Fear? Anyone else feel it?

jennybauer

I have just started back and I am not struggling at all with eating healthy and I even exercised today! But for some reason I have this feeling of fear of not being able to succeed.I feel like I am just waiting to fail. Am I the only one? If you've felt it, how do you overcome, what did you do to push past?

MichaelVRenner

Just remember that the rewards of a healthy lifestyle outweigh the fear... no pun intended.

Good luck and don't look back.

ladylattier

You can't do that to yourself. You have to tell yourself that you can do it. It might not happen as quickly as you would like, or at a different rate as others, but if you keep at it, you WILL see results. Putting yourself down or having a fear of failure will only work against you. You can have a support system in place, but YOU need to be your best cheerleader. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

morethanthis0

Yup, definitely feel that way sometimes, especially in the past. this time around for trying to lose weight the eating and working out hasn't been too bad and I have been just doing it and not stressing about it. I've lost 14 lbs within the past 25 days and am now at 215 lbs which makes me nervous because that is basically the weight I was for many years and was stable there, now I'm scared I won't lose more, even though I have much more to lose. But with that in mind, I just keep thinking about my goals and reminding myself this takes time. Having supportive friends here on mfp has also been a huge help.

BodyByBex

I do. I hit 213 pounds. I was stable at that weight for years. I am in fear that the weight wont go down. That I will be stuck this way forever. But I log everything that passes through my lips(thank you MFP for the phone app) and I exercise.
Today was a most stressful day as I took a rest day. I haven't taken a rest in 10 days. It feels weird to NOT be exercising today but I KNOW I need to recover. I am frustrated that the scale hasn't moved in 4 days BUT I know that losing weight is a game in patience and time. The time is passing regardless of whether I log or not and whether I exercise or not and as long as I keep going I know I am on my way to my goal. I have made many non-scale victories and I focus on those. I look at my 'before' photos I took and focus on the small changes. Let's hear it for less pronounced back rolls!
The fear is there. Just don't let it get to you and stay positive.

quillworkgirl

I actually know how you feel. I have tried to lose weight and get healthy so many times before and every single time, when I start doing well, I always end up falling right back into old habits. The one thing I have changed this time is that I have enlisted my close friends to encourage me on my down days. I only just started but hopefully this will be the key to successful (and permanent) weight loss.

action_figure

I have so much fear bound up with body issues and eating and emotional stuff. I don't push past it. I find out what I'm afraid of and deal with it.

Inshape13

I think that once you get in the mind set that you are destined to be out of shape or overweight, it is hard to shake that feeling until you actually hit goals that you set for yourself over time. It took me close to a year to see, really see, that I was capable of more than I was giving myself credit for. I was athletic even though I never had been in my life. Just because it was not a part of who I was before did not mean that it could not be who I would be in the future. You just have to shut that voice up in your head that says that you are fooling yourself to think that you can change. YOU CAN DO THIS! That voice is not right and it does not dictate your success....you do. You are more than capable, so fake it til you make it and then embrace the strong woman that you can become.

VelveteenArabian

I think you're taking it all too seriously. As long as you're alive, you can't fail so absolutely miserably that you can't do -something- to get back on track. It might take you longer under certain circumstances, but I don't see how there's absolute failure as long as you keep trying.

jennybauer

Thanks everyone :-) This morning is better, don't feel so gripped with the fear. It really helped hearing from you all :happy:

jodiannd

Yes am in the same boat..... but i think once i get around here more and gain some new HEALTHY friends that have the same goals as myself that fear will slowly just die down.

Feel free to add me as a friend my Diary is public and open...also feel free to comment or give me any advise you can PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL LOL...

P.S its just fear once you get over it what now??? there wont be nothing to hold you back

ajaxe432

Fear of failure is something everyone experiences! It is how we deal with it that defines us. When you step outside your comfort zone you feel it kicking in, but when you realize there is nothing to fear....well then it is time to move on to the next obstacle.

lisad1971

I know for me overthinking it is what causes me to fail. In the past, I would get upset if I wasn't following a plan perfectly or missed a workout and use that as an excuse to give up. Well, I did this all the way up to almost 248 pounds. Since I have let go of that and just keep forging ahead, I have had success. I am no longer following any specific plan. Just moving and trying to eat right.

Greytfish

Try to focus on the "doing" rather than the goal. That way every day is a success.

Mickeyinfinite

Not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I have found that fear of getting overly big again is what keeps me motivated and on track.

I purposely watch all kinds of videos, tv shows (youtube vids and shows about being around 600 pounds) people who have struggled with losing large amounts of weight or had stomach bi-pass surgery etc. I also have re-educated myself on nutrition.

I find that watching how these obese people struggle at that much weight makes me fearful enough that I vow I will not put myself in that situation.

Yes, I was up there in weight, close to what these morbidly obese people are dealing with, and thankfully after 4 years I've shed 90 pounds. I still have another 50-60 pounds to go.

I'm taking my fear of gaining a lot of weight again and turning that fear into a positive by making it motivate me to stay healthy

Because I've lost and gained 150 pounds at least 3 times in my life this time in my life I have NOT told myself that I can NEVER have this or that food. Deprivation is my enemy! Instead I have told myself I can eat whatever I want to as long as I have had my healthy meals (i.e. 3 times a day, meals with lean protein, whole brown rice, lots of veg)

I also count my calories and stay on target about 90% of the time. When I go over I don't berate myself, I just go right back on my calorie goal the next day.

I have found that doing the above and not expecting to lose huge amounts every month (losing 2-4 pounds a month is good enough for me) that I have stayed on my health journey since 2009. It's now a lifestyle, choosing healthy foods, cutting out refined processed foods etc.

Primarily this time it's about "what am I putting in my body and how does this affect my health" rather than the numbers on a scale.

VelveteenArabian

There is ALWAYS an opportunity to start over. It does not have to be next week or next month or next year. Starting over can start as early as the next time you grab food.

manny1991

Im not sure if it was nessecarily fear, but I think I had just "accepted" that I was not meant to be thin. It took me a long time to get over that mindset. I just tried my best to be consistent and started seeing changes. I was on the bus the other day and I saw this girl about my age who was thin and attractive and I realized, a few months ago I would have been jealous! In my mind I would have said " I wish" like it just wasnt my destiny to be thin, like she had just been lucky! Instead of repeating the same distorted mindset, I actually found myself saying "I can't wait!"

Just being consistent and honest with myself has made me realize that I have the power to be who and what I want to be! As long as you keep trying you can not fail!