Slow, Incremental Changes or All In?

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SweetLifeHarmony
SweetLifeHarmony Posts: 3
in Getting Started
Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who waited until January 1 to get healthy. But here I am. I lost 80 pounds with MFP a couple of years ago and then got re-stupid. So, time to get un-stupid again.

Here's my question....I know what I need to do...but do I go "all in" with 45 min of cardio, 20 gallons of water (or 8-12 glasses, whichever), etc., or should I ease into it with improvements but not necessarily ultimate goals?

I know, I know, it sounds like I'm not fully committed to this, but here's what you need to know...I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of girl. If I can't achieve perfection, I get frustrated and think "why bother at all?" I've failed many times before because of this mentality.

So, any advice for an "old newbie" with perfectionist issues?

Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Slow, sustainable changes you can keep up forever. At least, that's my plan. :D
  • Samina1215
    Samina1215 Posts: 35 Member
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    You're telling my story. All that I can offer is palshipv if you'd like ;)
  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
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    Let me tell you my story. I have had many failed diet attempts in the past. I can only stay motivated to maintain a bunch of new habits that go against my natural tendencies for maybe 2-3 weeks. Then I'd start binging and it all came back on.

    Last April, I decided NO DRASTIC CHANGES. I would just start working out, if even small to start. I wouldn't eliminate anything from my diet, just create a modest deficit. I wouldn't worry about not eating late at night, though I might adjust some of the choices I made. Guess what? In 2014 I actually made my weight loss goal! I've been maintaining a 30 lb+ loss for a month now and am confident that a modest, reasonable approach is what I've needed all along.

    I will say, the more months in you go, the more things you likely realize about yourself - and the way you tend to eat. I'd say I'm more motivated now to make good choices than I was at the start.

    Give yourself permission to make this a journey - not a sprint through January. Good luck!!!
  • BeTheChange352
    BeTheChange352 Posts: 253 Member
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    definitely start off slow and don't make the new changes until you're comfortable with the current.
  • funchords
    funchords Posts: 413 Member
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    Welcome back!
    SweetLifeHarmony wrote: »
    I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of girl. If I can't achieve perfection, I get frustrated and think "why bother at all?"

    The most useful thing you can do is to not let "good enough" become the opposite of perfect.
  • nerdymathgrrl
    nerdymathgrrl Posts: 270 Member
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    Perfectionism was my downfall with every previous weight loss attempt. This time I started slowly, eating at a deficit and slowly increasing exercise. (I didn't have much of a choice, since I started right after my son was born.) The best thing I ever did was allow myself to fail without feeling like a failure. I sent a friend request if you want support.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I took baby steps. First focused on food. Then added in activity. Then got more serious about exercise. Allow yourself the flexibility to change things along the way. What works for one person may not click with another. Good luck!
  • Revonue
    Revonue Posts: 135 Member
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    Slow at first, you can always work on "perfection" later. Remember, no one is or can be perfect. All we can do is try our best. Personally, I started slow on things that were relatively easy for me to change.
  • IlseMovesFIT
    IlseMovesFIT Posts: 3 Member
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    Start by making small changes to your diet and exercise routine to get back into things.
    Starting again too quickly might leave you injured or burnt out. Start small and grow it as you get stronger and back into the swing of things.
    Check out my video on ways to make your New years resolutions last
    http://youtu.be/zRdQ7_ZLBMk

    Best of luck
    xx
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    I chose small incremental changes. I knew if I jumped all in, that I'd be starving and miserable within a month. So, I chose one thing… the thing I thought would be easiest for me… and worked on that. Then little by little, did more. And a little over 8 months later… I'm still going strong. I also chose that approach because I figured it would be more conducive to making it a lasting change than jumping all in. I also aimed to be more process oriented rather than goal (or result oriented). For me a successful week is not about whether or not I lost weight or even inches, but if I got my workouts in and stayed at or below my calorie goal. One thing I have tried to remember… "if you focus on results, you'll never change. If you focus on change, you'll get results."
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
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    Very small changes. Start by logging everything you eat and your exercise.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    Depends if you want to loose wt in time for swimsuit season or are you looking to make this time around a true lifestyle change.

    Bad habits just as good habits are groomed over time and by repetition. So if you want a quick fix do it all at once because the reality is that rapid changes have difficult time sticking. But if you're looking to make this a lifestyle transformation then gradual baby steps are in order.

    Think Pavlov dog. It took most of us yrs to develop the bad habits so a simple question to ask yourself is how realistic is it to untrained my body and mind over a short period of time?

    My suggestion is to pick 1 or 2 not so healthy habits to retrain if you will and once the new healthier habits become second nature choose another 1 or 2 habits to improve. And so on Time consuming? Absolutely! But before you know it you will have transformed your entire lifestyle.

    Best of luck to you.

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