How to stay committed?

misspersiphone

I need all the help I can get. I want to lose weight so badly but when I think of watching what I eat all the time, counting calories etc I start to feel overwhelmed. What advice can you give me to get motivated and how to teach myself to stay motivated? Thanks.

exact0ninja

I had the same exact issues and would fail after a week. The thing that cured it for me is... instead of putting pressure on myself by planning a lot and anticipating, I just did it. Like Nike's , "Just do it" slogan. And it worked! The calorie counting sucks but only at first. You start to know what to eat and not eat regarding quantity, and as this happens your body starts to naturally know your new limits as well. Or, at least it did it for me. Regarding gym, I got a personal trainer. I know that not everyone can do this because it isn't cheap, but, the idea is to involve othee motivational people who can help push you. Like, before I was in 3 different martial arts at once. I didnt even think about the exercise we were getting due to us being together and supporting eachother. I had to stop due to a neck injury, however. Between that, and breaking through that first tough calorie counting week or two, it will alll start to be easier. Oh, and invest in a smoothie blender. I have the ninja 2 in 1, so I never skip a breakfast anymore. I hope this helps!

tara_means_star

The counting calories gets way easier, especially if you tend to eat a lot of the same foods because you don't even have to search for them once you've used them. Its tedius at first but gets way easier. I used to feel overwhelmed at eating well for the rest of my life but now that I've been doing it, and not restricting things I love but just working them in to my calories, it feels easy and not upsetting to me at all. I guess what I'm saying is that if you just get yourself started, you'll realize over time its not nearly as overwhelming as it feels at first. Once I realized that, I had no trouble keeping motivation.

kbmnurse

Hmmm, either you do it or you take the easy way out and don't. Your decision.

parfia

Just keep at it and keep logging consistently. I think that once you start to see results, the commitment to stick with it follows. After a while, it is like second nature and you don't really think about it, you just log it

ilex70

Little goals along the way, and set some of your meals on autopilot.

The big goal can just be too distant to really keep in mind, so I prefer something I think I can reach in a month or two.

4 of my 6 entries are mostly the same every day, so coffee, Quest bar, apple, and popcorn are there more often than not. Personally I don't like to spend a lot of time thinking about/planning around food. Lunch and dinner have the most variety.

If a single choice is too restrictive you can do an A/B pattern, like maybe alternating eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. A lot less to weigh and measure if you make the same thing the same way day after day.

winterfly6

Watch for times when you are tempted to eat then pause and decide if you really are hungry or is it an emotional urge to eat. If it's the later and you realize it's just an emotional urge,, then you probably won't eat it.

AmazonMayan

Thanks to this app, it really doesn't take long to figure out what you are eating.

Don't psych yourself out over it. Just enter what you are eating and then when you see how much it is you can see where to cut back. Even if it's only small changes at first, you are making progress. Be honest with your logging.

Motivation comes from how bad you want to succeed. We can't give you that.

Francl27

Eh you have to want it badly enough. That's pretty much it.

The app does help.. if you log everything... and don't stop even if you go over... it stares at you right in the face that you're just going to get fatter if you don't do anything about it.

murp4069

Like others said, it gets easier with time. It was overwhelming when I started about 6 weeks ago, but now it's a habit and I don't really even think about it, and I definitely don't stress about it. As for "watching" what you eat, you don't have to deprive yourself of foods you love, but you do need to exercise portion control. And that comes a lot more easily after a few weeks as well, because you're learning what an actual portion looks like.

As for logging, over time you'll probably see that you probably eat a lot of the same things on a daily/weekly basis, so adding them is a breeze. I think it's stressful for everyone at first, but if you want it as bad as you say, then you can do it.

shadowfax_c11

I was a little overwhelmed at first too. What I have learned over the past 9 months of CICO lifestyle.

Don't jump into this right away trying to lose as much as possible as fast as possible with the lowest calorie goal allowed. Get used to using the tools. Start with a slow loss/small deficit or even no deficit at all, and just get used to the aspect of thinking about what you are eating. Get a scale, learn to use it, get used to it. Get comfortable with using the App and logging your meals. Once you are comfortably logging every day and doing it correctly and accurately you can start playing with the numbers. This really won't take that long but go at your own pace. For me that process took about a week.

Once you get through those steps consider your activity level. What degree of deficit can you comfortably sustain for the long haul? That means without feeling like you can't control yourself around a piece of cake or that you become afraid of going out to eat with friends. You need to chose goals that will still allow you to live your life. That means weight loss won't be fast. But you will have success.

Remind yourself that sometimes you will make mistakes and that is okay. Some days you will overeat and that's okay, as long as you don't let it derail you. Realise that some weeks you won't lose, some weeks you will gain but the trend over the long term is what you need to focus on.

Allow yourself to take a break sometimes but don't "cheat" or get in the mind set that you are cheating by eating something yummy or a bit over your goal. You are not being "bad" you are being human.

There are NO BAD FOODS.
You don't "have" to eat "clean".
You don't have to give up food you love you just need to keep calorie dense foods in their place.
Sugar is not the devil
Fat won't necessarily make you fat but it will help keep you full(satisfied).
Bread is perfectly okay
More veggies means bigger meals for smaller numbers, but you don't have to become a vegetarian or go vegan. Neither do you need to become an obligate carnivore.
Eat real food
Learn to cook and use spices and herbs
Water comes in many forms. Coffee counts.
Salt will make you gain weight but it's only temporary and it isn't fat so don't stress.
Macros are goals to be met not necessarily maximums to stay under.
Red numbers do not mean you failed.
Pay attention to your daily NET.


If you eat it log it.

Cortneyrenee04

Don't think about watching what you eat "all the time". Think about your next meal or snack having the proper amount of calories and macros for your goals. I've lost 75+ pounds and still get overwhelmed by "forever" so I just have to take it day by day.

Motivation doesn't get you too far, either. You just have to form healthy habits and perform them every day.

Ogopogo

misspersiphone wrote: »

I need all the help I can get. I want to lose weight so badly but when I think of watching what I eat all the time, counting calories etc I start to feel overwhelmed. What advice can you give me to get motivated and how to teach myself to stay motivated? Thanks.

For motivation: I weigh myself every day, have clothes that I want to fit into hanging where I see them every day and try to stay busy so I don't think of food.

Snacking excessively is my big Achilles heel - now I snack better. I eat apples, broccoli or protein bars instead of the chips, chocolate and other crap I used to load up on. I also go to bed earlier as the later I say up the more I tend to snack.

Hope that helps. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like.

noclady1995

Take it day by day. But the most important thing for me was logging EVERYTHING I ate. The good, the bad and the ugly. It's easy to just say "Screw it I know I ate too much so I'll just not log it". But when you see what you're actually eating through logging, you end up adjusting and really working at it. Before you know it, it's a habit and weight loss happens. Making a big elaborate plan can be too exhausting for me. Calculate your TDEE, start with a smaller calorie deficit and go from there.

vczK2t

i detest calorie counting and measuring portions and tracking and all that. I track because i like the streak # going up. but i am an intuitive eater. i pay attention to my body signals and what it wants and doesn't want. i stop eating when my body says "tasted wonderful, but i've had enough". i am not losing a lot of weight, but to me listening to my body is the most important. the weight will come off eventually.

Renwa82

When I first started my fitness journey 6 years ago, I could hardly run a static minute on the treadmill. Today, I have a fitness level where I can run a 5k without breaking whenever and I don't run. I had a lot of starts and stops but I kept at it. Initially, counting cals and regular exercise was overwhelming but as I have kept at it and got back on the horse when I've fallen off it is sooooooo much easier. You are capable of more than you are giving yourself credit. Your capacity has yet to be touched. Believe and keep pushing. The reward is manifest.

djeffreys10

Honest answer: by deciding you are going to do it, and doing it. If you want it bad enough, you will do it. And until then, you will make excuses. It's as simple as that.

ReadyWillingEager

One thing that helps me immensely is logging my meals a day (or even 2) beforehand. That way it's not so stressful the day of. It also helps with grocery shopping knowing in general the stuff I want (I tend to buy small amounts at a time to keep produce fresh, little $3-10 trips sprinkled through the month rather than one big trip). When the day actually comes I might tweak it. For example, forego a few grams of pasta here, a slice of toast there, so I can add a treat of some sort. Other days I find I'm not as hungry and can delete some entries entirely and "bank" calories for the next day or the weekend. Prelogging is really helpful to me when it comes to stressing.

Jenfromtheblock84

meal prep is my best friend. I work a desk job and it was so easy to just run to the break room grab a bunch of junk and go back to sitting on my butt for the next 4 hours till lunch. By doing meal prepping I set aside about 2 hours of my day on Sunday and make my breakfast and lunches for the week. (egg muffins/breakfast burritos for breakfast grilled chicken and veggies for lunch) I switch up my meals each week so I don't get tired of them and It helps dramatically with the snacking. I make sure to pack my rice cakes, cucumbers, and protein bars for when I get the urge to snack; making sure to keep each of my snack choices less than 100 calories each. Knowing what I'm going to eat BEFORE i'm hungry helps me make smarter and healthier choices that I won't regret in a few hours.

fidangul

Ultimately if you want it bad then you do it. Whether you use MFP(my preference) or other tools and strategies to lose weight is totally up to you. I would just say, take it one step at a time. Every day is a new day. We have good ones AND we have bad ones. But perseverance (don't give up) and honesty (did you take that second bite and not log it?) is best.

lgoldfarb

Right now, support of friends is helping me. We made a bet starting Jan 1. $10.00 each per month. Log food everyday. The first one to miss a day has to pay up. I'm also premaking all my food for the week on Sunday so there is no question to what I will be eating for meals.

callsitlikeiseeit

when you want to lose weight bad enough, you will do it.

no one can motivate you other than yourself.

misspersiphone

Thanks everyone!

cw106

i find it easier to set myself future goals and join in with challenges,which keeps me honest and motivated.
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alittlelife14

Keep a self made calendar in my kitchen where I put red stars on days where I meet my goal and highlight obnoxious in yellow when I make mistakes and do not meet goal.

bspringer544

Think of counting calories like a game. Find ways to make it fun and try to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Mini-goals seem to work for some. Others swear by pre-logging. I find weighing myself every day is highly entertaining. I don't care about the numbers but it's fun to see them fluctuate throughout the day depending on what I'm wearing, if I've exercised, what and when I've eaten. You could try setting up a piggy bank in your kitchen/living room. For every healthy meal choice, successful day, or finished workout put X amount of cash inside and at the end of the week/month take it out and buy yourself something nice.

Honestly, though, if you log even one day over your deficit and watch when MFP tells you you'll GAIN in 5 weeks instead of LOSE... That's about as much motivation as you're going to need. I felt so bad that day.

QueenofHearts023

Try not to think about it, don't see it as something that's going to end. Think of it not as weight loss, but as new habits you are establishing permanently.

jlc102980

Discipline, really. Motivation gets you started, but discipline keeps you going. And building discipline doesn't happen overnight.

So be realistic. This means:

(1) Don't expect immediate results. You'll disappoint yourself. Set realistic goals and known it could take weeks to see the scale move and longer to see results in the mirror or in how your clothes fit.

(2) Don't force yourself into an all or nothing approach to weight loss. You know what I mean - the whole I must work out and constantly watch what i eat. For many people, this is just setting yourself up for failure.

Instead, start by making one small change - and it can be whatever you want, as long as it is manageable for you and healthier than what your are currently doing. Cut down your soda intake, replace your snack with something healthier, exercise once a week (even if it is walking 10 minutes). Then, once that one small change becomes easy for you, make another and another.

Don't beat yourself up for your transgressions. It's life. It's not cheating. It's not failure. You can have cake. You can eat out. So what if you had a bad day or week? Get over it, don't waste the time you spent building healthy habits, just get back up on the horse. Don't let it drag you down. Move on.

Finally, remind yourself that even though you are only making small changes now, you are still ahead of all those people doing nothing. Eventually each of those small changes will add up to results.

cnbbnc

We all have to find our own motivation. As far as staying with it, it is a pain in the *kitten* in the beginning because it's change, and it's different. However, the longer you do it for it gets to be routine. It DOES get easier, but....you have to be willing to stick it out for a good month or more for the newness to start sinking in. It's hard but you just have to commit to it. It's soooo worth it once you start feeling better and seeing the results of your hard work.

GsKiki

My first advice is to find strong inner motivation to change your lifestyle. Be focused on getting healthier and fitter, and weight will come off.
As far as calories goes it will be a bit harder in the beginning, but once you get into it it's really easy. You will know most used items of by heart and entering and following will take just couple of minutes of your day.
Just don't give up and good luck!

mccoyt85

I too am overwhelmed, but all of these replies have been helpful. Thank you all.

I've only been here a week and I don't really recall what gave me the motivation to make a lifestyle change. But here I am!. For me the whole eating thing comes down to I don't like to eat. I don't want to have to think about it or make a decision about food. Honestly, at 50+ years ol age I'm still a picky eater. I don't like most vegetables. Fruits are fine but it is easier to grab a cookie than peel an orange. I have gone days without eating more than a handful of crackers. Why am I 40lbs overweight - I drink a lot of Coca Cola ( not diet either). When I feel like I want or need something it is so much easier to reach for a Coke. I would say at minimum I drink 3-5 cans a day. Then I wonder why I don't feel well and have no energy. This week I started out with just 2 day, then one and yesterday none. Last night I was wanting one so bad that I started thinking, who am I kidding? I'll never be able to do this, what's the point. Because there was none in the house, it was cold and rainy and late I didn't have one. The struggle is real.
I used to go days if not weeks without drinking a drop of water. This week I got out my wonderful water bottle and started drinking and tracking my water intake. I've had 64-72 oz. a day. Insert "happy dance" here.
The food tracking hasn't been too hard but the nutrient values freak me out. Especially the fat. Seeing any numbers in red scare me and I think I won't be able to do this. But from things I am reading from the community I see that those will just need to be adjusted to my needs. That being said, the tracking has been very useful in showing me what my eating habits are and what areas I need to give my attention. It has been very eye opening to actually "see" what I have been eating.
I'm grateful for this website and the ability to read so many of these journeys. There is wonderful advice and encouragement. I hope at some time I can offer the same support and encouragement.
BTW... I'm Tory, living in North Carolina.