Struggling to stay on track

emiara96

I've been struggling so much to stay on track with losing weight. It's not the first time I've tried losing weight. But I started again this weight loss journey at the beginning of this month. Ive lost 7 pounds, and I'm trying to lose 20 by June. I started by keeping track of my calories, what I'm eating, and all. I haven't been doing exercise, just eating less, eating more vegtables and fruits, etc. but lately for some reason I haven't been motivated at all. All I wanna do is binge on junk and I seem to not be able to control myself when I see things I can't have but really want to eat. I just started this month and I'm already feeling this way...

Please help, I honestly don't know what to do to stay motivated and to stop with these cravings. I need to lose this weight for my health and to finally feel good in my own body but it seems like I'm not wanting it enough...

fitoverfortymom

Do you have your calorie settings from MFP? Are you weighing your food to count calories each day?

Is there something special about June that makes it your goal? Is 20lbs all you have to lose, or is that just a first goal?

emiara96

Yes, I have my calorie settings on here, I just log in what I've eaten... kinda just estimate the amount. And I want to lose in general 30 pounds but would like to have lost 20 pounds by June. I want to look and feel better by the summer time and I also have a wedding to attend on August 27th, so I would really like to have gotten to my goal weight or at least close to my ultimate goal weight by then.

fitoverfortymom

If you're estimating your food and not losing, then a few things are probably happening causing you to struggle. First, you are probably overestimating or underestimating your calories consumed. Depending on your settings, you could have too aggressive a calorie goal set for your current height/weight. For example, if you are 150lbs and have your settings to give you 1200 calories a day at a 2lb per week loss--that's going to explain why you can't sustain the plan. That's too much loss at such a low weight and you probably feel desperately hungry all the time (which can lead to overeating).

Without knowing your stats such as height, current weight and goal weight, that is all speculation.

Using a digital food scale to weigh your portions is a super reliable way to know how many calories you are eating each day and can be used to ensure you are staying in a deficit so you can lose weight, and give you the tools and knowledge to know how many calories you need each day to sustain weight loss at a rate appropriate for your current weight and goals.

brittyn3

We all have moments like that. So you're not alone. What helps me is reminding myself of my end goal. And thinking about myself at the weight I am now, or the weight I will be in that moment. Also, don't cut everything out, fit them in. I allow myself to indulge a little, staying in my calories goals, on the weekends. It helps me stay on track and focused during the week.

Setting mini goals is clutch! I have one for a month and I have one for 2 weeks. When I meet my mini goals, I reward myself with something I've been wanting. The last goal - new running shoes! If you break it up into smaller chunks - it's much more manageable.

Great work on losing 7lbs, you're basically 1/3 of your way there. That's huge!

MrsSeager

Just don't beat yourself up if you have an off day or two, or week. If you are like me, you've made not so great food choices most of your life, it's going to take time to change those habits. Set small goals and take it one day at a time

emiara96

Thank you all so much! I'm definitely going to try these tips and definitely do my best to keep focus on this journey.

victoria_1024

How many calories per day are you eating per day? Is your weight loss goal too aggressive? It's been harder for me to stay on track in the past if I'm not eating enough calories and I'm feeling hungry and deprived. It may feel counterproductive to add an extra 100 calories to your day, but if it helps you stay on track longer it may be worth it.

Also I don't know what kinds of foods you're eating, but I lost 90 lbs eating cookies and treats everyday. I obviously weighed and tracked them and didn't overeat, but I believe this was a big part of my success. I continued to eat the foods I love, just in moderation. In the past I cut those foods out completely which would then end in a binge after feeling too restricted.