Getting back on track

lane220

Hey all, I’m pretty down about this all right now but I’m here for motivation and help. For about 4 months I had been on a nice diet with daily exercise and I was loving it. I felt nice, I was finally starting to see results. I went on a family vacation about 2 weeks ago, and ever since then the diet has been completely messed up, I don’t exercise even close to as much anymore and I am therefore starting to see my results disappear, literally. I can see my progress fading away and not only is it extremely un motivating to see that, I just can’t seem to figure out why I can’t get back on track. I go to the fridge and eat a bunch, and when I start I can’t stop. I really want to get back on track with my diet any exercise, I want to start NOW, not tomorrow or the next day, right now. Please if anyone has their own personal tips and tricks please leave it in the comments. I’ll take all the suggestions and help I can possibly get now.

Aimeesdiet

Well first of all you probably feel overwhelmed by the pressure of getting everything back the way it was. You need to take it in small steps if you're feeling unmotivated. You could start by challenging yourself to stay within your daily recommended calories and do that for a couple of days. Then challenge yourself to eat 5 fruits and veg a day on top of that. Then challenge yourself to walk 10,000 steps a day on top of those (but tailor the steps to your routine) That may seem like a bit of a step back but once you feel motivated again I think you'll find that it's easy to slip back into your old routine. Also, small steps are better than no steps

Melly045

I would say start with one small change maybe swapping one unhealthy meal for a healthy meal or committing to 15 minutes of exercise small changes lead to big ones. It’s hard getting back on track so be patient with yourself and take it one decision one step at a time. You’ve got this!

NovusDies

Don't get stuck on forcing yourself on to a track. Try to think of it in terms of making the track easier to be on. You ONLY need a calorie deficit to start making weight progress again. It does not have to be "healthy" food. It only needs to be food that keeps your hunger in check.

The thing to do is try to figure out why you need so much motivation. When you were on vacation did it feel more normal? Are you resistant to going back because you miss being normal? If so, perhaps you need to think in terms of being more normal with only the changes you need to make progress. It is common, I did it many times, to throw myself all in to a diet. When I did that it put me in a state of grief. I wanted normal. This time I nudged my normal along as needed and because it felt more normal I didn't rebel against it as much.

Also try to relax about what has happened in the last few weeks. Chances are your regain is small and most of what you see on the scale is temporary water increases. I believe in trying to avoid stress as much as possible while trying to lose.

Lolana1822

I feel you. I've found that when cutting calories is too stressful, I just switch to maintainance for a week or two, then resume. I'm VERY prone to stress eating and I usually allow myself an occasional week of doing it, it usually doesn't do much to my weight. Does it affect my body composition? Yes, for a short while. Does it destroy all the progress I've ever made? Certainly not. So take a deep breath!

Most important thing is, you want to get back on track. If you find that copious amounts of tasty food sound better than your health goals, maybe go look at all these amazing before and after storys on here. Remind yourself of your goals and why you want to reach them. That usually sets me right back on track. If that doesn't quite help, just start tracking what you're currently eating, fridge raid included. Seeing the number of calories before eating something can really get one thinking if it's worth it (of course this depends on wheather you're trying to lose or gain).
Also, if you want to start NOW, what's stopping you. Mfp doesn't care wheather you start tracking in the morning or evening. If you don't like to have an half empty day, just eyeball the calories you already had and didn't track. Throw on your sports shoes and do some exercise, even 10 minutes is better than nothing. And once you're on track again, you're probably motivated to keep the streak going.

Just remember that it's okay to fall of the wagon every once and again. Pick yourself up, accept you had a bump in the road, then get back on track.

clutterqueen