your mistakes made

SuperSlayer81

So many but...not logging every single thing I ate (then I realised I was trying to fool only myself!), not using a food scale and 'guesstimating' and eating whatever I liked again when I did eventually lose some weight would be my top 3 (which is why I am back for good - not to sound like a cheesy pop song!)!

One other thing was caring about anyone elses opinion on what is good for me

You know, 'oh try this quick fix, try that cabbage soup plan, why are you not eating this cake with us?!, a few chips wont hurt, I think you're too skinny now... blah blah blah'!!

echmain3

Complacency.

Being smug and thinking “I’ve got this all figured out”.

Easily my biggest mistake. And I’ve made it multiple times.

HoneyBadger302

Mostly just complacency or giving in to burn out. Priorities not in line with my goals.

GemimaFitzTed

- Going too under my net calories: did this one far too many times previously and simply burnt out
- Self-care: I mention this one a lot, because without it, I will fail.
- Cutting out sugar and fats: caused me all sorts of issues, especially with constipation. Fats and sugars are needed in your diet. Cutting them out, unless medically advised, is simply stupid
- Banned foods: never again! Food needs to be enjoyed
- Going hard at the gym to lose weight quickly - I lost weight, but I also injured myself badly.

helene4

Not seeing a therapist sooner about my emotional eating/binging. Getting help changed the game for me. I haven’t binged once since I got through my first month of therapy I simply have no desire to. I didn’t know life could be this good!
I have found freedom

Also, it was important for me to change my mentality from
“losing weight so I can look great”
to
wanting to be healthy and nourish my body bc my body is sacred and worth taking care of
Every
Single
Day

derbygraham

I think my biggest mistakes have been giving in to temptation. The problem starts with the single piece of chocolate/ biscuit/ cake and ends up being far more than originally planned. Also giving yourself a reward for doing so well is the first step down the slope of shame.

Clairin

Over the years I've learned a lot!
- empty calorie (poor nutrition) or not worth the calorie food like salad dressing, sugary breakfast cereal, jar pasta sauce.
- thinking weight training burns more calories than it does.
- over exercising to the point of injury.
- alcohol makes you eat more & slows down calorie burn & can cause bloat/sluggish body & mind.
- being too restrictive instead of weighing and measuring food I just denied myself everything. I've lost weight over Christmas by doing this.
- Weighing food is needed because you can easily over eat if you guesstimate.
- Loving the body I have while being patient that its a lifestyle I'm changing not just my body.

cheryldumais

This time: Not lifting weights while losing.

Past efforts: Mainly the fast weight loss attempts. Fad diets, I've done them all! Not understanding this was a lifelong change. Throwing in the towel every time I made a mistake bingeing like crazy and planning on starting again on "Monday" or whatever day seemed like a good idea.

debrakgoogins

I had huge success with logging food and working out regularly. I eventually got to a point where logging wasn't necessary because I stayed within a 5 pound range with exercise and eating right. Then a few years later, I injured myself and took time off from exercise but continued to eat like an athlete. Eating healthy foods still leads to weight gain when eating more calories than I'm burning. I now have to be diligent about recording calories again and get myself back on track.

peachvine29

Great idea for a thread. A lot of insightful stuff here. I came up with a long list, and enjoyed reflecting on my journey!

Progress Tracking:
-not taking good before pictures
-not taking regular, quality progress pictures
-not taking regular measurements
-not using a weight trending app (Happy Scale)
*What I have done right is weigh in every single morning, after using the bathroom, no clothes, and logging the weight on a weight trending app. It is part of my routine.

Diet:
-restricting too many calories and then having a binge after a few days
-hitting goals all week long and then overeating on the weekends
-taking days or meals off from logging
-not weighing everything I consume
-not taking scheduled diet breaks at maintenance
-not eating enough fruits and vegetables
-eating high calorie foods and treats I didn't really enjoy
-not cooking and eating less processed foods
-drinking my calories
-intermittent fasting (I do much better on several smaller meals a day)
-being too strict on what foods I eat rather than having flexibility

Exercise:
-not scheduling my workouts
-not lifting heavy weight, low reps
-ego lifting rather than lifting the proper weight for me
-not following a solid lifting program
-ignoring cardio
-not having workout clothes I feel good in
-ignoring pain during workouts, creating more injury later
*I now have great workout attire, schedule my workouts, follow a well-respected program, and lift heavy but not too heavy 2-3x per week.

Mindset and Attitude:
-letting binges upset me
-feeling resentful about others who were never overweight
-comparing my body to others
-focusing on my "flaws" rather than appreciating things I like
-not properly acknowledging my progress and achievements
-thinking that results would happen quickly
-thinking fat loss would solve all of my problems
-not taking a long term approach
-being too hard on myself
-becoming obsessive about my diet and lifting
*This has been the hardest department for me. I am working on all of these things!

Snickervc

I’m in the process of correcting my current mistake. I was eating too few calories for my activity level and as I’ve been reading, by being a woman. I completely hit a brick wall yesterday which has carried over to today. Extremely lethargic and blah. So I’m increasing my calories to the minimum of 1200 and today I’ve eaten some of the Whole Foods that typically make me feel pretty good. Hopefully, I’ll quickly notice a difference!!

Pamela_Sue

dodea48 wrote: »

rainbow198 wrote: »

For me it was not taking proper before pics.

The photos I use in my before/during/after comparison pics I was already close to 30 pounds and 2 sizes down.

I don't have any true pics at my heaviest. When I had to take pics I would find ways to hide myself. Stand in the back. Strategically put my bag in my lap. Cover my belly with my arms. etc.

I wish I had proper before pics to really see how far I have come in my transformation.

wow, success not enough for you

@rainbow198 I understand how you feel about not taking pics at your highest weight. I would avoid the camera like the plague, hide in the back, etc., also.

@dodea48 Success can be 'enough', but oftentimes, we need to reflect back and remember how far we have come and what got us to success. Looking at early pictures can be inspiring and motivating, both during weight loss and at maintenance. I also wish I had taken pics at my highest, especially since I have no plans to return to that weight.

Diatonic12

@Snickervc Good decision. Overrestriction leads to rebound weight gain with friends and diminishing returns. So many overcompensate with a brutally strict eating protocol to make up for years or even decades of poor eating decisions. It's absolutely the polar opposite of what you want to do. All or Nothing Thinking is not the answer for long term weight stability.

Edge your way down slowly. You'll have a much better chance of actually getting there and staying there.

LyndaBSS

Not understanding calorie deficit until I found mfp.

Allowing food to comfort me.

Diatonic12

I used to plaster my 'Before' photos all over the house, in and on the fridge, closets, scale, vehicle, shower... not one of those Before photos ever helped me find long term weight stability. The 'Afters' were always out of my reach.

One day, I threw all of them into the bin and I've never looked back over my shoulder. It changed everything for me. I don't want to be remembered like that, I don't want to look like that and I'm not going out like that. I don't like anyone taking photos of me on the sly but it happens.

I don't know what else to call them but the 'normal' eaters do not plaster their Before photos everywhere. They have no need of Befores or Afters. They simply live and move and enjoy their lives on the daily. Sure, they have photos and they naturally age but they live for today and Now. That's what I want to do. I'm through with all of that dieting dogma and mind warp that got me nowhere I ever wanted to be. So I keep moving forward and I no longer care how I looked in the past. There's only today and we hold our futures in our hands.

debrakgoogins

dodea48 wrote: »

wow, success not enough for you

Passive aggressive posts are not helpful. It''s not about be being enough, it's about having tangible proof of the journey.

cheryldumais

dodea48 wrote: »

rainbow198 wrote: »

For me it was not taking proper before pics.

The photos I use in my before/during/after comparison pics I was already close to 30 pounds and 2 sizes down.

I don't have any true pics at my heaviest. When I had to take pics I would find ways to hide myself. Stand in the back. Strategically put my bag in my lap. Cover my belly with my arms. etc.

I wish I had proper before pics to really see how far I have come in my transformation.

wow, success not enough for you

You know it's funny but I understand how not taking pictures before losing can be a mistake. Now that I'm in maintenance and have been for a couple years believe it or not I've forgotten exactly how bad it had gotten. Looking back at those pictures now encourages me to stay on track when I might have overeaten. Maybe not everyone is like that but for me it has been helpful.

peachvine29

cheryldumais wrote: »

dodea48 wrote: »

rainbow198 wrote: »

For me it was not taking proper before pics.

The photos I use in my before/during/after comparison pics I was already close to 30 pounds and 2 sizes down.

I don't have any true pics at my heaviest. When I had to take pics I would find ways to hide myself. Stand in the back. Strategically put my bag in my lap. Cover my belly with my arms. etc.

I wish I had proper before pics to really see how far I have come in my transformation.

wow, success not enough for you

You know it's funny but I understand how not taking pictures before losing can be a mistake. Now that I'm in maintenance and have been for a couple years believe it or not I've forgotten exactly how bad it had gotten. Looking back at those pictures now encourages me to stay on track when I might have overeaten. Maybe not everyone is like that but for me it has been helpful.

Looking back at pictures of myself at my heaviest has been so surprising. I had no idea I was so big back then, it is a night and day difference now! I wish I would have taken better pictures too, but the random photos I do have really help me see and appreciate my accomplishment.

There's nothing wrong with seeing this as a mistake made, a lot of people feel that way! Doesn't mean we aren't happy with success, of course!?! We just would like others to take pics because they will appreciate it later!

middlehaitch

Not eating back my lifting cals when I first started lifting.

I’d alway eaten back all my exercise cals burnt from cardio/conditioning but so many folk on MFP at that time said they were such a small amount they weren’t worth bothering about. So I didn’t.

Crashed and burnt. It took a good couple of months to recover from that.

Lesson learned. If you have a lot of cals those lifting cals probably are insignificant and within the realm of error. If on the other hand, your cals are low, even in maintenance, you need every extra cal you can scrounge to avoid daily life lethargy and sub-optimal exercise performance.

Pics, I’m 10yr in and still only have a mottley collection of progress pics, and only one fully dressed before.

I sometimes wish I had been better at recording progress, and would have loved to have had a naked belly pic from when I started, but I didn’t/don’t.

I would encourage anyone and everyone to do better at keeping a photographic journal than I have.

I smile every time I see my belly in recomp pics, never perfect but so improved. (Still jiggles when I giggles)

Cheers, h.