What causes failure?

ktrn0312

Bump

1ZenGirl

Until I could get right in my head about the emotional reasons I was eating, there was no way I could lose weight. For me, it was never about the discipline or eating the "right" foods or whatever the reason was that I thought I was failing at in my journey to lose weight. I was so disciplined in every area of my life, why couldn't I make this work?

Turning to food for comfort was how I dealt with my demons. My demons were being a perfectionist, feelings of not being worthy of love, not loving myself. I had to go ALL the way back and figure it out. I am still about 40 pounds out but let me say this. I have gained self love, confidence and appreciation for the fact that I am worthy of everything this life is about.

I am going to be 50 in 2014. I know with an absolute certainty that my weight will be gone by then. This is all fine and good but the best part is that my "head space" where food for comfort is concerned is right where it belongs for the next 50 years....out the door and viewed as a demon of the past.


****edited for clarity****

nalm5150

You are right....and MFP tells us how many calories we should consume to lose and/or to maintain our weight...it's not rocket science. .Each one of us has different requirements. It's a life long commitment. I'm amazed at how quickly the calories rack up in a day! MFP is a great tool to keep a diary of food intake.

healthismygame2

I think alot of folks fail or regain their weight because they stop tracking and logging. I believe essentially that is the beginning of the fail and eventually folks may even stop working out.

I think it is imperative that we log, and track our food till our life on this earth ends, but that is just my opinion.

Zopittydoodoobopbopbop

Let me preface this by saying that I don't use MFP as a social device or as a weight loss tool. It's just an amazing calorie counting app! What I see in a lot of clients I train who fail is this continued setting of goals. Setting goals and meeting them is not inherently a bad thing, if you want to look good for a reunion or beach day, great! However it leaves you feeling satisfied afterwards, which is dangerous. Fitness and the pursuit of aesthetics can't be a momentary drive towards a single goal, it needs to be a lifestyle.

1.) A sense of satisfaction.
2.) Boredom with eating clean.
3.) Peer pressure (you're friends all want you to drink or eat the same thing as them, which you can't do)
4.) Overdieting/overcutting (cutting calories to something like 1400 a day will not only **** up your metabolism but will also leave you hungry and susceptible to cheating)
5.) Not understanding this is a lifestyle and, in turn, a life long commitment.
6.) I see some people result o food and lethargy when they go through a rough patch in life (family members death, SO problems etc...) I like to think of fitness as a way to work through those issues, not as a reason to quit.
7.) Money - supplements and clean foods are expensive.
8.) simple lack of will power. this is probably the most common, some people have never dedicated themselves to something like this before and just don't know what it takes. It's an all day all night thing, not simply when it's convenient.
9.) This is less listable but a lot of people structure their lives around food and eating. Whether it's comfort/boredom eating or just a routine/habit you can't shake.

The truth is pretty simple and something a lot of people don't want to hear. The reason you quit is because you don't want it bad enough. You don't want to work. You don't have the drive and the work ethic. It's hard to hear but it's often the truth and lies, at the very least, at the base of all reasons someone slipped.

dadof2boyz

*Lack of focus

healthismygame2

Until I could get right in my head about the emotional reasons I was eating, there was no way I could lose weight. For me, it was never about the discipline or eating the "right" foods or whatever the reason was that I thought I was failing at in my journey to lose weight. I was so disciplined in every area of my life, why couldn't I make this work?

Turning to food for comfort was how I dealt with my demons. My demons were being a perfectionist, feelings of not being worthy of love, not loving myself. I had to go ALL the way back and figure it out. I am still about 40 pounds out but let me say this. I have gained self love, confidence and appreciation for the fact that I am worthy of everything this life is about.

I am going to be 50 in 2014. I know with an absolute certainty that my weight will be gone by then. This is all fine and good but the best part is that my "head space" where food for comfort is concerned is right where it belongs for the next 50 years....out the door and viewed as a demon of the past.


****edited for clarity****

Way to go on figuring our the root of the problem. Congrats on the success you've already have had and on your future success.

nalm5150

You're right.....making lifestyle changes rather than "being on a diet".... is the right frame of mind

healthismygame2

Let me preface this by saying that I don't use MFP as a social device or as a weight loss tool. It's just an amazing calorie counting app! What I see in a lot of clients I train who fail is this continued setting of goals. Setting goals and meeting them is not inherently a bad thing, if you want to look good for a reunion or beach day, great! However it leaves you feeling satisfied afterwards, which is dangerous. Fitness and the pursuit of aesthetics can't be a momentary drive towards a single goal, it needs to be a lifestyle.

1.) A sense of satisfaction.
2.) Boredom with eating clean.
3.) Peer pressure (you're friends all want you to drink or eat the same thing as them, which you can't do)
4.) Overdieting/overcutting (cutting calories to something like 1400 a day will not only **** up your metabolism but will also leave you hungry and susceptible to cheating)
5.) Not understanding this is a lifestyle and, in turn, a life long commitment.
6.) I see some people result o food and lethargy when they go through a rough patch in life (family members death, SO problems etc...) I like to think of fitness as a way to work through those issues, not as a reason to quit.
7.) Money - supplements and clean foods are expensive.
8.) simple lack of will power. this is probably the most common, some people have never dedicated themselves to something like this before and just don't know what it takes. It's an all day all night thing, not simply when it's convenient.
9.) This is less listable but a lot of people structure their lives around food and eating. Whether it's comfort/boredom eating or just a routine/habit you can't shake.

The truth is pretty simple and something a lot of people don't want to hear. The reason you quit is because you don't want it bad enough. You don't want to work. You don't have the drive and the work ethic. It's hard to hear but it's often the truth and lies, at the very least, at the base of all reasons someone slipped.

Well stated

healthismygame2

You're right.....making lifestyle changes rather than "being on a diet".... is the right frame of mind

Absolutely

1ZenGirl

Until I could get right in my head about the emotional reasons I was eating, there was no way I could lose weight. For me, it was never about the discipline or eating the "right" foods or whatever the reason was that I thought I was failing at in my journey to lose weight. I was so disciplined in every area of my life, why couldn't I make this work?

Turning to food for comfort was how I dealt with my demons. My demons were being a perfectionist, feelings of not being worthy of love, not loving myself. I had to go ALL the way back and figure it out. I am still about 40 pounds out but let me say this. I have gained self love, confidence and appreciation for the fact that I am worthy of everything this life is about.

I am going to be 50 in 2014. I know with an absolute certainty that my weight will be gone by then. This is all fine and good but the best part is that my "head space" where food for comfort is concerned is right where it belongs for the next 50 years....out the door and viewed as a demon of the past.


****edited for clarity****

Way to go on figuring our the root of the problem. Congrats on the success you've already have had and on your future success.

Thank you and WOW congrats to YOU!

fashionosack

Lack of determination and perseverance to emphasize busy with work, learn nervous fits and starts an intensive intermittent lose weight, often can not be successful.

Jestinia

maintaining is hard because youre still restricting calories but for no improvements like weight loss so the motivation to maintain fades as you get used to how your body looks or you care less and less as the days go on untill you gain too much and care enough again to diet

This too. Plus I realized being thin doesn't fix my life by making me superhuman. It's a letdown. Next experiment: Getting rich quick. Maybe that will work.

2dare2dream

comfort and emotional eaters will risk gaining back if they do not deal with issues in hand and why they reach to food for comfort etc. changing your eating habits isnt always enough .. this is a change of lifestyle and often includes an emotional and spiritual journey as well as nutritional.

pusheen12

agree

pusheen12

I don't know and I don't care to learn about it first hand. For me this is a lifestyle change and if that is true I :drinker: won't need to restart anything. Moderation, staying focused on healthy choices, balancing an indulgences with exercise should help. Great question, I noticed many people returning and that is worrisome for sure. I've been at it for over a year and a half and haven't regained anything. Didn't find MFP until a few months ago which was a catalyst for more intense weight loss. I will never go back to my old lifestyle. I haven't been this happy in years! Best gift ever.

tmw1018

It took me a few years to really understand that sustained success really did mean a lifestyle change. I used to get to the weekends and "go off" my diet. I did the same whenever I traveled, once I reached my original goal, and in the time between thanksgiving and christmas. It was only after I saw the weight creep back on that I realized that 3-5 days a week of eating well was not enough and I needed to figure out a way to eat and incorporate more flexibility so I never felt the need to "go off" my plan. Now my plan involves chocolate every day, low-impact exercise no matter where I am, and it doesn't feel hard anymore. This mental shift has played a big role in my continued maintenance. But, it took nearly two years to get there.

ab_1203

People become too complacent when they meet their goals, treat themselves and give themselves time off but being in shape is a lifetime journey, its never over.

We also are in a time where people want instant results these days, so some people fail to lose weight.

capperboy

Over the past 40 years I have had two periods of my life when I have been overweight, both these periods lasted for approximately 5 years. No great secret how I put the weight on, ate too much and no exercise. Likewise no great secret how I lost the weight, ate less plus exercises. The real battle is the constant grind of maintenance. The only way I succeed is by setting goals i.e. run marathon, as I succeed with one goal I set another and so on. So far so good 2years on maintenance this time.

ninerbuff

Easy:

Lack of commitment. Someone that's committed to a goal will never let obstacles or setbacks stop them from achieving it.

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