I could really use some help.

CurlFitGirl

Hey there everyone.
I'm a returning MFP user, been on and off multiple times. Each time I rejoin, I get stressed out about my diet plan and quit, delete, and tell myself diets do not work.

I've lost and gained about 20lbs over and over since I was about 14 years old. Three decades later I'm still trying to get a handle on my weight.

Some stats:

Age: 34
Weight: 166lbs
Height: 5'4"
Sex: Female
Food Preference: Plant-based aka Vegan (mainly for reasons of compassion)
Activity Level: I weight train at the gym a good 4 days per week on average, trying to increase my intensity but I have back problems so it's a gradual climb, otherwise sedentary.

I know the main part of losing weight is about eating less than your body burns, so that it can tap into the fat stores. I just need some motivation. Some type of encouragement.

Thanks. I appreciate any kind inspiration you can offer.

Diatonic12

Do you know what constant restarts do. They mute the brain. Literally.

When the brain knows and the brain knows everything that you aren't going to follow through with a goal, any goal, it goes directly into the mute mode. This is how procrastination happens, too.

Everytime we don't actually follow through with a job or task, the brain knows it's alright to just lay back in the weeds or take a nap. The brain knows you don't mean business.

Constant food resets and doing round after round of any food protocol is the recipe for eating it all back and moving directly into self-sabotage. The brain has to be trained. Brain Training. You have to show it who's really in charge. You.

Stopping short of following through creates these deep grooves in the brain and they are the broken record that keeps a person dieting for the rest of their life. You don't want to go out like that, CurlFitGirl.

Stop dieting in the name of love for yourself. It only takes one day and one decision to stop doing the things that no longer serve us.

There are only choices and consequences. Today you must choose for yourself what you want waaaaay down the road. Diets are temporary bandaids that only work temporarily. I don't care how they're packaged and how slick they're marketed. They are all the same.

If dieting really worked, it would take one diet, one time and you would be fixed for the rest of your life. Simply use your tracker. Do everything and I mean everything on your own terms. Foods you love and enjoy. Do movement that moves you off the couch at the speed of zero.

Track it like it's your job. It's all fun, really. Embrace yourself right where you are. Practice now like you have this thing tamed. Walk into the room with your lion tamer's confidence, your head held high. Not super ego but just in love with yourself. Funny thing, when you start behaving that way....others notice something different about you. Nothing has changed but your brain. Brain Training.

Follow through for the WIN. Do you know what happens when you actually show your brain who the boss is. The mute mode is turned off. For real. You create new pathways in the brain, open up new super highways for thought and being able to think for yourself. Start today. Don't dillydally around. Don't look back over your shoulder.

Be 100% accountable to yourself. Take full responsibility for everything.

When we've ridden the merry-go-round a million times and we keep making excuses for sliding back off the goose, the brain goes right back into mute mode. She doesn't mean business. Let's coast on our laurels. When she gets close to edging up on her goal...this is the brain..let's just encourage her to let it all slide away right through her fingers. After all, tomorrow is another day and she'll start over again. Round 120.

iowalinda

Have you tried pre-logging your meals? That way you know what you can eat that day and stay within your calorie goals. Choose foods you like to eat because it's crazy (& not satisfying) to eat food you don't like. Just make those "liked" foods fit in your calorie goals. CICO works. I've gone from 168 lbs. to 123 lbs. since the middle of December and am currently maintaining. You CAN reach your goals

kimny72

In all honesty, you don't need a diet plan. Just set yourself up here to lose 1 lb per week, log your food accurately and consistently, and start trying to fit what you normally eat into your calorie goal. After a few weeks you'll start to see patterns of foods that work well for you and foods that don't and you tweak from there.

That's really it. Nothing to stress out about. If you have a bad day, just learn from it and do better tomorrow. The only way you can ruin it is by quitting, so make that your only other rule - don't quit! Log your food & don't quit. Easy peasy.

CurlFitGirl

All theee of your responses were great. Thank you. I like the idea of Brain Training a lot! Never thought of it quite that way, before. Pre-logging meals sounds like a helpful strategy. And setting two rules 1.) log accurately and consistently and 2.) “don’t quit” sounds doable. Even if I mess up, keep track of everything and keep going.

Thank you for helping!

kami3006

I just wanted to chime in and say that you did, indeed, get great responses. It really is that easy when you tune out all the "diet this and diet that" garbage. When I realized this, it made everything click and was very liberating. You will have off days or even an off week, but it happens. Log it and move on. It's usually just a blip in the grand scheme of things.

Good luck with it!

Diatonic12

Yaaaassss. There's people really struggling right now with things at home, jobs, true hardships. No one needs to quit. Even if you're just hanging by a thread (s), maintaining with no calorie deficit, don't leave. Keep tooling along and make your personal diary your place of refuge. I write silly notes to myself and like to laugh entirely too much with humor that may not translate very well out here in the 'living room', main forum. Make this fun, something you look forward to.

One more thing. Use music. I'm so glad we can post songs here. Music and singing are one of the rare activities that makes both hemispheres of our brains light up at the same time. When you're listening to music and/or singing along, really engaged, your brain is not thinking about food. Music is a hook that connects you with time and places, people. Feelings, love, family...exercise. It makes you want to get up and move. Music and singing are used to help people learn to speak again after serious brain trauma. It works for everyone.

I've used music for Brain Training. A way to disconnect from all of the old habits that got me nowhere good.

http://"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxUuDPNbkJk[/url]