What happened

mawilliams130

Hello Everyone. I am feeling rather frustrated this evening. I have not been keeping track of my food intake and I reduced the number of days in the gym. Soooooo now I have gained 10 pounds instead of losing 15. This is so frustrating. I love sugar and I have used it as my reward during stressful times. Hints the 10 pounds. Just need some support. I am hard on myself and a perfectionist. My entire life has changed in a few months and I just dont know how to get back on track. One of my problems is traffic. Sounds weird huh? Due to the traffic, I spend at least 4 hours on the road M-F. This cuts into my gym time and makes me aggravated. By the time I get to my side of town I am cranky, starving, irritated, and tired. All I want to do is sleep. Therefore, I cook, eat, and go to bed. I eat 90 percent of my meals at home. I am new to the pescatarian lifestyle (seafood and plant based). How do you all stay motivated and what do you do about stress eating?

libbydoodle11

Are you able to join a gym close to where you work? This way you may be able to go either before or after work. When I lived out in the boondocks I used to pack a days worth of food, including dinner, water and 3 outfits. One for work, one for the gym and one for errands and then the ride home.

stephaniebnelson

Is it possible for you to work out at home? Maybe while your dinner's cooking? I get additional steps by marching in place, doing planks or other bodyweight exercises while I'm watching tv, waiting for my pasta water to boil, etc.

Refrigerator1

Okay, take a deep breath and and let's figure this out.

Do you get an hour for lunch? If so, do you have a place you can walk? Or do you have a lot of stairs you can climb in your building? If so, bring sneakers to work, eat lunch for 30 minutes and walk/climb stairs for the other 30. If neither of these are possible, then just make a pact with yourself that you will exercise on the weekend. Some is better than none right?

Pack your lunch and dinner in a cooler the night before. If you are really organized, you could pack a whole week of work meals on Sat or Sun. That way you just grab and go. Dinner meals would have to be easy to eat since you will be driving. Maybe a sandwich and some fruit. Or a grilled chicken wrap filled with veggies and an apple. The high protein lower carb will fill you up and the crunchy veggies/fruit will help with the stress of driving. You can chew out your frustrations instead of clenching your jaw. If you can eat dinner in the car (and drive safely) it will give you some down time in the evening. Do a PM yoga tape, take a hot bath, curl up on the sofa and watch TV.

So you had a minor blip in the road. Think about what obstacles you have to deal with and how you can get around them. Then make a plan and commit to it. You can do this!!!

mawilliams130

Thanks everyone. This is really great advice. I travel a lot for work but i think im going to have to re-organize my schedule to make sure I am back for lunch to take a walk or climb the stairs. I go to pivotal fitness and there are multiple locations. Maybe I can see if I can use my membership at the different locations. I tried working out at home...Im not so good at it. I like intense workouts like insanity with an instructor yelling at you. I really appreciate the encouragement. Quick Question: Does anyone use Endomundo or the other running apps? I dont think they are accurate. I walked for ab an hour and it said I burned 400+ calories.

shadowjack1965

Keeping track is the most important part of the journey. If you go over that's okay from time to time, but keep yourself accountable and KNOW how much you're taking in.

The A-number one fight we all have is in our minds. I can't tell you how many times I tried and failed, because my heart wasn't always in it. It was too easy to give up and fall back into food's welcoming arms.

For me, I had to get alone and get pretty medieval with myself and BREAK the stranglehold. The good news is once it broke, it stayed broke, and I've been working ever since at dropping the weight off and working out. The main question I asked myself was "why are you doing this? Do you actually want it or are you just faking it again? Either do it or don't, but if you're not serious then stop wasting everyone's time and go have another candy bar..."

(okay that wasn't so much a question as a conversation lol).

mawilliams130

Thanks shadowjack1965. I definitely want to lose the weight and keep it off. I cant fit into my clothes anymore and I cant afford new ones. I also dont like the way I look heavier which makes me very self-conscious. I just relocated to a different state, started a new job, and a list of other wonderful changes. I packed on the 10 pounds since May (the month I moved). I live in the low country which is known for food and culture. I have had a difficult time adjusting to the many changes and this is one.