New and lacking motivation

usmcpatience

I'm new to myfitnesspal.com. It was sort of a whim that I signed up. I've been off and on putting effort into losing weight, but I'm having trouble staying motivated. I'm not really sure what to expect out of my results because of this. I'd like to lose at least 20 lbs before my husband and I begin trying for our second baby, and overall, I'd love to lose anywhere from 40 to 50 lbs...putting me back at my early high school weight.

I'm having trouble in the eating department. First off, I have no will power. Chocolate and sweets are my enemy. The holidays, of course, did not help out with that. Secondly, I have a husband (SSgt in the Marine Corps) and a two year old in my house. They're in no need of a diet, so I am making foods for all of us. I'm just trying to control my portions. Many times I leave the table hungry because I didn't fill myself up on whatever cheesy casserole I made. As a result, when 8pm rolls around, I'm in a snacking mode, and that's never good. I keep veggies and fruits at eye-level, and I try not to buy too much junk food, but I always end up finding it somehow. Even if it's not junk food...I'll find myself wanting to each TOO much of a food that would probably be okay otherwise. I'm a very good cook, and i love to do so. The food I cook is not always unhealthy by any means, but I wouldn't consider it diet food either.

Ugh.

Lacking motivation.

I need someone to push all 190 lbs of me over the first hill to get started.

Dare2BThin

Welcome, add friend that has been a motivator for me, MFP has great support

CricketKate

You came to the right place! People here are so encouraging.

I'm also struggling with family meals. I have 4 very young children and, although I try to model healthy eating to my children, I don't want them to obsess about weight.

I was laid up over the holidays because of having knee surgery. I gained a lot.

let's both find our motivation together!

Tbonestl

Welcome...everyone is here to help

kaymckinley

With MFP it will be easier for you. What has worked for me is not looking at it as a diet; rather look at it as a new eating plan. You can eat the foods that you cook for your family and do MFP but you probably will be hungry because you will only be able to have a small amount. Try incorporating some steamed veges to fill you up and only have a small amountsof the casserole. That way you will not fill deprived.

Remember that if you change your choices to heathier ones you will be able to have more to eat. Last thing, if you do not suceed everyday; just don't give up. I mess up all the time but still reach my goals. Good luck.

kellalynn

Hey There!

Try not to think of your ultimate end goal because it might seem too far off to be realistic. Instead, take baby steps! Why not commit to this for one week. For me, even when I see small results (a pound or two) it motivates me to keep going. If you take it one day, then one week at a time it is much more manageable. Also, if you are still hungry when you leave the dinner table try an extra helping of vegetables or salad. I also find that if I drink water right after dinner I don't feel like I need to keep eating.

The support on here is great and many people are in the same situation so I find that to be motivation in itself!

Best of Luck!

phreddie

Need motivation! You are 25 and seem to have it together but you need to loose some weight.

Do it now, while it is still your choice and you have your health. I am 47 and have no choice now. I was like you: I could always do something tomorrow. Well tomorrow is here and I don't like it! I have destroyed my kness, have Type 2 diabetes and am on a heart medication. Hope this helps gets you on a plan. You have already made a good choice. Now, make some shot term, realistic goals (this site can help), and then follow the plan. That is what I have done, and I am 30% towards my weight loss goal.

mamacindy81

One of the things I have done is I made a big pot of WW Zero Points Soup. It's loaded with good for you veggies. I've been trying to include it with my meals. Not only does it help fill you up it helps you be satisfied when you walk away from the table.

Here's a link to the "Hungry girl" site that has a couple of zero points recipes that you might find satisfying.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/652

I'll give you the one I got off WW years ago if you want but I'll have to get it out of the recipe box.

Cindy

225silverspur

Welcome!! I'm pretty new and on a "whim" signed up as well. I LOVE junk food. I was in one of those snacking moods the other night and thought about binging....I looked up peanut butter and to my surprise there are only 53 calories in one tablespoon of peanut butter. I'm trying to stick to the idea that before I snack to look up what it will do to my calorie intake. I'm not an expert,but I hope that helps!

skinneemee79

Hello! First I want to tell you not to give up! I read your post and I relate to all of it! I have been trying to lose weight for 15 yrs. I joined weight watchers in 2004 and lost 30lbs and I felt great, but the cost was too much and I had to quit and then shortly after I got pregnant with my first daughter. After having her I lost most of the baby weight due to breast feeding, but gained some back from the birth control I was on. When my daughter was a yr old I got pregnant with our second daughter and she was not at all interested in breast feeding and I found I could not lose the weight myself, once again I joined weight watchers. I lost 14lbs, but ended up quiting, the meetings and the cost were too much for me to do. So for the last year and a half I have tried to keep that 14lbs off and lose more. I diet once every couple months and don't see the results I want and I quit for a little bit, just to get frustrated with it and start all over. It is getting very old to feel like this and I am fed up. I joined this site with some motivation from my cousin in law and I really like it. I also have the problem that my husband is not at all interested in dieting and eats milk and cookies nightly. My 4 yr old likes most foods so its not hard to get her eating my way, but she also wants what daddy has. My 2 yr old is VERY picky and only eats a handful of foods so I am constantly having to make something different for her. I have learned that you can take almost any recipe and substitute fat free or low fat items to help with the calories, etc. Last night I made enchiladas with lean hamburger, 1/2 the cheese was fat free and the other 1/2 was 2% and my husband said it was great and went back for seconds. If you dont completely like the taste of fat free, do half and half, then next time put a little more fat free, little less regular...so on and so forth! I love sweets and soda, soda is my comfort! I drink a glass in the morning and usually in the afternoon...its my little pick me up and its terrible! I have been allowing myself to still drink it right now because so much else is changing that it would be overwhelming for me to give it up right now. If you want chocolate, eat it, just try to cut back and keep track on here. Another thing you might want to try is instead of telling yourself what you cant have, make a goal, like this week strive to eat at least 3 servings of fruit and veggies a day. Focus on that goal and not what you dont think is okay to eat. Don't feel quilty if you eat something considered "bad" for you. I had Lucky Charms for breakfast and they were tasty. I tracked it and as long as I stay close to my set calories, then good for me! I haven't gotten any exercise in and was feeling quitly about it, but decided I needed to do this at my own pace and hopefully soon will be able to get to that! Plus once I start exercising I can eat more! There are a lot of good foods out there that are low in calories and will keep you interested! Just look and find what you like to eat. If you don't like veggies, then dont waste your money buying them because you feel like that is what you are supposed to eat. I like veggies, but I buy ff sour cream and a packet of ranch dry mix and mix them for dip. Cut up your produce so you don't feel like its work every time you want to eat. For your sweet tooth I like either sugar free or fat free pudding or jello with canned whipped cream or even cut up strawberries with the whip cream. I also just bought some fudge bars that are only 40 calories! It takes some looking but you can find things out there that taste good and wont hurt your diet. Don't give up because in a month you are going to start all over and it wont be any easier then. Oh awhile back I watched a show and it said for sweet cravings to drink a cup of green tea a day and take a 5-HTP supplement. I did it and it works! I bought the 5-HTP at walgreens in the vitamin section. Well I just wanted you to know you weren't the only one struggling and not to give up! Its hard, but will be well worth it in the end. I'm hoping my changes now will follow my girls through their lives and they wont ever have to struggle like I do and that makes it worth it!
Good Luck!

pollyaiken

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usmcpatience

Sounds like a plan. I almost always include steamed veggies (or some healthy veggie or fruit) to our meals. I always feel like a bad mom if I don't at least OFFER my two-year old something healthy with every meal! I can't say she always eats it, but I want it on her plate when she decides to!

usmcpatience

Thanks for the encouragment everyone!

In the summer of 2009 my little brother (17) passed away in a freak car accident, along with his girlfriend. They swerved to miss an animal, flipped the car into a water-filled ditch. They both drowned and were pronounced dead at the scene. Less than a month later, my husband left on his third deployment (this time to Iraq and Afghanistan for 8 months). Although I had been through the other deployments, this one seemed multiplied in intenseness because of both the accident, and our new baby. I am far away from family due to my husband's job, and I feel a huge lack of support because of that. I have very good friends here on the Marine Corps base though, and my husband and daughter are wonderful. It's just that it's easy to feel alone in sorrow...especially when the people that are grieving along with you are so far away.

Prior to the accident, I was very much on track. I was almost back to my high school weight...even after having a baby in December of 2008. But the accident sent me spiraling back to where I was. I have anxiety disorder and am prone to depression. However, with a child in the mix, I can't deal with the depression issues the way I did before I had kids. I can't hide in my room, and skip my college classes to go sleep in my car...
Instead I have to face each and everyday with a pretend smile.
I think I fell into a food rut to deal with depression. Instead of second guessing myself with every bite I took, I said, "Screw it..." and ate whatever it was mindlessly.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to use my brother's death or my husband's job as an excuse. I'm simply looking back and seeing where I started to slip. The depression issues have gotten better. I still cry about once a day at the injustice of my brother's death. I think that I have just come to realize that I can't stop my life due to the end of his. He wouldn't want that, and I can't go on like this forever. It's time I get back to caring about myself a little more. I hate looking at myself in the mirror, and it should never be like that. So...signing up for MFP is my first step in saying, "Keep going."

farmboyphotography

I am new to this site. I used to work out every day and got in good shape but ten years ago, I left that all behind. Too busy with my job duties. Now I am no different than anyone else: My job occupies my time from 7-6 including drive time. When I get home, I don't have the energy to work out and too many other things to do.

I have three young sons and find that I lack the energy to get it in gear and play with them. One other thing is that I am a photographer and feel like a hypocrite because my models have to look great and I look and feel older than I am. I know I can do this but my problem is that I lose track and give up, usually when my in-laws visit and bring all kinds of junk food with them. I do eat a lot of healthy food but I mix that with junk food too often. So my weakness is the little junk food that turns into a habit. I know that the conventional wisdom is that you have to give in on junk food once in a while or you will binge. My personal experience is that if I give in on junk food, I also give out on my healthier habits and want to eat junk food all the time.

I did change some things at home. For instance, I try not to keep junk food in the house. I take healthy food, e.g. oranges, apples to work every day and eat a salad most nights. So I eat healthy and then follow that with a junk food chaser if there is still any junk food in the house. Argh. I guess I am just weak. And I need to get my *kitten* moving. I lack motivation. How does a person stay motivated??

usmcpatience

I'm not entirely sure how to stay motivated. I'm hoping that once I lose a few pounds that will help. My current motivation is a new baby. I'm telling myself that my husband and I cannot try for a second baby until I lose at least twenty pounds.

I guess you just figure out WHY you want to lose weight and be healthy. Why? For who? How will your life improve once you get fit?.....

And, I suppose, if you find a good enough reason, the motivation will come on it's own.

The fact that you've even hopped on this site means the motivation is there...you've just got to hang onto it!

Good luck!

farmboyphotography

Thanks for the encouragement.

I can blame my in-laws, right? We are trying to retrain their behavior when they visit us from Indiana. They bring soooo much junk food with them and it always tempts me. Last time, I was doing pretty good and slowly moving in the right direction but that junk food called my name and I figuratively threw my progress out the window. Here is an example. Our oldest son is in kindergarten and we send a healthy lunch with him. My in-laws visit and bring ten boxes of Little Debbies.... ten. Grrr. So he takes that junk with him to school (until it is gone and we don't replenish it). Our middle son snatches those junk cakes throughout the day. I guess we could throw the stuff in the trash but that goes against my sense of responsibility, e.g. you don't waste food.

I think for me, the best defense against my in-laws junk food offerings is to get off my *kitten* and get moving. You know, walking, biking, using the elliptical, just getting up and being active. If I use the food diary every day and plug in the food for the day in the morning, that makes it easier for me to stick with it for the rest of the day. The other key, I think, will be stick with this for 14 days so that it starts to become a long-term habit.

Good luck on your journey!