Ugh. Trying...failing...trying...failing...
mmitch2008
Posts: 3 Member
This will be my third time trying to lose weight. Other things kept getting in the way (like school, sleeping in, video games, Taco Bell...) and I keep giving up. Now I've graduated college, moving into my own apartment, and I need motivation. I'm ready to start the next adventure in my life, hopefully about 30 pounds lighter. I need some friends on here to help me out!
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Replies
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Adding you!
What's your game plan?0 -
The number one thing to do when you move into your own place is to not have junk food. I never buy junk food. I do keep a few low calorie treats if I have a craving. I typically have Skinny Cow frozen treats, sugar free Jello Pudding (single serving) and if you are a cheese girl like I am, Sargentos. I find that Sargentos is the same as the weight watchers cheese only a lot less money.
I have been doing something new and it really helps. I have 2 fruits, 2 veggies and 2 liters of water every day. Even if I am not hungry in the afternoon, I will eat an apple.
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Good Luck!
Karen0 -
MFP is a great place to make friends and create a good support system. But remember, true and consistent motivation comes from YOU! :-) Good luck!0
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Other things kept getting in the way (like school, sleeping in, video games, Taco Bell...) and I keep giving up.
Those things are not "getting" in the way. You are putting them in your way by giving them a higher priority than your health.
Good luck.0 -
Adding you :-)0
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Hey! Feel free to add me! I also have around 30 lbs to lose, good luck!0
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Added!0
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Soemebody needs a hug :flowerforyou:0
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The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.
Here's how I started:
1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)
2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.
3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)
4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.
5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. I was happier once I gave myself a range:
ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.
(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)
I naturally tended to do 2-4 days between 1200-1300 cal then a day at about 1500-1600 cal then back to the 1200-1300 cal. (No hard science here, but I credit the zig-zagging calories with preventing plateaus.)
--As long as I stayed under the top of my range I should continue to lose, even if it is at a slower rate.
--As long as I don't go past my safety valve I shouldn't gain.
BUT... The closer you get to your goal the smaller your range. (frustrating)
6) I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )
Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.
I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.
Good Luck0 -
Adding you. I'm having the same troubles of doing good then going back to old habits. 30lbs lost, here we come!!!!0
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You can do it!!! You just need motivation and encouragement!!0
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Good thread....AuntyBabs...0
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I hear you. it's a tough battle.
I'm Sarah and I struggle with weight loss...always have. The biggest struggle for me is portion size & not going overboard when I allow a treat.
Hang in there and know that you're not alone!!!
I recommend that your diet be primarily veggies with protein, few starches as you can. Veggies already contain carbs and natural sugars. Stay away from High Fructose corn syrup, too. It's just bad stuff.
Also, as a tip, I drink a high protein smoothie:
1 cup yogurt Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp peanut butter (natural if possible)
1 bag of frozen spinach ( 4 servings)
1 banana
1 cup milk
if you use Greek plain yogurt, you get 23 grams of protein. I'm a huge fan of spinach, but if you're not, the banana & peanut butter cover it up. Plus, you can add berries to this, might i suggest raspberries or blackberries due to their wonderful healthful qualities.
good luck!
Sarah B.0 -
Rule #1: KEEP JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE! I've been yo-yo dieting since my late 20s - I'll be 46 next month. Since joining MFP I've actually started to a bit of weight - I say a bit because if I'd thrown out all my food triggers I'd be further ahead. Hindsight! If junk food isn't in the house, you won't reach for it. Really think about what healthy foods you can replace the crap with and load up! If it's sweets, Skinny Cow is great or freeze your own LF Greek Style yogurt with added fruit. I like unfrozen yogurt with some slivered almonds and cinnamon on it. Especially before bed cause I tend to eat a lighter dinner and get hungry by 9 pm. If you're a savoury craver,, popcorn is great with a spray of PAM and shake of some flavoured popcorn spices on it. You can get them in a lot of stores (cheddar cheese, ranch, Mexican...)
AS foe eating out - same idea - DON'T go to places that tempt you with junk. Opt for sushi, LF sandwiches from Quizno's/Subway, salads, etc. Good luck on your journey!!0 -
What AuntieBabs said...
I truly believe that extreme dieting is the root of failure for so many people. You can still eat the foods you enjoy, just cut back on your portions and make a substitution here and there (leaner meats, more veg, etc) and it's totally livable. Basically, think of every excuse you might have and then think of a reason why it doesn't hold up.
Why do you feel like you "had" to go to Taco Bell?
Why did school, video games and sleeping in have to get in the way of eating healthy?
Trust me, this will help you n the long run. A friend of mine asked me why I had gained back the weight I'd lost on Atkins years ago. At first, I just didn't want to think about it - oh who cares, the past is the past, right? Wrong! Thinking about it and coming up with a reason (deprivation is a killer for me) was the best thing I ever did! If we don't learn from our mistakes, we're going to keep having the same failures time and time again.
Good luck!0 -
I also need motivation. This is my second time doing myfitness pal. I have been keeping a better track of what I eat and loggin them in. I am a stay at home mom and going to attend college. Since I started this program, I gained 3 to 4 lbs. Wow!!! That's what I thought. No wonder I felt bigger and heavier. I try to do some work outs; like sit ups and some cardio. I just need some motivation. I know it's not easy for me, so I am asking for any advice that you have to offer. Thank you!0
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DO NOT start with those stupid sugar free things or lunch bar,even if they work,they keep your mouth always working so u get use to have food in ur mouth coz is "sugar free",make sacrifice in the beginning after one month u will see u will not even be able to eat as much as before,its 90 days i make diet i am 1.83 man big costitution,trust when i say i can eat a lot,but after i did this diet after a 80g sandwich with some ham or cheese,i cannot eat anymore,compared to when i went outside with friend and i could eat 1.5 kg of grilled meat with bread dunno how much,of course with friends dont act like u care only about food,even if sometimes u eat a little more its no problem just eat healthy things,i dunno where u r from but mainly americans have the problem to not have food in tradition,maybe buy a recipe book and learn some very nice meals u dont need buy diet food just reduce the weight of the ingredients,i lost 7 kg in 90 days,but i did in this days 4 weeks of holydays so i ate without caring and a weak ,so i took back 3.5kg and then lost again so i like i lost 10.5 (24 pounds i think? XD i never used this unit XD),so if u r on a diet ,eating much more for a week will make your body take much faster,to recover on what he losts,so be carefull,and also (asked to a doctor) if tomorrow u eat 3 kg of food, and then u start again with ur diet,maybe u will gain 2-300 g but the rest will be fluid u will lost in time,so if sometimes u r with friends u can have fun,just start again the day after and DRINK a lot to help the body eliminate all that0
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With your own apartment, it'll be a lot easier for you to be in control of what you eat. Honestly, for me the most important thing was to get inside of my own head and control the messages I was telling myself. I had a big problem with imagining all of the unhealthy food I was craving to the point that I would eventually just give in. Once you can replace those images or messages with positive ones about reaching your goal, it'll be a little less difficult to make it through the cravings.
Also, I really enjoy motivational posts like these: http://theberry.com/2012/06/06/daily-motivation-16-photos-27/0 -
Added, I need to lose 30 too
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Feel free to add me, I'm very positive and try to be as supportive as time allows. I've also had weight yo-yoing issues, and the important part is trying again, which you are, so great job!0
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You have not CHOSEN to live healthier.
Until you do, you won't
Edit: 90% of your journey is mental. Realize what you want. Visualize what you want. Choose to do it. Act upon the choices that get you there (because you can choose to, but without action, you get nothing). And you will succeed0 -
The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.
Here's how I started:
1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)
2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.
3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)
4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.
5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. I was happier once I gave myself a range:
ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.
(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)
I naturally tended to do 2-4 days between 1200-1300 cal then a day at about 1500-1600 cal then back to the 1200-1300 cal. (No hard science here, but I credit the zig-zagging calories with preventing plateaus.)
--As long as I stayed under the top of my range I should continue to lose, even if it is at a slower rate.
--As long as I don't go past my safety valve I shouldn't gain.
BUT... The closer you get to your goal the smaller your range. (frustrating)
6) I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )
Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.
I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.
Good Luck
THIS THIS THIS!!!! Especially: Don't worry about fixing everything all at once, just do a little something every day to be BETTER.0 -
The number one thing to do when you move into your own place is to not have junk food. I never buy junk food. I do keep a few low calorie treats if I have a craving. I typically have Skinny Cow frozen treats, sugar free Jello Pudding (single serving) and if you are a cheese girl like I am, Sargentos. I find that Sargentos is the same as the weight watchers cheese only a lot less money.
I have been doing something new and it really helps. I have 2 fruits, 2 veggies and 2 liters of water every day. Even if I am not hungry in the afternoon, I will eat an apple.
.
AMEN, SISTER !0 -
this is what one of my mfp's commented when i said i couldn't get my head back in the game..."Nope with that attitude you can't... It's not that you can't, you just won't lol. You CAN and if you tell yourself you can instead of "Can't" then you will. Stop saying you can't, because you can you just have to want it, commitment is taking no excuses, interest only last's till you find something else to put your interest in. If you are serious, then take no excuses, only expect results. You CAN do it!" Hope that helps :flowerforyou:0
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As someone who spent her 20's and early 30's gaining and losing and gaining even more, all I can tell you is stop. Stop making yourself crazy about the weight thing. I'm positive I gained more weight simply because I was so down on myself about not being able to lose a few pounds. Now I've beaten myself up til I'm up to 220. I wish I could go back to my early 20's and tell myself to just maintain or something and be happy with what my maturing body wanted to be instead of some magazine perfect figure that I thought it should be.0
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You have not CHOSEN to live healthier.
Until you do, you won't
Edit: 90% of your journey is mental. Realize what you want. Visualize what you want. Choose to do it. Act upon the choices that get you there (because you can choose to, but without action, you get nothing). And you will succeed
this is 100% true. every pound you lose or gain is the result of choices that YOU make. yes, its always going to be easier to eat crap and lounge on the couch playing video games. if you want easy, you will be unhealthy. you have to dig deep within yourself and find the real reasons you want to get healthy. you should write those reasons down so you have something to refer to whenever your mind starts sabotaging your journey to good health. if you want an example of what to do, see my profile.0 -
I would suggest looking up the group, 'eat more to weigh less." Until I listened to the fabulous people, I played with the same 3 pounds up and down for 6 months. Once you understand the basics of BMR and TDEE, you will do fantastic!! If I can help you any further, send me a message.
Good luck!!0 -
I myself have spent all of my 20's and thus far into my early 30's doing the same thing, until now. I figured out what I want, set a small attainable goal and stuck to it. You can do like I did and think of it as though it's no longer an option to not work out/move, eat right and occassionally treat yourself. It has helped me, and I'm 3 weeks in to a work out regimen and feel so great! I have at least 100 lbs to lose, so anyone and everyone can add me to help motivate one another.
I like how auntiebabs put it all out that, it's clear and to the point. I wish you ALL a great success in your journeys
Shae0 -
Back up your words with actions.0
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"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" Thomas Edison.0
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