Is this a realistic plan?

amother

OP ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 10:45 am

I'm one of those people who have tried every diet, lost and gained weight many times etc. I have 50-70 lbs to lose and have been in the binge/restrict cycle pretty intensely in the last 4 years and hovering between 200-220 lbs while I did so.
My eating is quite disordered and my mental health around all this is quite exhausted. Part of me just wants to give up but the logical part of me knows that this is terrible for my health. I am afraid of the shots and frankly can't afford them. I know that I am at the end of my road/rock bottom with diets and restriction.
In the past 3 months or so I have been just trying to make healthier choices. I have not cut out anything officially and I still have binges, I'm losing a bit and some weeks gaining a bit but overall its a slow downward trend.
I'm wondering if this is sustainable or the way to go. Am I just going to lose and regain it like every other time but just take much longer to lose it? Is there a way to keep myself motivated for the long term or is this just another form of dieting that will fail again?
What are your thoughts?

Cheiny

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:24 am

amother OP wrote:

Everyone I know who took it off and kept it off did so by cutting down on carbs and eliminating sugar. The great thing about that is it kills the cravings and hunger, which is usually the pitfall of every failed dieter. Sugar and carbs increase hunger and cause cravings. If you can significantly cut down on those, you’ll find you’re much less hungry and the cravings are gone.

Writing down what you eat also helps as it helps you be accountable.

Also, if you can add in some activity or exercise, even daily walks, that speeds up the process.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:44 am

Cheiny wrote:

Cutting carbs and sugar has created the worst binge restrict cycles I've ever had. It's exactly what I've been battling the last few years. Unfortunately cutting out carbs and sugar has not eliminated my cravings, if that worked I would have considered this years ago and would no longer be obese. Every time I decide to work on my weight again, I'm told the same advice (cut out carbs and sugar) and try again and lose nicely until I crash and burn, binge eat and regain all the weight plus, until I'm desperate enough to try it again.

I'm specifically trying not cutting things out and eating mostly healthy and seeing if this can work. I need a long term sustainable plan of action. Wondering if this can work long term and if there are ways to up the chances of not burning out.

amother

Saddlebrown

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 12:22 pm

amother OP wrote:

Have you looked into intuitive eating?
I think that may be what you're looking for.

The best content creators on this IMHO are (youtube):

SoheeFit
Abbey Sharp
Colleen Christensen

The book is also immensely helpful.
Hatzlacha.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 2:21 pm

What I consider healthy: high protein, high fiber, unprocessed foods.
My goal is to eat this way 80% of the time.

My problem with IE is that it is specifically not designed for weightloss and I do need to lose weight.

When I cut out carbs and sugars, I cut out all sweeteners completely.

amother

Blue

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 2:59 pm

I've posted a few times in recent months about my 40 lbs weight loss thanks to simple calorie restriction. Not going back to retelling all of it, but -
cutting out carbs never worked for me, it made my past diets fail and made me binge eat. Not every diet approach is right for everyone.
Allowing myself carbs and nearly everything else freely within a calorie restriction framework has worked for me well for the last 11 months.
It's like a cross breed of intuitive eating and calorie counting. I eat what I want, but stop at my calculated daily ceiling. Right now that stands at 1450 calories a day for weight maintenance and my weight is stable.

amother

Crocus

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 3:32 pm

Don’t cut any carbs just count calories
Only way to lose fat weight sustainably and keep it off is calorie deficit

Continue eating what you’re eating just start tracking .

Goal weight x 12
Is the amount of calories you should eat a day .
You can multiply those calories a day by 7 and make higher caloric intake on shabbos weekends and cut back more during week
Doesn’t matter as long as you stay in that range and not go over 100 -200 cal

zaq

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 3:33 pm

Yes, OP, this sounds slow but sustainable, though you should eventually try to get away from bingeing. (I assume you mean true binges, not "I went to a Shabbos Sheva Brochos catered by the top-rated caterer in the hemisphere and ate too much at every meal." That's a normal setback, not a binge.)
I posted in the past about a friend who lost a good 100 lbs or so by "making better choices" (her words) and taking baby steps. It took a few years but she never "went on a diet." She still ate fast food sometimes, she still had coffee and a Danish for breakfast sometimes--but not every day and not mindlessly and by reflex. She deliberated before indulging and made sure that she really wanted that specific indulgence as opposed to eating it just because it was there or because everyone around her was eating it. (I can still hear her say "I decided that Oreo cookies aren't worth it.") She changed her eating patterns very gradually, one change every so often, e.g. eating more leafy green vegs; switching over a period of many moons from cream to whole milk to low-fat to skim milk in her coffee; getting off the bus a stop or two early; gradually reducing portion sizes, that sort of thing. All very slow and gradual and nothing fanatical.

↑ shanie5 ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 6:20 pm

amother OP wrote:

What about fats? Do you eat them or eat low fat? Fats fill you up and keep you satiated longer than carbs will.

When you binge, is it because you are hungry, moody, tired, angry, lonely, missing certain foods?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 10:55 am

shanie5 wrote:

I don't eat low fat. I eat lots of healthy fats.

I usually binge to recover from intense experiences, like a wind down. The types of foods I binge on are usually foods that I limit - white carbs. Crackers, cereal, bread, cake, cookies, these style foods. I can eat these foods without bingeing them but if I'm bingeing it's on these foods.

PrairieFairy ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 11:56 am

Sounds like balanced eating in moderation would serve you. It's similar to what you're doing but a little more informed so it can elp you achieve your goals faster and more serenely.

Like you said, cutting food groups results in binging. No carbs/sugar may work for some ppl but in my experience it is counterproductive and harmful if you have the cycle you mentioned.

So calorie counting but with macros so there's balance. Based on your current height and weight, stick to a certain calorie amount and macro balance. Split over 3 meals and 3 snacks. (Gets the body used to food and trusting that you will feed it. Even if less calories, the consistency will help increase your metabolism and let your body let go of weight faster. In restrict binge mode, the body is sort of in famine mode and holds onto weight more since it's not sure when the next "restrict/famine" will be).

You can pm for more specific info. It's a really hard cycle, but with intention and the right approach (listening to your intuition, not cutting out food groups, balance etc), it can really be a sustainable life experience around food and weight loss.

Like others said, it's intuitive eating with structure and intentionality. Eventually, when at a healthy weight for you, you'll be able to transition into regular intuitive eating easily as well. Sending hugs and hope!

↑ shanie5 ↓

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 7:08 am

amother OP wrote:

Define healthy fats? Because saturated fat, which has been demonized for decades, has never been scientifically proven to be unhealthy. So butter, cream cheese, sour cream, coconut oil, chicken and meat fat are all healthy. And filling.

Is there a way to keep the biniging foods out of the house? Not easy if you have kids, I know.
One way that helps me keep on track is to have a space just for the foods I do/can eat. So if I NEED to eat, I go there first. And keep it stocked. The 'keep away from' foods are kept in a different pantry.

amother

↑ OP

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 12:38 pm

shanie5 wrote:

I can't remove all white carbs from my home no. BH I have a family and guests a lot so that's not at option.
Once my brain decides to binge no tricks work, it's like a done deal in my head, I'll find the food wherever it is. Preventing bingeing is obviously key here.
Healthy fats are nuts, avocado, butter, olive oil, avo oil, full fat Greek yogurt etc. (this is how I define it).

↑ shanie5

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 5:05 pm

amother OP wrote:

Is there sugar in the yogurt? That can take away from the helpful effects of the fat and protein.

Have you tried therapy for the binge eating?

This is a test on carb sensitivity. Maybe take it and see how sensitive you are to carbs? It's from the website diagnosesdiet.com. Dr. Georgia Ede is a psychiatrist who treats with diet as well as meds and has found lots of success. I know she mentioned binge eating in her book and how changing the diet has helped people with it.
(By the way, if I'm being annoying rather than helpful, let me know and I will stop. I want to help, not hurt or annoy)

https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/.....-quiz

↑ PrairieFairy

Mon, Sep 02 2024, 7:07 am

amother OP wrote:

Agree that preventing binges are going to be key. What insight do you have in terms of why the binges happen?

Other than the restriction? If it's just the restriction, you have to begin including those foods in your diet. They lose their appeal. It can be scary to do that but after a couple weeks your body and mind adjust so it's not the same "release" anymore. You'll have a more intuitive and logical voice to make more nourishing food choices for you without the restrict-binge thought process interfering.

Of course, will need other coping mechanisms and to address the root if it's more than just the restriction mentality causing it.

Eat the binge foods/carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don't control them at all (that's still restrictive). Give yourself permission, but eat a reasonable amount (based on height/weight TDEE) for each meal. The intention is to reach a point where the binge foods are just food and have no mental appeal.

And in terms of the wind down, make a proactive list of vegging and supportive activities that van do that. Movie? Bath?