Your advice to the old you ...

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  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I'd have told me to pick up heavy stuff. But would I have listened to me? Nah.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    dhiammarath wrote: »
    Ahhhh to have told my old self...

    That mac'n'cheese isn't worth it but eat it anyway. Willpower isn't an infinite resource, you must let it collapse a little so you can build it back up and stay strong over time.

    Smaller sizes mean nothing if you cannot learn to love yourself.

    Your plan will fail at first contact with the enemy (a plateau), but if you stick through it.... NOOOOO DON'T GIVE UPPPP... well even if you give up, each day that dawns is a day you can change the course of your destiny.

    Don't beat yourself up if you miss the mark. It'll come 'round again, and this time you can slam your hammer of awesome down and squish it.

    Take each step with humor... it's better to laugh than cry!

    Don't hate the old you, that's still you. The new you just holds better tools to fight the day. Love the old you as much as the new you.

    If you don't like the gym, then don't go -- but find something you DO like that gets your blood moving and your heart pumping. Not just for loss but to enjoy life away from the computer and games and all that sedentary stuff that landed you in the position you're in today. (Plus, it's EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to hork down food while sucking wind on a treadmill or deadlifting some weights).

    Eat beautiful food. One of the best pieces of advice you'll get from scouring the forums is to eat beautiful food (aka, fresh food and grilled things and things that aren't drenched in oil and look like sticks of deliciousness that you want to hork down at the fastest... okay, eat some fries. But then start again! Remember, willpower is a resource! It can be tapped out. So let it... NO NOT THAT MANY FRIES!!)

    Shhh, the pants don't lie. You're lying to yourself, but look! Those measurements you hated to take? Re-take them, because they love to tell you the progress you're making while the scale likes to play like the Evil Queen's mirror.

    Those pants will one day fit and then they won't as you sky rocket through sizes.

    One day you'll get to your final size and then realize that the thrill of losing sizes is gone and you'll be left wondering what's next. There's nothing next, only life. Stop trying to squeeze into smaller pants when you reach the end of the line, no matter what that feeling says that drives you forward to keep "going down one more size". Y'GOT THERE. REJOICE AND MAYBE EAT A FRY.

    Mmmmmm, potatoes.

    When you gain weight again because of the health problems and having to re-learn what is safe to eat, don't beat yourself up. Because this day just started AND YOU CAN CONQUER THE WORLD AGAIN.

    Okay that one isn't for the old me, but the me-right-now, doing it all again -- well not all. But I'm equipped. I'm armed. I've got swords and horses and kingdoms and... well okay, I don't. But I danged sure am gonna go slay me some dragon pants and fit back into all the things I worked my booty off getting into!

    stage whispers... I'm coming for you pants.

    Your post gets a 10 out of 10 for entertainment value alone, but it was this sentence that has me here commenting: " Willpower isn't an infinite resource, you must let it collapse a little so you can build it back up and stay strong over time."

    This has been my MO. I couldn't manage the day in and day out eating within a few calories of goal the way some others seemed to be able to. But after an "accidental refeed" I'm good to go again. I can usually push a little harder and it all averages out to the same thing as meticulously maintaining a tiny deficit.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    To answer the original question though, I think I might have warned old me that in the process of trying to get fit I was bound to suffer some strains and sprains, and that I'm better to shake off the frustration and just treat the downtime as a little vacation from exercise.
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »

    Your post gets a 10 out of 10 for entertainment value alone, but it was this sentence that has me here commenting: " Willpower isn't an infinite resource, you must let it collapse a little so you can build it back up and stay strong over time."

    This has been my MO. I couldn't manage the day in and day out eating within a few calories of goal the way some others seemed to be able to. But after an "accidental refeed" I'm good to go again. I can usually push a little harder and it all averages out to the same thing as meticulously maintaining a tiny deficit.

    Thank you! And yes, I must fail a little, give in a little, so that I can begin the battle anew. It takes strength to hold the wall, so to speak, and sometimes you need to let something else hold the wall while you rest. But then! Then! You go back! And it's so much easier to to hold the wall and you realize, dang. I just held the wall and I didn't even notice how heavy it is.

    GO ME!
  • Morglem
    Morglem Posts: 377 Member
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    Awesome thread! I'm still the old me pretty much as I'm starting again after 7 years of not giving a crap and gaining 40 lbs. So maybe I do have an advice for the old/new me. If you fall off the wagon don't wait 7 years to get back on it! You will regret!
  • Oma827
    Oma827 Posts: 114 Member
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    Set off on a health journey, not a diet. This is your new lifestyle.

    Find what works for you.

    Logging won’t make you lose weight. Logging, learning, and adjusting for healthy eating is the path

    Whole, fresh foods rule.

    Treat MFP pals with the gratitude you feel - let them know. Many post lots of reassurance and tips. Use it for your journey and be kind!
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,900 Member
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    "No try....DO"!
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
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    Ice cream, gummy bears, and ribs are not for every meal. Eat balanced and watch portions. Quit eating out every day.
  • qstneverything
    qstneverything Posts: 125 Member
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    Invest into Bitcoin when it was dirt cheap.

    Haha but nah seriously, girl you needed to learn to wake up early and get your bum onto a bike and do spin class twice a week. Don't take the 6 years of 'weight loss' that it took me. This discipline alone gave me the willpower to go to the gym more and do other exercises (including weights) and watch not only my calories but my macros too.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
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    Stop starting 'next week' or 'after a particular event'. Just start!
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
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    Be kind to your body, it's the only one you have.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
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    Year 1 - It's not a race and you don't have to be this miserable eating as little as possible.
    Year 2 - Skipping dinner for wine only makes you feel good for an hour and it's playing havoc with your mental state, you're going to be so embarrassed you ever did this. People aren't just being puritanical or "not understanding" when they say they're worried about your drinking.

    If I'd told past-me I'd be getting up at 5am two days a week and spending my weekends lifting I'd have laughed in future-me's face.
  • angelb1983
    angelb1983 Posts: 159 Member
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    newheavensearth wrote: »
    Stop bouncing between plans. Give sufficient time and effort, and if it doesn't fit your lifestyle or give results, move on.

    Don't get emotionally invested in one particular method. They're all just means to an end.

    You are not getting too thin, they need to let go of their vision of how you should/ used to be.

    Lift all the heavy things. Put up the pull up bar already.

    Love "quit switching between plans" - story of my life. I need to give this time to see if it works. I have a habit of switching from MFP to WW. I know I can lose quickly on WW because of the low calories but it is never sustainable long term. I wish I could just quit! I need to stick to MFP, it works!

  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
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    I would tell myself that logging and weighing food is not the pain in the butt you think it will be. It's easy once you get it figured out. Initially I was just eating as light as I could until I felt hungry and needed more fuel. Once I started to log I realized I could have been eating a whole lot more and still lose.

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