Help!

C

carey

New member
I dont know how to control my eating. Once I begin with the junkfood, i cant stop. Im at work now, and I just ate 1/2 of a 3 muskateer bar, 3 packs of those 100 calorie Nabisco snack packs, a slimfast muffin , 2 mini brownies... this was all in the past hour! Im nearing close to my 1200 calorie limit and its only 10 am here! I already exercised this morning (1/2 hour cardio , 20 minutes weights) and i plan on doing another hour of cardio 2nite... will i be able to continue my weightloss or does this set me back really far? I cant seem to help myself... it's so hard. And i do this often! Is it really possible to feel satisfied at 1200 calories? Someone please respond to this and help me out! thanks


Carey
 
Questions:

How are you getting to a limit of 1200 calories?

Who does your food shopping?
 
a trainer at curves a few months back told me to try not to exceed 1200 calories. I know I shouldnt go far below that either. I dont know how to balance this... and even worse, i have such a sugar problem.
 
-a trainer at curves a few months back told me to try not to exceed 1200 calories. I know I shouldnt go far below that either. I dont know how to balance this... and even worse, i have such a sugar problem.

- i do my food shopping. but today i wasnt able to get anything before work , and all i have is the junk in our building kitchen.
 
You sound like me, lol, I had 9 mini muffins the other day.

Seriously though whoever told you to "stay" below 1,200 should be drawn and quartered. Severe calorie restrictions make it impossible to lose weight as your body holds on to every bit of food that it can.

I have over 2,000 calories per day and still lose weight. I burn 900 of these in intensive cardio every day, simple. That way I can eat almost everything I want :).
 
Indeed...the more you excersize, the more you can afford to eat. With me, sometimes I have a huge meal. I kick myself afterwards, but I determine to run it off at the track. That way I don't loose ground. It sounds like this could be one of those days for you. You over-snacked, now hit the gym again to work it off.
 
Ok, I'm sorta worried for you on all counts.

If you're consistently eating junk food, and large amounts of it, then you need to be worrying about your general health. All the food you described is a lot in terms of calories. The average slimfat muffin has between 300 and 500 calories in a single one. Scary!

Anyhow, my shock aside (sorry about that), I think that the start of the problem is the calorie limit that you're working with. Sure, in the short run you might lose some fat, but your metabolism might well drop, which will bring an end to any fat loss. I think of 1200 calories as the absolute minimum anyone of your size should be taking in, even without exercise, and I'm curious to know how your trainer came up with that figure.

I'm not an expert in the least so I'll say what's worked for me. More meals/ healthy snacks during the day, thus upping my calories so my metabolism remains high, and so I have enough energy for my gym workouts and STILL lose weight. You need to focus more on what you're actually eating - it needs to be good complex carbs, good fats (from oily fish, nuts and olive oil, etc), and protein.

The up side to eating a more balanced diet is a reduction of junk food cravings. I still occasionally crave junk food, but it's significantly less than before.

Of course these are my suggestions, and I'm not an expert. But I do think you need to look more into your food intake, as it might explain why there's so much junk food in your diet.

Good luck with it all :)
 
carey said:
Once I begin with the junkfood, i cant stop. I cant seem to help myself... it's so hard.
Click to expand...

Carey let me tell you about what happens to me when I eat junk food! First off, I'm not a sugar junkie, but a salty junkie. I love CHIPS! Well when I eat chips, it triggers something in me. I feel like I can't stop. Its uncontrollable! Not if I eat one or two, but if I eat a serving. Its a HORRIBLE feeling. I will attribute a lot of that to the MSG in chips though, which is bad bad. Anyway, after I've done that, I think about junk for for about 4 days, until its all out of my system. Now I can eat cookies or candy too, and I feel the same way. Its ALL I think about for 4 days. So what it boils down to, is when I eat white flour, chips, or sugar, its like a drug to me, and I'm consumed with thoughts of eating it. Once I've detoxed it all out, I'm fine! So I think if you could just stop for a few days, you wouldn't be wanting it quite as badly. HTH??
 
It sounds like classic sugar cravings to me. Because of the very low calorie diet you become low in blood sugar and seratonin (feel good hormone) levels. This triggers a craving for carbohydrates. So you reach for that mini-muffin.

Sugars and simple carbohydrates do release a short burst of serotonin — you feel good for a bit, but soon the levels drop again and you crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates to keep high.

Pretty soon you are buried under a pile of candy bar wrappers and muffin papers...DAMHIKT

I'd start by eating a good, healthy breakfast. Pack a lunch and some healthy snacks to eat during break-times. Don't let yourself get too hungry. The cravings will diminish over time.

David C
 
Thanks so much everybody! Unfortunately, I came home today and found that my auntie had gone grocery shopping... guess what she bought? 2 bags of lays potato chips and a carrot cake. What the hell? Anyway, Ive realized that by not eating enough at breakfast , im setting myself up for these ridiculous cravings until lunch. I will up my cal intake a bit, but i already know its about WHAT i eat. My whole life ive been addicted to junk food. My parents NEVER taught me how to eat well (ironic , considering my mom is a nurse and knows the consequences of eating badly). My entire family is over weight... im trying to end the generational curse here. I think im gonna go to safeway and buy some pre-made meals (south beach diet, etc). I know they are somewhat expensive , but right now im just desperate to get myself back on track, and considering im not much of a cook, it seems like the best alternative. This is the first time i have ever committed myself to exercising and dieting, and although i know im already screwing up, im really trying to make this happen. Now that I am out of work , I feel fine. Maybe its what phattyinnm described. Either way, I feel like it starts as emotional eating and then turns into a free for all sugar fest. Thank you everyone for being so awesome and supportive. Youre truly wonderful :)


Carey
 
carey said:
My parents NEVER taught me how to eat well (ironic , considering my mom is a nurse and knows the consequences of eating badly). My entire family is over weight... im trying to end the generational curse here. I think im gonna go to safeway and buy some pre-made meals (south beach diet, etc).
Click to expand...

Not many people know about proper nutrition, even healthcare professionals. They are good at treating disease, but not usually nutrition.

Pre-made meals arent really a great alternative either. Fresh food cooked by you is the way to go. Maybe you need a cookbook to help?

1200 calories is way too low. Think of it this way, would you like to eat that way for the rest of your life?
 
I also think 1200 is way too low and really a needless bit of self-torture. Why eat 1200 when you can lose more in the medium and long term on 1800 or possibly more? You dont want your body to get used to 1200 because you'll be stuck with that low number and will put weight back on if you go to a normal calorie level. What's your hurry? Do this the right way to see long term results. I'm curious, before your new eating plan, what did you have in a typical day (especially total number of calories)?
 
you know , i ate terribly. I would eat cereal for breakfast (any amount)... then throughout the day i ate what i wanted. I love chicken ceasar salads.. ate a lot of those. Ummmm i dont know. Cookies...chips... i never have time to cook. I ate a lot of yogurt. Still do. I need some serious structure... its hard. Ive been eating more calories the past couple of days. around 1600. Im pretty satisfied on this. I like carbohydrates and sugar. How do i work some good vegetables into my diet? The only time i get veggies in is when I order subway - and obviously that is far too expensive everyday. Here are the vegetables i KNOW i like :
carrots
celery
asparagus
peas
spinach leaves
lettuce

pretty bad. i love fruit. i try to eat more of it now also. and chicken , i like chicken a lot.
 
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