Is The First Week The Hardest Week?

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  • DonnaHilston
    DonnaHilston Posts: 21 Member
    Eight days and I'm not exactly suffering but I'm also not losing any weight. I started a clinical trial smoking cessation program on March 4 and gained 10 pounds between then and April 4 and I was seriously overweight before the 10 lb gain. I was doing really great at not smoking until I started dieting so now I'm pretty much not getting anywhere with both. But I WILL NOT give up on either!
  • sculptcha
    sculptcha Posts: 163 Member
    like many, i was stoked in the beginning, so that's what helped me stick to my calorie goals (for the most part). but it wasn't easy. i fought off cravings because i knew i had to. it got easier once i started seeing results and feeling more energetic. i still get cravings, but they aren't as bad as they were the first few weeks. i have days when i am soooo hungry and no amount of food will sate me, but other days, as long as i make good food choices, i feel great. at the end of the day, when i complete my food and exercise diary, it makes me feel just as good about exercising my self-control as it does to burn 500 calories doing physical exercise.

    but then sometimes after i complete the diary under my goal, i go and eat a handful of oreos. so yeah. it gets easier, but it's still a daily struggle.
  • sculptcha
    sculptcha Posts: 163 Member
    oh as for tips for snacking; it's not a sexy answer, but try healthier snacks.
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    Actually, the hardest week was any one of the weeks that lead you to being overweight and out of shape. Those were the real pain.
    You can't know this yet but, once you've made so progress, you'll realise than no exercise or healthy food choice is harder than being afraid of a flight of stairs or not finding clothes that fit.
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
    Read the success threads!

    ^^ THIS. Definitely. Every day.

  • Allelito
    Allelito Posts: 179 Member
    For me personally, the first weeks were the easiest. I had all this newly found motivation and I was excited about my new decision to lose weight. Then a slump kinda happened, but after that I got back on track again and now I kinda "settled in" and it just feels natural and it feels like it's becoming a part of my lifestyle instead of just it being a diet, as it felt at first.
    Good luck! As people have said, check out some success threads and just collect as much motivation and inspiration as you can!
  • wils5150
    wils5150 Posts: 149 Member
    crazyjerseygirl wrote: »
    Read the success threads!
    This works for me ^^^^^
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,469 Member
    edited April 2015
    Is The First Week The Hardest Week?

    No.

    No ... the first week was one of the easier ones. The determination and some degree of enthusiasm were still there.

    This week ... week 8 ... has been a harder one because I've just come off a very active Easter where I could eat more because of the amount of exercising I was getting, right into a stressful university situation where I haven't been getting much sleep ... and I desperately want to eat more, but I'm not exercising enough to allow for that.
  • 17Yvonne2012
    17Yvonne2012 Posts: 3
    I find the chewing gum can help. It's like eating without the calories and you can even get different flavors if your craving sweets. Usually when people snack it's not becasue their hungry but because their bored. Find something hand on to do when you fill like snacking that also might help. Good luck :)
  • cheethnico
    cheethnico Posts: 57 Member
    I found 1st week easier as I was full of motivation it's the weeks after when life gets in the way and your shattered. I force myself on here read success stories and look online at all the cloths I would love to wear in summer and it motivates and gives me a boost
  • theston412
    theston412 Posts: 47 Member
    like many other posters, the 1st week was the easiest for me. I'm motivated! All these recipes I'm finding online look amazing! I can do this!

    Then, you're tired of salads for lunches. You're tired of salmon for supper and oatmeal for breakfast. You don't want to exercise because the thought of showering (for the 2nd time today) exhausts you and you haven't even gotten off the couch. This happened to me around week 5 or 6.
  • ladygusgoose
    ladygusgoose Posts: 20 Member
    I agree with many others saying the first one was the easiest, I think the hardest part is right after you stop losing fast, like one does when switching to a healthy routine from an unhealthy period, and you have to keep working with less instant reward (but be patient, as reward always does come!)
    MissusSpags wrote: »
    I find that keeping my hands busy [...] helps me.
    I am a big fan of having a tiny piece of paper to roll between my fingers, I basically play with it rolling and unrolling and bending until in the end it becomes soft as fabric... like a stress ball but since it changes texture in your hand it can be even more satisfying.

  • Lazz5k
    Lazz5k Posts: 251 Member
    personally I DONT think the first week is the hardest. YOU should be MOST motivated and determined in the beginning. THIS journey is sooo long and hard and full of temptation and laziness that as you go on, it gets harder and harder and harder. YOU HAVE TO SET GOALS. I set mini goal rewards for myself and it keeps me looking toward little things instead of the whole big picture. Read success stories, instagram #weightlossjourney or #transformationtuesday and get inspired. Get friends who are active & NEVER GIVE UP.
  • wonna13
    wonna13 Posts: 79 Member
    What helps is knowing that we are all in this together. Just think its someone on here that is struggling just like you they are doing it too. I read the Success board to keep going. Look up some healthy snacks that you may like.
  • amandammmq
    amandammmq Posts: 394 Member
    In some ways, the first week is both the easiest and the hardest. It's easy because you're gung ho to make a change, but it's hard because you're fighting against old habits. For you, it's the habit of snacking constantly.

    For me, I will snack if there are yummy snack foods around, so I have to NOT have those tasty snacks anywhere around me. for you, it might be different.

    For me:
    1. No snacky foods in the house. (crackers, cookies, chips, ice cream, cookies) I am just not capable of eating them sensibly. I really am not.
    2. Prep healthy snacks ahead of time so they're ready to go. I cut up veggie sticks and have hummus ready. I make batches of green smoothies. I have a "healthy" nut and seed mix ready to go, and portion it out into 1/4 cup servings. I seem not to overeat this stuff.
    3. Every morning, I try to take a moment to answer the question, "what am I going to do today to help myself reach my goals?" I think about what I have prepared for meals, think about what class I'm going to take at the gym, and also think about other goals I have (saving money, keeping the house clean, making social plans with friends.

    All in all, it's the planning ahead that seems to work out the best for me.

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