Keeping Motivated after initial month.

johngeorgimus

Hi Everyone

I have been a member on here for about a month now and am doing pretty good so far. 9lbs lost so far.
After a month on here I must admit that I am starting to be tempted by some of my old vices. Wine, Chocolate, and Takeaway food.

Does anyone have any tips to keep me motivated? I really want to achieve that great body that I know I have hiding under my fat but I wanna lose another 28lb.

HELP!!


John xxx

feliciapeters

so have it.
losing weight is about healthy choices, NOT depriving yourself of the things you love.
want a glass of wine, try 1/2 a glass, log it in in the am and adjust your daily calories so your not over.
Piece of chocolate? have it and do the same.
trust me if you sip that wine & savor that chocolate you will enjoy it and appreciate it even more.
I dont do fat free stuff, it tastes nasty, i use whole fat versions of everything (like ranch dressing) i just use less.
take out food? smaller amount and fill in with a big healthy salad
You wont stick to what your doing if u feel deprived

ktbug1186

exactly what she said! I allow myself what i want, just smaller doses....want a burger? get a whopper jr and side salad from burger king... 410 cals! taco bell has some low fat tacos too...so i indulge, and still manage to stay under my calories most the time

SunLovin1

I think you have to view this as a change in how you eat for life, not X many months without chocolate, wine (or in my case Jack D!). You can still incorporate those things into your life, you just need to compensate for them. In my case, this means more exercise to offset some of my higher calorie days.

I find it helps to look at how far I've come and remember what I DON'T want to return to. Sometimes I try on pants that are now too big for me and high five my own bad self for sticking with it!

Good luck!

TripleJ3

I think of it as this is the way I'm going to eat the rest of my life. Its not a "diet" to me, other then it being my healthy everyday diet. I would never be able to go the rest of my life without fill-in-the-blank, so I work it in now. Now is the time to teach yourself how to incorporate the things you love into your everyday diet.

Theres no end in site, this is an ongoing everyday thing. Sure I have a goal look I want to achieve but then what? You don't just stop tracking and eating right. I'll have to be conscientious with my eating my whole life so i'm going to make sure I enjoy myself along the way.

If I feel a binge is coming on I do remind myself how hard I worked to get where I am. It takes a lot of thinking, time, planning and energy to lose every one of my pounds. It only takes thoughtless shoving food in my face to take me right back to the begining. Keep strong and work in those extras you crave!

forestdancers

I totally agree with feliciapeters.
One has to admit that the one food that is irrisitable is the one you have denied yourself. Then after so long of not having it I find that I tend to totally derail and binge like crazy then of course once you've binged then it is easy to just keep on doing so.
One has to truely savor the foods that one's is craving though. Eat them slowly with no distractions.
No TV, radio, book or anything.
Eat at the table. Smell the food. Feel the texture of the food in your mouth and close your eyes as you chew slowly.
Pay attention to your body. You can tell when your no longer hungry and don't eat until you feel full because by then the stomach to brain delay means your over full.
With the takeout food chose a bowl or plate from the cupboards that will hold as much food as your two cupped palms. That is the amount of food that will comfortably fill you. Many people (myself included) tend to eat twice+ that at least if not consiously thinking about it.
If what your craving is super high in calories fill up on a bulky salad first.
My trick to salad dressings is to use the full fat versions but I cut them with a bit of organic 1% milk (tastes like 2%) and a half of lemon. Works great to make caesar dressing stretch far enough to cover a big salad and doesn't have that gross taste that low fat has.
I would keep away from the wine due to the fact that alchool slows the body's fat burning for up to a day after it is drank and is high in empty carbs. If you do indulge I would do it only lightly once a week.
What I do sometimes is to mentaly remind myself that I'm doing this for me and if I binge the only thing I'm hurting is my goals. Then I decide what is more important to me at the time.

Keep going that healthy guy wants out.

tim_jennings

Let me first echo the main sentiment here - no diet is sustainable if you deny yourself the things you love. You simply can not win that way. Instead control your portions and do some extra exercise to make up for it.

For me, the best way to think of my food intake is the same way I think of my finances. I only have x amount of money every week and I have x amount of bills to pay. Similarly I have x amount of calories per day and x amount of "bills" (protein, carbs, iron, potasium, vitamins, etc) that I have to pay with those calories. I can't splurge on calories any more than I can spend beyond my means. If I want something that doesn't fit into my budget, I must either adjust my budget to fit it in, or work overtime (exercise) to pay for it.

This way I know that I am changing my lifestyle into a sustainable and happy one where I can have the things I need AND the things I want without getting into trouble.

Also, pay attention to more than just your calorie intake. I find myself with MUCH fewer cravings if I have made sure to have enough of all the nutrients my body needs than if I just count calories.

feliciapeters

For me, the best way to think of my food intake is the same way I think of my finances. I only have x amount of money every week and I have x amount of bills to pay. Similarly I have x amount of calories per day and x amount of "bills" (protein, carbs, iron, potasium, vitamins, etc) that I have to pay with those calories. I can't splurge on calories any more than I can spend beyond my means. If I want something that doesn't fit into my budget, I must either adjust my budget to fit it in, or work overtime (exercise) to pay for it.

Well said!

feliciapeters

But too bad there isnt a "credit card" for calories LOL

tim_jennings

There is and it is almost as bad as regular credit cards.

It is called "excess body fat" LOL.

downtome

NEVER deprive yourself, work it into your calories as a splurge meal and not to worry if you go over every so often on your calories, in fact, it may even help with your weightloss! I have a splurge meal once or twice a week and I have lost 51 pounds so far so it seems to be working for me. I could never go with out my Baja Steak burrito from Baja Fresh or even my Panda Express or pizza, I must still have those things every so often. Moderation is key and you will find what works for you, just don't forget to get back on track after the splurge and when you have the splurge meal don't think to yourself that you have blown it because you haven't and it shouldn't be a license to blow it for the entire day!

ohohraptor

I agree with all the posts above! You can still enjoy your favorites without over indulging. When I drink/eat out I try to have a limit set in my mind before I get there. Like, tonight I will only have x amount of drinks, or I will only eat half of this HUGE plate of food, etc... That way you don't get caught up in the moment and end up over indulging. I've tried the whole "deprive yourself of everything bad" thing and I always end up binging on m cheat days or completely giving up on my diet. Not good!

ski3r4life

Well, I have been here for one month and at the moment I am sooo broke so that means my diet is very very boring at the moment. I feel like I have more cravings than ever before and I haven't slipped up yet - but I think it is going to be a tough two weeks until I can start having delicious things like apples, and eggs! At the moment it's rice and lots of rice! Lol! I guess getting bored with dieting is why I always went off it before. But I have to think of it as a total lifestyle change. I'll get through these two weeks and start eating awesome foods and creating a diet that works for me for a lifetime, not just X days.

Patecakers

I agree that you shouldn't deprive yourself of your favorites but have them in MODERATION!

a little tip for you....DARK chocolate has alot of good stuff for your body! It is actually healthy to have a little nip of dark chocolate....I have a cheat treat every week where I allow myself a small piece of dark chocolate to help curve my cravings

As far as soda pop and all the other junk foods are concerned...I drink flavored carbonated water....Strawberry Kiwi is a favorite of mine...it tastes kind of like soda pop but without all the harmful chemicals that pop has!

coffee - one cup a week! I know it sounds weird but coffee Fridays are something to look forward to!

exercise - i walk at least 1 mile EVERYDAY....and dance to whatever music I like as often as possible (usually in my room!)

This approach seems to be working for me...I've lost some weight and I have so much more energy than I did before!

Good luck to all of you on your weight loss journey! Here's to a happy healthy year!

Patecakers

When eating out ask your server to put half of your dinner in a take out container....that way you don't overindulge and you have some extra food for later!!

tim_jennings

I really like that idea.

What has been working for me so far is when I go out to eat with my wife, we order 1 meal and split it. But this won't work if we want different things. Having it already cut in half in a take out container is brilliant.

Patecakers

why thank you!! It actually was an idea shared at a weight watchers meeting by our team leader.....however I moved out of state and well to be honest this site has helped me alot more than WW did!! lol Good luck and here's to a healthier us!