Just want to rant.

pavingnewpaths

Not really rant..more like whine...or, okay, confess? Since about early September, I've been eating ridiculously unhealthy. And I mean consuming at least 1000 over my maintenance calories daily for about 5/7 days a week. And the the other two days I've been eating probably just at, or a little below, maintenance. Now it's November and I've gained about 10 lbs. I know I should probably feel good that it wasn't more but still. 10 lbs y'know?! So I told myself I would get back on track TODAY, no excuses. The thing is, I've told myself this numerous times over the course the past two months. Always "I'm back!" then a day or two later I'll see a chocolate bar and think "hmm, that looks good," and it's all downhill from there. I'm just really sick of this pattern and I want to get to it already. I'm only about 30 lbs away from my ultimate goal and I want to get it DONE. Preferably before 2020.

Any tips/clues as to why I keep falling off the wagon? How do you guys stay motivated?

stt43

Keep your calories as high as possible and use flexible dieting so you can work in the foods you crave without going over your calories. Also, allow one cheat meal per week where you have one meal which you don't track, so you can fit in some cravings but within the strict confines of one meal.

katekross

Clearly state your goals to yourself. I agree with one cheat meal/day, but in moderation. I also keep sugar free sweets in the house like jello when I can't stand it But, I'm also finding gum helps. If you find yourself getting up to raid the fridge, the hardest part is putting on gym shoes and going for a walk Feel free to add me!

themedalist

"Do not give up what you want the most for what you want in the moment"

Losing weight and getting healthier requires making some sacrifices now for a healthier tomorrow. Maybe some visual reminders of why you want to get healthier would help keep you on track with your goals?

pavingnewpaths

I might start doing that cheat meal. Cheat days used to always throw me off but a moderated cheat meal sounds a lot more constricted. Thank you guys!

Also, yes I think making a vision board might help too.

NRSPAM

From my personal experience, any time I've tried to rush my weight loss, and restrict my calories too much, and not allow myself to have the things I like, that's when I fall off the wagon. I recently did this, and also gained about 10lb's. This time, I'm allowing myself to have more of the things I consider "junk food," and I find that I can control myself a lot better around these foods. For instance, last week, I bought a couple pints of ice cream for me n hubby, and I actually stuck to the 1/2 cup portion, which I don't think I've ever done before, lol, because I knew I could have some more the next day, if I wanted it. However, I measured it, and put it in a bowl, instead of sitting down with the container, like I would normally do. MFP tends to give everyone a pretty low number for their calorie goal. Many people put their fitness level at sedentary, or lightly active, when they're actually more active than that. Yesterday, I burned 700 calories alone, but for some reason, I can't change my weekly exercise calorie goal greater than 1,000, when I burn way more than that in a week. This is a great website for figuring out your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure. If you use this, you don't eat back exercise calories, though, because it's already figured out for you. It will subtract appx 20% from your TDEE, and give you the recommended calorie goal. If you don't lose, you can always decrease it a little, or adjust as needed. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ When you get to about 10lb's from your goal weight, you should probably increase your calorie goal a little more also, maybe around 200-250, to lose 1/2lb/week, that is if you find yourself feeling hungry more often. Good luck. ))

NRSPAM

I also recommend lifting weights. It increases your metabolism, and burns fat faster.

lithezebra

Measure the amounts that you eat, and log everything that you eat or drink. Awareness is your best tool.

EricaFaythe

Best thing for me is to plan out my meals the night before so I stay on course. If that means you want to schedule a bit of chocolate, so be it!

JesterMFP

Don't get on the wagons that don't allow chocolate bars.

Skinnymunkii

For me, I HAVE to keep the food I need to stay away from OUT of the house. Since I'm single, it's a LOT easier for me than some. I know a lot of people have individuals they live with who make it difficult to keep on point due to their eating habits. Small blessings of being forever alone. LOL. But if you can, do you best to stay away from things you know are a trigger food for you. And don't buy it telling yourself "I'll just have one." Because if you're anything like me, one turns into four. :embarassed:

rachaelbarton

I eat a TON more when I haven't been exercising. Whether this is due to appetite suppression from my workout, or just an unwillingness to ruin everything I just worked for I don't know--all I know is I have little to no self-control when I'm sedentary. Also, when I'm feeling cheated out of food by my calorie restriction, exercise allows me to eat something extra that day. Totally worth it! After I've worked out I'm more inclined to reach for a protein shake than candy anyway, just because my frame of mind is on health. If you're not a consistent exerciser, maybe make a scheduled walk part of your day, or a solid weight lifting session. Health is holistic, so what you do for one part of your health affects the others. Translation> working out positively affects your mindset.

Capt_Apollo

i find that if i cook and have healthy meals at home, i'm less inclinded to snack mindlessly outside of my house. and you can do things like bulk cooking, to make sure you have tons of food at home, and you don't have to spend too much time cooking.

also, i used to pre-log all my food. it helped me want to stay on track, because it was annoying to go an edit it. also, i'd over-log food, because i'd often remove an item or thing.

Barbonica

What got me focused was to stop thinking about losing weight, and start thinking about what kind of life I wanted. I wanted to get serious about exercising because I feel better when I exercise (at any weight). I know this from past experience, and that is what got me started.

I added structure to exercising (for me, that meant working with a personal trainer). That morphed into weight loss as I started eating more healthy to support my exercise goals. After losing about 40 pounds, I held my weight pretty steady for a year (most of 2012), and in early 2013 decided to lose some more weight because I like how it feels, I like how it looks, and I like my improved performance. My motivators are to run longer and faster, and to lift more strongly. My motivator is to feel wonderful. Those goals are supported by being at proper weight, not by being overweight.

Losing weight is not a life style; decide on the life style you want and then start implementing it rather than focusing only on weight loss. You can do it! You just have to discover the right motivator within yourself.

pavingnewpaths

This is all REALLY awesome advice. I think I'm going to take all the main points and jot them down so I have no more excuses. Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate it!