I am looking for good advice. I have been trying to loose some weight for over 2 yrs now and it is always the same cycle. I start great, lots of motivation and then when the weekend is lurking its way... I found 1001 excuses to eat that delicious burger that seems to be calling my name. I am so frustrated!
I need help with my addiction to food, I am an emotional eater and for me food is a friend, its goodness but I hate what is doing to my body and self esteem.
Ufff it feels nice to vent!
You are more than welcome to give me advice, God knows I need a friend.
-Emi
Before I give you some advice, I'd just like to say, I have never dieted! I have read alot of healthy recipe books, and tips on living a healthy lifestyle, so I can give you some of those!
- Keep the junk food out of your house! If it's not there, you can't eat it!
- Many diets allow you to have one "cheat day", I'm sure you know what this is, but just in case you don't... you eat healthy all week, and if you feel you've done a good job, you allow yourself one day to eat whatever you wish. This doesn't affect your diet, really. Mario Lopez, who I'm sure you know also, (I hope!), goes all out on his cheat days, eating pizza, chips, pop, etc. Except, I don't really recommend that, maybe one slice of pizza and a handful of chips?
- There's lots of healthy recipes out there, to change the junk food you're eating! I recently bought a recipe book, Hungry Girl, it gives you healthy recipes by modifying the junk food out there. (Lots of people won't recommend this book as she likes t use sweeteners, etc., but she has a website you can go on, just search Hungry Girl on google, and see if you like it yourself!)
- This next tip is taken from my mom. If we're out at dinner, and my mom finds herself craving a hamburger, she gets it. She takes the top bun off, and eats it with her fork and knife. It may look a bit silly, but it cuts atleast 100 calories! (The buns are usually around 250 calories at restaurants), also, try ordering your hamburger plain, and adding your own toppings instead, so you can portion control! Also, by eating with a fork and a knife, it will slow down your eating, so you'll find yourself getting more full faster! Also, one last point on this one, haha, if the hamburger comes with fries, ask for a salad instead- just remember to ask for dressing on the side:)
- Get a gym membership! If you feel yourself feeling guilty over what you just ate, go to the gym, it will make you feel alot better, trust me, (talking from experience). Just don't become addicted to burning all of the calories you've eaten throughout the day :)
I hope this helped! (This was alot longer than I had intended, haha)
Thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate the helping hand. 
Hi Noei,
It is interesting to me that you said "for me food is a friend" and later said "God knows I need a friend."
I would think this may hold a key to your success. First you need to determine what is the definition of a "good friend". You say food is your friend but then you say "I hate what [it] is doing to my body and self esteem." That doesn't sound like a "good" friend to me.
A good friend will never harm you physically and certainly won't tear down your self esteem! So, when thinking of this situation what/who is good to your body? Well, some foods are not good for you but some foods are good for your body. And proper exercise is also good for your body. So both exercise and good food can be good friends. Exercise and eating healthy will also build your self esteem and never tear it down.
Since you called food your "friend", I think you should start thinking about which foods are really your good friends and which foods are really not your friend at all. To classify all food as the same isn't the right way to think about it. You need to think about each food choice differently. Some are good and some are bad.
Stay away from the ones that hurt you and get to know the ones that are good to you. IMO, thinking of food as a friend is not a bad thing as long as you pick the right friends (right foods). Does this make any sense? In other words, start picking your foods like you would pick friends and you will make much better choices.
Another good thing about using the friend analogy is that good friends are loyal to one another. Right? So be loyal to your new good friends: good food and exercise. Don't cheat on them! When the weekend comes, don't forget about them and leave them for some junk that treats you poorly in return. Be loyal to the good stuff!
Have a good weekend. We're here for you, too. I hope it goes well for you.
~ Beth
After I read my own posting I notice that anology too! Pretty sad I may say, since not long a go I was surrounded with human friends (not food friends) and I did not feel the need to run to the fridge and eat until I felt sick. Later on, I notice a period of isolation and depression that unfortunatelly I carry in my waist in the form of 30 pounds.
I wish I could let go of the guilt and have a possitive attitude towards losing weight. It seems to be such a long and lonely journey.
Thank you for your advice! :-)
Getting started is the hardest part. But pretty soon it will become a way of life with rewards along the way. I've lost 25 lbs. Now, it seems like it's been fast but it hasn't always felt that way. I still have 29 lbs to go, too.
Set yourself some little goals. Keep one pair of pants in the size you are now but then as you loose weight get rid of everything that doesn't fit. Don't allow yourself to go back! I shop at thrift stores mostly until I reach my goal, then I'm going to start sewing again.
Early on I did other little things to make myself feel positive about myself. I got a manicure for the first time in my life and got my ears re-pierced. I bought myself some new shoes. I didn't need to be smaller to enjoy those little treats. But it was my way of treating myself like I was worthy of being pretty. And the first time I dropped a size, Oh my! That was really rewarding.
So just get started. Stay on track. STAY POSITIVE! Don't allow yourself to get down about the process because that is your biggest enemy. If you mess up, just get right back up and keep going.
Log everything! It will really help. Journaling also helps or at least it has helped me.
~ Beth
WOW great advice you have going on here.....let me add a couple things
Yes get junk outta house....outta sight, outta mind....for the most part
keep delicious low cal, healthy snack available for immediate consumption. I always keep containers of cut/washed cucumbers, canteloupe, watermelon, yogurt, grape tomatoes, and even peeled clementines/oranges ready at a moments notice. For me, when i'm hungry, easy to find food is the key. If all these delicious choices are always available, it's so much easier!
Also, invest in a vegetable steamer if you don't have one already. I love to eat....I love the taste of food.....you'd be surprised what you can do to make vegetables at lunch and dinner time taste great! Experiment with different spices. I stay clear of salt. I LOVE mrs. dash and her many many different kinds of spices which are ALL salt free!
Try different cooking techniques with vegetables. My newest addiction is roasted veggies. You should def. try roasted green, yellow, red peppers along with onions chopped....sprinkled with mrs dash seasonings and roasted in oven! It's TO DIE FOR!!!!
Always make sure your dinner (and lunch if you can) plates are at least HALF full of veggies! There are so many different kinds that it's important to switch things up often so you dont get bored.
I agree with midwife, this whole eating well has turned into a way of life for me. I feel better physically AND mentally. I notice my anxiety has dropped to almost nothing (except minor scare with my puppy this week) and even my thinking has cleared!!!! Wanna hear something else weird? My eye sight has improved! My opthamologist was worried about my eye sight last appt last year and this year he couldnt believe the changes all around.
If you need any advice or just a bit of motivation, message me ANY time!
~H~
Third, after about three weeks of just concentrating on the exercise, start keeping a diary (use calorie count for the ease of it, but don't do anything other than acknowledging the intake..if you take in 1700...then you took in 1700...if you took in 2200...then you took in 2200). Fourth, after 2 weeks of acknowledging and keeping up on the exercise, begin a bit of substitution, (mornings...fiber one cereal...or better yet egg beaters with morning star sausage), lunch (BBQ chicken...lil lemon and some Mrs. Dash..yum!, a pear, and a fiber one bar (I love the chocolate ones..yum!), dinner (do you like healthy choice tv dinners? No? try a receipe from calorie-count that looks good...or something from a food TV show that is simple (Rachel Ray perhaps?) that is easy and healthful). Don't agonize if you still cheat a little but remember write it down and keep up on the exercise.
By now you should have gone 2 months since beginning this. From here do a pulse check on how you feel (mentally, physically) and let us know!
If you're more likely to binge on weekends consider going to a fitness club, go hiking, or any exercise on these days. In my experience (when I was fit 10 years ago) I have better control with portions or avoiding junk food when I do some moderate aerobics. Part of the reason is the energy does not make me feel depressed. Or if you still give in to the burger, at least you burned enough calories to offset what you consumed.
A change of lifestyle can also affect you for better or worse. I've also been trying to lose weight for the last three years with little effect due to not having consistency in what I eat and a regular exercise program. This is when I started teaching overseas, socialized and traveled a lot. For two weeks now I've been a stay-at-home mom and have no more excuses. Like what others said, I got rid of all the junk food in the house and opened an account here in CC+ to monitor my calories.
If that is a current picture of you, you may be having trouble because you may be at a healthy weight which makes it harder to lose. You look terrific! If it's not, or if you want other, more specific advice, post your stats (age, weight, height, activity level, etc.)
But--again, based on the picture--if I had your body, I'd be darn happy!
As for the burger, go for it! Make your own using the leanest meat and smallest serving you can still enjoy. I make my sandwiches on 1/2 slice of bread and I double over the "fillings," so the sandwich is really thick and satisfying. Try this with the burger, too.
Good luck!
