yo-yoing

fireyes

So for the past few years it feels like I have never kept a constant weight. I am either gaining or losing. What I have recently discovered seems to be happening is that I'll get to a point where I am uncomfortable with my body, and I'll make the commitment to losing the weight and getting in shape. I'll then be really healthy for a month or two, and reach a level that I'm comfortable with. At that point I will attempt to maintain, but I always eventually continue to slip back into my old ways until I reach the beginning of the cycle again.

The thing is, once I reach a level where I'm comfortable with my body, being healthy and staying in shape just isn't as high of a priority any more. I guess the thing is that I don't know how to maintain. I'm either being really healthy, always making sure to watch my calories, vitamins, fat, exercise, etc, or I'm not worrying about it at all.

So I guess my question is, for all of you maintainers out there, how do you keep up the motivation, and how do you include some unhealthy things, but still keep it reasonable?

sister_bear

I'm not really sure what's tripping you up from your description, so I can only share experiences.

I was craving potato chips today, but there were none in the house so I settled for a granola bar. Clear out the junk. Don't buy it. If you don't have it, you can't turn to it.

Some things have been sort of 'black listed' in our house. The less we have them, the easier it is to go without them. For example, soda is black listed. We bought a 12 pack of soda for the holiday weekend as a treat. It made me sick.

Other things have been substituted or swapped. For example, french fries. Every time we have a meal without french fries in this house it's a victory. We used to eat french fries all the time... and I just can't have them. Once in a blue moon, I'll have some and they'll make me feel awful. I haven't had them in over a month. Instead of fries, we have steamed veggies, rice, or roasted potatoes. We still have ice cream on occasion, but we get the fat free kind and measure the portions like crazy.

Keep using the website. I've seen many posts from people who reached their goal, stopped logging, and gained more back than the started with. The website can be set to maintain weight, so keep logging and log honestly. We're gonna go over our calories times. It'll happen. It's not the end of the world.

MuchMovement

I hate the world yo- yo dieting, because it's always used negatively, and because I'm prob the biggest yo-yoer there every was!!!

The things that helps me stay in check most are mantras, meditation, and the idea of self control. I want to have ultimate control of myself. I want to be physically able to do anything I want!

I have made a habit of repeatedly taunting myself with pictures of the inspiring Zuzana Light from Body Rock.tv to keep myself on track. Have you heard of a vision board? It's a similar idea. You create a picture collage your future aspirations, and put it in a spot you can regularly see it... it will help you stay on focus and materialize your goal!

Start a self dialog.... Ask yourself If I can't control my food habits, what does that say about the rest of my life? What else can't I control? Why should I let food have more control over my life than I do? You are the most immediate sector of your own universe, so you should remember it is irresponsible to lose control. If you lost control of something else in your life, like a car, you would have a real situation... Your body is your vehicle!!!!

Those who are not self controlled and self disciplined are yo- yo dieters. When people use the term yo-yo it lifts me up because reminds me to stay firm, and hold my ground... because that is the negative complaint of yo yo dieting... inconsistency resulting in failure!

Good luck!