The 'I'll start again tomorrow' mentality

imtriagain

How to break out of the above mentality.
I know what to do.
I've done it before.
I have a plan that doesn't restrict the foods l like, and puts me in a slight (not big) deficit.

But before long I find myself easily side tracked and saying 'i'll start tomorrow'. So I blow it completely and eat waaaay over my calories. And of course the cycle repeats.

Looking for tips, stories, inspiration, motivation etc from people who've been where I a currently am, and how you've gotten out of this mentality.

2snakeswoman

I've taken the attitude that there's no starting over because life is a continuum. I'll reap tomorrow what I sow today, so it's best to do what I need to do today. When I lose focus and eat more than I should, I realize there's no starting over, there's only dealing with the consequences and moving on as quickly as I can. Better the consequences of one pastry than overeating the entire day, yes?

0426Jamie

I always try to think of it as I have to put my "time in" to lose weight. So if I wait until tomorrow, that is one more day I will have to "put in" to reach my goals. It is also how I keep myself from snacking or binge eating. "If I eat this now, that's more I'll just have to work to lose." It kind of helps me to think of it as the old "marathon not a sprint" and that every day I follow my WOE the closer I am to my goal.

serindipte

I saw someone not long ago that posted their story. Their title was "Day One or One Day". That struck me because "One Day" never comes.

I do not allow myself to eat something without logging it, good, bad or indifferent. (I'm not saying 'bad food', but a bad calorie day)

I've made the decision that I will log and track everything. Period. It's working for me.

And, then there's this. If you have ONE bad day. See this chart. If you allow that one day to turn into one week, one month or a year.. then you're going to be starting all over again.

emmies_123

I gave myself a non-food reward each week for not skipping my improvement tasks. It literally looked like a kid's chore chart, just with exercise and food notes (plus some other healthy habits I needed to adopt to be a functioning adult). If I did the item, I got a check mark, if I did not do it than I had a blank space.

If I had 1 or fewer blank spots - i gave myself $10 fun money for the week
If I had less 2-5 blank spots (list was for the week, had about 5 daily items and 3 weekly ones), I gave myself $5 fun money.
If I had more than 5 blank spots for the week, I got no fun money.

This fun money was the only amount I allowed myself to spend on games (my personal hobby), so I had to meet my goals if I wanted to be able to buy my entertainment. Helped me keep on track (man i don't want to do this today, but do I really want to use my free kip on this? ) AND bonus perk I saved money by cutting my game spending habit down A LOT.

Doesn't have to be games for you, could be any entertainment that is non-essential to daily life. So new books, movie night, etc.

Francl27

Logging everything helps. And weighing yourself. And looking at the mirror... and trying on swim suits.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I've cycled up and down many times. I've also gone in and out of working out. When I am frustrated (deadlines, schedules, etc.) , I try to think of one thing I can do today that would make a difference. Sometimes, that could be a short walk at lunch. Sometimes it leads me to do some floor exercises at home. Sometimes, it means skipping the potatoes with dinner. Focusing on a single small action today can help get you back on track.

Best resolve to you!

Theindomitablejeeves

Nike had the best ad campaign of all time many years ago. "Just Do It". Just do it. Pound that into your head and speak it to yourself relentlessly. This whole thing is as simple as that at the root. Just. Do. It.

txmaryk99

emmies_123 wrote: »

I gave myself a non-food reward each week for not skipping my improvement tasks. It literally looked like a kid's chore chart, just with exercise and food notes (plus some other healthy habits I needed to adopt to be a functioning adult). If I did the item, I got a check mark, if I did not do it than I had a blank space.

If I had 1 or fewer blank spots - i gave myself $10 fun money for the week
If I had less 2-5 blank spots (list was for the week, had about 5 daily items and 3 weekly ones), I gave myself $5 fun money.
If I had more than 5 blank spots for the week, I got no fun money.

This fun money was the only amount I allowed myself to spend on games (my personal hobby), so I had to meet my goals if I wanted to be able to buy my entertainment. Helped me keep on track (man i don't want to do this today, but do I really want to use my free kip on this? ) AND bonus perk I saved money by cutting my game spending habit down A LOT.

Doesn't have to be games for you, could be any entertainment that is non-essential to daily life. So new books, movie night, etc.

I did something very similar to this a few years ago but for the time I had more than X blank spots not only did I not get my fun money I had to pay the "oh no" jar and the only way to earn that money back was to have a no blank space week. If not the money was transferred to the charity jar and never to be mine again.

Off to find the grandkids chore chart. Thanks for jogging my memory. I think I will make a jar for fun money for our September vacation.

Thehardmakesitworthit

Discipline is Freedom. Like another poster said: the reality is we must JUST DO IT. Every choice we make either puts us closer to our desired outcome or it doesn't. Self care, self love, truth in choices and self talk....all those things are factors for me.

Crafty_camper123

Just get started. It's helpful to pick an actual date instead of "Monday". I was going to start next Monday for a solid year before I got going again, lol. I picked the week after New Years this year, as opposed to "tomorrow" and "Monday" Also it's good to have concrete reasons to why you want this. Like, my general "get skinny, be healthier" goals were too vague to stick to or be worth starting. "Hike the mountain this year and not die." and "Work out at least once 52 weeks in a row." has gotten me further then I have ever come. I'm about 3 months past my normal give up date because I have solid goals now. I also make mini goals like "Log my food this week" or " do one more pushup" just to push myself along. The trick is to just get started. Even if it means you only log dinner tonight, then a full day tomorrow. Once you get going, it gets easier to keep the momentum.


Edited to add this if you need a funny. I lived this meme for too long, lol.

Keto_Vampire

It takes planning & commitment. Try planning out macros/kcals in advance, think about what portions/pre packed foods you can use to achieve your goals & stick to it for at least 2 weeks to assess how successful or unsucceful you have been (then back to the drawing board). Whenever I feel slightly out of shape, I take some time to jot out some numbers on a scrap piece of paper, re-examine or look up food labels, & come up with a plan.

I like the "just do it" mindset as well as "results, not excuses"

2baninja

I saw a poster on here, that is now my desktop screen saver and I have a poster tapped to my wall at home: "discipline is doing what needs to be done, even if you don't want to do it".
It's much harder on my syki to say I lack discipline if I don't stay on track, instead of lacking willpower.

Calliope610

livenfree45 wrote: »

I saw a poster on here, that is now my desktop screen saver and I have a poster tapped to my wall at home: "discipline is doing what needs to be done, even if you don't want to do it".
It's much harder on my syki to say I lack discipline if I don't stay on track, instead of lacking willpower.

Are you referring to your psyche perhaps?

LiftHeavyThings27105

imtriagain wrote: »

How to break out of the above mentality.
I know what to do.
I've done it before.
I have a plan that doesn't restrict the foods l like, and puts me in a slight (not big) deficit.

But before long I find myself easily side tracked and saying 'i'll start tomorrow'. So I blow it completely and eat waaaay over my calories. And of course the cycle repeats.

Looking for tips, stories, inspiration, motivation etc from people who've been where I a currently am, and how you've gotten out of this mentality.

I like to look at things from this perspective - "tomorrow isn't promised to anyone!" Not being morbid, just being real.

Or, another way - "Right here, Right now!".

jenilla1

I make sure that I do something active every day. If I stop, even for a day, I tend to lose my momentum and it's so hard to start again. I know that if I skip a day (a.k.a. take a "rest" day), soon enough I start taking more and more days off, making excuses, etc.

I won't be consistent if I don't maintain my habits EVERY DAY. I know this about myself. No days off for me! Since there is no end to my routine (it's daily), I don't have to worry about putting things off or starting tomorrow. Every day is TODAY when it comes to my fitness. I know I'm going to do something, so the only thing I have to think about is WHICH activity I want to do. ( I like variety.)

For me to really stick with something, I need to make it a daily thing - like brushing my teeth. If I do need a rest, I just do something gentle that day - like walking. Since I know that EVERY day I WILL be active, it just happens. It becomes a routine. (And this year, now that I have my Fitbit urging me on, it's kind of like a game for me. It's actually quite fun.)

Unless I'm deathly ill, and I've never been that sick yet thank goodness, I can't find a reason not to at least take my dog for a walk at the bare minimum. And logging food is so easy, too. It takes no longer than brushing my teeth at this point (I've been here at maintenance for 7 years now, so I'm a pro.)

And it's not as hard to build a habit as you think. You just have to start easy. Your routine doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be hardcore. Just get it done. For example, with logging: if you go over on calories it's not the end of the world. You don't need to freak out or give up. Just keep logging and do better the next day. As long as the overall trend is heading in the right direction, and most days are good days, a few days of crappy eating will not stop you. And if your workout seems sluggish and pathetic, or you didn't give it your best effort, just do better the next day. At least do something, even little things, every day.

Because the longer you maintain the habit, the more momentum you will gain, the more success you'll have. Over time, it gets easier and eventually feels comfortable. It doesn't feel right if you don't do it. Eventually, it's just your lifestyle. You don't even think about "having to" do it. You just live it.

So, that's how I personally get going and stay going.

Arizona_C

Ah, that's a tricky one!

There can be endorphines released at the very moment you say -I'll start this new, great program! Just thinking about it, and you feel a rush of excitement imagine all the great things that are to come. And it's easy to stay like that, planning, talking about it, without ever getting actually started. Because it's too demanding, too time consuming, or just not that realistic.

To avoid staying the person who passively says -I'll do... it's all about becoming the person who does it, or rather does a fragment of it, in that very moment you say it.

Think of something small you can do in that very instant it comes to your mind. If its about exercising, do two air squats. If its about getting your water intake right, have a glass in that very moment. If it's logging consistenly, log right now the meal you just had or are about to have. If its getting off sugars, ditch that candy bar in your drawer right now.

Once you have done a real action, however small, in direction of your larger goal, you are already on the go. From there on, think of a next possible step, just a little one but within the next couple of hours. And before you go to bed.

Don't waste your time making big, detailed plans, if your problem isn't a lack of a plan. Such a big plan can just put pressure on you, to start out with everything 'right'. Instead, start right now. In this very minute, even with the smallest thing. then take it from there on. Once you're on the move, the rest will follow

Best of luck, keep us posted

NovusDies

I think you need to determine the source of being "side tracked". One thing I have learned about myself is that my cravings are not always for a specific food so just adding in the things I like to eat doesn't solve everything. I also crave variety. If I get into too much of a food rut even with things I like it is going to bite me. I work in the occasional theme week to push myself to eat food that I don't normally cook. I have a couple of more but hopefully you see where this is going.

My wife, who is also dieting, came home from a week of travelling last week and was in a bit of a funk because she was counting calories while everyone else was eating all this food. She doesn't normally feel deprived and she worked in a few things but just seeing everyone freely eating for 2 meals a day for a week got to her a bit. She took a maintenance day to have a break.

One thing I also do is bank my calories so each weekend I can have one big meal. It gives me something to look forward to all week.

I think before worrying about how to get back on your diet tomorrow you need to adjust your plan to compensate for why you want to end it the first place. What are you really missing or what are you tired of when you want to stop? If there really isn't a pattern you need to rely on the previous posts but I would bet something is wrong that might have an acceptable compromise.

Crafty_camper123

I also found just slowly adding things in this time around worked out for me. In the past I would start a "Count the calories! Do the exercise! Plan the meals! All the things!" regime. I would miss a day (because, life) and say "eh screw it" and never pick it pack up. Adding one thing at a time and adding others when the first thing becomes habit is really helpful. This year just started off vowing to try one new and healthy recipe every week. My goal was simply to add some less calorific meals to my repertoire. One thing led to another and I was counting my calories again. Then after about a month I added the exercise. Doing it in small chunks instead of starting everything all at once has been important to my current success thus far.