How to kick start a healthy lifestyle and stick to it, help please lol

acissej0000
acissej0000 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
Hello, I'm looking for any tips or your aha moments that made you finally get going on a healthy lifestyle and being able to stick to it. I'm trying this for the umpteenth time but never seem to be able to stick to it, my longest was 6 weeks but the last few months it seems i start and then restart again a few weeks later when I've failed to keep at it. Any suggestions or words of encouragement would be welcomed. Thanks :)

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Log everyday, rain or shine. Bad or good. Make it a habit, see if you can make small changes in your diary. Do this everyday
  • shannon_daly3
    shannon_daly3 Posts: 27 Member
    Try to shift your attitude regarding a healthy lifestyle from motivation to discipline. Eating healthy, working out, taking care of yourself, reducing your stress levels, etc takes much much more than motivation ! It takes discipline. Once it becomes a true habit it will be much easier. Good luck !!
  • codygish
    codygish Posts: 63 Member
    Start here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads

    Go from there.

    Log everything - good or bad. Then you will know how to make improvements. Find a way to get moving.

    You CAN do this. Anyone can, but it requires determination and discipline.

    The real question is this: when will you decide you want to be healthy? No one else's opinion matters. You have to choose for yourself. There is no magic. You have to decide and choose for yourself.

    Good luck!
    Cody
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    Don't be too aggressive. Only make changes you fully intend to stick to for a lifetime. If your plan is, say, two hours a day at the gym - do you really expect you'll be able to do that forever? Maybe a few hours a week is a better goal.

    Really, you should look for the smallest amount of changes that will get you to your goals, rather than trying to get everything to your idea of perfect.
  • bigdogintheyard
    bigdogintheyard Posts: 15 Member
    Make it as easy as possible to stay on track by getting sleep, keeping kitchen clean, shopping for and keeping good food in the house, prepping/measuring food ahead, and having clean gym clothes. When I fail to do these things my life seems a lot harder and it makes me want to quit trying.
  • acissej0000
    acissej0000 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for the advice everyone.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Baby steps. Years ago my new year's resolution was eat more vegetables. That was a good first step. After awhile I added some (small increments) of exercise. Eventually that became a habit, and I added more exercise.

    Along the same lines as Rankinsect's post. Don't try to change too much. We just need to make improvements, not 180° changes.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Look at it as an ongoing journey with twists and turns, not as stopping and restarting. Less pressure that way.
  • jillian909
    jillian909 Posts: 31 Member
    I am not new to trying to lose weight, and what I have learned is this: Don't punish yourself.

    Once upon a time, I used to deprive myself of sweets (which I love dearly) because I thought they were "bad" or "made you fat" or whatever else. Needless to say, I was unable to stick to any eating plan I made because I wasn't happy or satisfied. Be mindful with the changes you make to your diet. It's very easy to make yourself miserable.

    Also, I don't post in the forums that much, but I tend to use the search function for things I have questions on and I've found it to be helpful. There are some super knowledgeable people here. You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about losing weight by reading through some of the threads. Good luck!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I set a reminder on my smartphone that pops up everyday with a list of my current goals. Right now it reads:

    TO BE HEALTHY
    -eat mindfully
    -eat veggies
    -move your booty

    When needed, I get more specific, but I check everything off in the evening and it pops up again in the morning. I leave it so that I am reminded whenever I grab my phone.
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
    Decide that you owe it to yourself and the people who love you to be the healthiest you can be.

    Log every day - no matter what. Show up for yourself. If you have a bad meal, immediately put it behind you and do better on your next meal.

    Don't be too aggressive - losing one pound per week is better than losing 20 pounds in a month and regaining 40 because you can't sustain the changes.

    Try exercise. Maybe you'll love it!! If you don't, that's ok, too.

    Know yourself. Are you super hungry in the morning or at night? Do you do better with healthy snacks easily acfessible, or are you better off if food is not right in front of you? It's your body and diet - make it all about you.

    Basically, just keep moving forward no matter what, and eventually the scale will show your effort! Just my two cents! :)
  • Loveabeyta
    Loveabeyta Posts: 10 Member
    shannon_daly3 wrote: »
    Try to shift your attitude regarding a healthy lifestyle from motivation to discipline. Eating healthy, working out, taking care of yourself, reducing your stress levels, etc takes much much more than motivation ! It takes discipline. Once it becomes a true habit it will be much easier. Good luck !!

    Thank you for this.
  • allisonvandehey
    allisonvandehey Posts: 2 Member
    acissej0000 wrote: »
    Hello, I'm looking for any tips or your aha moments that made you finally get going on a healthy lifestyle and being able to stick to it. I'm trying this for the umpteenth time but never seem to be able to stick to it, my longest was 6 weeks but the last few months it seems i start and then restart again a few weeks later when I've failed to keep at it. Any suggestions or words of encouragement would be welcomed. Thanks :)

  • Evilmuffin666
    Evilmuffin666 Posts: 132 Member
    I don't any words of wisdom... Yet! I just started again on 01 March. The first 3 days I lost a pound.... Then on the 4th day, I was up 1.5 pounds. I was so frustrated and wanted to just grab the bag of chips and dip and be satisfied with the thought I will be overweight for the rest of my life now. But.... I came on to MFP, read through some threads and skipped the chips. Although I must admit, I did check out how many calorie it would have been if I ate those chips and how much exercise I would have to do to burn it off. 1600 calories and approximately 6 hours on the treadmill. That wasn't gonna happen so I made a banana smoothie instead. It seems like since I started 5 days ago, all I do is think about what is going in and out, and why am I not a success story already. I have to keep reminding myself that Rome wasn't built in a day. I gained the extra 50 pounds over a 13 year period so it's not gonna come off in a week either. Add me as a friend if you wish.... I could use the motivation and support as well. Let's keep each other going!!!!!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Think of it as a process, not something you do or not.

    What helped me was not thinking of a healthy lifestyle as something I was on or not (so when I slipped up I'd just give up), but something I was working toward. I'm a planner-type, so I started by setting a bunch of goals, long-term and short, and made sure they were concrete, things I could imagine and believe in.

    Then I listed what kind of lifestyle I wanted -- what activities I wanted to do, how I wanted to eat, so on.

    Then I made a plan of small steps to get there and worked on one or two at a time. (For example, week one: cook dinner and breakfast every day, walk to the store instead of driving, get off L early to walk extra.) Eventually I worked up to more stuff, especially with exercise goals.

    I'd take note every day of what was working and not and figure out why it wasn't, if not. I'd keep going until it was a habit.

    If I screwed up (and we all screw up), I DIDN'T think "blew it, not working now, some other time," but I treated it as a learning experience and gave myself a break.

    This also is helpful since you stop sabotaging yourself by thinking "oh, I'm over my calories, might as well eat 3 cookies and not log them and get back to it later." You realize imperfections are no big deal.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    All I can report is my own experience: what works is to pick a calorie level and stick to it, day after day, for months. I guess my experience on the exercise side is a little more like what people describe as "aiming for something good and having good days and bad days." Some days I get more exercise in than others. But either way, I stay within my calorie limit--not my "net" but the total calories I actually eat. It's non-negotiable. I log it before I eat it, and if logging shows it would put me over, then I don't eat it. Keeping that rule absolutely simple and inviolable is what makes it simple for me. Then, whether something interferes with exercise or not, I'm going to lose the pounds slowly and consistently. If my loss rate drops too much, I cut my calorie limit again.

    The motivation is knowing that if I do it this way, I'll keep seeing results. If I do it the way I see described so often in these forums, I won't.

    As for what makes me able to say "no" to food that would put me over budget, I guess it's the knowledge that whatever delicious food it is will still exist tomorrow, when I have more calories in the budget. I don't have to eat everything today. No matter what the food is, there's some portion size I can have.
  • Awakenher_Wellness
    Awakenher_Wellness Posts: 35 Member
    Just like you I started and stopped, started and stopped more times than I can remember. And also like you I found that the last few times that I stopped the window in which it took for me to restart was shrinking until finally here I am 4 months in and 45+ lbs down. I'm not sure what you religious beliefs are but I relied and rely on God . I asked him to renew my mind and he did just that. Also, SPEAK WELL OF YOURSELF! Speak positive words of affirmation over yourself. You may not believe those words initially but, over time the positivity will take root. I'm a mother of 6 with a husband, so everything in my life revolved around them but, I came to the realization that I too am important. So therefore, I WILL TAKE CARE OF ME! Some may deem it as selfish but, I'm unapologetic about investing in me. You are more than capable! Success is in you! Actually, YOU ARE A SUCCESS! Don't EVER give up and if/when you fall DUST YOURSELF AND TRY AGAIN! I hope this helps.
  • acissej0000
    acissej0000 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you everyone. Lots of great things to keep in mind that I'm sure will help
  • HisRedAngel
    HisRedAngel Posts: 13 Member
    As a fighter, I recommend downloading the app called myfitnesspal put your food entries in every day. It will calculate everything for you. I also recommend getting a garmin fitness watch. This is a huge help because it not only tracks your steps , miles, calories and the time. It also, tracks your sleeping patterns as well. This is helpful because it's crucial for your health to know how you are sleeping. Heart rate is a huge deal as well garmin watched do all this in a simple watch. Invest in one and you will be on your way to a happy healthier you!

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