Havin' a Hard Time and Hatin' It!

leah33

So, I've been doing this for a few weeks now, and I was soo excited to lose six lbs. right off the bat. I was more excited to lose three more! Now, though, I have hit a wall. It's not because of my body...it's because of my choices. I am so sad. All the motivation and gusto that I rolled into this new venture with seems to have fizzled. I still want to lose weight and be healthier more than anything. In fact, I am a little obsessed. Watching tv has become impossible because all I do is look at women's waistlines in proportion to whatever piece of furniture they happen to be standing next to. I look at flat stomachs on every channel, at every age, and cringe as I look down at my own lard lump.

I was so giddy completing that food and exercise diary each day and seeing the "if every day was like today, you would weigh... in ...weeks". And they were numbers I haven't seen in over five years!!! Now...the scale has started to climb again. I could use the current stress level to justify it, but it wouldn't help me. It boils down to the fact that at the end of the day, I am falling back into that familiar slump of a large slice of homemade banana nut bread and hot chocolate. Comfort. Companionship. And...FAT!

I am hungry all the time. ALL the time. I cook wonderful food and I am finding that my will to control the portions is diminishing with each meal. And I am a night person, so I am NOT sleeping. I do all my homework/housework at night to avoid laying in the bed and staring at the ceiling..waiting for sleep. So when 5am comes, I am soooo tired. The kids go to school, I have coffee, and then I kind of doze off/stare into space. I am really non productive until 12:30 or 1:00. Well, by then, I only have a few hours before my kids get home. So sometimes I CHOOSE not to run so that I can get housework done, or bills paid, or groceries shopped. Then I get hungry and figure, oh well, it's blown anyway.

THIS SUCKS. I want to be motivated again. I want to lose this weight with every fiber of my being...so why is it so hard to say no to the food????
I guess I sound like a whiney baby right now...but I am just feeling so depressed over the fizzle. And I am SICK of the treadmill right now. And it's going to rain for ten months (I am in seattle area) outside. Grrr.

Any ideas???

lutzsher

I think a lot of us have been where you are, and some bounce back and forth with it as well sometimes. For some it takes a major life 'happening", for others it is just that you get to a point where you are fed up and really want it . . . I don't mean just want it, but really WANT it and get to their own "ah ha" moment.
It has been said that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. If you want to be healthy you need to devote yourself to making a commitment to at least 21 days to make changes that will get you there.
So . . . in saying that . . . it took me 6 months on MFP before something clicked and I became much more devoted to ME and my health.
Im only cheating ME when I eat large portions, or things that are not healthy.
I am now at the point where things I used to love and I have craved are not nearly as good as the memory of them. Funny how it turns around . . . but if you give yourself more time to develop good habits you will get there too.

bperez14

I hear ya! I am one to exercise in spurts but i have absolutely loved the ease of this site to keep me on track. I try to log my calories as soon as I can and definately before the last meal of the day. I noticed that if I ate too many Salads and fruits in a row i tend to be hungry sooner or don't feel satisfied. Adding some nuts or cranberrys or a little meat to it helps. Also having a bite of something sweet now and then helps alot. Water, water and more water. A full bag of popcorn now and then instead of a meal makes you feel like you have splurged without packing on the pounds too. You just have to pay attention to figure out the low calorie things that still help you feel full. Good luck!

angisnee

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. A lot of us can relate, so it's good that you reached out for help!

The biggest thing that helped me in the beginning was from a signature I saw on the forums. "This day, week, month, year is going to pass no matter what. I can control whether it's a healthy one, or I can choose to stay miserable." Something like that anyway. Every time I wanted to run to the fridge, I would think of that, and most of the time it would help me make a good decision. Things got much easier over the next few months. My weight loss has slowed, but I know how great I feel, and that is motivation in itself to keep going.

Also, I regularly check out the new postings in the success stories forum. They remind me that what I'm doing works, it just takes time.

I hope you find the motivation to continue and wish you luck on your journey!

judles

Lets get out for some runs again! we were doing well with that!!! It can help

rmkorama

So sorry to hear you're having such a hard time! If you're hungry all of the time, you might want to consider upping your calorie goal. When I started with MFP, I did okay for a while, but seriously I was HUNGRY! A LOT! And that's tough to take, demoralising.

What I found is that I'm much more active than I thought I was, apparently. The numbers the MFP uses are just ballpark averages, and everyone is unique. I upped my daily calorie goal, worked on eating more protein, and though the MFP thing said I was only going to lose .8 pounds per week, I still kept losing 1 full pound per week.

That being said, I also have kept a few things in my "food plan" to help me. Chocolate milk is my crack. I drink a cup almost every day. My reasoning is that it's at least got healthy milk stuff in it, and as a snack, it's protein-y. I always leave room in my calories for one cup of milk and one serving of NesQuik. Always. It's what helps me get through the day. There may come a day when I can wave good-bye, but not right at the moment.

Good luck!

sofaking6

You know, I tend to be a night person/insomniac as well and I am really hopeless when I'm overtired. That's one thing that is guaranteed to make me skip my exercise and run to the comfort food. And my appetite is completely insatiable when I haven't had enough sleep. I read here that if you aren't getting energy from sleeping then your body will make you get more from food.

For me, getting my 7 - 8 hours is the ultimate priority. I..

1. Take sleeping pills (currently Unisom)
2. Get in bed with the lights off 15-20 minutes before I plan to be asleep
3. Listen to my headphones..I find that science and history podcasts or audio books will do the trick every time

Find what helps you get to sleep and do it. I really do think it will make you feel better all around. Good luck!!