Getting distracted

cjays2019

It happened. I let myself get distracted by work and being lazy. I hate myself for it but it's going to happen. I haven't been eating right, working out, or walking for the past few days. Luckily I have maintained my weightloss but I dislike that I haven't lost more. I'm getting back on track today though. I know it will happened again. I just got a new job so in a month I will be working a full time and a part time job.
What are some tips on staying motivated and not getting distracted?

LyndaBSS

I weigh myself every morning. That immediately engages me in the process of losing weight. It's like a bell being rung.

Find out what your bell ring is. ☺

JBanx256

Motivation comes and goes; discipline is the key. Cliche, but true. There are absolutely days I have zero motivation but discipline is what will keep me on track.

Unknown

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cjays2019

dodea48 wrote: »

WATCH OUT I recorded pretty good food for 7 days. On the eighth day I was really busy. On the way home at 9pm I realized I had eaten only once. I decided to treat myself. I went to a diner and had a Patty Melt and Fries with diet soda. Half of it tasted good. I should have left half on the plate; my body did not want all of the greasy food.

When I got home and logged the food, I was over 1500 for the day. I can pretty much eat all of the healthy food that i honestly want, but one burger and fries puts me over without much real nutrition. --- no wonder I got fat, In the past I would have had a Patty Melt and fries and then patted myself on the back for not getting dessert and not drinking beer.

I work in a restaurant and I find myself doing this after a double and not eating all day. Most of the time I'm really good about bring home salmon and veggies, but therr are some nights I just want tenders with buffalo sauce.

willsundaydnd

One tip I have that helps me is that even if I am tired or distracted I will just force myself to do the smallest exercise-maybe even just a couple of pushups or a 10 minute walk. It helps to stop any depressing feelings that you didn’t do anything, especially over a few days, and if you are like me you start exercising and then you just have to you finish😉 but, in your case a full time and part time job makes it pretty tough to find the room in the schedule.

KeriA

I like your post @willsundaydnd I make the mistake of thinking I have to do an hour of exercise like it is all or nothing. With my work schedule it is hard to get that whole hour and do other healthy things I need to like making healthy dinners at home. This morning we got up late and were late to our exercise class we were so exhausted from the busy week but we got up and went and did almost 45 minutes.

@cjays2019 this is how I am describing my summer. I feel I keep getting distracted from what works for me. I will keep popping up and then getting my weight back down. I have to stay focused and keep this recent trend going. I usually weigh daily too. I usually keep a spreadsheet for my weight but I just can't keep to the plan this year. I got a Versa this spring but I need to do a better job making use of it as a tool to keep active.

willsundaydnd

@KeriA I also pop up and down in weight-and I weigh myself only in the morning at roughly the same time-but I think it’s just a part of life and I try not to think much about any setbacks. and if I miss a bit of time I just slowly work back-I take a long view that a missed week or month is a short amount of time compared to an entire year. I also read that even 15 minutes of moderate exercise can be a great thing-for me that can be a real exercise workout or I can also do some of my more active housework chores and call that my exercise for the day.

apullum

The thing I've found about weight loss is that ultimately, it's roughly 0% about motivation and 100% about routines.

No one can sustain motivation forever. Our brains do not work that way. Humans are, however, creatures of habit. Our brains are extremely good at finding and following patterns. Once we get into a pattern, we quickly notice when we aren't following it anymore.

Think about how wrong your day feels if you forget to brush your teeth. First, you probably don't forget to brush your teeth very often because most of us have spent years developing that habit. And second, when you do forget, it's weird and uncomfortable until you're able to brush again.

Logging your food should be like brushing your teeth. And when you've been doing it for a while, it should take about the same amount of time. It is only going to be sustainable for the long term if it's a habit, rather than something you have to be motivated to do. It needs to become a basic part of your personal care regimen.

lynn_glenmont

cjays2019 wrote: »

dodea48 wrote: »

WATCH OUT I recorded pretty good food for 7 days. On the eighth day I was really busy. On the way home at 9pm I realized I had eaten only once. I decided to treat myself. I went to a diner and had a Patty Melt and Fries with diet soda. Half of it tasted good. I should have left half on the plate; my body did not want all of the greasy food.

When I got home and logged the food, I was over 1500 for the day. I can pretty much eat all of the healthy food that i honestly want, but one burger and fries puts me over without much real nutrition. --- no wonder I got fat, In the past I would have had a Patty Melt and fries and then patted myself on the back for not getting dessert and not drinking beer.

I work in a restaurant and I find myself doing this after a double and not eating all day. Most of the time I'm really good about bring home salmon and veggies, but therr are some nights I just want tenders with buffalo sauce.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just keep track of it and take it into account. Lots of people focus on their calories for the week rather than their calories for the day. Or if you eat at maintenance one day, all you're doing is delaying your progress one day. Nothing wrong with that.

KeriA

There are some gems in this thread I copied to keep in mind.

88olds

Keep your food diary no matter what. Over your number? Log it. Wildly over? Log that too. The process is more important than the numbers. Super busy? Take pictures of what you eat and log it in later. Don’t know how many calories in that meal or dish? Make a good faith estimate and keep going.

Make your program about basic things to do. Diary, some kind of exercise, planning. New routines are new opportunities to establish good habits.