Why were you successful this time round?
itstartswithastep
Posts: 22
I am having trouble losing weight. While I am down three pounds I am fluctuating and bad habits are creeping in again and I am worried I am just going to go back to being unhealthy. I have honestly tried so many times, and I am finding it hard when my family is not being very supportive. I don't really have anyone to talk to and I am just finding it overwhelming really. Ok so I was just going to ask how come this time round was the time you lost weight, I mean I know personally why I am failing (not logging in consistently, giving in to eating rubbish, working out three times a week when I should be nearer to 5) but its just like I wake up and eat two bowls of breakfast and toast and stuff like that. I really need a kick up the backside to get back into gear, I don't really know what this post is for I mean I guess I have just been really bad the last week and in need of support and any help from your experiences getting back into it after a rough time and how you coped at the start of losing weight? It's like I cannot go more than 2 weeks without just giving up. Thanks
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Replies
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Focus on my goals
Inspiration from my girlfriend
Support from my core network of friends and family
Love of what I do (Again!)
Being happy0 -
I don't have a "this time around"... I only have a now. I try to make the best decisions I can as often as I can. Sometimes that means I have a really good day. Some times it doesn't. But in the long run, my good days out number my bad days and my progress, while slow, is still progress.
IMO, the drive and the dedication has to come from within. You can't rely on others to be helpful, supportive, etc. At some point the desire to be healthier. look better, and feel better has to outweigh the desire to eat like **** and be lazy. If it doesn't, you'll never see any meaningful, sustained progress.0 -
Because I really, really wanted it. I was fed up of being fat and unfit, and realised that only I could change that. So I did.0
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I took the extreme emotions out of it generally and just went about it reasonably. I used to cut out so many foods I loved, get discouraged if I didn't lose consistently, and had the mentality of "I'm done" when I reached my goal...thus going back to old habits.0
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I don't have a "this time around"... I only have a now. I try to make the best decisions I can as often as I can. Sometimes that means I have a really good day. Some times it doesn't. But in the long run, my good days out number my bad days and my progress, while slow, is still progress.
IMO, the drive and the dedication has to come from within. You can't rely on others to be helpful, supportive, etc. At some point the desire to be healthier. look better, and feel better has to outweigh the desire to eat like **** and be lazy. If it doesn't, you'll never see any meaningful, sustained progress.
I totally agree.
I feel so much better where I am now than where I was 31.2 pounds ago. If I focus on the fact that I've lost weight before and regained, what does it benefit me? I'm focusing on the fact that I'm doing really, really well right now and am really committed. It helps me too that I've found a workout schedule that I totally love and boot camp classes that are really having a major impact.0 -
I have been really motivated and I know that it will take time. It isn't a quick fix. Luckily I have lost consistently, which motivates me even more.
I lost some weight last year and was really motivated. Then after a vacation I stopped all together. I know to learn from my mistakes before. I treat it as a lifetime "diet". So I still have a sweet if I want it. Or if we go to dinner I will have a drink. I just know that I can't do it every day. It is all about moderation. I have lost 26 pounds since the beginning of march.0 -
I am having trouble losing weight. While I am down three pounds I am fluctuating and bad habits are creeping in again and I am worried I am just going to go back to being unhealthy. I have honestly tried so many times, and I am finding it hard when my family is not being very supportive. I don't really have anyone to talk to and I am just finding it overwhelming really. Ok so I was just going to ask how come this time round was the time you lost weight, I mean I know personally why I am failing (not logging in consistently, giving in to eating rubbish, working out three times a week when I should be nearer to 5) but its just like I wake up and eat two bowls of breakfast and toast and stuff like that. I really need a kick up the backside to get back into gear, I don't really know what this post is for I mean I guess I have just been really bad the last week and in need of support and any help from your experiences getting back into it after a rough time and how you coped at the start of losing weight? It's like I cannot go more than 2 weeks without just giving up. Thanks
I had an awesome support team. joined a group that was doing the same program as me and logged workouts and nutrition everyday. we all kept each other on track. Besides that, i did whatever it took to stay focused and really though about what i was eating before i ate it.0 -
Because my husband is eating the same foods and working out with me every morning. Last year it was really hard when he was eating every unhealthy thing under the sun and I was trying to stick with the program. In January he found out he was diabetic and had high blood pressure, so he decided things had to change. It really helped me when he decided to get healthy. Since mid-January he has lost 86 lbs and is almost to his goal, and I have lost 62 lbs and have 31 more to go. Support is everything, wherever you can find it!0
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My heart is in it this time. I am passionate about weight loss and don't just see it as numbers dropping from the scale, but I see the overall fitness I gained from it.
I also feel so much better about myself, and after "forcing" myself to workout for about a month and diligently logging my food, it just becomes a habit, like brushing my teeth, so when I do fall off the wagon, I just feel disgusting (like not brushing your teeth for a week) and I just need to get back on it otherwise I'd have that nagging feeling in the depths of my mind.
And not to mention that actual weightloss, definitely a motivation. I just do not want to return to where I was then.0 -
Because I really, really wanted it. I was fed up of being fat and unfit, and realised that only I could change that. So I did.
This! You have to do some soul searching and really assess if you're willing to make the necessary changes to lose weight and become healthier. It is a lot of hard work and dedication, but it doesn't have to be terrible either. A modest calorie deficit, more exercise, and a long term view will get you there.
I also think maintenance needs a lot of thought and planning. Are you willing to make dietary and exercise changes permanent lifestyle changes? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to lose weight and not have a solid plan for maintaining that weight loss.0 -
Once I got started and saw the results, I couldn't stop!! I've become addicted to being healthy!!0
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I think it is because I am now of the mindset that this is my life now.
I lost weight before, but I was really focused on how quickly it would happen and how good I would look afterwards. I got to my goal, actually, and then I thought, well I'm done. Guess what? Changing your eating habits isn't a short-term thing. It is a life-long thing. When I stopped watching what I ate and being active the weight slowly crept back up again.
When I got to where I was unhappy and uncomfortable with myself again I decided to make a change. This time around is no longer a "this time around"; it is my life. I eat fairly healthy 80-90% of the time, but still have burgers, pizza, beer, etc...just not everyday all the time and in the mass quantities I used to consume before.
Once you can decide this is your life and start making little changes towards your new life you will be set and nobody can stop you. While support from friends and family is awesome, it isn't necessary. This is about you!0 -
I don't have a "this time around"... I only have a now. I try to make the best decisions I can as often as I can. Sometimes that means I have a really good day. Some times it doesn't. But in the long run, my good days out number my bad days and my progress, while slow, is still progress.
IMO, the drive and the dedication has to come from within. You can't rely on others to be helpful, supportive, etc. At some point the desire to be healthier. look better, and feel better has to outweigh the desire to eat like **** and be lazy. If it doesn't, you'll never see any meaningful, sustained progress.
This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say, only much more eloquently put. In short, there's a motivation "switch" inside each of us, and only you have the power to turn yours on or off. I lost 82 lbs, got pregnant again, and am 3 weeks postpartum getting back to being healthy and active. I just don't want to be unhealthy ever again, and so I need eating well (with exceptions for reasonable indulgences) and fitness to be a part of my life.0 -
Back in high school I lost 25 pounds when an endocrinologist told me that I was at risk for type 2 diabetes if I kept up my eating habits. It wasn't so much that I was bigger than average, but that I ate WAY too much sugar for my own good. And all that sugar wasn't too good for my teeth either! At first my motivation was that I did not want a diabetes diagnosis, but that only took me so far. It felt like my motivation was pushing me along, rather than pulling me towards being in better shape.
I started dancing about a month into it and got hooked! I danced ballet, tap and jazz at a studio when I was little but never really fell in love with dance. I started belly dancing and hip hop when I was trying to lose weight and couldn't stop after that. I would drive home from school and immediately run upstairs to my room to start dancing! After that, I knew that I had to eat well so that I could fuel a long dance workout as well as not feel heavy or lethargic doing it.
I went off to college two years ago and gained about 10 pounds of that back. My previous attempts at losing that college weight failed because all I could think was "why did this happen? I failed at keeping the weight off, what's going to stop it from coming back again?" But I changed that mentality. Instead, I think "I've done this before and I can do it again!" and before I even hit my goal weight, I'm already developing strategies to keep it off. I don't keep junk food around the house so I'm not even tempted out of boredom, but when I'm out with my friends I have no problem treating myself as long as it's done in moderation.
The main thing is to find a reason to lose the weight that's important to you--not anyone else--like how great you feel when you can keep up with your favorite Tae-bo video (man I love Billy Blanks!). Relish the little things and find something you enjoy doing so that you'll love to keep doing it. Don't focus on past failures, just think towards the future. Hope this helps!0 -
focus on the process and focus on changing your habits...eating better and more nutritiously...getting your fitness on, etc. Focus on that rather than the arbitrary number on the scale an know that it takes time. Good Livin' isn't about today or tomorrow or next week or next month...it's about your life and how you're livin' your life overall; Good Livin' and the benefits thereof takes time.
Focus on the results and you rarely see the change; focus on the change and you'll always see the results...that's good livin'0 -
focus on the process and focus on changing your habits...eating better and more nutritiously...getting your fitness on, etc. Focus on that rather than the arbitrary number on the scale an know that it takes time. Good Livin' isn't about today or tomorrow or next week or next month...it's about your life and how you're livin' your life overall; Good Livin' and the benefits thereof takes time.
Focus on the results and you rarely see the change; focus on the change and you'll always see the results...that's good livin'
Love this!0 -
I never had true weight loss failures before, because I never tried. Whining about my fatness, taking diet pills, and doing weird exercises from magazines for two days were never true attempts.
The week of my 22nd birthday, I decided to take my life back. There was no option for failing, because I'm the kind of person when I make a decision, I stick to it, especially one as important as this.
The small changes I made were sustainable, and I built upon those habits for months until I felt I could add another good habit, or remove another bad one.0 -
I don't have a "this time around"... I only have a now. I try to make the best decisions I can as often as I can. Sometimes that means I have a really good day. Some times it doesn't. But in the long run, my good days out number my bad days and my progress, while slow, is still progress.
IMO, the drive and the dedication has to come from within. You can't rely on others to be helpful, supportive, etc. At some point the desire to be healthier. look better, and feel better has to outweigh the desire to eat like **** and be lazy. If it doesn't, you'll never see any meaningful, sustained progress.
^this, totally0 -
I think I'm more successful this time because I'm sick and tired of being overweight. I don't like looking at my big stomach, thighs, breasts and everything else that grows when you gain weight. I don't want to continue to gain so I talked to my doctor to find out if I was having medical issues. Of course I wasn't (because he ran all tests) and decided that if I wanted to look and feel better, I would have to lose weight. It does make a difference when you have a support group, even though I would be determined without one, however, when you can talk about it with someone that's going thru the same issues at the same time then it helps tremendously. Neither my family nor friends are on a weight loss journey and I'm disappointed that I can't share my experiences with them, but my co-workers and I are in this together and I love the support and the conversations we have. If you need support you can add me as a friend so we can communicate. I know I need all the help I can get and losing weight is not an easy task so I can sympathize with you. Good luck this time round.0
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I stopped making it all about weight loss and focused more on being healthy and fit. Even when the scale isn't showing a loss, having the ability to go out and do a 3 hour run gives me all the motivation in the world to keep going.0
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I conceptualized it as making permanent changes to my life this time. I'm making changes gradually, one thing at a time, rather than trying to change everything all at once. This is the most weight I have *ever* lost in a single attempt. I've always given up after losing 15 pounds or so in the past. The way you frame it cognitively makes a huge difference.0
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In my case, a lot of it had to do with having diabetes and wanting to stop taking the meds as well as having to go to the doctor every 3 months. And I wanted to improve so I didn't look like I didn't care when I stepped in his office.
Now after a year, its has really become my life. This is how I will eat forever. It has become a habit and even though I have days when I stray, its not enough to make me want to give up......not after all this time and all the progress I have made. And, heck, we all need to splurge once in awhile.0 -
I stopped making excuses. I used to have tons of them, I don't have the time, it costs too much to eat healthy, you name it I've probably said it. I want this, I want healthy, I want to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I want to raise my kids in a healthy environment and I want them to grow up with a healthy happy Mom.0
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Last time, I lost rapidly and lived on 5 hour energy, and consumed under 1,000 calories on a regular basis. This time? I was 170 in January, I'm 154 now...and I have definition that I never had before. On average I eat 1,500 to 2,500 calories a day, I'm active, healthy, eat clean...but most of all I'm mentally stable, have the right mindset, and I am patient. Lift heavy, eat clean, do a little bit of cardio.
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I decided that even if I wasn't losing weight I was still eating better and working out. I just kept repeating this to myself - over and over again.
Then I went to the Doctors and found I had lost 5kg and it was just this lovely boost - I felt like I could do it. Then my pants started to get baggy and it was exciting! I have not been as strict about logging/ working out/ eating better these past two weeks - BUT I am still eating better than I was and working out more than I was before!
I think it helps to have a goal other than "lose weight". Mine is to beat the treadmill - run further than I have before. I have heard people say that if you have a lot to lose it helps to break it up into smaller goals: soon (hopefully by the end of the month) I will have lost 10% of my original body weight and be a little over 10kgs down.0 -
Anger.
Embrace the Dark Side of the Force.0 -
I changed my lifestyle. I don't deprive myself of things I realize I was becoming my mother (GOD I love this woman, but I don't want to be her or have her problems.) I worked toward changing it slowly step by step ( I had to fight my husband who resists change, esp. things that don't let him eat pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken morning, noon, and night). Then my son at 9yrs. old was diagnosed with severely high cholesterol, and what I wanted became super important for him too! My husband hung up the boxing gloves, and jump sides. He now (for the most part) embraces the lifestyle shift I have created in our house. Don't get me wrong. I will eat Pizza, cake, and ice cream! I love them, but now we are aware of how often, and how much we give into these delicious pitfalls. We workout separate (for my sanity), and we have family workouts. We don't want Dalton missing out on things like enjoying cake at a birthday party, but we want him to think about healthy choice at least 80% of the time. The other 20% can be the splurges we all love. We plan out splurge days (we don't call them cheat days b/c that implies we are doing something wrong). Most of all we know there is not a quick fix, or that this is a temporary part of our life. We don't treat it that way either. It is not about restriction, it is about moderation (no need to guilt someone into not eating enough or for having too much) If you do move on and love yourself enough to stop, and think about what you are doing, saying, and consuming!:flowerforyou:0
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The reasons I am being successful this time:
(i) MFP - the fact that it keeps me focused on a goal, and stops me from getting complacent. Before, I would have lost 10 pounds, felt a bit better, and gotten lazy. This time, I'm focused on the fact that I'm not done until I get to at least 35 if not 40 pounds, and then the challenge will be to stay there.
(ii) I realised that a drop in motivation or a crazy weekend when I drink 1000 calories doesn't mean I throw the whole thing out the window. It's a long journey and sometimes I'm more motivated and sometimes less. And that's ok.0 -
Simple. I gained knowledge reading about my calorie intake and follow my own advice. Daily weigh-ins are simple accuracy as to whether you are meeting deficit after a week or not. This works for me. Scale is higher, too many calories. Scale is lower and steady, you got this! Now start plugging away, hit macros cut and paste same food journal for several weeks with modifications during the week. I see the scale moving....Jumping of joy!0
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I cycle my carbs and calories, and have one "free" day a week (similar to Chris Powells Choose to Lose). I eat REAL food, and if I have a craving, I can be satisfied with knowing that if I can't have it today- I can have it in moderation on Saturday. I don't feel deprived, and I eat to meet my macro goals.
I do exercise I like, to music that I love, so it doesn't feel like a chore.
Aside from that- I know that what I want to achieve won't happen unless I really DECIDE. I am in control. Not the food, not the emotions (feelings aren't facts) and not the people around me.
Oh- also, PLAN. You have to plan, and make sure you aren't surrounded by temptation.0
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