I am the boy that cried wolf…

mlrtri

I have told my friends and family many, many times in the past that I am going to lose weight and improve my health. This time I was going to make it happen. Each time they supported me. Each time what I claimed did not pan out.

I am at it again. But I can tell that while they wish me well, they don’t necessarily believe me. And I get it. We have done this before.

This time I am going to make it happen. I have more reasons (wonky lab results which scared me) and a better outlook. I no longer have a certain number of pounds by a certain date set as a goal. My goal is to eat to improve my health while cutting calories to reduce fat while exercising to improve my…. well everything that goes with that. I want to watch my weight trend down and am trying to keep an eye on the big picture and not on the short term ups and downs. I have formed good habits instead of making difficult rules to follow. I plan to be the turtle that finishes the race instead of the hare that went big at first then lost. I am learning patience through this and how to celebrate the small things.

For those in the same “Little boy that cried wolf” situation - why is this time different? How are you making sure that this time you succeed?

Let’s let get rid of our doubts and affirm why this time we are going to make it happen. Look back at past attempts and acknowledge the barriers that got in your way and what your plan is this time to work around those barriers.

This has helped me a lot. I hope it helps you, too.

Beverly2Hansen

I relate to this a lot. For me it's different because I'm doing it for myself which has never been true until now. I'm realizing my man doesn't seem to find me unattractive as I fluctuate the same 20lbs but I feel like dirt the more of that same 20lbs I gain back. I want to feel light and energetic again so I want to work on sustaining it as I lose weight hopefully a little slower and steadier.

metaphysicalstudio

The road toward our goals is often not a straight path. We wind and curve and sometimes backtrack. Just keep taking more steps forward than backwards.

Chef_Barbell

I don't share my personal weight loss goals with people. That helps immensely. 🤷‍♀️👍

Tiernan1212

I've been here for 11 years, with many highs and lows. My main goal now is to be consistent, to realize that we are all human and fall off the track sometimes, but not to let it derail me completely. Thankfully, my fiancée is incredibly supportive, recognizes my ups and downs, and is always encouraging. I often seem to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to exercise, so I am taking that slow and steady. I'm not starting a program until I know I can make the time commitment, but instead focusing on increasing my movement and steps each day. And I have a great group of crazy friends here that make this place so much fun!

rosebarnalice

The difference for me now (after literally a lifetime of ups and downs) is that I recognize--and accept--the importance of paying attention to my mental health--and particularly my emotional eating.

My previous failures were partially the result of my own resistance to the idea that I couldn’t just “make it all go away”—that I could do some therapy, some journaling, and some self-coaching and TADA! I'd be "Cured" of my lifelong emotional attachment to food.

I think I’ve now reached acceptance that this is who I am, and it doesn’t make me a bad person to want or crave food as a way of “stuffing down” bad feelings or “puffing up” good ones. But I’ve also accepted that “emotions are not emergencies” and that I don’t need to “feed my feelings” even though that’s what my very old brain tapes tell me to do.

The emotion/food connection still holds strong for me, but I’ve learned to regularly practice acknowledging and naming my feelings and give myself both the permission and the time to feel them. It’s healthier for me both mentally and physically --and it has made staying in a healthy weight range much easier.