Not a diet, but a lifestyle change

Sweetheart6lk

Hey everyone, I'm Laura. I have yo-yo dieted for too long and am frankly sick of it. I have tried a variety of different products that have claimed I'd lose weight quickly.. but to no avail. In 2008 i said i would lose 60 lbs to get to my goal weight of 150# for my wedding in 2009. Well.. my wedding came and went, and the only thing i gained were a lot of crock pots and 7 more #s to bring my weight to 217 as I walked down the isle. Although feeling pretty, i felt like a wale. So then i was on the same endeavor to lose 67 lbs by this May before me and my husband went to Mexico. I knew I could do it and i would be so motivated, I had even joined this website by then. But, I lost 10 lbs then became thoroughly discouraged not losing 10 lbs a week like i had envisioned, so again i quit and went to mexico at 220#s. When i got back i swore up and down that I had lost weight while i was there, but then last Thursday i stepped on the scale and saw my all time highest weight ever... 229#... I started to cry. Then I started to think. For the first time ever, I revealed my weight to my husband. I thought, well.. i live with the man, it would probably be a good idea to recruit him to keep me in check. He is very supportive and understanding... and in extremely good shape so i figure he's got a few things he could teach me. Then I decided i would wipe the cob webs off my bike, started riding it again and walking each day. Last but not least, i cleaned out my fridge and logged back in to My Fitness Pal for the first time in a couple of months. I feel different this time, but I NEED ALL OF YOUR HELP! please friend me, comment to me and keep me motivated. It was only 5 years ago i tipped the scales at 170#, and 2 years before that 145#. I would like to get back down to my goal of 150#. I vow i will join walking challenges and do whatever else i have to to stay on track. Ok, so thats my story and Im sticking to it! :glasses:

StaceG1986

Hi, I have never been able to stick out a 'diet' before joining here, but now I am making lifestyle changes rather than dieting it has helped me loads and I've been successful since January! You CAN do this with us lot to motivate you I will send you a friend request

confuseacat

Isn't it crazy how we buy into the diet industries idea that we have to lose 10 lbs in 3 days?! We just set ourselves up for disappointment and failure. Slow and steady is the only way to do it and eating instead of starving yourself helps you stay on track. I have been doin' this since March and as ling as I log in everyday no matter if I use the food diary or not, I keep on going with the support of friends. I wish you much success!

my2loves04and06

My story is very similar to yours! Even our weights and goals are pretty right on. I'll help you to stay accountable if you help me. I'm really good at falling off the bandwagon if left unsupervised!

mammakisses

I can relate to you I have yoyoed all my life as well. I went all the way to 207 when I was pregnant with my last baby, and afterwards it took a while before I lost any weight. Now I'm 155 and my goal is to be 125. I think that it will be a constant challenge for the rest of my life to lose and maintain a healthy weight. I have been trying the raw diet lately and I like it. I think it's all about finding what is right for you. I'm a SAHM so if you would like some encouragement you can add me as a friend I could deffenately use some myself sometimes. Best wishes!

twoes

Good luck hon. Once you start and you lose like 5 or 10 lbs it is easy to keep going. You look forward to those weigh-ins to see how much progress you've made. Just remember, to start small and don't change your whole life overnight. You'll feel unfulfilled and fall off the wagon before you get all the way on. Slow and steady wins the race, and if you're not willing to patient for a one to two lb a week loss, you'll always gain the weight back because you didn't truly earn it! Work to get that weight off and you won't want to ever put it back on. I'll be happy to help you along the way. Get that before pic up!!! :flowerforyou:


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Robin304

HI Laura! Congratulations on making such a positive change in your life. I too tried all kinds of quick fix diets through the years and ended up weighing 325 lbs. Then something finally clicked in my mind that diets don't work (at least for me). I started thinking about changing my life. I started with my new lifestyle on Oct 1, 2009. I set small goals for myself rather than being overwhelmed by the huge amount of weight I needed to loose. I still have trouble being motivated to exercise and l have more weight to lose, but I'm getting there. I'd love to help you stay motivated and for you to motivate me too. Good luck!

RushinBruisette

First off, Welcome Laura!! Second, congrats on starting the site up again. That's a move in the right step!! I've sent a friend req your way I have 3 threads you may want to check out if you need any motivation:

Labor Day Challenge: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/94171-labor-day-challenge
5lbs a Month Challenge: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/99431-lose-5-pounds-a-month-june-2010-challenge
100Mile Challenge: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/100747-my-100mile-challenge
I am also doing a Couch to 5k plan, found at coolrunning.com and there is a thread for that as well: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/98489-couch-to-5k-anyone

Good luck on your lifestyle change journey!! I've been going at it for 2months now and I love it!

donsch

YOu have got it right--it is not a diet!! IT is a lifestyle change. I believe you can do it!!Surround your self with positive quotes and positive people--it is amazing what that can do!!
This is one of my quotes -if you can't budge the pudge you've got to move the sludge!! put this on my desk and it helped me remember that walking--even to the end of the hall was movement and it counts!
I also keep myself encouraged by bible verses--That really halps!
Have a good week-end.

Sweetheart6lk

You all are amazing! thank you so much for the encouragement, tips, links to motivations sites and most of all... your support! Now, i need to figure out how to set all thos mini goals, how cool and what a great idea! :happy:

kkwilli

I"m with you only a few pounds heavier. I think my drug of choice is food and that is hard to kick because we all know we need food to live. I have a crazy life right now and I turn to good old comfort foods to make me feel better. It doesn't work, but at the moment I do get something out of it..I must or why would I keep porking it in? I am with you and will gladly be a support. My son is getting married Labor Day weekend and I would love to be in better shape and look better in a dress than I currently do. Thanks for the post and maybe we can motivate each other on here! Have a healthy day!

SHBoss1673

Laura,

I'm glad you've had this realization, and that you're willing to make the lifestyle changes you need to succeed. Since this is something you want to pursue, I'll give you a few pointers that maybe will help you.


from the mental side:

1) figure out what happened. Why did you start to gain in the first place, I mean really dig deep, were there emotional issues that are involved? It's not required to solve all your emotional issues to lose weight, but it is required to recognize them for what they are, only then can you release yourself from food as a fallback.

2) do you have any triggers? At least to start, the best way to avoid eating too much is avoid the situations in which you did that.

from the physical side:

1) write out a weekly food map, and FOLLOW it. I know exercise is great, but it's YOUR FOOD that will determine whether you succeed or not. You can exercise all day, every day, but if you eat crap, or eat too much, you won't lose the weight!

2) pre-bag daily snacks. If you pre-make your snacks you are less likely to overeat. If you buy crackers or chips or anything, ok, not the best thing in the world, but not necessarily the worst either, just split them up into single servings.

3) be BRUTALLY honest with yourself. Don't underestimate calories.

4) ask others to hold you accountable. People you love, tell them about your goals and hopes, setting a goal is fine, but telling someone else the goal gives it teeth, many people don't like to fail in public view, if you're the only one who knows about a goal, it's much more likely that you will bend your own rules.

5) Make your goals long term but achievable. I.E. 10 lbs a week is just plain unrealistic for most of us. You're better off setting a 1 year goal with a few waypoints in the middle (like every 3 months).

6) set multiple goals. Having 1 goal is great, but many people hate the idea of 1 thing being their measure of success or failure. Set a weight goal, and an inches goal, and an exercise goal, and a dress size goal. Write them all down, think about them, and set waypoints (partial goals) in the middle. This way even if you don't make one goal, you have others to work with.

6a) Don't just set goals, explain them. Goals are great, but having a goal without having a plan to get you to that goal is essentially useless. You need to get specific. If your goal is weight loss, write down how you will acheive that weight loss, what your deficit will be, what your exercise will entail, how often you will check, what you will do if you have a bad month, what you will do if you have to go away for a few days...etc. this way it becomes a plan of attack instead of just a "wish".

7) Don't settle for 1 type of exercise. Exercise becomes stale, no matter how much you may love the elliptical, eventually you'll either get bored, or your body will become used to it, and you'll essentially be lying to your self about how many calories you are burning. Get creative with your exercise, do different things, try new stuff, work at different paces on different days, and make sure you give your body a rest every couple of days.

these are a few things that may help you get off on the right foot.

best luck to you lady!

LittleSpy

Hey guess what -- you can do this!!!
Arm yourself with knowledge and determination & you will be successful.

richiewoowoo

You are doing a great job! I just started yesterday and I am looking forward to doing this lifestyle change as a family!!!

Sweetheart6lk

Thank you, thank you, thank you!