Why did your previous weight loss program fail?

russelljclarke

I'm curious as to why you all feel that your previous weight loss programs failed?

carribear

I would get bored, cheat or just stop going to those meeting. I know I'm the reason they all failed. I didn't want to do the work and to lose the weight you HAVE to do the work. Count the calories and do the exercise. I won't happen in a day. You didn't put it on in a day, its not coming off in a day. Guess I just needed to learn that.

JeSuisPrest

Because I did not see it through, I gave up on myself.

vsyates

because I stopped following it :ohwell: I set a goal weight for myself and once I reached it, for some stupid reason I thought I could return to my old eating habits and not have any negative consequences :ohwell: This time, my head is where it needs to be. I've reset my goal weight (lower) two different times now. I take things one day at a time -- I just need to have a good day today. As long as I do this every day, before I know it, I will be maintaining :happy:

rosied915

Mainly for simply being lazy and not wanting to put forth the "effort" to eat healthy and stay in control.

For me, and I'm sure many others, it's just easier to eat whatever passes in front of your face without any thought of it's nutrition content or it's effect on your body. It's so easy to just pick up the phone and order out.

It's also a lot easier to just exercise whenever I'm in the mood rather than for my overall fitness and calorie burn.

And it's so much easier to just sooth whatever anxiety or bad feelings I may be having with a nice, white CARB!

ItsCasey

I was not mentally ready. The idea of buying workout equipment or joining a gym felt good. Buying fresh, whole foods at the grocery store felt good. But making the full-time commitment to changing my life was just not something I was mentally prepared for at that time. That's the most important lesson I have learned about weight-loss ... if you haven't truly made your mind up that you're not going to take no for an answer anymore, then you will fail.

engineman312

i didn't hold myself accountable. i had used mfp, and had it automatically post to my facebook wall. then i got some comments from some friends and family, "hey man, i don't care. why do you put that up every night?" i changed the status update feature. soon i wasn't that concerned with completing my food diary, because no one else would know, then i started having cheat days, and soon i wasn't logging in at all. i let their insecurities about their own weight and lack of dedication influence me.

never again. my facebook page is loaded with posts from myfitnesspal and cardio trainer. i want them all to see how i'm changing myself and how i am becoming more awesome every day.

geraldm55

I didn't have mfp. by that I mean not only am I getting positive feed back from many people every day, but I also feel accountable to everyone I've friended and as a result will not give in.
I hold people accountable to their diets (as much as possible) and expect them to do the same for me. as a result we all win.

great question thanks for making me think about it.

May our Lord bless you all on your individual journeys!

rosied915

Hey, Mr. Clark, are you gonna tell us YOUR story?:laugh:

ltlane

i was too strict on myself. i went from 2200 cals a day and sedentary to 1200-1300 cals a day and doing the same boring exercises and ate the same things and never allowed myself to have the foods i was eating before. i was going through an extemely stressful time the last time as well i also focused on the long term goal, got discouraged and just gave up. i really dont have a support system, except for myself and now im hopeful that mfp helps me stay on track and the wonderful people i have met. and now a year older and wiser hope it works this time

vizamy

Mainly because despite exercise and healthy food, I didn't have a clear idea of how much I should - and shouldn't - eat.

ruthie3110

Because I stopped trying/it became too hard to fit in with my lifestyle.

Doing 10 hours shifts, with an hour each way travelling, and trying to prganise moving house... It doesn't work too well.
I'd already stopped losing by that point, but then I gained, about half a stone! So I'm on it again now, but I'll probably get bored because I'm not seeing results, and stop again. Or lose a few pounds and plateau and give up.

yanicka

I could not stand to be hungry all the time. I am not talking about feeling deprived....just plain old hungry.

pixlamarque

The biggest reason was ME. I was not ready. There are things that I think hindered the programs, but the failure was mine.

1) Adkins-- Not sustainable. Maybe by some folks, but not by me and I doubt by most.

2) WW--Good program, good recipes, but learning "points" is not the same as learning calories, etc and it makes a huge difference. Also, WW online does not have the community support found here and regular WW's in person meetings are not for me. I can work MFP into my schedule any time, not have to be at a meeting at a set time. Plus, I don't like most people in person.

3) eDiets--Loved the shopping planner and got great ideas for new things to eat so as not to get bored, but any system that tells you what to eat does not teach you how to do it yourself and that is what you have to have to make a sustainable, lifelong change. On eDiets (maybe this has changed, this is back when I was on it in 2006) you have no idea how many calories you should have, you simply pick food off of the list provided.

candicole007

I wasn't ready, plain and simple. The program (WW) worked for me - but I wasn't ready to give up all my bad habits.

FearAnLoathing

This is the first time I have needed or tried to lose weight.

missikay1970

(1) because mentally i was not prepared for what it would take
(2) because i tried a "diet" and not a lifestyle change

DWilbanks

I gave up because I didn't see the results as fast and as large as I wanted. Plain and simple I didn't have the will power to stay with it and opted for the easy way out. But alas a you get older, you develope a different set of priorites. My priority before was just to get SKINNY. Now it's to loose weight so that the arthritis in my knees and hips will be more manageable and to lessen the load on my heart so that I can live longer. With maturity comes wisdom.

russelljclarke

Hey, Mr. Clark, are you gonna tell us YOUR story?:laugh:

I never lost an 'e' before, let alone my excess weight

MFP was the first 'system' I used, and it worked a treat (as you'll see from my profile). The reason I'm curious is that I'm now trying to help some of my relatives and friends who've tried systems before and won't sign up because they failed in the past. I really wanted to know what people felt was good about MFP and bad about WW et al.

psuLemon

When I started, i tried to have a low fat, low calorie diet (1800 calories) . It failed because my BMR was high, so my caloric needs were greater. Add that with not getting enough healthy fats or even calories, and my body started to hold onto the calories I was taking in. 3 Months later, I increase my calories to 2400 and stopped low fat substitutes and my weight loss started again. I since learned that fat doesnt' make you fat, excessive calories do.

UsedToBeHusky

MFP is based on science and recognizes that weight loss is not a quick fix. It helps people with similar goals and experiences to come together for support, encouragement, and motivation. Like with all things good on the internet though, someone always has to ruin it so you have to watch out for trolls. Otherwise, the system can work for anyone who can commit themselves to it.