I reached goal and have slipped back into old habits
MermaidFaith
Posts: 495 Member
Seriously 3 months ago i was possibly the most motivated person on mfp! I exercised religiously, and made sure to always stay in my calories.
Then vacation came and i hit my goal! Just in time to show my family all of my hard work paid off.
Vacation ended and my motivation ended with it. i have tried keeping up my excitement over losing weight, but it's just not fun anymore. I am putting in some effort, but nothing is lasting. The food grazing at work has started again and i've already put 6 pounds back on!
why can't everything stay interesting instead of getting dull.
I need new goals.
Then vacation came and i hit my goal! Just in time to show my family all of my hard work paid off.
Vacation ended and my motivation ended with it. i have tried keeping up my excitement over losing weight, but it's just not fun anymore. I am putting in some effort, but nothing is lasting. The food grazing at work has started again and i've already put 6 pounds back on!
why can't everything stay interesting instead of getting dull.
I need new goals.
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Replies
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you're scaring me :sick:0
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go back to the basics and start all over and you need to get motivated again, eat healty and exercise, when you are at your goal weight you still cant back off cause you still need to maintain yourself so you dont gain back your weight.0
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lolyou're scaring me :sick:0 -
I have a photo of me when I was smaller and happier on my fridge as motivation of where I wanna be...stick one up from when you were unhappy with your weight next to one of you at goal so you can see how far you've come and remind yourself how badly you dont wanna go back!0
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i like that tooI have a photo of me when I was at goal on my fridge...stick one up from when you were unhappy with your weight next to one of you at goal so you can see how far you've come and remind yourself how badly you dont wanna go back!0 -
Maintenance mode is tough at first, and old habits will continue to come back. I've been maintaining for half a year now, and I think it's okay to do what you used to, as long as you don't make it a habit again. Soda, fried food, fast food, whatever is fine as long as you don't do as frequently as you used to. Anyway, staying at goal is tricky at first and it's a mental challenge for sure. Make new goals for yourself. Run faster, strength train more, eat cleaner... find something to keep you going because it will also improve your health that much more. It's not all about your weight.0
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you should add me. i'm the same way. we could help get one another back on track!0
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pick up a hobby! swim, run, learn to shoot archery, cycle, rock climb, ride horses, etc.
if you have something that will keep you active and that you can continue to progress at, in incremental steps, it will keep you on the right track. doesn't need to be necessarily weight loss related, but definitely concrete and goal related. it will all fall in together.
congratulations on your achievements thus far and good luck!0 -
Maybe try physical fitness goals. Lifting a certain amount of weight. Run distance with a certain time?0
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You need to pick an exercise routine that is realistic and sustainable.
You need an eating level that is realistic and sustainable.
You need to make this a way of life.
Does every breakfast or lunch need to be different every day? Or can you have a rotating 5 or 6 favorite meals of each that gives you exactly the calories you know you need.
An afternoon planned snack of what you need.
General guidelines of what dinner should look like.
Is everyday for 1 hr realistic for exercise, or is 3 days a week more sustainable.
Adjust the eating level to support that less workout routine that allowed you to eat more.
Don't try for 2lb weekly, as that is too extreme and as you have observed, doesn't work anyway after goal met.0 -
Sounds like you need to set a new goal to be working toward. Tone?0
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it's a habit. The good (working out, calorie control) takes a little time to develop. The bad (you know what they were) also takes time to develop. Start over and devlop that good habit again.
I've quite smoking now 5 days straight. Part of the habit is physical but I believe the most is phsycoligical. The new habit is that i don't smoke. For you, the new habit is working out and controlling your calories. It takes 3-5 days to form and break habits. Force yourself and then the physical and psycholigical rewards will again become evident. You can do this!!!0 -
Nice work! to get to your goal of showing your family. Sadly stuff like that gets most of us. When we lose weight, that's our goal. When that's achieved, we're kind of like, that's over, OK now what? So many of us haven't got a plan beyond that. So we regain. If I had answers I wouldn't be here either. : ). Somewhere there has to be a way for us to see another goal ahead. It's up to each of us to find it. I wish us all Good Luck.0
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good luck on re reaching your goal weight.
i'm hoping to avoid backsliding by looking at this as a lifestyle change instead of a diet and developing new habits. also calorie goal wise, my goal has always been to pick a weight goal and then eat an amount to maintain that amount.
so for the first 25 pounds (i started at 224) i ate at a rate to maintain 199 pounds. once i started to stall i knew i had to drop a little more to get to my next goal. my current calories are to maintain at 169. once i start stalling at 169 i'll reduce a little more to maintain my goal weight.
after that i should already be o to eating my maintenance calories for my goal weight, so i wont have to do much readjusting to maintenance mode unless i change my activity level0 -
Quitting smoking is very difficult. Hurray for you! Keep up the good work!0
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I'm with you, I've still been getting my exercise, but I need to get back to better planning food wise, and set some new goals with specific dates, etc... to push me. You'll get this, you want it, you just need a plan too and we'll both do great.0
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Seriously, do you want a shorter life ? Do you want to make your heart work overtime, just to let you survive. ? Go to the grocery store tomorrow, buy a 20 pound bag of potatoes, and carry it around with you all day. Then decide if you WANT to be that tired every day.0
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Seriously 3 months ago i was possibly the most motivated person on mfp! I exercised religiously, and made sure to always stay in my calories.
Then vacation came and i hit my goal! Just in time to show my family all of my hard work paid off.
Vacation ended and my motivation ended with it. i have tried keeping up my excitement over losing weight, but it's just not fun anymore. I am putting in some effort, but nothing is lasting. The food grazing at work has started again and i've already put 6 pounds back on!
why can't everything stay interesting instead of getting dull.
I need new goals.
Been there, done that. I was twenty pounds less than where I am now three and a half years ago, and I was happy. Time to find new goals, for sure. Change up your work out, and make goals of this fast of a mile, or this many reps at this weight, or this many pushups. Add more fresh vegetables and give yourself a goal of __ whole vegetables each day. I KNOW that I became cocky, comfortable, and bored. Keep going. Hire a trainer for 30 minutes at the gym, and have them write a new workout, if that is what it takes. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey, AND IT NEVER STOPS.0 -
I can understand your situation, I'm in a similar place myself.
It is so easy to slip back into old bad habits and the weight creeps back up so easily.
I don't have the solution - but the things I've tried are:
- keeping on logging, even on days when I haven't made good choices
- keep on moving - I'm signed up for a half marathon in 5 weeks time, so that has kept me motivated to keep running, as I know I have to do the training to stand a chance of completing the distance
- accept that not every day is going to be full of good choices, but just to make the best choice I can each time. Sometimes that means I get to the end of the day with a nice balanced diary, other days it's way off. But I'm going to keep on trying.
- I'm focusing on trying to set up a "new normal". So - eating too much chocolate might (will!) still happen, but I want that to be the exception not the "normal".
- sometimes I just decide to have a day where I'll eat whatever I want. Usually this "gets it out of my system" and I go back to eating well.
I find that I tend to have cycles of being more or less motivated to eat well and exercise. I know that eating well means I feel better and am healthier, so I try to remember those feelings when i want to eat junk.
Good luck, I hope you find the right combination of things that keeps you happy and healthy.0 -
Before MFP I went on a "DIET" and dropped from 450 lbs down to 201-205. Because I thought of it as a DIET and because I was at goal and didn't need to DIET anymore, I went back to my old ways of eating. At first it was great. For the first 6 months, nothing happened... then, almost imperceptibly I began to gain the weight back until one morning I woke up surprised to be back at 450 lbs.
Moral of the story is... It's not a DIET, it is a lifestyle change! At first you have to adjust to the weight loss phase and learn how to handle breaking through plateaus. Once you reach your goal... you have to readjust your routine to maintain, or some people go into a bulking up phase first. The biggest mistake people make is to stop tracking because they don't need to anymore.
So after gaining all the weight back I started losing it again. After 150 lbs I found mfp. Since then I've lost another 63.5 lbs and am well on my way back to my goal. And this time... I'm gonna stay there!0 -
You worked your *kitten* off to get to this point. Don't throw it all way. Set new goals, you can do it! :flowerforyou: I would love to trade places with you and be down 50+lbs!0
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Because your approach was extrinsic rather than intrinsic, it's not a surprise you're back to old habits. Your lifestyle didn't change, just your approach to eating to reach a goal. Now that you've met that goal, you're reverting to the lifestyle you used to know.Seriously 3 months ago i was possibly the most motivated person on mfp! I exercised religiously, and made sure to always stay in my calories.
Then vacation came and i hit my goal! Just in time to show my family all of my hard work paid off.
Vacation ended and my motivation ended with it. i have tried keeping up my excitement over losing weight, but it's just not fun anymore. I am putting in some effort, but nothing is lasting. The food grazing at work has started again and i've already put 6 pounds back on!
why can't everything stay interesting instead of getting dull.
I need new goals.
So change the actual lifestyle. Don't diet. Learn how to eat in correct portions and control calorie intake. And learn the lifestyle of exercise and health intrinsically.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I've been in a similar situation however, mine has been down to stress, family illness. Don't underestimate stress, and the affect of cortisol on your body.
My advice to you is, you need to think about why you want to lose weight and what your priorities are. If you want to change your weight and improve your fitness then that has to come from you, and not be for someone or something else. You need to make the necessary changes that you can adopt for life and not just for say the next 6 months. It must be a long term change.
I have been seeing a nutritionist since the end of January and I've learnt a lot. Clean eating, not going any longer than so many hours between foods, a treat day and regular exercise is key. You need to change your lifestyle not just "diet" until you get down to "x" weight or, you will return, like you have done, to your old comfortable ways. You know this.
The likes of....Understanding the type of foods that will benefit your body and long term health, the importance of eating protein with complex carbs so that they keep your fuller for longer, portion control and, eating regularly and key things you need to look into in order to change your habits. Weight management is 80% diet, and only 20% exercise. Use your exercise burns as a bonus.
Based on what you've said, I think injecting some positivity would help you greatly. You've lost a great deal of weight and well done, it takes a lot of commitment and hard work to do so. You deserve a massive pat on the back for that.
The foods you are struggling with, I would make a list of the foods you consider to be a "pleasure" and "pain" for you. Really think about this. We attach feelings to everything. The confusion begins when we associate both emotions with one food. E.g. I love chocolate fudge cake, I'll have a slice. When you're finished eating it, the guilt sets in as you know it's going to stop you losing the weight.
I hope that's helped a little, give me a buzz if I can help with anything else
Seriously 3 months ago i was possibly the most motivated person on mfp! I exercised religiously, and made sure to always stay in my calories.
Then vacation came and i hit my goal! Just in time to show my family all of my hard work paid off.
Vacation ended and my motivation ended with it. i have tried keeping up my excitement over losing weight, but it's just not fun anymore. I am putting in some effort, but nothing is lasting. The food grazing at work has started again and i've already put 6 pounds back on!
why can't everything stay interesting instead of getting dull.
I need new goals.0 -
The truth is weight loss is hard, but for a lot of us, maintaining that weight loss is harder!
You have no goals, no stepping on the scales with your fingers crossed to see another loss. It's the same old slog.
That's why many people, me included, have gained it all back and then some. And so here I am to remind you what it feels like with weight to lose. Miserable, miles away, a distant dream. The weeks you don't lose feel like weeks wasted, the weeks you gain? Horrid.
Remember it's meant to be a lifestyle change. Not a diet, not a quick fix.
Get out there and get some exercise, remember how much better you feel after a work out? Remember how good it felt to finally get in to your final size.
And how much better does your body feel for the healthy food choices you make? A fresh home cooked meal full of vibrant veg, rather than the portion of fast food that leaves you sluggish.0 -
Wow we are way too similar. I am two pounds away from goal weight and two weeks away from vacation, which is what I was losing for. I even bought brand new pants and tops that are just sitting there waiting for goal day.. and I am already slipping back into bad habits. I am going to start c25k and get my butt to the gym tomorrow! I wish us both luck on maintenance!0
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Yes, that's the problem when our goals are number-focused, and this is a common problem amongst those of us who have a tendency to yo-yo. Once we've achieved that magic number, there can be a huge feeling of anti-climax. And coupled with a vacation or special occasion where we allow ourselves to overindulge more than we have been makes it even more difficult.
It sometimes helps to have other goals that don't revolve around the scales. When I eat too much sugar or caffeine, I get terrible hunger pangs a couple of hours later with the sugar, and with the caffeine, I suffer with heart palpitations. I know if I take my eye off what I'm eating, I can unconsciusly start shovelling down sugar and caffeine like there's no tomorrow. So now, my goal is to feel energetic and palpitation-free, which is a daily goal and for me, a lifetime goal. I don't want to have to start taking medication, so that motivates me too, even if it's a bit of a negative motivation.
I still find I stray occasionally, and more often than I'd like, but by staying on here, I find I can get back on track quicker than before. If you keep logging what you eat every day, you will be able to pay attention to what's going in and be in a stronger position to stamp out those bad habits that can so easily creep back into our lives. Gillian Riley's 'Say Goodbye To Overeating' is quite a helpful read in these circumstances, as it helps you explore the reasons why we overeat and teaches us how to set goals that aren't weight-related.0 -
So I keep a list of reasons to eat healthy on my notepad on my iPad… here we go:
1. I don't want to be excluded from any activity because I weigh too much. (walking, playing my horn, traveling, etc)
2. I want to a good fiduciary of the earth's natural resources.. this includes only eating what I need to be healthy, and leaving food for others. It also includes not having to turn the air conditioning down to freezing because I have extra weight making me "hot"
3. I want to own a few garments of exceptional quality to wear for work and my music ministry. So I can't be having big weight fluctuations that require me to buy new clothes every year.
4. I want to, as long as I have time on this earth, to truly enjoy living and not be saddled with self induced health issues.
That means maintaining a healthy weight means I have to give up mindless eating. and keep moving.0 -
Every one of these replies are completely true and incredibly helpful.
It means a lot to me to know that i have an entire community of people that are ready to help pick me up when i am down.
I realize that my lag in motivation really just boils down to laziness and immaturity. I am the person in control of my life, Why let myself down?
I will be applying your advice into my daily life and appreciate all of the kind words
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it's a habit. The good (working out, calorie control) takes a little time to develop. The bad (you know what they were) also takes time to develop. Start over and devlop that good habit again.
I've quite smoking now 5 days straight. Part of the habit is physical but I believe the most is phsycoligical. The new habit is that i don't smoke. For you, the new habit is working out and controlling your calories. It takes 3-5 days to form and break habits. Force yourself and then the physical and psycholigical rewards will again become evident. You can do this!!!
not meaning to hijack the thread- but congrats on 5 days smoke free!! Thats about the hardest habit in life to change and the 5 hardest days are behind you- congrats! Congrats on your new improved health and longer life!0
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