How do you guys stay consistent?

avatarmage

Hi, I'm not new to myfitnesspal. In fact this must be my 15th try. Every time I start, lose about 5 pounds, then start slacking with my calorie limit and gain all the weight back. How do you guys motivate yourself to stay true to your daily calorie limit?

SmokinJoe77

It sounds kinda snarky, but "willpower" and a workout buddy. Seriously though, I want to weigh 200lbs which is less than I weighed as a senior in high school. I now have someone who enjoys working out and will go to the gym with me and eat healthy. It was very difficult for me to get anywhere and sustain my momentum when it felt like I was doing it alone, and worse, like people were working against me.

usmcmp

Making sure I understood how many calories my body really needed and then ensuring I ate enough. Once I realized I didn't have to starve myself and increased calories I stuck with it a lot better.

970Mikaela1

I know what I want. And how to stay there. What is most important to you?

KatherinesRiver

Nobody is perfect but I stay within 50 to 100 calories and no more of the 1,440 that I am starting on. I do keep a journal. About my exercise, I am walking 30 minutes a day and doing one hour of cardio which is really kicking my butt right now. I'm sleeping like a log though!!!

austinsneeze

Having daily encouragement from MFP friends and personal friends!

Also, I have "fat" pictures of myself where I see them and I remind myself that this is not the person I want to be. I also celebrate the little goals, and never deprive myself of food I want. If I want a cookie, I eat half of it. If I go to a buffet, I allow myself a variety of foods to SAMPLE (I may have 3 bites of ten different dishes).

It's not about depriving, it's about portion control

1two3four

Hi, I'm not new to myfitnesspal. In fact this must be my 15th try. Every time I start, lose about 5 pounds, then start slacking with my calorie limit and gain all the weight back. How do you guys motivate yourself to stay true to your daily calorie limit?

Maybe someone like me that has nearly 10 times more than you to lose has it easier? (I know it's totally crazy that I just wrote that but perhaps it really is the truth!)

I started this at very close to 300 pounds and I am a very short female. Just being so close to 300 was scary. Not to mention the toll it was taking on my life, my health and my happiness.

For me, it's losing weight that motivates me. That first 10 pounds I was stoked. Then the 11th pound lead to the 12th and so on. Also, smaller clothes. And feeling better about myself.

Being 160 pounds over weight was something I never want to experience again and to me losing 94 pounds feels better than any amount of extra calories ever made me feel.

I wish you luck and I wish I had some better secret to let you in on!

32sami

I'm not always consistent. Sometimes I overeat and sometimes I don't. I try not to over think everything, but exercise regularly unless I'm just too tired. When you do your best and you see your body changing, it'll motivate you to keep it up.

avatarmage

Thanks guys I think the biggest problem for me that you guys mentioned is willpower. Willpower to overcome the desire for the next cookie or slice of cake. Also all your weight losses are inspiring and I'll try to stay a part of this community as I work towards my goal.

jlshea

I struggle with sweets too. I just have had to learn to ask myself if the cookies are worth continuting to shop for sizes that are humiliating to buy. I love seeing the number on the scale go down and for me the snacks that only make me feel guilty are no longer worth the feeling of losing. Also what keeps me motiviated is seeing changes in the mirror. I'm down just 8 lbs since starting but I can feel my face is smaller and my thighs are less jiggly from exercise.

marieamethyst

I still eat things I enjoy; just not as much. I also try to exercise almost every day, especially on the days where I eat more of what I love to balance it out.