help starting to fall off track

julieingalls

Well I've been at this for a month and starting to lose momentum. I'm starting to cheat on my diet and don't want to undo the little progress I've achieved. Any suggestions?

dwarfiegodsmack

are you restricting food groups? what is causing you to cheat? what is your calorie goal? are you set up with too big of a deficit?

Rockstar_sister

Everyone is different. Some people don't see how far they've come, others just really don't focus on the goal. As for me, I have a HUGE amount of weight I have to lose. It has definitely taken me a while to even get to where I am even ready to get back on track. I have a vision board, I have set small "rewards"/"goals" list - as you can see in profile picture. Find what works for you. I also just read the book, "The Shift" by Tory Johnson. That also helped my mindset. Absolutely and positively ABUSE My Fitness Pal and the people here to help!

Sassy_xo

It can be so hard to stay motivated! Here are a couple ideas I find helpful...

-Try to remind yourself of the reasons you started in the first place! Make a list of the reasons you wanted to lose weight/get healthier and keep it in your purse or somewhere close by,maybe even taped to the fridge, so you can pull it out and read it when you are tempted to make an unhealthy choice. Or, make a vision board! Take some magazines and cut out words and images that inspire and motivate you and hang it on your wall or fridge or somewhere you will see it often!
- Set small goals and offer yourself small rewards when you reach them. For example, set a small goal of going to the gym 3 times a week for a month. If you do it, reward yourself with some new songs for your workout playlist or a new cute workout outfit or even something pampering like a pedicure! If your goals are more nutrition/weight related, you could make your goal to drink 8 glasses of water a day for a week or get all your servings of fruit & veggies a day for a week, etc., and if you reach that goal reward yourself with a trip to the movies or a new nail polish color you've had your eye on. Having a small reward to look forward can make it easier to stick to your plans!
- Plan some accountability into your days! Have a buddy, whether it's someone on here or a friend, family member, or coworker, that you check in with each day about how you did that day and if you met your goals or not. Having someone to be honest and accountable with can help keep you on track!
- Make sure you are not too strict on yourself. If you set super unrealistic goals and then beat yourself up for not meeting them, it just gets frustrating and makes it hard to want to keep at it. Set small, reachable goals and celebrate your victories! Try not to be too overly restrictive with your diet. If you crave a treat, indulge in a small portion so you don't over do it later, and just make sure to log it and account for it in your day by making healthy choices the rest of the day! Also, don't beat yourself up if you go over one day or make one bad decision. We all have those days! Just learn from it, forgive yourself, and plan better so it won't happen the next time. Then, move on and start fresh the next morning!

No one is perfect, but if you want this bad enough I think these things can be helpful! Also, adding friends on here has been helpful for me! I would love to be your friend on here if you are looking for people to help encourage and support you! Shoot me a message anytime, I'm always willing to listen and will help in any way I can. Good luck, and please don't give up on yourself! You are worth it!

julieingalls

The biggest thing I'm struggling with is balance in time. I attend college full time work part time (but work almost full time hours) have a family. I joined the gym in December I've been going to the gym with a friend 4-5 days a week. I've been making smarter choices with food for the most part but I love to snack at night. I was doing really good taking the time to prepare my food but now I just want to grab something quick to eat for lack of time to prepare it. I just need to find that balance and easy to prepare meals. Thanks for all your guys help and suggestion I should have joined this board sooner. I've been on MFP since the beginning of Feb!

Essenaich

Prepare food ahead of time! Biggest time saver in the world, I attend college full time too 9 -4/5 every day and that little prep at night saves all of the hassle the next day. Plus if you do it at night it keeps you occupied and less likely to snack at night! Water, water is a life saver xD it really does help when you're in that moment of frustration.

julieingalls

I just really need to find a good balance. And yes I need to start preparing my food for the next day the night before!