Why is it so hard to keep it up?!

JessicaBuff

Ok, I was doing good for like 2 weeks straight..lost 8 pounds! Then it seems like i had one cheat day and bam im off the wagon..I have gained all my 8 pounds back due to this fall off the wagon! I guess what I am wondering is, what is your strategy to keep going after a bad day? And how do i even begin eating healthy after eating so unhealthy for so long?? HELP PLEASE!

PoorGirlEatingHealthy

I have a poster sized yearly calendar I keep on my living room wall. Everyday I give myself a sticker. On days I do good with both diet and exercise I get a ..On days I do goo in just one area i will get a :indifferent: And on days I do bad I have to put up a ..that way I have to look at that calendar every day and see what i have done for myself. So far it's been a few days and all I have are :happy: ! It's working wonders for me! I have had a lot of temptations thrown at me too but I have not given in because I know someday someone will be in my house and I will have to explain what those faces mean! I would never want them to see more :indifferent: and:mad: then the:happy: !

laurennn16

bump. I'm kinda in the same boat

Ninjitsu

The real trick is to 'Let the bad day go'.

Forget it happened. Focus on your goal.

I know you aren't here to lose a few pounds and then go back to the lifestyle that caused you to want to lose weight/get fit to get begin with.

You are working on changing who you are -- a life long commitment.

There will be bad days once in awhile. You HAVE to let them go and keep on working on changing your habits or you won't get anywhere.

Now go have a GREAT day! I know you can do this

-Rain

dtmwed

I have a poster sized yearly calendar I keep on my living room wall. Everyday I give myself a sticker. On days I do good with both diet and exercise I get a ..On days I do goo in just one area i will get a :indifferent: And on days I do bad I have to put up a ..that way I have to look at that calendar every day and see what i have done for myself. So far it's been a few days and all I have are :happy: ! It's working wonders for me! I have had a lot of temptations thrown at me too but I have not given in because I know someday someone will be in my house and I will have to explain what those faces mean! I would never want them to see more :indifferent: and:mad: then the:happy: !

I love this!!!

bonnienm

I put the saying "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" on my fridge as a reminder. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't:) Some people buy a smaller pair of jeans to look forward to fitting into. Try different things and see what works for you. Good luck.

Simmons083008

I've fallen off the wagon many times. It's okay to stumble. But just because you stumble doesn't mean you have to stop. So you had a bad day...everyone has them every now and then. When I have a bad day I think "It happens" then I try to figure out what caused it...was I stressed at work? was i bored? am i stressed at home? am i tired? Then I figure out how to fix it. I'm a rather practical person. If something bad happens I want to know why or what I did to cause it. If I'm stressed at work I probably need to take 30 min out of the day and work out. If I'm bored I need to find something to do - clean the house, take a walk, make some tea.

What did you do to change your habits for the 2 weeks that you were doing so well? With me I started by cutting out the unhealthy snacks. I took it one day at a time. First cut back on snacking, make sure I eat breakfast, have a snack at 10:30, lunch at noon, workout around 2, dinner at 6. Take it one day at a time. If losing weight was easy we'd all be thin!

tawny7

I found I do better if I let myself have a little of whatever is tempting me. Now I use to not be able to do this as it would just trigger overeating but as I've let myself do this I've realized I can eat what I want as long as it's in moderation.

Don't tell yourself you can never have ________ again because more than likely that is exactly what you will start to crave!!

TheProphecy gave good advice...look at this as a lifestyle change not a quick fix to lose some weight.

Keep going you can do it!!!

vishalram

My cheat day is sunday.....i try not to go overboard with it by keeping count of my calories. I made monday my salad and grilled chicken day. That seems to get me back on track. But you may be different you have to find what works for you..I've fell of the wagon so many times, the key is to get back up.

TiffanyW1014

The real trick is to 'Let the bad day go'.

Forget it happened. Focus on your goal.

I know you aren't here to lose a few pounds and then go back to the lifestyle that caused you to want to lose weight/get fit to get begin with.

You are working on changing who you are -- a life long commitment.

There will be bad days once in awhile. You HAVE to let them go and keep on working on changing your habits or you won't get anywhere.

Now go have a GREAT day! I know you can do this

-Rain

Love this!! I agree 100%. You have to forgive yorself and forget about that day. This happens to me all the time but I have to get right back at it the next day. I may add a few more reps or minutes to my workout so that I "punish" myself in some way. But you have to move on and DON"T GIVE UP!! Good luck!

ALW65

I'm right there with you, Jessica. I did pretty darn well for about a month, and now I find myself floundering with little "cheats" here and there. It seems I always self-sabotage. I think I feel denied and deprived and need to learn to live with those feelings somehow. Therein lies the challenge!
I always liked the "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels", but to be honest, I don't remember how good thin feels since it's been about 30 years now :sad:
The poster idea is very clever!!!

miss_jamaica

I had to readjust my thinking. Now I think of falling off as PART of my journey. I slip up at LEAST once every two weeks. Oh well, then I push forward. That's what makes all the difference is planning for it, expecting not to be perfect... and (for me) finding ways to eat generous amounts of ice cream while staying within my goal! Lol.

peanutbutterpanic

Well the 1st thing you do is tell yourself "It's ONE day, and that's OK!". Not everyday is going to be perfect, that's ok~but the truth is it's got to be something you move on from. I have bad days & I feel like @#$# about it, but I can't undo THAT day so I try to do better the next. Changing bad eating habits is NEVER easy, but it is doable. I started with small things, more fruits & veggies, salad with every dinner meal (now we have them 3 or 4 days out of the week), MORE WATER. DRINK WATER. You pee more, but boy will you eat less & it's good for you & calorie free. You can also limit your portion sizes on things you just can't resist, take smaller bites & chew slower. I've been doing this & the most incredible thing I've realized is this: Sometimes after one or two bites? I don't even want to eat it...so I DON'T finish it. There's something else & this is going to seem harsh, YOU have to make the choices that will help you reach your goals. Wanting it sometimes isn't enough, and that's where willpower comes in. You have to make the effort TO MAKE THE EFFORT. You are capable of this, I know because I am. And if I can do it, YOU can totally do it. Throwing your hands up & saying it's hard is the easy thing to do. Getting serious & looking yourself in the eye & getting down to the hard work WILL PAY OFF. I want you to succeed, but YOU have to want it MORE. Excuses aren't going to change your path or help you reach your goals. I am the excuse queen, but I have to tell myself it's bs & readjust to my positive thinking. 8 lbs is freakin AMAZING & you can do it again...PLUS MORE!!! Don't sell yourself short, you're the one who suffers & you deserve to be happy. If you want, you can friend me...more support never hurts Good Luck girlie!!!!!

loverbey79

I like the sticker strategy!! Thanks for sharing everyone!

kajun_at_work

Put a mirror across from where ever it is you sit to eat, because that is the person that you will have to face if you "fall" and don't get back up.

ErinMarie000Ayainna

We are human! We want to do what we want, when we want how we want, and it’s not always good for us! But its ok we are not all well oiled mean lean frighten calorie machines. For the past week I have been having dreams about beef hotdogs, So on Monday night I broke down and had 2 with everything on them! YUM, I felt like **** the next day but I had to remember, I can’t sit here and bad at the fact that I had something I enjoy. Sounds a little stupid when you write it down. I always get to the point where I’m like you and so ok I ****ed up so I don’t have motivation to keep going, its over I’m done. NO, No its not just start a new day those pounds well come back off the same way they did before and you have to remember your weight will go up and down anyway!! Everyone on MFP has your back! Its not that big of a deal we all do it, just like everyone says keep your goal in mind and keep going for it!
P.S. if we didn’t indulge a little here and there it would for sure make us go crazy!!!

thcri

Part of your planning and goals you figure in bad days. It is going go happen especially starting out. So when you have the the bad days it is not a let down. As time goes you should have less. When the bad day is over look to tomorrow. Don't let ut get you down cause all worrying does is make you hungry.

Chin up point yourself in the right direction now!!