Staying on track

Jenna__XoXo

How do you stay on track when life gets crazy. I started my journey in January and lost 12 pounds in under two months as I was very strict with my diet and workouts. The past few weeks life has been absolutely crazy and I've gotten off track with my eating and haven't been working out as much. However I still have 45 pounds to lose and am starting to get discouraged with not seeing results for a few weeks. How do I get back and stay on track? I know basic stuff like meal prep and plan my day out but that doesn't help if things come up that ruin my plans?

cahubbard6421

You jump back in and pretend the last few weeks didnt happen. Get back in a rhythm and proceed as normal lol

ahoy_m8

1.5lb/wk is pretty fast loss. It might be appropriate for your stats, but it’s still a steep deficit. One approach is to give yourself more wiggle room by changing your goal to 1lb/wk. That would give you 250 more calories to absorb the “things that come up” that might involve higher calorie food or shorter workouts. Once you get to goal, things will still come up. Yes, you will have slightly more calories to work with, but even then you will need the skill of adjusting on the fly while staying on track. It’s normal to dial back the deficit as you get closer to goal, e.g. 0.5lb for the last 10lb.

Another tip for staying on track when there are lots of life factors you don’t control is to look at diet and exercise as weekly goals. You don’t have to keep calories the same every day. You can save a few hundred calories on days you control so you have extra calories “in the bank” for the days you have less choice. Same with workouts... take advantage of those opportunities to slip in a workout so you at least have done something if your schedule gets blown later in the week.

Realistically, “very strict” and “life absolutely crazy” may not be compatible long term. Rethink how much flexibility you need in your plan so that it actually works for you. Best to you!

phoebe112476

For me the key has been slowly building in routines. When life gets crazy - I fall back in my routines. An example of those things that save me in those times of chaos: I have two go to meals I can drive thru and get without any thought or need for decisions (McDonald's Hamburger Happy Meal at 375 cals and Chic Fil A Cool Chicken Wrap with Chili Lime dressing for 400 calories). If I eat this I can easily stay within my calorie goals. I also keep high protein / higher fiber frozen meals and grab one for lunch many days. Takes 15 secs. They are on my weekly grocery list which is also part of my routine. I started slowly replacing my prior routines with these over 6 months and my weight is down almost 50 pounds.

PAV8888

You're not on a timetable when you make long term changes. You change something. Then something else. You get closer. You circle your goal. As long as you're striving and moving forward... what's so bad about that? Ah: the trying too hard thing. Makes you unable to be patient. Try less hard. But persistently.

Fflpnari

I aim to lose a pound of week so I have a higher daily allowance. That way when friends want to go out to dinner I have calories for it. a pound a week seems slow but I can lose 52 pounds in a year!

simcon1

My strategies are to have go-to things that I can pick up in the grocery store that are fast and healthy (for me, getting enough protein with a reasonable amount of calories) and single serve, or close to that—enough for a light meal if I go over with another meal that comes up. I keep a bunch of this kind of thing around. So cups of Siggi’s yogurt, stuff for a quick spinach salad with tuna (single packet, drained), cottage cheese with either avocados and cherry tomatoes or applesauce.

I buy in bulk on Thrive, Boxed, Jet, and Amazon and get milk, fruit & veg delivered weekly (local dairy, Imperfect Produce) This means I can grocery shop over coffee or on my bus commute, and have healthy options handy. Also, I take 20-30 minute walks when I get overly stressed at work—so keep getting movement even if I can’t fit a whole workout in. Plus it helps me be more pleasant to my colleagues.

Right now I’m super busy, but on a training schedule for a half marathon, so that helps me prioritize exercise (it feels less possible to skip). Which means my house is a mess!

I don’t know if any of this helps, but just some ideas... I haven’t tried to be too strict, but have kept to my deficit and been steadily losing, and flexibility with food and exercise choices helps me a lot. I love my Fitbit, as I can keep close track of my exercise automatically and only need to enter my food to keep up with everything and monitor the “calorie budget” each day.

TavistockToad

jennamburchette2014 wrote: »

How do you stay on track when life gets crazy. I started my journey in January and lost 12 pounds in under two months as I was very strict with my diet and workouts. The past few weeks life has been absolutely crazy and I've gotten off track with my eating and haven't been working out as much. However I still have 45 pounds to lose and am starting to get discouraged with not seeing results for a few weeks. How do I get back and stay on track? I know basic stuff like meal prep and plan my day out but that doesn't help if things come up that ruin my plans?

stuff does happen... you just keep trying to stick to your plan...

otherwise you're using the 'stuff' as an excuse.

jan110144

For me the key was to keep things simple. I eat the same breakfast and lunch every day (fast, easy, keeps me fueled all day long) Variety comes with dinner, but I also keep this basic (steak. fish, chicken, 2 veggies, and fruit) which saves prep time. I try to keep a few things in the freezer for those emergency days when I'm running late.

Dilvish

I keep telling myself that weight loss can take a very long time and that I, like many people, have this expectation that we can maintain losing weight indefinitely and that it should happen quickly. I remind myself when I have fallen off the wagon that this is a journey not a destination and to just keep going.

When there are lifestyle changes involved it can take time. Sustained weight loss requires changing habits. It's okay to cheat every once in a while and in fact I think it necessary.

Ask yourself this: what happens when the target weight is achieved? Do you hang up the progress and fall back on old habits or do you just keep going? Success lies in slow and steady