irynarom's Journal, 03 May 19

Stay focus you got this! 

Simply by not depriving yourself, tell yourself that you can choose everyday one single food that you crave but in moderation and small portions, for example: chocolate. You can have one piece of chocolate everyday. it would still fit in your calories limit and it won’t ruin your progress and same time you won’t be suffering from craving and feeling like you’re torturing yourself ( p.s: dark chocolate is actually really healthy and good for weight loss) you are beautiful no matter what is your weight .. try to love yourself and in the same time improve your health by losing the extra weight , don’t treat food like enemy because it’s not .. there are really many many healthy and diet friendly food alternatives for our beloved junk food just search it on YouTube.. I replaced many of my favorite junk food with healthier homemade version and I couldn’t be more happier .. don’t look at it as a diet , make it a lifestyle .. I wish you all good luck ❤️ 

Also keep reminding yourself of how proud and good looking and healthy you would in few months from now .. imagine where would you be in few months if you kept pushing forward and didn’t give up 

Agree with the other comments. I cut portions in half immediately then a couple weeks later I dropped kcal to 1200. Big mistake. I was miserable for months. I had 40# to lose which isn’t a lot I guess but it was 25% of my overall weight. I couldn’t have kept it up for much longer. I realized I needed my junk food back. I now have what I call a calorie bank. Example: 1500/day is 10,500/week. I have a few meals that I like that run me around 300-400. I tend to skip breakfast but want a decent midnight snack. So if I plan a few of those 300 kcal meals each week then I can earn a snickers or two rice crispy treats or some other treat. I could have a day of 2000 then have two days of 1250 to make up for it. It’s much easier if you plan your meals out, have less junk in the house and have healthy easy to grab snacks. Fresh fruit and veggies work nicely if you prep them ahead. Hard boiled eggs and beef jerky are good for the protein and if you don’t mind fat the string cheese is good for fat and protein. I’ll be honest, when I’m a hurry I’ve sometimes just eaten a protein bar or a snickers for my lunch. It’s how I’ve eaten for years before I gained the weight (during surgeries, chemo and a year of felling like crap after and not giving a crap lol). My goals were to lose the weight and eat how I wanted. Now I’m working on building muscle back while trying to bring the body fat percentage down a bit. So I get a surplus which means several treats per week! 

I tried the "one-a-day" approach to chocolate years ago but had limited and short-lived success. Many people report that a consistent LCHF/keto WOE eliminates hunger and cravings. That's the case for me. Planning my meals ahead and in writing, and intermittent fasting, really help me. 

Oh yeah... also, take it slow! I didn’t ever actually type that lol. It took time to gain the weight and it’ll take time to lose it. Get the hubby involved. I dislike going to the gym alone and now hubby and I go together. He doesn’t allow time for cardio so I have to go alone for that but we lift weights together which is nice. We have a set time and neither of us can back out except for illness, kids activity such as a program or when he is away for work. We consider it time for our marriage. It holds us both accountable to work on our bodies AND our marriage. If that’s not an option then call up a friend or ask around to see if anyone knows of someone who wants to go but needs a partner. You can do this! Just stay calm, take your time and don’t restrict yourself too much. 

I guess I had to find my absolute "bottom." I wanted to be thin for many superficial reasons, but nothing has motivated me like the prospect of additional disability and an early death. I still have bumps in the road, but I try to address the underlying issues and keep moving.  

Motivation is tricky, you can't wait for it to come to start eating better. That is something you have to decide to do and do it for yourself knowing you are bettering yourself. Motivation will come once you start seeing the weight come off. By the way you are doing just fine, you have lost 7 lbs so far, which is great. Keep it up!!! 

you can still have all those things. and eat the food you love. it took me a while to figure out my version of moderation. if I want ice cream I still eat it. I just make sure it's a smaller bowl and I count my calories and eat less things and healthier things during the day so I can eat my ice cream guilt free. I even freeze yogurt too so I feel like I'm getting ice.cream but without the calorie count. and my motivation kicked in when I reached a point where I hated my body more than I loved to pig out and eat a ton of food. motivation isnt a teachable thing. it's a feeling that comes over you when you reach a point of desire that is higher than you usually have. once you get there and it kicks in you are going to do amazing.  

Kickingcarbs I’m sooo proud of you 

Yes moderation, portion control...don’t be miserable on a restricted diet, and fall for the binge eating disorders. 

Exercise is a great tool but not essential for weight loss 

Exercise is essential if you want to look good (body composition) 

Obviously by exercise I mean strength training not cardio 😉 

The motivation has to come from within.  

Eat delicious food in moderation. Portion control and exercise are key. You should never feel deprived. Hungry, maybe, but not deprived. 

no no no you are not giving up. hang in there you can do it. 

Kennyn27, I agree: One of the things that helps me, especially getting back on track if I've been "off," is knowing that my effort will pay off as it has in the past. A great motivator when I'm stuck. I'm paying much more attention to not "staying stuck," too. 

I agree with Erquiaga. It's hard to wrap your head around having to do without those foods you love. So, you can have them, just a less of them than previously. Being healthy and a smaller size is a way of life. Please do NOT give up! You are so worth it! 

Eat what you like, less of it. And remember it not about looking good for your husband or anyone else, its not about the pretty clothes, its about you feeling good. Don't jump for every diet gimic or plan that is out there. Talk to your doctor before choosing a plan, they can help. Start by logging what you normally eat, then make changes. They can be small, like giving up soda, or cutting back on bread, or that extra taco. Small changes make a big difference. I tried losing weight for a variety of reasons in the past, didn't work. I had to work on the mindset, it had to be for me. And don't worry to much about understanding carb/fat/protein balances, you figure out what works for you. And I still eat a lot of not so diet foods and I'm losing weight. I don't eat as much of them. And I do have a treat once in awhile. Right now, mine is fruity pebbles of a morning. Start with the mindset, this is for you, not the clothes, not someone else.