I keep trying to come back but can't seem to count an entire day!!

Hi everyone,

I started CC several months ago and did great for awhile. Lost 5-6 lbs fairly quickly, set a very reasonable target, focused on nutrition and fitness, participated in forums... I decided I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about heavy weight lifting, so I started that New Rules program and have really enjoyed it. As I began focusing on building muscle I was told to expect to not lose anything for awhile on the weight training program, and possibly to gain a pound or two. So somehow in my mind this translated into loosening up the rules I set for myself, upping my calorie intake, and finally stopping counting altogether. I really thought I had internalized most of the rules and knew how an appropriate meal or snack or day "felt." I thought this was a positive development since I found it hard to find the time to record everything (I am home with 3 kids under 5 and I don't have a smartphone), and it seemed like if I could just do it naturally, without recording, I could sustain this forever. Of course, little by little bad habits started creeping in and now I have gained back the 5-6 lbs I lost. I still look better (lots of muscle definition in my arms, and I can make my abs pretty hard when I flex), but clothes are certainly not fitting any looser and much of that muscle definition is lost under fat which I have failed to burn away!

I have tried now six times to make it through a whole day calorie counting and have failed every last one of those days! What can I do to get through today and another day tomorrow??? Any advice would be welcome. I have so much trouble keeping up things like this that take extra work/effort once the novelty has worn off. Help!!

Hi emilysadams.  It is a case of not letting your apprtite rule your body, make your brain take control.  It is hard work becasue your appetite is fighting against what itlikes, but it is only doing you harm in the long run. 

I hope you are able to achieve this, because it I can tell you that after 40 years of yoyo dieting I have finally learnt that whether somene is fat or thin, they have to eat healthily (for the main part) so that they can have a vehicle(body) in the best form it can be to take on the later years - when it gets so much harder.  I didn't look after myself so well or eat the right foods, and my joints and teeth (and resistence to infections & allergies)are suffering for it now.  If you are still under or close to 35, you are still young enough to start to form a lifetime habit to eat & exercise in a healthy way, so that your body recognises & does a lot of the work of maintaining the right weight for you- because it just gets harder & harder as you get older and the damage is already done. 

It sounds like you are achieving in the weight lifting and that is a good thing and probably also helping to keep the weight gain down a bit.  It also shows that you are motivated when you put your mind to it.  Let the mind rule your appetite in the same way... one day at a time. You will feel good about yourself the next day.

I actually *don't* use the online food diary -- I use a paper one. Try just writing down the food that you eat each day (weighing/measuring would be great too), or even try writing out your food intake the night before. My paper food diary is in the kitchen, right next to the recipes. The night before, I pull it out and review what's on the menu for tomorrow. Last night, I sat down and plotted out my menus for all of next week. My go-to nutrition guide is Corinne Netzer's Complete Book of Food Counts, which gives the nutrition info for tons of foods.

Thanks, all. I actually don't eat that terribly, I'm just not eating to lose weight. (I'm turning 33, and my "natural" eating habits don't keep me as thin as they once did). I cook for my family (I have 3 young kids - whose gestation caused me to put on plenty of weight, haha!) and we have made a point to do all in our power to avoid them learning the bad food habits we picked up as kids. So dinners, which we always eat as a family, are usually pretty good and balanced, mostly whole foods. I enjoy having the same breakfast everyday, and it fills me up and is healthy and low-calorie. Lunch is more complicated because I end up having to feed myself last after getting the kids' lunch together and often I'm quite hungry by that point. But my real problem is the munchies after kids go to bed - and the beer my husband and I like to have together once the house is quiet! I also tend to go back for seconds when I'm not counting calories, often doubling the calories on an otherwise healthy meal! Today was great, but I feel like this is always the kind of energy I have when I'm "starting over." Then something comes up - husband out of town, a trip, etc. where I get thrown off and have trouble regrouping. I appreciate the support, though. I'm really going to try to stay on the wagon this time!

It doesn't sound like not counting is the problem.  You know the areas that are holding you back or stalling your progress so I would write those down and come up with ways to deal with those issues and see if that helps.  You really don't have to count to lose weight, but you do have to be aware of the foods you are eating and your portion sizes.  You can do it!  I am close to my goal and trying to get away from cal counting and just maintain my weight with exercise and common sense when it comes to my diet.  Good luck :)

One of the advantages of marital bliss - to set off the disadvantage of living with someone who is liable to bring home calorie-dense foods - is that you have someone to give your calories to! (Assuming your hubby doesn't have a weight problem.) When I can't resist the urge to share a beer or glass of wine with my husband, I will drink half of the beverage (or less), and then give the rest to him. He never says no! :) Just pace yourself, go slow, so that when he's about done, you still have lots left, so you have a reason to say "here, want some?" That works with dessert too, and overly-carb-laden side dishes, and just about everything :)

As for the snack - I get it, I like a snack before bed too. Plan for it. Make sure you have something tasty but healthy on hand. A piece of fruit, a cup of fat-free yogurt (maybe with a tiny bit of granola - if you make your own granola, you control what's in it), maybe some veggie sticks with hummus or baba ghanouj or homemade fat-free tatziki, whatever tickles your taste buds.

Plan your lunch when you aren't hungry, so you know exactly what you'll be eating. You'll be looking forward to it AND you'll know it's healthy. As for getting seconds, try eating slower than normal, so you give yourself time to feel full, and if you really want seconds, pile on veggies and just a little bit of meat/carbs.

BTW your kids are lucky to be growing up with a health-conscious mom! I always think how much better I'd have turned out if my parents ever read CC :)  

"But my real problem is the munchies after kids go to bed ..."

Plain, air-popped popcorn! One cup = 31cal, so scoop up a nice 2c measure of popcorn, and settle down for a snack (~62cal).