Serial re-starters (like me!) - share a tip that's helped you stick with it!

cvstokke

Let's motivate each other!

devilwhiterose

Find an accountability partner! Don't get 750 friends, find a handful and keep track of each other.

Message each other daily, exchange food ideas, "Yay" and "Woohoo" their statuses.

Bearbo27

Don't set your goal too aggressive. That is one reason many people don't stick with it.

Eat foods that are high in protein and fiber so you stay full and are less likely to graze.

Definitely have friends that will help keep you on track.

dustedwithsugar

What's helping me is realisation that the longer I'm "off the wagon" the longer it'll take to reach my goal. Seems obvious I know. But even on bad days I know that ultimately I want to achieve my goal and when I'm messing up I'm just making process longer. Some time ago I had "all or nothing " mentality but it's really not helpful. Little slip ups don't matter as long as you stay on track in the long run. So for example recently I was on holiday and I didn't worry too much about diet, but the day i came back home i starter countinh calories again just because I want to be done with this as soon as I can.

amyepdx

Don't think of it as re-starting - think of it as continuing the process

cvstokke

@amyepdx i like that!

smotheredincheese

I've fallen off the wagon a few times but I don't see it as starting over, I see it as part of the weight loss process. Accepting that life is full of blips and you can't always stick to the plan has helped a lot.

nowine4me

Get plenty of sleep!

socioseguro

Hi:

I found this useful thread
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside#latest

beginforthelasttime16

Make friends who look at your diary and ask them to make usre your journaling. Being jointly invested in eachother's journey is so helpful! I love to look their journals and I love to get ideas. When they post workouts and
I'm not, I feel like a slacker.

Also, join challenges. The challenges with leaders who will check up on you when you don't post are the best! There is nothing more convicting to remember what I'm doing and get my butt on a scale like someone asking why I haven't checked in and posted my progress.

The community is the BEST part of this app. I spent years on and off here just using the calorie counter, forgetting all about the calorie counter, deleting the app, hating my weight, redownloading the app, and starting the cycle again. Because I'm utilizing the community, I look forward to jumping on here. I'm engaged and I've hit my longest MFP streak ever!

monicaw44

Im restarting again, and Im doing what I did the last time (2015, 30 pounds) when I lost weight, with one change..Im not not eating sweets and potato chips every now and then bc I will gorge and binge for months ( like I did last time) bc I felt like I was missing something (and I was bc in life you need happy, sweet things for the soul). I ate cakes, candy bars, and a lot of other junk food bc I hadnt eaten them for months. some call it cheat days and cheat meals.

cvstokke

@monicaw44 i think that's a big factor for me - i need to let myself indulge in my favorite foods occasionally in moderation rather than trying to cut them out forever.

@beginforthelasttime16 i like the suggestions about challenges - thank you!

JustSomeEm

Don't cut anything you love out of your diet. Instead, make a decision to eat less of that thing you were considering cutting out, but allow it sometimes.

This strategy kept me 'on the wagon' and is why I've been able to lose and keep off more than 70 pounds.

JustSomeEm

Ha! I responded before reading the thread. @monicaw44 - I'm right there with you.

RavenLibra

Don't think of "this" as a temporary, finite "thing" ... consider it a permanent philosophical change in how you conduct your life.. that is "diet" is not something you do to lose weight... it isn't something you do to temporarily alter your eating habits... it is something you do to fuel the machine... and exercise is something you do to ensure the machine is operating the way it was designed to do... this 'thing" we call a body... is an instrument by which we navigate this world... as a mammal, there are some expectations that we forage, hunt, prepare our sustenance.. until the "modern" age this meant we engaged in physical labour virtually our entire waking hours.. BUT urbanization has "stolen" that process from us... So... we have lost sight of the need for that physical activity... once again from a philosophical perspective... begin to emulate the activity levels of your grandparents and your great grandparents and oyu won't ever "quit"

Aquawave

I am a diabetic. To stay on my WOE, all I have to do is visualize a picture of a gangrenous foot I saw on the internet.

TooTatToTrot

I tried this in 2011-fell off more times than can count. I restarted in February at 260 and im now at 175.4, trying to get to 125.

I think my biggest advice is to realize that this is a lifestyle change. Before, it was just a diet to me. Now, this is just how I eat.
Its all about finding your happy place and staying there.

cvstokke

@JustSomeEm great minds think alike

mparker87

Log in here every day. It will show you how many days in a row you've done it. I'm on a 221 day streak and I do not want to break it. That has kept me aware of what I'm eating (even on days I go over) and how active I am every single day for the last 221 days!

Aaron_K123

I have no problems with weightloss but I do have issues with yo-yo-ing. After accomplishing a goal in terms of fitness I tend to focus on some other aspect of my life like my career and shift my focus. After a couple years of that I notice...hey, I'm kind of overweight agian and I come back. I mean it sort of works, I spend 6 months losing weight and I get 2 years of not paying attention but I'd rather just stay at a healthy weight.

I feel I know how to do that, it just doesn't work out in practice. In theory I should transition into mainteance for a while at the end while still logging and make sure I get a "feel" for that for several months then maybe slowly ease off the logging. Or maybe I should just keep logging, I don't know.

Intentional_Me

Losing the all or nothing approach. This time around I didn't give up anything I wasn't willing to give up for life.

Also, being OKAY with the fact that I wasn't going to drop this weight in 3 months has done wonders. The way I now see it is that time is going by either way. I've spent enough years fat. Even if it takes me 2 years to reach my goal weight I'll be feeling (and looking) better and better during that 2 year span.

Down almost 55 pounds since mid April now. And I've had days that I've went over.

It actually feels like a life style change now.

cvstokke

@oliverneedsyou "Even if it takes me 2 years to reach my goal weight I'll be feeling (and looking) better and better during that 2 year span" i love that mindset! Congrats on your loss!

CoffeeNCardio

I know they say not to do this, but I threw away(donated) all my fat clothes. When I took a break, I quickly ran out of stuff to wear, but I'm too poor to buy more clothes so that'll get you back to the grindstone in a hurry:)

tomteboda

Make weighing and logging a habit. Regardless of how much or what you eat, weigh and log as a matter of routine, like washing your dishes or bruising your teeth

jenmburroughs

I am a habitual start on Monday by Monday night I don't log and then the week goes by and I'm still at the same spot... I feel I need accountablity and advice on how to find that???? Lol

cross2bear

jenmburroughs wrote: »

I am a habitual start on Monday by Monday night I don't log and then the week goes by and I'm still at the same spot... I feel I need accountablity and advice on how to find that???? Lol

You have to prepare and be ready to do this both physically and mentally. If you cant last 24 hours, whats the issue? You gotta get a grip on that before you can be successful. This is a bit of work, and you need to focus.

Tubbs216

For me, realising that there is no wagon made a huge difference. Once I stopped thinking that one bad day meant everything was lost and I had to wait until next Monday morning to start again, things became a lot more manageable. Also, being less strict and knowing that it's ok to take a long time to lose the weight. Although I'm still 5-7lbs off my goal weight, I've been maintaining in this range for almost a year, which is absolutely unknown for me before.

MiamiSeoul

beginforthelasttime16 wrote: »

Make friends who look at your diary and ask them to make usre your journaling. Being jointly invested in eachother's journey is so helpful! I love to look their journals and I love to get ideas. When they post workouts and
I'm not, I feel like a slacker.

Also, join challenges. The challenges with leaders who will check up on you when you don't post are the best! There is nothing more convicting to remember what I'm doing and get my butt on a scale like someone asking why I haven't checked in and posted my progress.

The community is the BEST part of this app. I spent years on and off here just using the calorie counter, forgetting all about the calorie counter, deleting the app, hating my weight, redownloading the app, and starting the cycle again. Because I'm utilizing the community, I look forward to jumping on here. I'm engaged and I've hit my longest MFP streak ever!

I highly recommend you join the next Biggest Loser Challenge (BLC) and join the Ultimate Accountability Challenge (UAC). @RangerRickL is awesome!

T0M_K

i thought his had to do with breakfast.

MiamiSeoul

Baby steps. Day by day & decision by decision.

You know your needs, but for me I first focused on logging everything, every day, while exercising every other day. The next month I joined a few challenges. This is month three and I'm still here - and it's working!

Sara1791

Setbacks are just setbacks, they don't need to derail the whole shebang. It's just part of the process.