SABOTAGE!

usmcmp

Frequently we see people talking about how other people sabotage their efforts to get in shape or lose fat (fat, not weight). I wanted to address this issue, but after writing eight paragraphs I realized that in the end our choice to eat or not eat simply comes down to us. These temptations will not disappear suddenly when you reach your goal, so learn now how best to deal with these situations. Ultimately success will come down to flexibility, self awareness and accepting responsibility.

The real reason for this post is actually the opposite of sabotage. I want to hear stories from people about how others in their lives helped them. In the end we are the ones responsible for our own success, but others can inspire us or make the process easier on us.

Who has helped or inspired you?

usmcmp

The first person who has and continues to be key to my success is my mom. She watches my kids during my competitions. She watches my kids when they are sick or they daycare is closed and I need to get a workout in. She adjusts family meals and celebrations to make sure I have things to eat and don’t feel left out. She listens to me talk about fitness or nutrition incessantly.

Next would be the lady who put me in touch with my trainer and funded my initial sessions. This was a key turning point in my pursuit of fitness.

Last, but certainly not least, is my trainer. I could write pages on everything he’s done to help me. From correcting my form, helping fix issues caused by injury, encouraging me to follow my competition dreams and teaching me as much as he can to ensure I am successful long after I stop training with him.

HawkeyeTy

My MFP friends...probably saved my life.

8?! Months ago I came to them admitting that I had a problem with alcohol, and unlike my "real-life" friends, they have stayed with me from the beginning, through the slip ups, through all the whiny bullsh*t I post, and I love them all for it.

I'm still fat, but I'm here. And I thank them for that..

usmcmp

My MFP friends...probably saved my life.

8?! Months ago I came to them admitting that I had a problem with alcohol, and unlike my "real-life" friends, they have stayed with me from the beginning, through the slip ups, through all the whiny bullsh*t I post, and I love them all for it.

I'm still fat, but I'm here. And I thank them for that..

One issue at a time. Glad that you keep coming back and working on improving!

Escloflowne

My MFP friends kept me coming back on the site to get a streak of over 730 days


I decided I wanted to do it myself and did it myself though, can't think of anyone IRL

skullshank

My MFP friends...probably saved my life.

8?! Months ago I came to them admitting that I had a problem with alcohol, and unlike my "real-life" friends, they have stayed with me from the beginning, through the slip ups, through all the whiny bullsh*t I post, and I love them all for it.

I'm still fat, but I'm here. And I thank them for that..

you happen to be one of the strongest people on my FL, dude.



another vote for my MFP pals...they all continue to push, inspire, and set that bar even HIGHER.

also wanna mention the one i refer to as "gym dude". gym dude is a 19yo RIPPED college hockey player that works at my gym. despite the fact that my age exceeds his by 17 years, he is ALWAYS open to answering my questions, offering suggestions, checking form, spotting, and pushing me to go further. all he HAS to do there is say hi when people come in, and empty the trash at the end of the night. big ups, gym dude...you rock.

PetulantOne

Besides my MFP friends,

My Husband. Mind you, he still offers me cookies, candy, etc all the time. Eats whatever he wants, and stays skinny. He also eats in front of me when I'm done for the day. In the beginning those things irritated me. The temptation was hard, but I knew if this was going to work, I had to control myself. It wasn't his responsibility to change.

Aside from all that, he's my biggest cheerleader. He constantly tells me how proud he is of me, and listen to me ramble about fitness or food, all with a smile on his face.

Keto_T

My husband is awesome. He cooks dinner when i go to the gym and takes my macros into consideration. If he cooks a new recipe, he'll leave all the packaging out so i can enter it.

Myhaloslipped

Did anyone ever watch the season of "Bad Girls Club" when Annie kept secretly putting sugar in Kate's protein powder to make her gain weight? Most evil and hilarious sabotage ever.

usmcmp

Did anyone ever watch the season of "Bad Girls Club" when Annie kept secretly putting sugar in Kate's protein powder to make her gain weight? Most evil and hilarious sabotage ever.

This thread isn't really about sabotage. It's about the opposite. About people who have helped.

seltzermint555

Cool post!!

I think for me the biggest support has been my husband due to his great positive attitude and knowledge about nutrition/health. I also love that he's on his own "journey" (as much as I hate that term) and we can share the healthy foods mixed in with occasional treats. That is a huge help to me.

My mom has come a long way. She used to think everything I ate was weird/strange but now she actually tries. She buys those little single serving Red Baron frozen pizzas for me, which I generally think are total junk, but it IS better than a lot of her cooking...and she always overcooks broccoli for me but the whole concept of her even buying fresh veggies is a new one. So I see those small efforts as a very big deal. She's actually lost 7 lb herself in the past year and before that was on a steady incline in her weight so I'm pleased.

It helps that my dad has made positive changes in his own health as well. We go to lunch once a week and it's usually not "health food" but I'm happy that he doesn't comment negatively when I leave half of my pasta or take a bun off my burger and so on. When we eat Chinese he usually piles his onions and bell peppers on my plate because he does not like them and I do. But he won't do that with something really fatty/salty because he knows I don't eat those things now. Little stuff like that feels supportive to me.

dare2love81

Mainly, my trainer. The wealth of knowledge he's bestowed upon me over the last year in regards to fitness and nutrition is unparalleled. I could go on and on about how he's influenced my success, but most of you probably don't care, so I'll stick with the TL:DR version.

There are also quite a few MFP peeps that have inspired me in some form or fashion along the way. :flowerforyou:

And last, but not least, the actual MFP site itself. Without tracking my food, I had no idea what I was really eating in a day. Tracking, in and of itself, has taught me a lot about food.

WhiteRabbit1313

My very good friend IRL who allows me to text her daily to report my calories and reports her calories to me has really helped me do better at staying on track.

MFP friends inspire and teach me.

My husband, who has stood beside me in every kooky diet or exercise routine that I've attempted, and who fully supports my efforts no matter how lofty or silly they seem.

lilawolf

My MFP friends for cheering me on, and my family and coworkers that tell me that I'm looking fantastic

My hubby does StrongLifts with me, but I had to do all of the planning, and he constantly tries to put off our workouts or pull me back into bed or whatever. He also wasn't very supportive of my martial arts goals though he didn't actively badmouth them. I think that he didn't want me to be gone for two days out of the week. He never offers to cook. If I don't make/get something healthy, then its pizza or taco bell. He needs to lose more than I do.

My mom and grandma both warn me to not get too bulky. That my biceps are becoming manly (but only if I flex). They are both overweight and lazy.

My best friend thinks that lifting is unnecessary, and Krav Maga is too violent/bruising. She wants me to do yoga and running with her instead. (she does tell me that I look awesome though)

But the best thing is: I don't need them or their support. I have my own goals and dreams and don't need them to be on board. I decide if I'm going to be talked out of a workout or if I'm going to have pizza for dinner on a certain night. MY CHOICE. And that is damn empowering.

usmcmp

Seeing my friends do well on here and having people to talk to that are going through the same things definitely helped!

Myhaloslipped

Did anyone ever watch the season of "Bad Girls Club" when Annie kept secretly putting sugar in Kate's protein powder to make her gain weight? Most evil and hilarious sabotage ever.

This thread isn't really about sabotage. It's about the opposite. About people who have helped.

I have a bad habit of doing this---reading the title and just posting away. :embarassed:

delicious_cocktail

My wife.

We both put on a lot of weight over the course of our relationship. All the dining out in the early years, the convenience foods after having children.

We were both sick of it. Whereas I walked around just being disgusted with myself and unhappy, completely sedentary, Lucy started counting calories.

Then she started working out; simple stuff at first.

Then she was doing HIIT daily. The results were happening faster and faster.

I realized that maybe I wasn't doomed to an ever-fattening abyss of shame and cookies. Maybe the reason that most of America was so damned fat was not because it was inexorable, but rather because they didn't DO anything about it.

I started counting - it was made so much easier by my wife preparing nutritious home made meals and having already calculated the calories per serving for herself.

With that incredible advantage, I got my eating under control. Small changes began to happen. I quit smoking. More changes. I started Couch to 5K. Faster changes. I hit my goal weight. I wasn't happy with how I looked but at least I wasn't having to wear tents as garments anymore [figuratively].

By this time she had started weightlifting. The results were immediately apparent. I saw her developing the physique I wanted - - strong, healthy, normal human anatomy. Eventually I sucked it up and asked her to teach me her lifts.

I started lifting too. My whole world changed.

I am deeply grateful to my wife Weese17 for having such an amazing will, and for inspiring me to fall into with what Taso once called "the virtuous cycle".

Satiable

My best anti-saboteur is my Mum. She was the one who first decided to lose some fat last year. I thought it was a great idea and joined in.

We swap recipes, joke around, encourage exercise, and at this point we're both in better shape than we ever thought we'd be. She's taking exercise classes - I would've lost money on that bet - and I asked Santa for a set of weights for Christmas.

I definitely wouldn't have made the change without her.

shutyourpieholeandsquat

My co-worker and friend Teri. She was working out and talked me into starting bootcamp with her. She had been going for about 7 months and was WAY farther in than me when I started but she told me to just do what I could and don't give up. She constantly stops to tell me positive things. After working out one day she was walking out the door and walked back across the gym before leaving just to tell me that I was a shadow of my former self. It's things like that that make you keep going.

Also my best friend Jennifer. She's always been a granola hippie person, slightly vegetarian and I rib her for it all the time. She took the time out of nowhere the other day to text me and tell me how proud of me she is. Not just for losing weight but for finally realizing that I deserve good things for myself.

And of course my MFP pals, especially Lori.

refuseresist

Listen all a y'all it's a sabotage

Myhaloslipped

My parents make a point of cooking a healthy meal, usually under 600 calories, whenever I come over for dinner. Also, my father offered to pay for my gym membership for a year as a birthday present. Love my parents!