Can someone give me a kick up the bum?!

minties82

I got to 30kgs lost pretty happily. I had the odd bad day, as you do, but still generally very low carb days. Then around that time I decided I would take a break from losing weight. At this point I was on 1350kcal and just ate between that and 1600kcal and maintained happily.

However I seem to have lost my motivation. I'll lose weight, go silly and eat too much, gain it back, lose it, gain it back etc. I was 82.8kg last Tuesday, today I am 83.8kg (it's Tuesday here).

I did something I haven't done for months and ate a whole packet of biscuits (cookies) a week ago. I also keep eating too many avocados, mushrooms, meat, cream...anything and everything. My carbs were 46g yesterday, more than twice what they should be. I also ate past maintainance and kept eating even though I was FULL. My tummy HURT, but did I stop? No.

I'm still obese - class 2 - but being so short and pretty sendentary the most MFP says I can lose is .5kg per week which seems so small. It's giving me this sort of mental block. Why try when it's gonna be such a small amount anyway? I still have SO MUCH TO LOSE. It's overwhelming. Another 30kg.

I guess I'm just asking for someone to be stern and tell me not to be stupid and give up. I can do this, right?

I don't have anything bad going on in my life so there is no stress in that area.

You can see that somewhere in May I started this nonsense, the graph reflects that.

SlimBride2Be

Prelog like mad, is my advice, and then stick to it. One meal at a time, one day at a time. Congratulations on your maintenance!

deksgrl

Looking at the overall picture, the mostly downward trend until last week, I'd say you are doing well. You can get back at it and continue the downward trend. I would recommend you break up your goals into smaller sections to that you aren't overwhelmed by it. Maybe 10kg should be your initial goal.

KnitOrMiss

Sounds like it's time for maintenance. I find if I lose too much too quickly and don't build in some maintenance time, I exhaust all my mental stores. I just posted about this to someone in another post about mojo.... I would honestly work to maintain for the next 3-6 months. Let your body reset everything. Then you can start again, refreshed, without your body fatigued, and all of that...

professionalHobbyist

I think you need a hug more than a kick

Weight loss is tough and stressful. It is a thing few people manage to sustain

So hugs to you and give yourself some love.

You can pick up and do right. You deserve to succeed. Don't let a few clouds cancel your summer of slim!!

minties82

Bacon for you all! You replies are lovely and so helpful. Thank you so much.

I tried to discuss it with my nearest and dearest who all advised to give up on low carb. Giving up on things is not what I want to do right now.

I'm starting today as a fresh start. I'm not worrying about my previous lowest weight reached. I'm going to take the weight needed to lose in smaller chunks. First goal will be to get to 77.7kg which takes me from obese class 2 to class 1.

I will pre log (fab advice thanks). I threw 2 blocks of chocolate out over the fence (and someone picked them up already haha) because I can't just eat a small piece. It triggers cravings for me too.

I am ready to face things again. You guys rock.

toadqueen

I think you did well to get rid of the trigger foods. I also would not necessarily rely on MFP predictions. Each of lose weight differently. Twice I have gotten within one pound of my goal and then wound up giving up. I do better with smaller goals.

Hugs not kicks from me too!

Kitnthecat

Hugs all around !

Astharteea

Losing weight is a very hard thing to do, otherwise everybody would walk around skinny. From my experience it is a journey and it takes a lot for your brain to switch into weigh loss gear. Keep trying and if you have a day where you eat a whole pack of biscuits, it's is alright....start fresh the next day, maybe by skipping a meal so it makes you feel like your making up for those biscuits. Don't think at how much more you have to lose...just think how you'll reward yourself with an ice cream or whatnot every 10 kg

GrannyMayOz

Dear Minties, you have some awesome replies here and @professionalHobbyist's touched my heart.

I was going to say to you that you've done a truly amazing job so far. Be proud, don't dwell on the 'failure' of the past few days. I'd reword that as a 'holiday from dieting', and after such a successful long haul you truly deserve that. How about raising your daily carb goal for a while? I did that several weeks ago and am enjoying a whole lot more freedom with my food and am still losing weight and fat just as well. I have my carb goal set at 40g on MFP, but am actually allowing myself anything between 0 and 50. I've never hit 50 and most days average around 25, but I can have that occasional 'flat white' or something as a treat. It feels wonderful.

Heaps of hugs and understanding to you and I hope you're soon cheerfully back on the track that you desire for yourself. And yeah, dontcha wish you were a 6 foot bloke? I surely have wished that many times when I look at the calories/carbs/etc they can eat ROFL But we're not. We're cute females with a daily allowance of 1 pea and a de-crumbed chicken nugget - a small one

emmaps55

I think one of the hardest things to do is to get back on track. Making a fresh start like you're doing -- getting through that one complete "good" day, after one or more days of overdoing it (as you said you did yesterday) -- is a great accomplishment in itself, and something to feel proud of!

A lot of times over these past 15 weeks since I turned my own eating/life around -- when I've had the urge to eat more than I know I should, or eat something without weighing/measuring/counting it (which I do because it helps me) -- I've told myself "Just get through today!." That that's all I have to do -- just finish out the day well. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just act in a way that will make me happy tomorrow.

It's not unlike Alcoholics Anonymous' mantra of "One Day at a Time" (another powerful way of thinking.)

I remember years ago reading about a woman who lost several hundred pounds on Weight Watchers, and she said that some weeks her weight loss was only a tenth or a twentieth of a pound. But she didn't give up, and over time all those tiny fractions added up to real and lasting weight loss. I've never forgotten that. Some days/weeks are great, some not-so-great -- but it's what we do consistently, over a long period of time, that builds up the habits which will let us stay at our goal weight once we reach it.

mlinton_mesapark

I want to echo what others have said about hugs, not kicks for you @minties82. You have worked hard and seen some great success so far. Plateaus are so hard! But it can't last forever.

Looking ahead, think about this moment and how it will look to you from the vantage point of a lower weight and a healthier, happier body. It might be pivotal, the crossroads where a foray into healthier habits solidified into a real, lasting lifestyle change for you. Won't that be fantastic?

That said, it might re-energize you to shake things up in your routine a bit. Maybe some new recipes, different exercise.

((((((((((Big hugs for you!)))))))))))

Mary

Foamroller

Try to train yourself away from the «all or nothing-mentality». Why only 0.5 loss/week ? You can do a bit more agressive, if you want to.

I know it sounds silly, but talk to yourself in the mirror and congratulate yourself every day of the things that you did well. Even if that's being able to keep budget for that day. Don't shortchange yourself of the small victories. All those little choices add up and by acknowledging that, you retrain your brain.

Forgive yourself of the mistakes that happen and move on.

tlmeyn

Yeah hugs. Don't let it get you , because this is that kind of turning point where it's easy to say "screw it".

You you have worked hard and will feel SO much better a few months down the line when you have continued to be successful.

Now it could be (pop psychology here) that you have gotten to the point where you begin to feel vulnerable, things are REALLY starting to change in your body and your psych.... Then you start to sneak stuff in that sabotage you. I have done that again and again. Lost, got tired or scared? started eating badly again. And gaining, and at a 5 pound gain, say well, I will go back tomorrow, until all the weight has crept back on! DON'T DO IT!!!!!

I raised my carbs, not consistently, but instead of 20-25, I allow myself up to 50 net carbs (occasionally go over) but most days end up between 25 and 40. After my birthday splurge, I will try to go back down to 20 for a few days, (to get rid of that water) and then allow it back up. I feel better at a little higher carbs anyway, I've never been good at the macros, so probably eat too much protein as well, but as long as I am losing and feel good, who cares!

I say give yourself PERMISSION to have a cheat day once a month or something, or for special events, then you can say.. wait.... I have this coming up, and you don't have to feel guilty.

totaloblivia

I could have written almost exactly your post word-for-word, in fact I just posted about losing my mojo as @KnitorMiss referred to in her post, but not as well! I feel for you as I'm in the same position. Have lost a good amount over 6 months, but am feeling like I can't be bothered, knocked myself out of ketosis, failing to log etc.... I think I will follow some good advice and take a break from logging etc for a few weeks while on holiday - try and maintain rather than lose and get back into it when a bit more refreshed. Losing weight has, for me, taken up a lot of mental space...hopefully a break will get me back on track long term.

totaloblivia

Sorry, meant to say - good luck to you, you have done so amazingly well. You can do this - maybe maintain for a while, up the carbs a little and congratulate yourself. Then pick a date when you will get back to it. I'm going to spend sometime reminding myself why I got into this in the first place. Not being able to wear shorts on holiday will probably remind me!