I'm watching myself fall off the wagon...

LATeagno

...and it's awful.

I don't know what to do. I've somehow lost the fire that kept me going for a year. I've lost my honesty with others, but more importantly, I've lost it with myself. I'm full of excuses. I've only gained a few pounds back, but i'm bound to gain it all back if I don't stop.

I started a new job last month and I sit. All day. Like-- ALL day. I don't really have the option of walking around. I can stand, but that's about it. I'm eating like crap. My low carb diet has turned into one filled with chips, cake and bread. I haven't fallen off so badly that I've headed to McDonald's or eaten a Blizzard or anything like that, but it's on the way if I don't stop now. I'm officially scared. I feel like I've forgotten how to do this.

Anyone else feel this way? I'm starting to feel my old habits sink back in. I don't know what to do. I know it's within me somewhere, but where do i find it? I was in a plateau for six months and then i just gave up one day. I kind of said, "well, this isn't working, so fu** it."

Where can I get my motivation back?

fatgirlslove

Don't give up...remember how badly you want this!

honestlysweet

Go to the success story threads on here and look at them. Say to yourself, "that will be me some day! I will post my before and after and be so proud!

Take a picture of yourself, front, side and back. This way, in a month when you feel yourself slipping again, you can take another picture and study them side by side and see a real visual of your success the past month.

Take your measurements. Retake them every week. Do not worry as much about the scale, as it fluctuates and can be very frustrating. Just take measurements and photos.

This one is the most important. Get a gym membership. Catch them when they have a good deal going on for new members. Go early in the morning, before dawn. I know, you are not a morning person, but force yourself. Because I PROMISE that if you do, you will get used to going in the mornings and you will cherish this time as your "me" time. At least, that's what happened to me. A few months ago, I was fat and lazy and hated myself and ate too much. I forced myself to the gym and after a few weeks, I started to feel amazing, to the point where if I didn't get my early morning workout, I felt like crap all day. It is addictive and it will help with your food cravings and you will look leaner sooner.

Get out of your funk. I know starting a new job is hard and stressful, but don't fall into those old habits because you will feel so terrible if you gain your weight back. I may be just a random internet person with no face, but remember that all of us random internet people are real humans going through the same thing you are. We are real.

Don't ignore my advice. It will work. It really will. Good luck, I know you can do this!

Jenph20

Hey! support can be hard to find. I have a ladies only support group on FB if you would like to join. Send me a msg!! we would love to have you!

Beezil

You need to get a lot more pissed at yourself, stop making excuses, suck it up, and force your way back into a routine. This happened to me about a month or so ago and I had to do the same thing. It's very easy to give up and say yes to temptation, what is not so easy is coming back from a full on down spiral. Think about how long it took to lose the weight and get into a routine. Do you really want to do all that again?

luvtrails

Get moving...kick in those endorphens (sp?) Celebrate little successes. It is not all or nothing!

Cal28

I've somehow lost the fire that kept me going

I started a new job last month

Anyone else feel this way? I'm starting to feel my old habits sink back in.

Where can I get my motivation back?

I could have written this. I seem to be all or nothing, I went from enthusiastically going 6 days a week to the gym and now I can only make two (due to new job) and I find it a real struggle to go at all. The less I exercise the less I can be bothered too. Soo frustrating, just want to shout at myself to sort my act out but really bleugh... x

dwtimeoutt

Do you watch "The Biggest Loser". I've been watching it all season while they have gone through the excuses. I honestly believed I didn't fall into the group of people who made excuses. Then I had emergency surgery to get my gallbladder out. I met the dietician while in the hospital. I made up a few excuses about weight loss but most importantly told her "I could try". I went home for three weeks and tried and did lose 2.5 lbs but knew I could lose more. So last Monday she was trying everything she could to get me to commit to exercising. I came up with one excuse after another as to why I couldn't go for a walk. Too much wind, it rains a lot, too cold etc. At the end of the conversation she looked me in the eye and said, "so what are you going to do for exercise". She wouldn't let me escape the question. Finally it dawned on me that I have a treadmill. I see that thing every day. So I said, I can do the treadmill but..........it is so boring. She still didn't let me go. She wanted to know if I could watch TV or talk on my cell. I finally agreed I will call my daughter at treadmill time daily if I cannot go on a walk. So even though I just joined on Tuesday, I have kept me commitment and not made excuses which included getting on that darn thing at 9:45 pm tonight. So what I'm saying is, if you hold yourself accountable and commit, you can do it. It is hard. Rely on people here to offer you support. Pack your lunches. Shop for food on your days off. Know what you are going to cook each night. Make it simple on work days. Move whenever possible. Do housework during commercials. Just don't let the stress of backsliding set you back too far. You can do this. Find that part of you that craved the success and make it happen. Many of us are here for you. Friend me if you need encouragement. Denise

zoodalia

I lost 14 pounds, and gained 24 back before I finally realised I was so uncomfortable with the way I felt I had to get back into it (I've lost about 12 again so far)... you'll keep going until you reach the point of no more. There's no point me saying 'you can do it', 'go on, I believe in you etc', it's about you and the choice you'll make. You'll do it when you're ready.

Good luck:)

prettytothinkso

I lost 21 pounds and was a third of the way to my goal and Christmas happened. What? I have a weakness for ham! I told myself that I'd get back 'on the wagon' in the New Year like it was some magical thing. But I didn't. And I gained half that weight back. If you've only gained a few pounds back so far, count yourself lucky. You posting this is a wake up call. You WANT to keep losing weight. You get breaks at work. Have you thought about what you could do during breaks, or even stealthily during work? Like squats and lunges. Jumping jacks. Bring healthy lunches. Get addicted to MFP (it helps keep me honest), look at the success stories, see how others push through these tough times and believe you can do it too, because YOU are worth it.

FionaAnne22

the fact that you are aware you are falling off the wagon, and had the guts to post about it rather than just let it happen is a huge step, believe me!

You need to start at the beginning again, starting a new job will have thrown everything up in the air with your routine, you just need to accept that and start over.

Concentrate on drinking enough water, getting enough fruit and veg, and doing some exercise to begin with...if it was me I wouldnt even overly worry about calories, I would just go back to basics. You can do this! I know you can, so good luck

starblazing

take it one meal at a time. next meal is breakfast. pick the good choice for breakfast. then lunch. pick a healthy choice for lunch. just one meal at a time. and i feel you about sitting at my desk, i have 12 hour shifts. i get up and walk around the perimeter of the hospital on my breaks. it can be done. one step at a time.

MakingAChoice

Excuses are just a way to lie to yourself. So you sit all day, do you work 24 hours a day? No you don't, so stop making excuses and get off your *kitten*. I am not going to sugar coat this. You know you 'falling off the wagon' hell I have been there too, but I did not lie to myself or others about it. I used it to shame myself back on track. Make a plan and stick with it, if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. I have never failed at anything in my life and I do not plan on starting now. So suck it up and get back on track. You know you want to, you will feel better too (a big motivator for me).

Mammoth1234

I'm doing the same thing... And what's worse, at my new job every other woman is blonde and practically anorexic. No offence to blondes. Instead of motivating me it just makes me feel like there's no point in trying, because I'm never going to look as good as them! I find myself thinking "Perhaps I could just be the 'quirky chubby one' and be happy with my role", but lets be honest, I'd rather look good. If you find out a good way to motivate yourself let me know!

I'm on my way to the gym now actually, I do find reading these message boards helps because you see everyone else who's managing it, and you're like, MAN UP, if they can all do it why can't I?!

Hope it gets better soon! xxx

musclefat2k

The thing about falling off the wagon is that you can always just get back up and start pushing again. It's your process and nobody can judge your how or when. Just START! EVEN IF ITS EVERYDAY! As long as you continue to JUST START, then your always a step closer.....

quelquun

I am in the same boat. I was really pumped when I first started on this site. I had lost 15 lbs. Then the holidays happened, and up to this day I've gained back around 8 lbs of that. I'm pretty bummed out. My downfall is the food. I know how to eat healthy. I know what works for me, gives me energy, but I just can't seem to muster up the self-discipline to limit myself.

I started seeing a personal trainer, hoping that I could get a little more motivation... but now I'm discouraged because I'm not getting motivated!

pumalama

Every time I feel overwhelmed or negative I take one thing at the time and concentrate on doing it very well. Often we look too far ahead and we panic. We forget that large goals are made of smaller ones and even these smaller ones can be decomposed into much smaller tasks. It is important to make lists of objectives, prioritized tasks and a plan of action. Once you are in control again you will start to feel better.

Find a goal for today, only one, and determine what tasks you need to do to achieve it. Write lists because the satisfaction of crossing items from them is a real positive boost! On some days I count how many tasks I do and I write the number on my calendar. After a few days I always feel good to see that I have done 40 or 50 tasks! This is mostly at work but i apply the same methods for personal and health goals.

When you start working on your tasks and reach some goals, you will start feeling better. It will also take you a while to get adapted to your new job too but you will get through your bad phase because you are seeking solutions right now.

A good book that could help you if you feel low is "Feeling Good, the new mood therapy" by David D Burns. It has chapters for everybody in it.

AnneMK5

I'm in the same boat and it sunk! From Jan to Aug last year I lost 60 pounds and since December I have put 30 back on. I did the same as you... watched myself fall off the wagon... telling myself the whole time that I should not be eating these foods and I did it anyway. I'm very very ashamed of myself. I've been struggling to get my self discipline going again.
DON'T let yourself do what I've done! It's not a good feeling.

kaypers1

The stress of a new job might be making you gain too. I find that 5-6g of fish oil/day helps with mood or depression. Keep supplementing and eat yummy fruits! Good luck!

foxbat2828

One thing that I did that keeps me motivated, even when I stall out, is a picture that my cardiac surgeon took of my heart showing my heart before and after my stents were put in last year. In the before, the whole bottom part of my heart is grey from where there's no blood getting to it and the after picture looks like an interstate highway map once the blood flow returned after the stents. Those pictures sit on my fridge and remind me daily why I do what I'm doing and is a constant reminder not just to skip over the bad stuff when I go to the fridge, but also a reminder when I don't want to go to the gym, when I say I "deserve" to go off of my health plan, when I get frustrated, etc. My stents recently clogged and I had to have open-heart bypass surgery, so I'm looking forward to getting those pictures from the doc so I have a second set of motivating pics.

Find a pic that motivates you and prominently display it on the fridge, in the car, on your dresser; everywhere you'll see it and remember. Could be a pic of where you were and where you don't want to return to. Could be a recent pic that shows how far you've come. A target pic that shows where you want to be, etc. Whatever it is that motivates you. I know that people often look toward others for that support and it's good to have others in your corner, but ultimately, the person that's going to make this happen for you is YOU ... so you've got to put those things in place that help you support and motivate you.

k2charmed4u

I can so relate to this. I was going strong for almost 2 years (and lost 56lbs) and then back in January 2011 it kind of stopped. I'd just started a relationship with my now husband and I put all my time and energy in to the relationship and enjoyed being pampered and eating out etc. Since then i've put on about 30+ lbs! It's got to the stage where I keep saying to myself "I can't go back to way I was, I can't" but I can't seem to get back into the habits I had.
I had completely different eating habits then (as in) I didn't buy crisps. biscuits, chocolate etc Also I never had a freezer in my flat so I bought weekly which made me watch what I was eating more and planned my meals better. But living with my husband and his 17 year old if we don't buy these things we get a very pissed off teenager and it's not worth the hastle.
The Summer weather is coming so I hope it will spur me on to lose weight again and keep it off.

TheBakerGirl

**reaches out and pulls you back on the wagon** :flowerforyou:


why not set a small goal for yourself? maybe try two weeks of being really good…focus on healthy foods, practice ignoring those cakes and things, and figure out a way to get more movement in at work…just for two weeks. It's only two weeks! It probably won't be a huge amount of progress, but when you see some results it will remind you why you jumped on the wagon in the first place!

I had a desk job too, and I got really good at figuring out ways to move around. I drank a lot of water and green tea…so not only was I constantly filling my bottle/mug, I was also going to the bathroom a lot! Sometimes I would take the stairs and use a restroom on a different floor. I'm sure other people at your job must be in the same boat…see if you can start a quick lunchtime walking group. Even 15 minutes of walking can make a difference.

You can do this!!

pumalama

I am in the same boat. I was really pumped when I first started on this site. I had lost 15 lbs. Then the holidays happened, and up to this day I've gained back around 8 lbs of that. I'm pretty bummed out. My downfall is the food. I know how to eat healthy. I know what works for me, gives me energy, but I just can't seem to muster up the self-discipline to limit myself.

I started seeing a personal trainer, hoping that I could get a little more motivation... but now I'm discouraged because I'm not getting motivated!

most books I read on the topic state that motivation comes after we start any given task. Only on very rare occasions we are motivated before starting something. The trick is to commit to 2 or 5 minutes of any tasks and then re-assess how we feel about it. Sometimes we will still feel bad and there are methods to deal with this too.

another trick is to predict what can go wrong and come up with plans. For instance let's say I want to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. What could go wrong? I wake up late, an ingredient could be missing, etc. Solutions: prepare food ahead, plan 2 food choices in case one is out, etc. When you have a map of options, it is much easier to stick to the plan and sticking to the plan bring motivation to continue with it.

If you are overeating, ask yourself when this happens and what you could do to remove yourself from these situations. if you eat at night at home, you can go for a walk, take a shower, read a book with a cup of tea, play computer games, etc. Keep it in written, it helps a lot, and good luck!

AthenaErr

Stop being scared, its just food. Log it, book some time somewhere in the week ahead to analyse what you are doing and to work out a strategy to deal with it. Your life has had this massive change. So you need to figure out how to adapt your eating and exercising to cope with that. Change is stressful, probably you are a stress eater, maybe also you are a social eater so having all these new people means you turn toi food as a way of being social.. or however you work...you know how you work. Give your brain a chance to get in the mix and help you sort this out.

Dont panic, just plan.

CookieCrumble

Go to the success story threads on here and look at them. Say to yourself, "that will be me some day! I will post my before and after and be so proud!

Take a picture of yourself, front, side and back. This way, in a month when you feel yourself slipping again, you can take another picture and study them side by side and see a real visual of your success the past month.

Take your measurements. Retake them every week. Do not worry as much about the scale, as it fluctuates and can be very frustrating. Just take measurements and photos.

This one is the most important. Get a gym membership. Catch them when they have a good deal going on for new members. Go early in the morning, before dawn. I know, you are not a morning person, but force yourself. Because I PROMISE that if you do, you will get used to going in the mornings and you will cherish this time as your "me" time. At least, that's what happened to me. A few months ago, I was fat and lazy and hated myself and ate too much. I forced myself to the gym and after a few weeks, I started to feel amazing, to the point where if I didn't get my early morning workout, I felt like crap all day. It is addictive and it will help with your food cravings and you will look leaner sooner.

Get out of your funk. I know starting a new job is hard and stressful, but don't fall into those old habits because you will feel so terrible if you gain your weight back. I may be just a random internet person with no face, but remember that all of us random internet people are real humans going through the same thing you are. We are real.

Don't ignore my advice. It will work. It really will. Good luck, I know you can do this!

This post really resonates with me. It's so easy to let thing slip a little - and then a lot - and then to finally give up because you lie to yourself that this 'just happened', neatly blocking out all of the bad habits you've allowed to encroach on your goals. It's not worth it - instead of finding reasons not to do somethng positive find reasons not to do the negative, if that's how your mind works best. Do what's good for your body, you know what that is.

People who say they are 'all or nothing' kind of people,, can very, very easily set the bar to such a condition that it's easier to give up. Don't be one of those people - not unless you're going to use it positively.

Thank you to every poster on this thread, there's not one thing posted that I don't agree with and I'm as concerned about falling off the wagon as anybody else - I just won't let myself, I can't.

I would wish you luck, OP, but it's not luck you need - it's strength of purpose - and I wish you that in spades. xx

fergie2812

HI
I am exactly the same. I have been doing 2 peoples jobs for 3 weeks and I have fell back into old ways. I am ok in the day but when I get home I just eat crap and feel sorry for myself.
It is really hard to get going again as you've lost the momentum.

Guess you have to remember what oyu want and why you want it and basically start again. I'm planning on baby steps again. I have stopped logging everything as I'm too ashamed so like you am lying to myself.
Keep going you've done so well you CAN do this
xx

Julie2402

Hi, the same has happened to me, i gained 5lbs and like you stopped being honest with myself! The past couple of days i have been ok, i told myself that if i carried on i would be back to where i started last september! Please don't give up, you CAN do this. Please feel free to add me, maybe we could help each other!

Masterchef2000

I think the first great step is that you are recognizing what is going on and you care! Now, you just have to want this again! I did the same thing in November and didn't start up again until this month when I started to hate the way I was looking again. So here I am. :-) You can do this!

AmandaCaswell1982

Everyone trying to lose weight wants it--- it's just HOW BAD you want it.... Let your stubborn side come out... look at some of the success stories on here. That's always helped me. I'd be like "Damn, if that person can lose X lbs, I can surely do this"....

I've heard it takes up to 7 times trying to quit smoking to finally do it. I'm sure eating is worse because it's something we need to do. Hopefully your "failures" will teach you alot and will lead you to success. Switch up your routine, join a new gym, do something different.

Good luck, hope you find your motivation back!

tevez032

Try some AVRT (Addictive Voice Recognition Technique).

Worked for me so far...My beast actually has a form I can relate to. It's sort of weird but as long as you keep the conversation between you and your beast, who's gonna know, right? (Damn I just told everyone!)

moniem77

i hear ya! i have done it. I really looked at myself and hated what i was seeing so i told myself i am important i am the only one who ia going to take care of me! so start thinking that way and hopefully you can find your skinny girl inside!