I Need Help PERIOD

mzsmiley314

Well it's about that time again where my family keeps telling me ITS ALMOST SUMMER IT WILL BE TOO HOT TO WEAR SWEATPANTS ARENT YOU GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT due to my weight gain now the only thing that's fits me comfortably are sweatpants and for the past month I said I was going to lose weight but everyday it's the same thing I go get fast food and I say I'll start tomorrow. I have no motivation now and I can't count on my family because they compare me to my older sister who has been skinny all her life and of course i have no friends. I just need a little push I can't do everything by myself

determinedbutlazy

Sounds like you need a plan. Feel free to add me, I log in every day.

PetaBee

Big hugs to you. If you can't use your family as a support network, do you have any friends in a similar boat? A club you can join where you can find people who can cheer you on?

It's tough to get motivated but I've found two things really helpful this year. 1) tracking my food every day as I know how easily I could lapse and eat more calories than I should and 2) I positively visualise myself on New Year's Eve 2014 having lost 3 stone and imagine how healthy and strong I am.

Every time I want to eat something that would crush my calorie target for the day I visualise future-me and accept I can't self-destruct and still be her.

All the very best of luck to you. x

determinedbutlazy

^This is great advice. Start by not changing anything and just honestly logging absolutely everything you consume for a week. This is how you learn where to make changes.

swhitt1309

Big hugs to you. If you can't use your family as a support network, do you have any friends in a similar boat? A club you can join where you can find people who can cheer you on?

It's tough to get motivated but I've found two things really helpful this year. 1) tracking my food every day as I know how easily I could lapse and eat more calories than I should and 2) I positively visualise myself on New Year's Eve 2014 having lost 3 stone and imagine how healthy and strong I am.

Every time I want to eat something that would crush my calorie target for the day I visualise future-me and accept I can't self-destruct and still be her.

All the very best of luck to you. x

Excellent advice! I picture my future self also! I try to think about how good it's going to feel buying smaller clothes for once! Also since I have started exercising I feel 110% better! I have more energy, I feel stronger, I feel capable. It's amazing! Not to mention my blood pressure is better and so is my cholesterol. Losing weight is about so much more than looking good, it's about being healthy, prolonging your life, and I know I'm setting a good example for my daughter. When you think of all of it together you can find the motivation! Good luck!

GothJuice

Feel free to add me, I rarely miss a day (which the exception of last week where I accidentally broke my streak I had going since December!
When I first started a few months back I logged everything I ate without modifying my diet as I couldn't figure out where I was going wrong. Wow! That was an eye opener, it's surprising how many calories you can unintentionally stack up by grazing on "low-cal" snacks throughout the day! I was eating well into the 2000 calorie range daily (which was bad as I am quite short and don't really exercise as much as I should) and it was all because I was snacking and eating excessively without even realising until I started logging.
Once you do that it becomes easier to see what you need to change about your diet.

Oh, I've also had many attempts at losing weight in the past where I have ultimately gave up or just stopped tracking. I've been successfully dieting now since December, and while I still have bad weeks where I'll go over and won't lose anything, one of my key motivators has been that my mother decided that she was also going to change her diet as well and start losing weight, so knowing that someone else is doing the same thing, who I am close too and see fairly regularly, is a big motivator to keep me going forward. I suggest maybe seeing if you have any friends who go to the gym or are dieting and do it together? Or build a support network through MFP there are thousands of wonderful people here who are all going through the exact same thing you are! ^_^

Feel free to add me if you like, and good luck!

Stacy_Merrell

I too have been having a bit of an issue remaining focused and driven. Something that has worked greatly for me in the past is a "vision board"; take a large poster board or whatever works best for you. You can either find quotes you love and put them on there, you can find pictures of dreams and goals you'd like to attain, etc. Put this somewhere you can see daily/frequently and see if it will help keep you motivated. I am very visual and had seen someone put on pinterest a cool idea of jars with maybe coins or marbles or something in them. One jar would have the number of items you'd like to loose equal to pounds; the other jar would be empty and maybe a motivational quote on the front. For every pound you lose take from the filled jar and put in the "loser" jar. This too can help keep you focused. I also think it cannot be an all or nothing thing as others have stated, baby steps and make lifestyle changes rather than quick changes.

Ruth4111gut

Hi!
Feel free to add me, I log in every day.

Bounce4

Great advice above. I think this forum is a great source of support. This sounds cheesy but I also subscribed to several facebook pages and the positive messages that pop up on it when I check facebook help me stay focused and keeps it fun.

The bottom line though is you really do have to do it yourself. You alone make the decisions of what to eat or not eat. You do the moving. Ultimately all our motivation comes from inside. We lose weight and/or get in shape because we want it. We really really want it. We want it more than we want to stay the same. We want it more than what we sacrifice to get it. We deserve it.

No one ever lost weight with another persons motivation and work. That isn't meant to be defeatist but to empower you. All the motivation, power, determination and strength you need is right there inside you. You do not have to wait around for someone to bestow it upon you like a gift. You OWN it. It is YOU.

I like visualizations. I visualize two me's. The outside me that often feels hopeless, overwhelmed, unhappy, tired (and weighed down - literally) and the inside me that is determined, motivated, powerful, and vibrant. If those two people are you, what would you feed each? Not just foods but messages and other input. I know what I feed mine - and I also discovered the one I feed is the one that grows - both literally and figuratively. When I am struggling with a choice I literally visualize who I'm feeding. I have a goal weight but my *real* goal is for the inside me to become the outside me - the complete me.

1princesswarrior

I like the suggestions to log everything you are eating. In the meantime read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants.

Go buy a digital food scale and get in the habit of weighing everything solid and measuring everything liquid. Invest in a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, I personally love my Polar FT4. Set realistic goals for yourself. Find active and supportive friends on here. Don't worry about having a bad day, we all have them. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. And finally you can do this, look at some of the success stories.

Nickih4619093

Feel free to add me, I'm here everyday!

SymphonynSonata

The most important thing about sustaining weight loss is doing it for YOU. Try to think of the benefits of weight loss instead of dwelling on your family's negativity.

When summer does come, you'll be able to look super cute (not that you probably don't already) in all kinds of nice summery clothes. Your sister will have to compete with YOU. You can turn the weight loss bit around on your parents! All kinds of fun to be had. :P Good luck and if you need support you're more than welcome to add me!

alstromeria7

I've been faithfully logging since January. The only reason why I haven't 'shown'' it to the world is because my eating habit has not changed much, but I have lost 17.6 pounds and I don't won't to discourage anyone. I honestly eat what I want when I want. I've always been a picky eater. The ''diet'' food (not all, but most) is just plain nasty to me. I've tried every trick to make it taste btter. Read a lot of blogs, nagazines, posts. You name it. It still is gross. If I want pizza. I'll eat it. I'm not a big candy. chocolate eater, but if I want a snickers or reese's or whatever. I'll have one. MOF had 3 on Wednesday. I'm not suggesting anyone do what I do, but it works for me. Probably won't eat anymore until summer. Most days of my diary says you're not eating enough. Geesh. I'm not freakin hungry. On the days I am. I eat whatever whenever I feel like it. I'm sorry to be blunt, but it's the truth and if I can't be honest with myself.....

If anyone has some suggestions of what I can add that tastes wonderful, I'll try if I haven't already. All these so called diets that say eat all the foods you love and as much as you want. None of those have anything I love on it and I don't eat all day.

At any rate, you all chime in and with the help of others I'll work on getting my diet in shape too. BTW- I love potatoes like nobody's business, but I've cut them out for LENT. I'm about to go crazy lol. So far so good though. I started my journey though 1/7/14 so I don't think the potatoe elimination had much to do with it. However, I may see a big difference once these 40 days are up I

Here are a few things I have changed and I'll work harder on getting my food diary in better shape. I'm sure I would have much more weight off if I get that in line.

1. I only drink water and coffee. No juice, soda, milk, alcohol. Plain ole tap, Nestle pure life or sparkling ice. At least 80 ozs a day.

2. On average I workout 5 times a week. A few times I went twice a day. The gym is literally around the corner from my house so I have no excuses. I can walk if I had to.

3. I make my salads in a jar for a week so I'll have at least one decent meal a day. What I use to make them varies on how I'm feeling.

4. I try to eat a banana everyday to keep my BP in tact. I think the doctor is going to take me off my meds soon because of the weight loss and my commitment to exercise. We'll see. I go in a few weeks.

sdurrahMpls

I think everyone has shared a lot of great advice, but one thing you have to consider is that each person's journey is individual. You'll only change through positive encouragement and finding your own personal motivations. You could start by figuring out why you keep eating fast food even though you don't want to. Are you hungry when you do it? If so, it might help to meal prep so that you have cooked meals on hand when you get home from work, or wherever it is that you are when that hungry feeling strikes. Is it because you're craving those kinds of foods? Meal prep again, but don't make stuff you're not interested in. Find foods that are similar to the things you like to eat out (or explore new things that you haven't made). Being prepared is one of the most pivotal pieces in this process. And you can even give yourself incentives. You want summer clothes in smaller sizes? Every week you eat fast food you are essentially giving up a new pair of shorts, cute top, or sandals. Check out one of your receipts from a fast food place. How much do you usually spend? Every time you resist the temptation to eat out, take the money you would have spent on food and transfer it into your savings account. If you spend $5 per day, that's $70 at the end of two weeks. Use it as reward money for sticking with your goals and put it towards a smaller summer outfit.

Oh, and like they said, exercise REALLY helps! Even if it's just a 20 minute walk. Get out there and get your heartbeat up! There's nothing wrong with 30 minutes of vigorous exercise daily. Start slow and build your way up. Just make the commitment. Motivation is a false hope. I don't feel motivated 85% of the time that I make it to the gym, but I've made the commitment to myself to go there, so I do so no matter what.

karlospiklington

I would say start slow and make changes you can sustain, rather than going on a mad crash diet and working out like Rocky.

Figure out what high calorie foods you like and try to make lower calorie swaps. If you don't do much exercise atm start simple and add an hour of walking to your day; or as much as you can manage. You would be surprised how much weight you can lose slowly and sustainably with just small changes to your diet and more exercise. As you progress and your fitness level increases you can add more challenging workouts in. Personally I only did an hour of walking a day for the first month and lost weight every week.

Most importantly for motivation I think it is useful to focus on the health benefits, not just how you will look if you lose weight. Some days maintaining motivation is hard, but knowing about the increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and strokes with excess weight can be that extra little boost you need to get up and move.

Good luck!