Staying Consistent

1111ace

Hi Everybody. As I get started on MFP I think my next biggest step is to stay consistent with newly learned habits. Anybody have any good methods or successes that would help me stay on the right track?

Kevalicious99

Welcome .. I am a newbie here too.

I used to be very consistent ... consistently bad. I used to be really into Diet Pepsi (as much as a couple of bottles on a daily basis). I also regularly had junk food binges. Just bad habits.

But one day I just got tired of the protruding stomach. What can I say .. but it really isn't very sexy and I just got tired of looking like an old fat guy. Besides my family was on my case .. just another little thing to get me started.

So I did something about it .. dropped the junk food and pop, cold turkey. I just find that I keep motivated due to the fact that I just want to go back to a time where I was slim and trim. That was about 7 years ago.

Personally I find that having some real compelling reason for getting healthy is enough motivation to keep me honest. Your reasons for being healthy are probably different than mine .. but we probably all have some reason that we want to lose our old habits.

lynnymcc

I too have a difficult time staying motivated...I will do well for 3 months, then fall off for a bit then get back on the saddle.
I find searching this site is very motivational. LOTS of tools, stories, hints, THE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOs are a great motivation for me.
I also have 2 young daughters that i have to set an example for. They need a healthy Mom around for a long long time.
Good luck to you!

bridgie101

Hi Everybody. As I get started on MFP I think my next biggest step is to stay consistent with newly learned habits. Anybody have any good methods or successes that would help me stay on the right track?

I just tell myself that in three days it will be normal. You have to work out what's rational and logical, and then just force yourself until it becomes habit. The hardest part for me is getting up in time to do it.

derhz

The biggest hurdle for me staying consistent was the first three days. After that, my new habits had sunken in and even on my 'cheat' days (1 day a week where ill let myself have something indulgent on the same day I work out the hardest with my PT), I can't bring myself to eat nearly as much as I used to. Yesterday it was a grilled chicken burger and small fries from Burger King for my cheat day, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish the fries. It was like my body was rejecting it. I felt ill by the end of the burger and I just gave them to my husband.

I feel like if your diet consists of the right natural substitutes for what you used to be eating based on what you like, you'll have no struggles at all staying on track and you'll feel loads better! I have a biiig sweet tooth, so when I want something sweet, which is often- I'll have fruits (mostly watermelon and rockmelon, as they are my absolute favorites) and yogurts.

Now even lately when people try to give me cakes and cookies at work, I have no issue saying "No thanks!"

bellesouth18

My mantra is "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That has helped me win over temptation.

lauren_lovely7

I love that quote! I think it's easier staying consistent when you have people in your life holding you accountable and encouraging you! My family is not very encouraging or helpful and it's so hard for me to stay consistent.

brynnsmom

My mantra is "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That has helped me win over temptation.

Totally agree with the above. Also, I have certain foods that I eat every single day. Healthy foods, that I love and don't look at as deprivation that I'm eating in place of something else. Find some of these to work into your diet. It also makes for quick food logging, which makes being a consistent logger that much easier.

cdahl383

I too want to get back to my old self that was trim with a decent build. You really just need to keep that reason in the back of your head to keep you motivated as you lose weight.

Once you get close or get to your goal, then you need to focus on maintaining. One website I read for a while had a saying that said something of the following:

You don't like exercise or eating vegetables and a healthy diet? Well...do you like being fat? No, well there you go! Haha!

I_mustacheU4pancakes

Consistency is key man and patience is the hardest thing to have
but the most important thing we need,no matter what the goal is.
Good luck man!

nxd10

Just do it. Use a phone app and log every single thing as soon as you eat it. Log your exercise. Eat/log. Just do it.

1111ace

Welcome .. I am a newbie here too.

I used to be very consistent ... consistently bad. I used to be really into Diet Pepsi (as much as a couple of bottles on a daily basis). I also regularly had junk food binges. Just bad habits.

But one day I just got tired of the protruding stomach. What can I say .. but it really isn't very sexy and I just got tired of looking like an old fat guy. Besides my family was on my case .. just another little thing to get me started.

So I did something about it .. dropped the junk food and pop, cold turkey. I just find that I keep motivated due to the fact that I just want to go back to a time where I was slim and trim. That was about 7 years ago.

Personally I find that having some real compelling reason for getting healthy is enough motivation to keep me honest. Your reasons for being healthy are probably different than mine .. but we probably all have some reason that we want to lose our old habits.

Thanks for your nice feedback, I know how it is to be motivated enough. Last year I got into great shape lost about 50 pounds then gained 20 back over the following year. Motivation is key, I definitely need to get better at being able to remember why I am, so I don't forget when life hits me fast.

1111ace

I too have a difficult time staying motivated...I will do well for 3 months, then fall off for a bit then get back on the saddle.
I find searching this site is very motivational. LOTS of tools, stories, hints, THE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOs are a great motivation for me.
I also have 2 young daughters that i have to set an example for. They need a healthy Mom around for a long long time.
Good luck to you!

Thanks for your nice post, life does seem to be an endless roller coaster. I wish I would have taken more after photos before I gained weight back, next time. Staying consistent for your family is definitely better reason than any. There's definitely a lot of good gems on this site. I'm glad I found it, thanks again and good luck to you as well.

1111ace

I just tell myself that in three days it will be normal. You have to work out what's rational and logical, and then just force yourself until it becomes habit. The hardest part for me is getting up in time to do it.

Thanks for your feedback friend I agree with you, I quit smoking 7 years ago and it seems like after 3 days I was well on my way. I've also noticed that my nutrition seems to really affect me 2 or 3 days after. Different subject but similar idea. Anyways scheduling out for 3 days doesn't seem that bad. I'll try it thank you.

ninerbuff

Takes 21 days to form a habit. Usually habits are the consistency that people do on a day to day basis.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

1111ace

The biggest hurdle for me staying consistent was the first three days. After that, my new habits had sunken in and even on my 'cheat' days (1 day a week where ill let myself have something indulgent on the same day I work out the hardest with my PT), I can't bring myself to eat nearly as much as I used to. Yesterday it was a grilled chicken burger and small fries from Burger King for my cheat day, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish the fries. It was like my body was rejecting it. I felt ill by the end of the burger and I just gave them to my husband.

I feel like if your diet consists of the right natural substitutes for what you used to be eating based on what you like, you'll have no struggles at all staying on track and you'll feel loads better! I have a biiig sweet tooth, so when I want something sweet, which is often- I'll have fruits (mostly watermelon and rockmelon, as they are my absolute favorites) and yogurts.

Now even lately when people try to give me cakes and cookies at work, I have no issue saying "No thanks!"

Thank you. I'm glad to hear about your success. Junk food definitely isn't as good after going without it. I'm a sucker for cake though. Wish it wasn't so good. Need to find a good substitute for that for sure. I'll try to substitute more that's a great idea thank you

1111ace

My mantra is "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That has helped me win over temptation.

That's an excellent quote, I'm going to save it thank you

1111ace

I love that quote! I think it's easier staying consistent when you have people in your life holding you accountable and encouraging you! My family is not very encouraging or helpful and it's so hard for me to stay consistent.

I definitely know how that is, this site seems to be a valuable resource for that reason. I recently did a strict 30 day paleo style diet (whole 30) and when I went to my dads they tried feeding me all sorts of junk, it was tough but since I didn't want to mess up my 30 day commitment it was easier to say no. The only downfall is that when the 30 days was up my nutrition was out of control and I'm still trying to recover from that months later. Thank you for your nice feedback

morticia16

It helps if you have understanding and support of those closest to you. And all the incredible success stories here at MFP are a great inspiration too.

1111ace

Totally agree with the above. Also, I have certain foods that I eat every single day. Healthy foods, that I love and don't look at as deprivation that I'm eating in place of something else. Find some of these to work into your diet. It also makes for quick food logging, which makes being a consistent logger that much easier.

Thank you. What foods do you eat that are easy options to replace bad ones? I know that keeping a nutrition journal helps a ton. I lost a lot of weight last year thanks to it. This site is a great resource for that. I had no idea till yesterday.

1111ace

I too want to get back to my old self that was trim with a decent build. You really just need to keep that reason in the back of your head to keep you motivated as you lose weight.

Once you get close or get to your goal, then you need to focus on maintaining. One website I read for a while had a saying that said something of the following:

You don't like exercise or eating vegetables and a healthy diet? Well...do you like being fat? No, well there you go! Haha!

Lol that's awesome. I have a good one too for exercise. "If you want to be comfortable then stay home". When I get it right again I'm definitely getting more after pictures to motivate me later on. Its definitely easy to focus on the now and not so much the later. I think the effort it takes to plan has a lot to do with it, besides just wanting the instant gratification of a butter cream frosted doughnut. Thank you.