Weight Loss

I have a problem staying committed to my diet. Everytime I try to lose weight, I lose interest/give up after a month or so (at the absolute most).

I lose about 4 pounds (for example), get frustrated, give up/give in to cravings, gain the 4 back, plus an extra 3. And it keeps going and going.

At this rate, I'm gaining about a size (roughly ten lbs) per year. I am currently 5'3 and now 150 lbs. (142 last time I tried losing, about six months ago).

I feel like every time I try, I try to cut junkfood cold turkey, 'cause I want instant results. Then that causes me to give up.

Help me. How do you stay focused? Any suggestions?

I feel your frustration!  It's called instant gratification... you've been really good for a week, a month or a few months and it's just not happening as quickly as you'd like or expect.  I'm the same exact way.  I wish I had a darn reset button just to instantly undo what I've done over the past year and be good going forward.  I learned my lesson, ok???

Unfortunuately, it just doesn't happen that way.  It didn't take a week or a month to gain all the weight, so it's not going to take that little to lose it.  I wish I had great advice, but since I do the same thing I'm still trying to figure it out for myself.  This time around I'm trying to set small goals and not look at the big picture right away.  Maybe something like that will work for you?  I'll be watching this post to see what others do to keep motivated to stick with it!

Thanks for your reply. It makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one.
(And thanks for mentioning "instant gratification", I learned about it in psychology, but couldn't remember the term.)

I do get how looking at smaller goals may be helpful (like aiming for 10lbs loss at a time, rather than 40lbs), but the problem I find with that is with a 10lb loss, I won't be noticably thinner to myself or anyone I see often (the same with gaining) and would only make me feel disappointed.

I don't know. I guess there are pros and cons to every way of looking at it.

I know how hard it is to stay commited to a diet. That's why I think it's important to view your new healthy diet as a permanent thing and change your habits gradually. For example, I used to eat a muffin every morning at work, but I've switched to oatmeal and fruits. It's hard the first 1-2 weeks, but after you're used to the change and you don't think twice about it anymore. I do the same thing with exercice. I go to the gym 3 times per week. I pack my bag, bring it to work, and I just go. I don't even think about not going, because I know how miserable I was a few months ago with 30 extra pounds.

Don't be too hard on yourself if you miss a workout or eat fast food, but most of the time, make the right decision for your health. And you'll see results soon enough. Good luck! :)

I can't diet, really. At all.

I started out with baby steps....stopped getting seconds, always left a bite or two left of a meal, no matter what...weird little things like that and I'd still get my snickers or ice cream or whatever...then it got to be bigger things, like switching the things in my recipes to be low fat or low cal, or whole wheat.

I have to trick myself basically. I'm not on a diet! LOL Once i feel I'm depriving myself, then that is all I can think about. So I hold off on cravings....if I'm still craving something the next day or so, then I have it and don't worry about it!

i saw a picture of myself a month ago at a party and well...  maybe i was being «too critical» but it was obvious that my weight gain was obvious.  i like food and i have a big stomach, so it's been difficult for the first few months (i've been at this since July).  but 2-3 weeks ago i just woke up and decided to make that change.  i was tired of being frustrated, feeling ungly and unattractive, but not doing anything about it.  if i can control my weight gain, i can control my weight loss too.  so i started to portion control more.  for instance, at work they have some sancks for sale and i often would buy some.  i went 99% of teh tiem for those 100 calorie snack packs, but it's still extra cals.  now i just don'T do it.  if i feel a little hunger pang i have some herbal tea (which they have at work for free, so i save money too!).  i also always pack my lunch (or almost always) and never eat more than that.  i make sure to eat slowly, so i don't overeat.  i bring healthy snacks (fruits, veggies).  i also stopped buying «diet/sugar-free» stuff because i found that it didnT' satisfy my craving for teh «bad thing», so now i buy things with real sugar.  something i used to do, for xample, was buy fat-free ice cream and eat a hgue bowl of it, but it tasted funny and i ate more because it was fat-free.  but it's mroe calories.  now i have the real thing (haagen-daz), i have a ciuple spoonsfuls and it's enough.  less chemical.

the main thing that got me motivated tho was to google «virtual model», which will lead you to a site where you can build a model of yourself to basically shop for clothes online.  but what i did is put myself in as i am now, and then see what i would look like at my goal weight (i have been oevrweight sicne puberty, so i didn't know what it would look like).  after seeing that, i knew i was going to make the change.  i want to be happy with the way i look, as happy as i am with the person i am.  i like me, so i want to outside to match the inside

so i would give the virtual model thing a look-see.  it gives you a visual and something to work towards (just make sure to choose a healthy weight for your height!).  also, you need to think of weight loss as a lifestyle change, something you will have to lvie with forever.  if you love junk food, can you live without it your whole life?  or would it be easier to cut out the things you're not as crazy about, and the things you really truly love, have them on occasion, eat them slowly, and make the flavour last longer?  that's how i think of it.  if i eat somrhting fried/rich/etc and i don't hink it's bad, but i'm not crazy about it, i just don't eat it.  why waste the calories on something i'm just «meh» about?

good luck and don't give up.  remember: slow and steady wins the race.  and the more likely it is to stick.

I have quite a bit more weight to lose than you do and I've yo-yo'd my entire life.  However, this time is different.

Instead of depriving myself of something I love, I simply work it into my daily calorie goal.   If I feel like having (soy) ice cream after dinner, I plan ahead and make sure that I can "afford" the calories. 

Depriving yourself is, in my opinion, the surest way to sabotage yourself.  My cycle was this : deprive - crave - indulge - failure  and constantly feeling like a failure isn't good for anyone.

For me, this is about being nice to myself and taking care of my body without wrecking my spirit.   Be gentle - set goals - don't beat yourself up - everyday is a new day and presents new opportunities so don't let a setback throw you off track. 

Good luck.

How I would approach things, would be to make the small changes like others suggested.  maybe not even worry so much about the total calories right away until you are ready. Focus on making healthier changes in your life rather than dieting.   Either start by either changing the bad things you eat to eating the same amount of a healthier thing such as switching a bowl of potato chips for a bowl of whole grain crackers.  Another way to start would be to reduce the amount of what your eating like having just a few chips instead of a larger amount.  Just examples! A combination of both would probably work well too.

pretty much..

stop viewing it as a diet. and begin your LIFESTYLE change.

a diet is temporary. You're losing weight for the sake of losing weight.

A lifestyle change is an attempt to be more healthy and change your lifestyle so that you eat better, become active, etc.

SMALL STEPS = success.

Everyone above is right.  This is NOT a diet, it's a new way of life.  Don't give up what you love but learn to have it in moderation.  I know that a lot of people have a "free day" where they don't log and eat what they want.  That doesn't work for me because I have a hard time getting back on the counting wagon once I get off.  What I do is keep one or 2 of my most favorite things around and work them into my count once or twice a week.  I have also found that once you get really committed to this and make changes then your taste changes, too, and you automatically want the things that are better for you.  Lastly, when you do regress, and we ALL do, don't beat yourself up about it.  Just try to learn from your mistakes and go on.  And someone is always here to help pick you up when you fall off the wagon.  Believe me, I know.  I have strawberries on my butt from falling off so many times.  I am hanging in there because I need a healthier way of life.  We can do this together!

OK not to be corny but take the advice of the double betsy's. (Betsytuck and Betzc)  Just exactly what the others have commented on.  This is not a diet.  It is a new adjustment to your life with food and the self respect you have. You deserve to be whoever you want to be.  It takes 21 days to break a habit.  Why not break the habit of dieting and just realize that this is life!  It actually feels really good to get your control back!!  GOOD LUCK!!

use the logs!! Only allow yourself to have an extra treat if you have enough of a deficit that day. That should work if you are honest with yourself about portions and log everything. Then you can eat a piece of cake or have something you love, so long as you have accounted for it by exercising more. I know it's a slippery slope though. Know yourself. If it's too hard for you to go off calorie counting and then back on, don't. I have pretty tame goals like 1 pound a week, holidays I hope to not gain. I'd also try to incorporate something physical in your life almost every day, like an hour walk each day. Good luck!

* Also I like treating the weight I need to lose (25) keeping in mind that I'm teaching my daughter how to treat her body, food and exercise. I'm trying to be gentle, patient and health conscious. I don't want her to see me freak out and be critical of myself when I'm not getting the results I want and I feel fat and ugly. Does that make any sense?