have made a stir fry in a fraction of the time! What am I doing wrong? heh heh

Another thing that has helped me is drinking milk. I started drinking a glass of skim milk before or after dinner and I find I am full all night. I also combine meals a lot. So we had beef fajitas tonight. I chopped extra pepper and onion strips (and added broccoli, mushrooms) and threw it in a freezer bag in the fridge for a stir fry tomorrow night.

Are you cooking them from frozen? If you pop one in the fridge the night before it should thaw by the time you need to pop it in the oven reducing cooking time.

Asimple change that may (or may not) help are changing out some items like pasta. We buy quinoa pasta and red lentil pasta from costco. It is pretty decent price and means you are eating quinoa (awesome protein) or lentils instead of wheat pasta. We find with a hearty sauce on it there isn't much difference in taste or texture.

Looking at simple changes like that can help and are relatively minor and dont require extra work on your part!

I had to change my eating habits for my health but it's freaking hard to be good all the time. The body and mind go into withdrawal.. I need something that takes 2 seconds to grab and not prepare at all, so several times a day I pop over the baby gate into my next room kitchen, and on my counter I have jars out in the open of pumpkin, walnut, sunflower seeds, and this will sound weird but I even have a jar of raw, dry oatmeal I take a handful of whatever and finish off with a swig of cold water I'm good for an hour again to deal with dc. Gotta have fast proteins ready to eat with no prep. My teens r getting into them too b/c they're there in the open. You actually slowly get used to eating healthier - my palette has changed over time. I actually can't eat an entire Sara Lee chocolate cake anymore like I used to. I find it too sweet now.

Edit. Ps. I believe carbs like white flours and chips convert into sugar during digestion. Also try coconut sugar in tea coffee, i heard it has a lower glycemic index than white. It tastes like caramel!
Edit#2. Nuts can be expensive. If you're going to buy them get them in bulk and after filling jars throw them in freezer

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Originally Posted by ebhappydc

I had to change my eating habits for my health but it's freaking hard to be good all the time. The body and mind go into withdrawal.. I need something that takes 2 seconds to grab and not prepare at all, so several times a day I pop over the baby gate into my next room kitchen, and on my counter I have jars out in the open of pumpkin, walnut, sunflower seeds, and this will sound weird but I even have a jar of raw, dry oatmeal I take a handful of whatever and finish off with a swig of cold water I'm good for an hour again to deal with dc. Gotta have fast proteins ready to eat with no prep. My teens r getting into them too b/c they're there in the open. You actually slowly get used to eating healthier - my palette has changed over time. I actually can't eat an entire Sara Lee chocolate cake anymore like I used to. I find it too sweet now.

Edit. Ps. I believe carbs like white flours and chips convert into sugar during digestion. Also try coconut sugar in tea coffee, i heard it has a lower glycemic index than white. It tastes like caramel!
Edit#2. Nuts can be expensive. If you're going to buy them get them in bulk and after filling jars throw them in freezer

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Good ideas. I'll start leaving nuts and seeds out and in the open :) thank u!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Are you cooking them from frozen? If you pop one in the fridge the night before it should thaw by the time you need to pop it in the oven reducing cooking time.

Asimple change that may (or may not) help are changing out some items like pasta. We buy quinoa pasta and red lentil pasta from costco. It is pretty decent price and means you are eating quinoa (awesome protein) or lentils instead of wheat pasta. We find with a hearty sauce on it there isn't much difference in taste or texture.

Looking at simple changes like that can help and are relatively minor and dont require extra work on your part!

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I take it out the night before or the morning of and cook. Sometimes cook them frozen and yes they obviously take longer that way :) some stuff just needs to be reheated and sone needs to cook still so depends on when I take it out. I do it a lot for dc lunches too!

Last year I bought several Rubbermaid divided trays at Walmart and I love them! The large section is great for vegetables, and your meat and mashed potatoes can go in the 2 smaller sections. Microwaving is much faster than reheating in the oven too. I make up a bunch of trays for myself whenever I cook a roast or a turkey. I use already frozen vegetables and they heat very nicely. A full tray from freezer to table takes 6-7 minutes. Essentially a home-made tv dinner but without the salt!

NB- mashed potatoes (with butter and milk) freeze and reheat very well in the microwave. I have not had any success with other kinds of potatoes being microwaved from frozen.

I totally get it and working from home ... having access to food all the time is hard. What helped me is the beach body programs. I do a 30 minutes workout during naptime. You would not believe the energy that exercising gives me. I am totally addicted to them now I NEED to exercise to make sure I have the energy for the day.

The eating ...I don't keep crap in my house. Even if my kids or husband want to have it. Do I want my kids to struggle they way I did when I got to my adult life ...? NO ! So I bake healthy muffins add natural sugars and that is our treat. I bake with whole wheat and oatmeal so we feel fuller longer. I am not saying we don't eat chips or candy but they are for a certain special time. And if I know Friday is going to be a movie and popcorn day then it helps me make better choices since I know I am going to get to pig out haha.

It's also mostly habit ... Give yourself small reachable short term goals and move your way up. Be proud of your small success and don't focus on your set backs. Try to notice WHEN you reach out for unhealthy choices and then find an easy alternate. My favorite go to snack now is Apple and almonds it's filing and SUPER quick and easy. My favorite super filling breakfast oatmeal banana waltnut and a bit of maple sirup. Favorite lunch ... egg salad wrap but instead of mayo ...cottage cheese add salt and mustard SOOOO yummy. For dinner what ever is served I always put more veggies on my plate and start eating those first so I can fill up on the good and eat less of the not so good and I drink LOTS AND LOTS of water. I say this and I do it ...but NO not everyday and sometimes not even once during the week. We all have downs.

Good luck and stay focus on the positive and no matter what you are a beautiful person

Thank u!!!! :)

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Originally Posted by torontokids

I think the thing that works the most for me is to just not buy the stuff. If I have chips in the house I can't refuse them so I just don't buy them. My husband understands and we don't feed it to the kids so it works well. Salads etc are great but eat them in addition to other foods. I lost a lot of weight by eating a salad before every meal. I would end up eating a bit less of the main meal but also just having that salad I found made me feel better etc. We don't really order take out and I just go grocery shopping once a week so I can avoid the temptations. If you don't have "quick foods" in your house then it forces you to learn to wait to make stuff.

Snacks that fill me up: whole grain pita with hummus (my "go to snack.")
veggies and hummus
fruit
almonds
yogurt

Now, I say all this but I am pregnant now so I have not been as strict on myself :)

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That's really a good way to lose adequate amount of weight:)