My way too long intro post :)

[endorfiend]

Hi nerds!

 

I am a long-time lurker who has been finding information and inspiration on this site for years. I have made some big changes in the past 2 years but find that while my commitment to exercise has been consistent, my commitment to nutrition is still more of a struggle. This is a crazy-long post so feel free to skip down to the TL:DR at the bottom

 

My back story. I was always tall and lanky as a kid and pretty much stayed that way as a teenager thanks to sports and decent eating habits. I gained some weight in college but quickly lost it in my early 20s when I became probably the thinnest I have ever been in my life. I weighed about 140lbs (I'm 5'10) but sadly this was due to not taking care of myself at all – I drank way too much coffee, smoked cigarettes and barely ate from stress and then would binge-eat pizza on the weekend when I was out drinking with friends. My weight was low but I became depressed and horribly anxious and began having panic attacks, one that landed me in the emergency room when I was 26.

 

Soon after this experience I was put on a bunch of anti-anxiety meds, some of which made me absolutely starving, and I began to rapidly gain weight. I can't say it was all due to medication because I was barely exercising and my eating habits basically consisted of the lobby vending machine. From ages 26 to 31, I put on about 50lbs which made me feel uncomfortable in my own skin, both physically and emotionally. I was always tired, irritable and achey. My anxiety had improved a little but I still felt depressed and now I was medicating that depression with sugar and processed snacks in addition to prescriptions.

 

Cut to 31-years-old and I weighed 200lbs. I was still struggling with depression and anxiety and beginning to feel pretty hopeless that I would ever feel much better. After a difficult break up where my live-in boyfriend moved out, I bought a groupon for some boot-camp classes with the intention of doing more things outside of my now-empty apartment. The first time I went to boot camp I couldn't even make it through 10 minutes without having to sit down, the second time I made it through 20 minutes. But I decided I had to keep going back – I was so sick of feeling crummy and really just wanted to do something good for myself. I started going 2-3 times a week and after about a month I could not believe how much better I felt. I lost about 12lbs that first month but even better, my mood was brighter, my skin was clearer and I felt energized rather than depleted all the time. I was totally hooked.

 

Feeling inspired by the improvements I was making exercising, I also started loosely following the paleo diet. I cut out grains and sugar and most of the dairy I was eating. I wasn't especially stringent, especially about dairy, but I totally cut out diet soda and probably 90% of the processed food I was eating. At that point the weight really started to fall off and suddenly my arms had some definition and I had cheekbones again!

 

Now, two years later, I go to the gym on average 5 times a week. I go to barre, pilates, kick boxing, circuit training, weight training, yoga, tabata, spin classes – you name it. I have lost 50lbs in total and am now at 150lbs. I sleep well, feel good about myself and no longer need medication to treat depression or anxiety. Exercise is honestly the best medication I could have ever found for the host of physical and mental symptoms I was facing.

 

So, why post here now? Well first of all, THANK YOU Nerd Fitness and the rebellion for all the help and inspiration over the past two years. I never posted but I always kept up with the blog. This is actually the website that convinced me that weight training would not make me some sort of hulking monster but actually help my lose weight and keep my metabolism humming along. Now I love weight training, I actually prefer it to most cardio, and I do it 2-3x a week.

 

But the other reason I am posting here is that while I easily motivate to go to the gym, I have a hard time maintaining motivation when it comes to my diet, especially when it comes to sugar. A lot of badness has been totally eradicated: I don't drink alcohol or soda and I don't smoke cigarettes. I tend to eat pretty healthfully during the weekdays (less so on the weekends) and I certainly eat way more fresh produce and lean protein then I did a few years ago. But I still have these late-night sugar binges (a sleeve of oreos or a pint of ice cream in one sitting) that seem to come in waves. I'll be good for a few days then bad for a day or two.

 

I think a big problem with my motivation is that so far – as long as I keep exercising – I have been able to sugar-binge without regaining weight. I won't lose weight when I do this, but I don't seem to gain it back either. So I may have a week or two of eating healthfully and I lose some weight then I eat badly and my weight plateaus. Now that I'm at a comfortable weight, weight-loss isn't an especially huge motivator and it's harder for me to resist sugar binges when I'm stressed or sad. I worry I'm falling into old patterns and annoyed at myself for diminishing all the hard work I'm doing at the gym by eating garbage. I know that weight loss isn't the only reason to avoid sugar and that I actually feel better when I'm not eating it regularly, but when I get these cravings I just don't care.

 

Does anybody have any advice on this or is facing something similar?

 

Thanks again nerds!

 

 

TL:DR – I gained a lot of weight in my 20s due mostly to medications, I lost it thanks to exercise. I am now an exercise nut but I need help managing my diet. Or, more accurately, maintaining my motivation around diet/sugar intake.  

[Elastigirl]

Welcome! It is hard when you get to that point of comfortable weight. FOr one thing, it's just harder to lose once you are at a lower weight. Plus, it is about that time that you really have to focus on eating that will help you throughout your life, not just a short time of losing. I struggle with that too. Some things that help me 

 write a list of reasons why you want to avoid sugar

have a predetermined set of rules that works for you for sugar- ie.- times a week, special desserts, 

I try and save my sugar for good treats, not just store bought cookies that are offered to me or cheap candy

limit serving sizes- it's amazing how small those size are when you check

eat to enjoy the food, not to make a bad day good, because sugar only fixes things for about 10 minutes, and then you still have the problem to deal with