Negative emotions and weight loss.

portexploit

I have recently seen a lot of people experiencing negative emotions because they are not at their goal yet. Negative emotions are natural at times, issues arise when you let them control your behavior. All of us are here to improve ourselves for the better, this includes emotionally too. This can be summed up with the latin phrase “cuerpo sano mente sana” this translates to “a sound body a sound mind.” The stronger our mind becomes, the stronger our bodies can become. The stronger our bodies become, the stronger our mind is.

Some people get upset and dwell on the fact they missed a workout, or ate something they weren’t supposed to. Is this really the first time you ever missed a workout or ate something you weren’t supposed to? I can almost guarantee you it’s not. So what makes this time so much more special to get upset over? What good does beating yourself up do? It just makes you feel bad, does feeling bad produce better results? We all know it doesn’t. As some have said on these forums, “we’re human, we’re not robots.”

Most goal setting exercises are to set a deadline with a goal and work towards it. Nothing wrong with that. The issues a raise when we don’t accomplish the goal we expected by our deadline. We expect to lose 2lbs once a week, and we gain one pound. This would put some people in a complete rage. If every time you stepped on your scale and thought about your starting weight and how far you come. It won’t be a big deal if you gain that 1lbs. A lot of people say “I worked my butt off this week and lost nothing.” Does this imply when you reach your goal you’re going to stop exercising and stop eating right? The key here is to exercise and eat right for better health and fitness.

You have no control of what happens, all you can do is control yourself. You can’t control how much you lose by when. That’s not really up to you. What you can do is control when you workout and what you eat. This might be a better goal for some people, to “constantly” improve their diet and their exercise. What do I mean by constantly? Small gradual changes over time. It’s very difficult for the body just to dive in to something that it’s not used to. Marathon runners didn’t wake up one morning and say “hey today I am going to run 15miles” Some marathon runners started out being heavy, some started out thin. They all started at a point that is right for them, and built on that. You can do the same with your exercise routine and your diet. I personally believe expecting too much too soon can more than likely lead to failure. I don’t believe a deadline for goals. Yes of course you need motivation and desire and push, it shouldn’t come from an external force such as a “deadline.” Deadlines build up stress in the body which isn’t good for us. The motivation and desire should come from within to reach your goal. As I said before you can’t control “when” you reach it. All you can control is how often you train and work towards it. I don’t believe negative emotions go well with weightloss.

AHealthierRhonda

VERY TRUE! Also, negative emotions lead to stress which causes weight gain!! Thanks for the reminders!!!!!!! :happy:

ivansmomma

Very well said. My belief is, start over every day and don't dwell on the past. Our mental outlook is as important, if not more, than our physical habits.

srb1990

i agree with this statement...theres too much pressure to lose weight too fast but really thats not gonna work out in the long run anyway...iv been getting down since eating healthy but tbh i think its due to the fact that i strive on sugar at work to keep me elevated when all it does is make me more tired during the rest of the day...i personally dont believe that weight is a big deal everyone has different body types and look better with a heavier weight than others its all about knowing your body and what feels right not what looks right to the rest of the world

NuttyBrewnette

thanks, I needed that.

Been struggling this week. First time (this go-round) in about 7 months. So I guess that's a good thing. Heck, that's a great thing.....normally I struggle a lot sooner and a lot more. This is just a bad week...I'm not going to let it get me down. Or off track.

Thanks again.

sammy2672

I had a bad day yesterday and was feeling bad about it today, then I read your post. It is so true a blip in a while is normal human nature and it's how you get over this that matters.

I feel i'm back on track today - even if i'm feeling a little low.

thanks for the post of wisdom :bigsmile:

mizzsolero

meh im nae bothered by anything, i know if i try my best itll happen eventually (rome wasnt build in 1 day either ya kno). if its not happenin i must b doin something wrong! (most likely slackin off bauawh)

Kath712

GREAT post!! Thanks!!

keiraev

This completely applies to me- I went 50 cals over my goal yesterday even after working out and felt so annoyed with myself

It has made me feel like if I don't lose anything on my weigh in tomorrow it will be my own fault.

Silly really!

11jess11

:flowerforyou: awsome post and great reminder. thankyou :happy:

change_happens

love it and you are absolutely right.

shelbyfrootcake

Today was the first day that I've decided to chill out about all this stuff and stop obsessing about the last 10lb. I'm healthy and feel infinitely happier and more content now that I'm not beating myself up about going over. Anywhere between weight loss allowance and maintenance allowance is fine with the odd mad day (birthdays etc) thrown in for good measure. Live well, live right and be happy.

tiaydew

Awesome post! What a great way to start your day by reading some inspiring words! Thanks!

BioQueen

Great post! Even when I don't see progress on the scale I don't get that upset because I still feel healthier! I've definitely screwed up before, but as long as I end up back here I'm okay!

pilotdrew

I gained a pound back over the holliday weekend. But you know what, I ate hamburgers and hot dogs and fries and had lots of beer. So it's not bad at all as far as I'm concerned. Still down 12 lbs overall in 2.5 months. In that time I've gained weight on a weigh in 3 times. The first was a half pound and I lost 2 lbs 4 days later. Then one day it was 1.5 lb and it was gone 2 days later. So if that trend continues it might actually be a good thing!

myofibril

You have no control of what happens, all you can do is control yourself. You can’t control how much you lose by when. That’s not really up to you. What you can do is control when you workout and what you eat.

Nail meet head.

Great post mate.

samb

Very well said. I totally agree. I am hard on myself sometimes as you may know lol, but I do believe everyday is a new day and to start fresh and keep working toward that goal. A little setback is nothing compared to how far you have come, like you said

christine24t

I think that on MFP, a lot of people try to one-up each other. I don't think it's intentional for some. Like "I worked out every day this week for two hours," so when another person reads it, they feel guilty they missed a workout. Sometimes, I don't care if I eat a piece of cake or whatever - I never did before MFP - but now I feel like people are going to read my diary and judge me because I had a piece of cake but they ate carrot sticks all day.

I just posted a thread above this about drinking alcohol - a lot of people say it has wasted calories, etc. Okay, I understand. But I am going to drink alcohol. I am going to have non-wheat bread every once in a while. I am going to enjoy the piece of cake I had yesterday, and the two cups of delicious chicken dumpling soup that I ate.

I think people post stuff about having negative emotions so people understand that they "regret" eating that food/not exercising, and they know it's wrong.

It's okay to miss a workout. Hell, it's okay to miss three. It's okay to go to a buffet. Nobody should feel bad about it. You really can't live perfectly all of the time. If you try your best, that's good with me!!