Thinking of giving up...only for awhile

jesp1216

Don't give up! try and make exercise a part of your daily activities! even if it's only taking a 15 minute walk, twice a day. That's still 30 minutes of exercise you can do it!

dedarlin

1350 seems low to me, even without exercise. there's no way i could survive and remain sane eating that little! i would recommend checking out fat2fitradio.com and use the BMR calculator, i would bet that upping your cals just a bit would make it a lot easier to maintain and keep you right on track!

Lize11e

I'm at work so didn't have time to read all replies but my suggestion is if you have exercise figured into your settings here on MFP, take it out. I have mine set on sedentary because SOMETIMES I AM. It will drop your calories if you still try to lose weight but if you go on mantenance cals for a while, it should all even out.

I was this --> | | close to giving up for the last two weeks. Today, I'm back on my game, 6 lbs heavier than my lowest because I got careless and ate crap. It hurts to be heavy. I can move so good right now. I decided last night (literally) not to beat myself up but instead, forgive myself and get back on track. Today has been the easiest day I've had in a month sticking to my cals.

Whatever you do, please don't give up. I have given up in the past way too many times after way too much success. All together I've lost more than I weigh NOW and gained it back. I can't keep doing this and you shouldn't put yourself through it either. It is so much easier and better for you physically and mentally to at least maintain. When you get a second wind, get back on the bus, Gus. God speed and good luck. Hugs, Ali

boopsiegrl

I wouldn't give up the food part I am not a real exercise person either sometiemes I give up the work out part and just stick with the diet part...that way you don't loose everything. There has been times I just cut my calories a little and still loose if your not an exercise person you just aren't and I loose fine

brjustice2000

Don't give up. Don't think of this as a diet but a life style change. I still eat all the things that I like! The difference is in monitoring what I eat which equates to portion control. Some days there really isn't portion control because I have on occasion eaten an entire half gallon container of ice cream (low fat no sugar added). I have treats along the way!! Today, I ate a cup of donut holes from Quick Trip, 430 calories with 31 sugars. That sounds bad, but with my exercise for the day, I will have left over 16 fats, 10 sugars, 92 carbs, and 1447 calories below my maintenance needs after eating 2422 calories. We went on vacation in August and just did not exercise as much but still did something for exercise every day. I'm down 38 lbs, 10 inches of waist line, 2 inches of neck, and not going back. If you want a break, consider a day or two of break and then get back to your goals. July 2011 fasting blood sugar was 171 and this Sunday it was 78. MFP helps but we still have to actually do it. You know you can do it, so keep doing it. When I achieve my goal of 20 % body fat, I will still be logging food into MFP so I don't go back to almost 39 % body fat (I'm over half way to my goal since I'm under 28 % body fat). Build in rewards of something to do or a food as a treat. Just don't give up!!

Have a great day!

Leeannboswell

I hate exercising. I don't like to sweat, the idea of going to a gym with other sweaty people is revolting to me. I don't even want to breathe the same air. Standing there pushing a machine up and down strikes me as stupid, stupid, stupid!!!! But that's just me.

That being said, I now walk 3.5 miles briskly (within one hour) each day, and it helps the net calorie loss along with under 1200 calories daily. I walk in a beautiful place with 5.5 miles of walking trails, with birds and a running creek. people with their dogs, and trees and flora abound everywhere. Some days I absolutely don't want to do it. But I drive to the place, sit in my car, drink my coffee, read, adjust my attitude and then finally put one foot down and then another and GO!!!. Some days I have to "saunter" for a quarter mile or so, but shortly, I start to rev up and then I always get into it!

You don't have to want to, you just have to do it.

After my walk, I am euphoric, breathless, and yes, sweaty. It won't kill me.

I have lost almost 60 lbs. Next time you are in the supermarket, pick up a 10# sack of potatoes. Put one bag on each foot, one bag on each thigh, and one in each arm. Walk around the produce area if you can. That is how much I have been carrying around for 11 years. I still have at least that much to go, but I will get there, and things are looking up.

Don't give up.

Best, LeeAnn

neasha27

I have lost all 59 of my past pounds by watching what I eat only and I don't exercise other than what I do on a daily basis. I don't think you should quit. Just try adjusting your goals maybe higher or lower depending on what you currently have them set on.

Same here! you are active unless you're laying on the couch or in bed all day long; every little bit counts but I also don't follow an exercise regimen and am losing weight. Eat clean as you can and the weight will continue to come off. Quitting altogether shouldn't be an option; you may end up needing to lose even more weight. :noway:

staceyleew

Try low impact exercise like walking! I know it takes longer to burn a certain amount of calories but its low impact and a great way to start!! I find I loose more weight when I go for LONG walks! Its also great for the mind!

suegmune

I too suck at exercising. But, watching my calories is still working (albeit, probably slower). How about walking during lunch at work with a co-worker? Or, do you have a dog? Even simple things like walking the stairs, etc can help.

How about xbox, or wii? Or even videos at home at night?

You can do this. Don't quit now!

cindy6264

You could get a wii and play tennis, baseball and bowling. At least you would be doing something and burning some calories while playing a game. Time does go by quickly doing this. and Dance 2 by wii is fun also. The dance ones do burn more calories, but I do enjoy the tennis and it does burn calories too. I have to feel like I have energy to do Dance 2. I kinda consider the tennis the low one here when I just really don't feel like working out.

I am also doing Ea 2 sports. It is a workout, but fun, because some is kinda game like. I am fixing to really get serious with all of these and also workout videos on youtube. I have to do this, because the more I gain, I feel so miserable!! Also going through the menopause thing too! I don't like this!! lol

Oh, and another relatively easy thing is....like someone said Bike riding. I did this last week in a state park that rented them. It was in the mountains! I felt like a kid! Been so long!! lol Now I want to get a bike. I'll have to write Santa a letter!

I know it does get hard. Geez, I only wanted to loose 25 pounds and I was off to a decent start till I slacked on the exercise, and when my boyfriend was off for days in a row, we had drinks, ate too good (not good for you) and dang it......I put back on the 5 lbs I had lost!! So, its like Start All Over Again! I know I don't like the feeling of starting over again, and you have already done soo much and you really don't want to start all over again. I would try something funner that doesn't feel like working out, yet still gets you moving. My sister has roller skates and does that. I think that would be fun as long as I didn't hurt myself!! But I do not have a smooth paved road or driveway near me. Ah, Probably for the best! I could see it, me 50 years old hurting myself out there on the street!

I am glad I found this site, as it surely does help me to realize how all those calories add up. Definitely eye opening!
Anyway, good luck to you. You have come a long way!!

cindy6264

LOL Leeann!! I like your analogy on the sacks of potatoes in produce! I will think of that when working out now! I would like to loose 2.5 sacks of potatoes please. I will get right on it!!

supercatie18

"Giving up" just because you aren't motivated to work out seems to come from an "All or nothing" attitude..., it seems like you are thinking that if you don't want to participate in one aspect of being healthy, you might as well just not be healthy at all. This attitude may be why you put back on 20 lbs in the first place. Try to find a happy medium where you can be happy AND aren't totally giving up. This will hopefully also make weight loss easier to sustain.

crazybookworm

Don't give up! You can do it. Don't think of it as a diet. Diets are short term, when being healthier is a lifestyle change. Look what you wrote for your profile quote: "Never going back there again"...Listen to yourself. This is only a minor set back. Don't cheat yourself out of a healthier life!

sa11yjane

Don't do it. I stopped logging my food for about 10 days, still continued with my exercise and was not bingeing or overeating......yet I gained 5 pounds. Just continue and do the best that you can each day, even if some days you go over your allowance, it's better than totally giving up. Good luck! x

APBTChampion

Don't give up! I did, and it took forever to come back... and I'd put on more weight during that time. Try little things to work out, like... get up 10 minutes early and just walk around the house or up the stairs. Take 5 minutes during lunch to walk around before you eat. When you go grocery shopping, walk up and down EVERY aisle, even if you know you don't need anything down there... and park further away!

cutiepieinchi

Please don't give up! If you give up, you may gain even more weight back. Exercise is hard, but the hardest part about it is putting aside the excuses and just doing it!

^this

MidlifeGlowUp

There are SO many forms of exercise out there! Maybe you hate the gym...go on a bike ride. Maybe you hate working out outdoors...go dancing. Maybe you hate dancing in front of people...get a fitness DVD. Maybe you hate working out in your living room...take the dog for a walk.

^^This...

I hate the gym. I loathe every moment I'm there, but I love swimming and cycling, and climbing to high places then jumping off. A lot of my exercise comes from swimming, biking and indoor rock climbing. There has to be something you like. Try a bunch of things and make it fun, but you'll be so sorry if you quit.

vmekash

Don't give up. It IS hard to exercise, when you just don't feel like it. So, do light exercise. Go for a short stroll now and again. I know that when I go all out, I get burned out before I get to see any actual results. So, I do less. I do it w/o so much intensity. I do it less often. But I do DO it. And, guess what. I've built on that and now work out about an hour a day, five days a week (on purpose). I might even exercise more NOT on purpose, ie tennis w/ my hubby. Just do what you can live with. If you give up, you will end up w/ a much harder journey later when you're "ready."

Also, as a side, you CAN lose weight w/ diet alone. However, you will find that you feel deprived (as you will not have earned being able to eat more calories).

Hang in there. Even if all you do is maintain what you've lost so far, at least you will not have taken any steps backward.

Good luck!

BrownEyedGrrl

Just keep at it. If getting exercise in is the hardest part, start by making a commitment to just 5 minutes a day, and follow through. The week after, up it to 10, then 15, 20, etc. Set small goals and continually build on them, and after awhile you'll be looking back on today and thanking yourself for starting when you did rather than putting it off

Hi, I've been there so many times but, what keeps me determined to change my lifestyle is the fear of having a stroke, heart attack, diabetes. etc. Also, knowing that I love myself and my family. I want to live and enjoy living. Choosing to give up is not the answer. (deep inside you know this) But instead of thinking of "taking a break" from weight loss. try to change the way that you are thinking.
Don't think of your eating healthily and taking care of yourself as something that you need to take a break from. How can you take a break from how you want to live your life? Could it be that you are too hard on yourself? Once in a while, You can include your favorite foods into your meals (even a "forbidden" food.) Just remember portion control and maybe do an extra 10 min. on a treadmill or park your car farther. Play with your dog or kids. Take the stairs at work. March in place for 10 minuets. Don't quit taking care or yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. Eat whatever you want BUT only eat a portion and give the rest away or share it with anyone. Don't give up. I promise you, you will be thrilled that you did Not give up!.

I agree with these members. Try and add little bits of exercise into your day. Park your car at the back of a parking lot. Walk to the store instead of taking the car. Put on some music and dance a little while you cook or clean. Do some crunches or march in place while you watch tv. Or get an exercise ball and work your core by balancing on it while you watch tv. Go for walks with a friend. If you love nature (this is what gets me out walking) go explore the outdoors. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. If your in an elevator by yourself, do squats or march in place. Use google to find some interesting and fun workouts (I found some seated cardio exercises that are a lot of fun do to and are great if you have lower body injuries). Buy a punching bag and take out your frustrations on it. Try Wii fit (it's a lot of fun). When you go shopping, walk the whole mall instead of to just one or two stores.
I guess I could go on and on here, but the point I'm making is just add little bits of extra movement into your day. Get your heart rate up a little more by adding some extra steps in everyday activity. This can add up quite a bit. Take small steps to add more activity in your life. There must be some physical activities you enjoy. Sometimes it's hard to get motivated but I always feel better when I get exercise. It boosts my self esteem and my mood. I love that it makes me feel stronger.
Hope some of this helps. Good luck!

csplatt

You could practice maintaining for a few weeks