I have no will power - Suggestions?

jodi414

There were wonderful points made in this thread - you are correct. Guess I should've quoted which comments I was referring too....

You singled me out with the soda example, so I'll reply to that. This is what I wrote:
"If you drink a tonne of soda daily, challenge yourself to decrease the amount by half or so."

I don't know you nor your eating/drinking habits and this is your first thread, so it was brainstorming for everyone who reads the thread, not just the opening poster. Many people come here with a habit of drinking lots of soda daily, so it was a friendly idea to consider.

I genuinely still have no idea what was so bad about the general tips I offered on being kind to oneself and practicing moderation in the beginning of the lifestyle change.

I didn't single you out. The comment I made was not referring to you or your soda comment. I used that as my own example. I didnt really put much thought into the comment you made.....When I said "negative comments" it wasn't in reference to your comment. There was nothing bad about your comment. You took what I was saying and assumed it referred to you. It didn't, at all.

This is from your second post:

First off I'd like to say those of you leaving negative comments can keep them to yourself.
I do not drink soda or many sweets at all.

We were only three who mentioned soda in our replies to you.

Best of luck on your journey.

I was simply stating that I dont drink soda as an example to show that it isnt that I havent made changes and that I dont want it. You just happen to mention soda....you read to much into it.

No soda or sweets. How much do you have to lose and what weight loss rate did you put into MFP? Are you struggling on that amount of calories.

About 30lbs, all weight I gained in the last 3 years with 2 pregancies. I've been steady, not gained, nor lost since I stopped breatfeeding. I onviously need to make some changes to start losing.

I cut out soda almost a year ago. I dont miss it at all. I am just not a big sweets eater, once in awhile, but very rarely. If I had to pick one thing I would say its probably more of a carb craving than anything.

jodi414

While I agree with the others commenting that you aren't necessarily ready to make a lifestyle change, there are things you can do to help get started. The two things I'm the worst at are portion sizes and mindlessly eating.

1. Take your large plates/bowls and pack them away. Seriously wrap them up, put them in a box and stick it in the basement. Eat all of your meals off of small plates and you'll notice a difference.

2. Stop buying junk food. I did it slowly at first - I quit buying potato chips cold turkey. Then I stopped buying frozen pizza. Then I completely stopped buying frozen food & soda. Now when I go to the grocery store I buy raw foods, fruit, vegetables and try my best to only buy minimally processed foods. It's a lot better to snack on carrots and strawberries than to eat a half a bag of chips (because I'm bored).

3. If it's in front of me, I'm probably going to eat it. To combat this, I had to add some structure in to my meals. It helps immensely that I diligently track my food on MFP. If I understand that eating an extra _______ is going to put me over or close to my daily limit, I'll either opt for a healthier snack or just say no. You can only really do that when you're updated on your days intake. I used to only eat after doing SOMETHING (like do 20 pushups before a meal for instance).

I think portion control is a problem for me and using smaller plates does help. I tend to mindlessly snack, so i try not to keep junk food in the house. Good points! This was helpful....

Aah, now this helps. Okay if you're having trouble with portions...best $20 you'll ever spend is a digital scale. I take mine with me when I travel; it's become that much of a valuable tool in my weight loss journey. Nothing goes in my mouth unless it's been weighed and logged. That way I have total accountability plus a road map of my nutrition. I know it sounds really nit-picky to weigh and log everything, every day, but it works and keeps you focused.

I totally get having kids, work, home, husband...that's why I suddenly weighed 200 pounds one day 5 years ago. I had convinced myself that I was busy, working hard, being a really good mom and eating decent and being pretty darned active. And that there was just nothing I could do to turn back the clock hands. Boy did I ever fool myself.

200 pounds was my first ah-ha moment. I got back to 190 for a couple of years after that. But then last summer I realized how out of breath I was doing my photography job...then I messed up my back for a couple of days with a slight twist. Couple those things with graduating to a size 14 pair of pants last year and I reached my "this is it" moment.

When you have that moment and you are ready for the journey, you won't see the comments written earlier on this post as negative. They're the cold, hard truth. When you're ready, you're ready.

And when you are, you will have the intensity and focus you need to get through anything--weight gain setbacks, plateaus, wedding banquets, exercise injuries, baggy clothes, "interesting" comments from others about your losing weight, etc.

Good luck and here's to your epiphany moment coming sooner than later :flowerforyou:

I have heard digital scale before...do you recommend any specific one? I am not real familiar with them, as I try to just "eye ball" everything and I wind up eating more than i should.
I feel like I am ready - here's my "will power" issue..If I screw up for the day, say eat a burger or something I know isnt so great for my body, I think to myself, well i already screwed today up so guess I'll try again tomorrow. I see it as a failure and not just a bump and my whole day is ruined. Then the next and the next.

jodi414

Question: If you "slip up" and forget to brush your teeth at night...or don't take your vitamin...or miss the mileage when you're supposed to rotate your tires, what do you do?

Answer: You get back on track as soon as possible. You don't wait until Monday. You don't give up. You catch up at the next opportunity.

Question: Do you punish yourself for slipping up? Do you brush your teeth extra hard? Do you take two vitamins? Do you rotate your tires twice?

Answer: No. You get back on track and put it behind you.

Question: How much will power does brushing your teeth, taking regular medication or car maintenance take?

Question: Why is your health so much less important to you?

Well put.....

enterdanger

First off I'd like to say those of you leaving negative comments can keep them to yourself.
I do not drink soda or many sweets at all. My problem is that I have I have 3 children (2 under 3) 2 step children full-time and a full time job with a husband who travels for work and is gone 60% of the time. I have a hard time finding the "will power" to take care of myself better. I go through stints where I work out regularly and eat well. I just dont seem to have the commitment to keep it going for a number of reasons.. My weight is consistent. I havent gained, but I havent lost since my last child. I dont expect to find some epiphany on this website.... looking for a little support and someone who had similiar issues.

I have 2 under 3 too, so I know what you mean. It would be even harder if my hubby was gone 60% of the time. Don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. Figure out what your TDEE is and on the days where life sucks just try to eat maintenance. To lose weight I need to eat about 1400, but when I'm sick or the kids are or if hubby has to travel I try just to stick to staying under maintenance which is about 1740 for me. Sure, I don't lose much those days, but I don't gain back weight I've lost. It took me about 6 months and I've just lost 10% of my weight. Slower, than I'd like but better than gaining.

AglaeaC

I have heard digital scale before...do you recommend any specific one? I am not real familiar with them, as I try to just "eye ball" everything and I wind up eating more than i should.
I feel like I am ready - here's my "will power" issue..If I screw up for the day, say eat a burger or something I know isnt so great for my body, I think to myself, well i already screwed today up so guess I'll try again tomorrow. I see it as a failure and not just a bump and my whole day is ruined. Then the next and the next.

Soehnle makes an affordable one. I think they sell it on Amazon, too. It is a rectangle and sits flat on the countertop.

Mine has the possibility to weigh in both gram and lbs (ounces?). Also it is good to have it show the smallest increments or whatever they are called; for instance 23 or 57 grams, not 20 or 60.

Make sure you buy one with tare function so you can weigh the plate, then zero the number, then add the first kind of food and note its weight, then zero, then add next food and so on.

Therealobi1

While I agree with the others commenting that you aren't necessarily ready to make a lifestyle change, there are things you can do to help get started. The two things I'm the worst at are portion sizes and mindlessly eating.

1. Take your large plates/bowls and pack them away. Seriously wrap them up, put them in a box and stick it in the basement. Eat all of your meals off of small plates and you'll notice a difference.

2. Stop buying junk food. I did it slowly at first - I quit buying potato chips cold turkey. Then I stopped buying frozen pizza. Then I completely stopped buying frozen food & soda. Now when I go to the grocery store I buy raw foods, fruit, vegetables and try my best to only buy minimally processed foods. It's a lot better to snack on carrots and strawberries than to eat a half a bag of chips (because I'm bored).

3. If it's in front of me, I'm probably going to eat it. To combat this, I had to add some structure in to my meals. It helps immensely that I diligently track my food on MFP. If I understand that eating an extra _______ is going to put me over or close to my daily limit, I'll either opt for a healthier snack or just say no. You can only really do that when you're updated on your days intake. I used to only eat after doing SOMETHING (like do 20 pushups before a meal for instance).

I think portion control is a problem for me and using smaller plates does help. I tend to mindlessly snack, so i try not to keep junk food in the house. Good points! This was helpful....

Aah, now this helps. Okay if you're having trouble with portions...best $20 you'll ever spend is a digital scale. I take mine with me when I travel; it's become that much of a valuable tool in my weight loss journey. Nothing goes in my mouth unless it's been weighed and logged. That way I have total accountability plus a road map of my nutrition. I know it sounds really nit-picky to weigh and log everything, every day, but it works and keeps you focused.

I totally get having kids, work, home, husband...that's why I suddenly weighed 200 pounds one day 5 years ago. I had convinced myself that I was busy, working hard, being a really good mom and eating decent and being pretty darned active. And that there was just nothing I could do to turn back the clock hands. Boy did I ever fool myself.

200 pounds was my first ah-ha moment. I got back to 190 for a couple of years after that. But then last summer I realized how out of breath I was doing my photography job...then I messed up my back for a couple of days with a slight twist. Couple those things with graduating to a size 14 pair of pants last year and I reached my "this is it" moment.

When you have that moment and you are ready for the journey, you won't see the comments written earlier on this post as negative. They're the cold, hard truth. When you're ready, you're ready.

And when you are, you will have the intensity and focus you need to get through anything--weight gain setbacks, plateaus, wedding banquets, exercise injuries, baggy clothes, "interesting" comments from others about your losing weight, etc.

Good luck and here's to your epiphany moment coming sooner than later :flowerforyou:

I have heard digital scale before...do you recommend any specific one? I am not real familiar with them, as I try to just "eye ball" everything and I wind up eating more than i should.
I feel like I am ready - here's my "will power" issue..If I screw up for the day, say eat a burger or something I know isnt so great for my body, I think to myself, well i already screwed today up so guess I'll try again tomorrow. I see it as a failure and not just a bump and my whole day is ruined. Then the next and the next.

I dont buy into this not you are not ready business. I think sometimes people dont know how to begin or they do drastic things and then cant sustain it.
Also I think the problem is here is the labelling of food as good or bad. I have eaten pizza, bread, burgers and still lost weight. I think the trick for me has been making it fit in my daily intake. Planning your day/pre logging helps. good luck