Need some advice.. I am over weight.
5′9″, 43 years old, and weigh about 210 lbs.
I am trying to eat better. Alot more fruits, veggies.
The problem is….no matter what I eat, I feel so bloated. My stomach feels like it is going to explode.
I do not over eat, I eat until I am full, and I don’t eat fast. I do not like the bloating feeling and it doesn’t have anything to do with periods.
I can’t seem to lose any weight and wonder what I can do to do so. I have difficulties breathing – so exercise is difficult.
Please over advice – and please be nice. : )
yea but theyre cheat weeks in your case. §.
I agree. I think that having “cheat” days are part of ones diet. You have to allow yourself sometimes. Don’t worry if the word “cheat” is setting people off. People are funny about words around here.
In that case I would recommend staying away. from ‘cheat days’ and maybe looking into dropping the word ‘cheat’ from your diet altogether.
I’ll posit that “cheat days” are a reason. for the ‘endless dieting’
Actually no. The cheat days are only something I recently read about. The reason for my “endless dieting” have been because I never went about it the right way. So, when I stop the diet the weight would come back. This time it’s a whole lifestyle change, and to expect that i will never eat the “cheat” foods again would only serve to sabotage my efforts once again. And this is problem I’ve always had, just looking for some useful advice to help keep me online. Thanks
Good to know I’m not alone. It drives me nuts, how I’m able to go for days without a even a bad nibble, and then all of the sudden I just can’t help myself. I always feel so disappointed with myself.
I have one regular meal a. month and that is OK with me. I still eat out other time buts I get the dinner salad with grilled chicken.
I know exactly what you mean.. I have the exact same problem. I read about the “cheat day” in an old issue of men’s health. Still, though, I’ll be doing fine, but then someone at the office will have a party for his or her retirement or promotion (there seems to be one a week), and I will load up on the cake and ice cream. I think it’s all about balance. If all you eat is bland health food, it’s only natural that your body will want to compensate. I’ve just adopted the attitude that as long as I keep working out and eating more or less ok, then I know I’m looking and feeling better than 90% of all Americans. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never quite achieved a six pack, though.
because words have meaning?. odd, that.
Hey, I wasn’t trying to start a fight. I just think that people need to be jumped on as harshly. One word can send this forum into a tailspin.
insert “don’t” need to be. sorry.
I have a cheat day where. I eat (or go out drinking) something not healthy for 1 meal once a week. Typically this day is on a Friday so I eat normally during the week.
Don’t do the cheat day.. It’s different for everyone. Sounds like the cheat day sets you off on a binge.
Every person is different, you sometimes have to break the rules.
If you feel a binge coming on, find somethign else to do. Stay BUSY, find another source of instant gratification, one that is positive.
Find motivators, try on those just barely too tight jeans before you get a cheeseburger, think about you will do when you get to your next goal(I get a necklace every ten pounds, what are you doing to reward yourself?), call your mom, paint your nails, whatever! And no, tv doesn’t count, unless you work out in front of it!
YOU control you, food does not!!!!!
like what?. “as it is only going to get nastier and flood the forum with unnecessary and unrelated topics.”
Oh come on B…play with me…. I know it just kills you not to respond to every post.
zoom §.
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ha. §.
btw…I didnt know you could eat food on medfast. is that a new part of being on plan?
Flagged for trolling §.
just the truth, darling. §.
you know who used to say “flagged for trolling”?. …oh what was her name? Its escaped me.
The truth is you’re trolling. and being very immature. I hope for you’re sake your a teen, because an adult acting in this matter is a very sad case.
I encourage anyone to flag this as trolling, as it is only going to get nastier and flood the forum with unnecessary and unrelated topics.
OK. My “cheat day” or whatever you want to call it, actually has been what has allowed me to be as successful as I have been. It allows me to have one day where I don’t have to be as careful, and when I have this day I don’t feel guilty, and I can jump back on the next day, usually, with no problem. I was just looking for ideas on how to avoid the “eating” on the other days. The distracting myself, and keeping busy used to work, but I have run out things to do. You can only clean so many things. I am stuck at home all day everyday, by myself. I do daycare during the week, but don’t have kids everyday, so I have days where I am stuck with no one and nothing to do. I’ve tried going for walks, other things, but as soon as I get back home, I just want to eat. Anyway, any other ideas?
Good advice hot and az §.
It’s not a “cheat”.
Completley agreed §.
i don’t think. the concept of a “cheat day” or meal works for everybody.
endless, have you thought about getting counseling?
ok. bob is right that you could be shorting yourself on fat, or on a particular vitamin or mineral, that leads to your cravings later. you could also be over restricting on calories, and not being able to shut off the treat valve after your cheat experience could just be your body trying to get more calories and nutrients in while it can.
if you do everything on a handmade spreadsheet, you might try switching to an online tracker like http://www.fitday.com that shows more than just macronutrient percentages.
a calorie calculator like the one at the link below can help you find your guesstimated amount of daily calories for maintenance. it takes a deficit of 500 a day created through diet or exercise to target a pound a week weight loss. if you look at your averages and discover that on your restrictive days, you’ve aiming for a calorie intake that would result in more than a 2 pound a week weight loss, you are aiming far too low:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598
some people have enjoyed learning more about nutrition from books like Nutrition for Dummies and You: On a Diet.
a fish oil capsule and a multi-vitamin might also help you control your urges.
I have. Not heard of those sites, but transportation is a major issue for me, so unless there are people that will come out to me for free, I doubt they will help me. I’m trying to make the most of my situation rather then letting my situation be the excuse that lets me fail. I am utilizing all that I know of from my home, and so far it’s working. I just have the one issue, but after hearing from few people that do the same as I do, well, I don’t feel so bad anymore. I will be successful!
Well…. your county of residence may provide transporters to you (at a reasonable or reduced cost, or even free). Not sure how involed NAMI (National Alliance of the Mentally Ill) is in AZ but I found the branch of it online for you.
http://www.namiaz.org/
Then of course there is the American Psychological Association or APA for short. Some of them do work on a sliding scale or for free annually. Just do a search in your area, call one up and ask them.
http://locator.apa.org/
As for your county of residence helping you out, you might call Behavioral Health Services
http://www.azdhs.gov/bhs/
See what they have to say about helping you since you need services, but don’t have the means to pay for it.
Money, Time, and location. My insurance won’t cover it, and I wouldn’t have a way to get there even if it would. SO, I’m trying to get help wherever I can find it. I am serious about changing, and losing the weight and getting healthy.
have u looked into free mental health centers?. Or checked out sites like NAMI or the APA for people who do work for free or on a lower income scale? There are TONS of free resources out there for counseling. you just need to check out google.
can i ask why not an option?. money? time? scared? location?
usually you can get is at least somewhat covered by insurance and it’s really a good investment to make in yourself….
i’m hoping to “reinvest” myself soon actually.
Couseling. is not an option for me, which is why I am a member of things like this forum and asking questions and looking for answers to help myself. But if I could do counseling I would jump at it in a second, I have always had a really poor relationship with food.
Fat wont make you fat….in fact. limiting all fats could be the cause for your binges.
i was. serious about the counseling.
have you taken a quiz like this one before?
http://www.something-fishy.org/isf/questionnaire.php
Yes. I actually have my own spreadsheet where I keep track of my fat and calories and all the food I’ve eaten each day. I limit my calories and fat grams so I have it where it adds up what I’ve eaten and what I have left for the day. For the most part I stay on track. It’s just those extra days where I seem to be super hungry and out of control. I was just hoping someone else had gone through this and would be able to give me some insight on how to control and/or stop it.
do you track your calories. I found that by tracking through one of the online counters, it gave me a visual reminder of everything. Seeing everything I ate on a report gave me motivation for the next day.
i’m confused. do you feel that the cheat meal is a good thing for you or not?
would you consider yourself a compulsive eater? do certain foods or memories trigger a binge? on the days where you are restricting, do you think you might be going too low in calories or in volume, and not taking in enough food in general?
only you know what you eat and how much you eat, whether it is a “cheat day” or not.
The key may be in the spreadsheet. What is your setup like now?
What is your proportion of protein/fat/carbs?
What is your target calories?
What typical foods do you eat?
When I have things “in balance” I don’t have cravings.
You may be lacking in one component, eating worse things, or short on calories.
and more. and bob is asking you “losing what” below because losing scale weight and losing fat aren’t the same thing. no one decides to change their lifestyle and fight to lose weight, only to learn they’ve been letting their system work on half power and had their body consume their muscle for fuel, but that’s a very real danger when dieting for weight loss – especially if you try to do it with too few calories coming in.
to answer your original question – when i was dieting for weight loss, sometimes i would find myself eating things that i didn’t plan on. it helped me to throw it away when i had the first “what the hell am i doing” thought, instead of continuing to eat it. i also tried to keep in mind 2 mantras and would say them to myself to talk me “off of the ledge”:
the last bite tastes the same as the first
and
you’ve had [insert name of whatever here] before and you’ll have [insert name of whatever here] again. you don’t need to have the [insert name of whatever it is here] right now.
your cl handle name isn’t something that i would want to log into and see every day and would personally drive me to a bag of hoho’s. maybe you’ll consider changing it to something more inspiring.
gl to you.
I feel the cheat day is. a good thing for me. On the days where I’m restricted I never feel hungry and I go to bed satisfied. I just have these days every once in a while where I just want to eat, and seem to have no will power.
Your top post doesn’t exactly scream. successful to me. But, what do I know?
If I’m losing. wouldn’t that be success?
I dunno. Losing what? §.
Weight §.
Not if you gain it all back like before.. What is your age, height/weight, diet and exercise plan?
I’m sorry. My diet and exercise plan have been approved by my Dr. I am working towards a goal of weight loss, but also towards a goal of completely changing the way I eat and look at food. That way I won’t gain it all back before. I’ve read the books and done the research, and have not just started this lifestyle change blindly. I was just wondering if anyone had the same problem I did, and how or what they did to help remedy it. My cheat days do not trigger my “binge” they seem to come out of no where. I apparently just need to do some more research. Thank you to those of you who gave me “helpful” advice. And to those of you who gave me words of encouragement over the last couple of days since I joined. I think I’ll just stick to the other forums and blogs that I am a member of, I don’t think I am ready for this one, yet.
Books for you. ‘You On A Diet’
‘Life Without ED’
‘Eating by the Light Of The Moon’
I think ‘having nothing to do’. is a cop out. How about a class at a community college? How about jumping in your car and exploring AZ? How about the library? The dog park (if ya hav one), walk the Phoenix Art Museum, hike Camelback, I mean, I am not tryign to be harsh but I used to think like you. Man, there are a million things to do and see!!!
It’s not a cop out. I live in the boonies. I have no car, and can only get to things within walking distance, which is pretty much nothing. I would love to explore or go to the museum, but I don’t have a way to get there. The buses don’t even run out here. You wanna come pick me up??
Dude tell me. I grew up in New River.. I was lucky, I had a horse and then friends who were kind enough to come and get me, don’t think I wasn’t grateful for that!
This town is impossible without a car – get that savings account going!!!!
how about. something like knitting or crochet?
Tried it. not a good enough distraction, unfortunately.
hm. i did online gaming when i was in a situation like yours – but i don’t know if that’s a good suggestion, as it can be a little bit too good of a distraction. but if you want a list of some of the free games, i’d be happy to dig them up for you.
do you think that maybe food is your only indulgence/fun activity right now? you wrote about liking your cheat days. i understand now you don’t think going off plan is related to the cheat days – but if you don’t have something else that you think of as being a luxury or treat, maybe the two are tied together?
Well, what do you like to do?. Everyone has interests, hobbies.
Do you like to read? Craft? Hike? Garden? Sew? Cook? Build things? Make jewelry? Play games? Video games? Cards?
You could volunteer somewhere close–a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, animal hospital, ymca, hospital, habitat for humanity, nursing home, bell-ringing, wherever. Even just a neighbor’s house…if you’re in the boonies, then it would give you an excuse to go for a walk, and then you could offer to rake leaves, walk dogs, feed livestock, sweep barns, clean gutters, whatever–it’s not glamorous work, but it burns calories, keeps you from eating, and gives you the satisfaction of helping someone.
Use your imagination. Anytime someone says “there’s nothing to do”, they’re just not trying hard enough.
Hehe, sorry that came. out kind of snippy. I didn’t mean it to. It’s the mom in me– “Go entertain yourself–there’s plenty to do!” Hehe.
Nothing personal, EndD.
It didn’t, I don’t mean to sound snippy either. but I remember thinkign like OP, you CAN find things to do no matter where you are!
hehehehe I crochet at work all day. it’s a great distraction for me. Especially since my mother just told me she wants 3 for christmas :0
I did this very successfully.. It took me a year and a half to lose 60lbs, and without a cheat day, it probably could have been faster. Luckily I’m on a journey, not in a race… lol.
My cheat day was Sunday. If I was driving past McDonald’s and had the urge for a Big Mac, I’d make a deal with myself that if I still wanted it on Sunday, I could have it then. For the first half of my journey, every Sunday found me in McDonald’s, lol. Then my tastebuds changed, and now Sunday finds me in our local diner pigging out on an incredible chef salad with cheese, ham, turkey and FULL fat ranch dressing.
Yep, it totally works for me.
“….and then my tastebuds changed…..” §.
Thank you. Your input is actually helpful to me. I think I will use that, thanks.
Your welcome….. You have to do what works for you. I know that this works for me, and will continue to work for me for the rest of my life.
And yes, my tastebuds did change. I moved to clean eating last December, and for the first few months, my cheat day had me eating every processed food I felt I had been denying myself.
Then one day I sat in McDonald’s eating my regular big mac, and I realized that it wasn’t really that great. The fries were stupid salty, and I had to wash each one down with the diet coke to get the salty taste out of myself.
I had a good long talk with myself that day about choosing to eat things I actually like, that are a “10″ to me, rather than what I feel I’ve been depriving myself of.
I eat a egg white omelette’s almost every day. On the weekends I indulge. I’ll have a full egg mixed in my whites. I’ll have salad dressing on my spinach salad. I’ll add garlic bread to my spaghetti.
I have now created a lifestyle for myself where I make healthy choices 90% of the time. When I get to my happy weight, I’ll do that 80% of the time.
Sure I could do it 100% of the time, but what’s the fun in that? I’m here to enjoy my life.
I’ve gone from 208 down to stepping on the scale this morning at 145.8 and having cheat days was instrumental in that.
Good luck to you.
Oh, and I still eat McDonalds. My dinner there every Friday night is 2 chicken fajitas and a fruit & yoghurt parfait.
Super yum!
Thats great Jo-Dee!. I personally don’t like the idea of having a cheat day, because I think I would probably over do it and mess up what I’ve worked so hard for during the week.
BUT- The way you put it makes sence for those that do have problems resisting McDonalds or anything else. It worked for you, so this can PROBABLY work for someone else too
… Congrats on the weight loss!!
Thank you.
) §.