Thoughts of quitting!!
kspeach
Posts: 179 Member
It's only been a week, and sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in the air on this whole thing!
I was walking and in my last 15 minutes this morning, and my head said, oh come on, you're not going anywhere, you are wasting your time, everyone ELSE is so far ahead of you. Just go back to sitting on the couch, eating those yummmmy high calorie foods, and ALL the Pepsi you want!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, how easy that would be!
But then....I thought this...
NO ONE else is going to do this for me. And all those people 'ahead' of me? 1)This isn't a race. 2) They started a long time before you did, or else they don't have as far to go. 3) They are many people who had further to go, and were able to do it.
Not only do I need to strengthen my body, I have to strengthen my mind. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor from the Rocky movie came on my Pandora. Now, I haven't seen the movie, but I think he has to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and succeeded.
There is someone sitting on their couch, just like I was 2 weeks ago...wishing she were thinner, better in shape, but doesn't think she can do it, so she gives up before even starting. That's me for..............way too many years. I have walked 12.5 miles already. WOW! I would have never believed I could do that. I'm still not sure I can believe it now.
Yes, this is too hard. Yes, I'm weak. YES, I CAN DO IT! Maybe each day will be a struggle, but one day, one day, one day at a time. Only I can do this. No one else will or can. AND if I do slip up a day, I just start again the next day.
It's hard. My weak mind is what wants to quit, not my body so much. But I'm going to strengthen my mind as much as my body.
~*~Chris~*~
I was walking and in my last 15 minutes this morning, and my head said, oh come on, you're not going anywhere, you are wasting your time, everyone ELSE is so far ahead of you. Just go back to sitting on the couch, eating those yummmmy high calorie foods, and ALL the Pepsi you want!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, how easy that would be!
But then....I thought this...
NO ONE else is going to do this for me. And all those people 'ahead' of me? 1)This isn't a race. 2) They started a long time before you did, or else they don't have as far to go. 3) They are many people who had further to go, and were able to do it.
Not only do I need to strengthen my body, I have to strengthen my mind. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor from the Rocky movie came on my Pandora. Now, I haven't seen the movie, but I think he has to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and succeeded.
There is someone sitting on their couch, just like I was 2 weeks ago...wishing she were thinner, better in shape, but doesn't think she can do it, so she gives up before even starting. That's me for..............way too many years. I have walked 12.5 miles already. WOW! I would have never believed I could do that. I'm still not sure I can believe it now.
Yes, this is too hard. Yes, I'm weak. YES, I CAN DO IT! Maybe each day will be a struggle, but one day, one day, one day at a time. Only I can do this. No one else will or can. AND if I do slip up a day, I just start again the next day.
It's hard. My weak mind is what wants to quit, not my body so much. But I'm going to strengthen my mind as much as my body.
~*~Chris~*~
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Replies
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You're so right - you CAN do it!!
Remember that every step of the way!
Every journey must start somewhere... Keep it up now that you are on your way!0 -
Keep it up! you have to believe in yourself!!!!!!!!!!0
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Yup you can do it and you need to remember that there will allways be people ahead of you and people behind you. Perhaps the people behind you are really looking at your numbers and wishing they could be where your at :bigsmile: Perhaps you are somebodys insparation :flowerforyou:0
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OY - that voice can sure be annoying! You just have to shut it up, lol. I was envious of other people that were "ahead" of me when I joined, but like you said, I realized they had started before me and it wasn't a race. Now I'm where they were then. I just told myself I could give up and never get ahead or keep plugging away and in X amount of months be where I wanted to be. I didn't want to find X amount of months had passed and I was still sitting on the start line not moving.
I'm not sure what your motivation is, but mine was health and feeling better and I just keep reminding myself that I feel SOOO much better now than I did when I was putting too much and not good foods in my body. I have much more energy and not feeling tired and sluggish like I was. I don't want to ever go back to feeling like that again. Keep your eye on your motivation. You will get there! :flowerforyou:0 -
Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from quitting is reminding myself of every time in the past that I've kicked myself for not losing weight.
I remember putting on my cap and gown when I graduated with my Masters degree and thinking, "Ugh, you lazy butt. If you would have just got on it, you'd be skinny now!"
That same drama has played itself out over and over again in my life. And I'm fed up with it.
I don't want to look back in two years and think, "if you'd just stuck with it you'd be skinny now," ever again.0 -
I was just thinking yesterday that it is much easier to just give up on yourself. I'm dealing with a ton of health problems and they could at least possibly be made a bit better by eating healthier and losing 20 lbs (more would be better, but I'm not going to think too far ahead).
Apparently I have this desire to have what I want when I want... the instantaneous rewards of eating that yummy treat are more desirable than the reward of feeling better and looking better because I'm impatient and it's too far off.
Not to mention all the other stuff I'm supposed to or need to be doing for all these health issue... it gets overwhelming. I'd rather just curl up in my bed under the covers. :-(
But, I'll try again. And then I'll probably need to try again. I just joined today... I like this site... but already today needs improvement! At least I just walked a little!
So, you aren't alone. And you know what? If you quit today, you can start again tomorrow. Just keep getting back up on that horse... and know that people are feeling the way you feel. I think I need a sponsor. A motivator...someone I can contact when I want to quit. Maybe you can find somthing like that to help keep you motivated... <<hugs>>0 -
...Rocky loses at the end of the first film.
...just kidding, well done! Well I'm not kidding, he does lose. But he wins in subsequent films. I'm a couple of weeks into my own diet right now, and I feel really lucky that I've had no major thoughts of giving it all up yet. I hope I have your strength when (if?) they come though.0 -
I'm glad you thought it out. Trust me it will get easier and easier. It may take awhile but it does. Good luck.0
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NO Way!!!! Do not that demon ( as i call it) win, no don't do it. My thinking gets me into all kinds of crazy situations if i am not careful. I can think myself into success or failure everyday in every area of my life. Today i am thinking positive and when a negative thought enters i immediately counteract it with a positive thought, this was taught to me by a counselor i had several years ago, it works. You can do , we can do this. This site is such a great support i am so glad you posted this and let everyone know what was going on so you could get support. Remember we can do together what we cannot do alone. wishing you much success, hang in there we can do this!0
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You know...my mind loves to manipulate things and change them all around... and then comes, "you're not worthy, you can't keep it off, what about in the past"...and now I just tell it to CORK IT! I have to work hard to do the opposite of what seems natural/normal to me, which is to eat and do nothing.
My mind takes every chance it gets to throw in a punch here or there and I just dodge them left and right. Every now and then it connects and it DOES knock me down, but you know what...I have a choice, stay knocked down or get back up? Sometimes I stay down longer than I should and sometimes I bounce right back up. My bouts of getting "hit" are becoming less and less. It's what I do with the thought that comes into my head that makes the difference. There are days it tells me not to workout or to go ahead and eat that entire pizza, but I just have to do the "next right thing". Sometimes I don't and when I do workout and don't eat the pizza it feels really good. My body appreciates it and the thoughts in my mind disappear for a while. Remember that your body can go on way longer than your mind gives it credit for. Just think about your body when your mind is screaming to stop. It is still going strong!
When I first started working out I physically could not do exercises that I'm doing now, and I was always thinking,
"I'm never gonna get to that point and how can people do those exercises, there is NO WAY I will ever be able to do those!" As I kept losing weight my mind kept telling me, "impossible, you can't do that!" But I tried those exercises and guess what?! I was able to do them. Now I try most exercises to see if I can do them, and if I can I do as many as I can. Not always perfect, but I'm doing them. Eventually I'll be able to do an entire set of them.
You can do this and will do this! Some of us may be on a cross country road trip while others may be traveling for a quick joy ride. However, one thing we all have in common is the desire to live a long, happy and healthy life. If you mess up or don't workout don't throw all of the hard work that you have done away, because you made a mistake. It's pushing through the mistakes and owning up to it that makes us stronger and less likely to do it again. There is no shame in skipping a workout or eating something that is not on our healthy eating plan. We're not perfect and we can't be perfect 100% of the time and we never will be perfect. I lost and gained the same 40 something pounds over and over and over again. Then finally one day everything clicked and I got passed that...and I'm just gonna keep moving forward.
We are all doing our best right now...and that's all we can ask for.0 -
Hey Chris..........what a revelation! Kudos to you for not giving up. I don't know your religious back ground and don't need to, but when I read your blog, it brought to mind that old christian song:
One Day At A Time
I'm only human; I'm just a man
Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am
Show me the stairway
I have to climb
Lord for my sake
Teach me to take
One day at a time
One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from you
Give me the strength to do everything that I have to do
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Help me today
Show me the way
One day at a time.
Could you remember
When you walked among men
Jesus, you know when you're looking below
It's worse now than then
Pushin' and shovin' crowd in your mind
Lord for my sake
Teach me to take
One day at a time0 -
You are so where we ALL were when we first decided to make this journey. I remember thinking back then that WOW, if I started to diet and stuck with that diet several months ago - I would probably look that "X" or "Y" but here I am looking larger than life. Once I started this and I started to see the weight come off and I started to feel better, I knew I could not stop. You have already lost three pounds and walked over 12 miles - keep it up - just think in a month how much you will have lost and how many miles will you have walked.
Remember, you are AWESOME! By just deciding to take this on you have gone a long way baby!!!!!0 -
Very well said!!0
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Oh please don't quit! I agree with Dan....it totally gets easier. There were a few times I was right there with you....wanting to quit asking myself if it really was worth it. The answer is yes it most definitely is worth it. YOU are worth it. I know that now I have more energy than I have had in a long time and some body aches that I was having have seemed to disappear. Just remember we're all in the same boat and we're all here for you!!! I wish you the best of luck on your journey here! :flowerforyou:0
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I have the demon in my head also, I call him Frank. He either keeps me on track or tried to talk me into quitting depending on the time of day. Kind of like good cop bad cop, LOL. There are a million reason's to keep on doing this. Measuring today I am down 8 inches. Do name your demon, its easier to control him or her. And don't quit.0
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You all SOOO ROCK!
I got something out of each and every reply! I think I'm going to start calling that voice in my head "Frank" too! Or maybe George. Something. Whatever sounds good after saying "Shut UP......Frank? George?" so that it can't win.
I don't think I'm ready to be someone's support/sponsor myself, but this site overall is great for it!
I'm not quitting today. I'm also not quitting tomorrow. Those are the only two days I'm going to be concerned about. And before you know it, tomorrow will be Christmas!!
It just stinks that even after I lose 20, 30, 50 pounds I'm still going to be 'fat'. I see people who are size 14 and so unhappy about being overweight. I'm like, try being me, sister! I'd LOVE to be a 14!
I think maybe I'm also afraid of success as much as I am afraid of failure. If I'm successful I'm going to be soooooo mad at myself for not doing this last month, last year, 10 years ago. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Instead of being mad I never did it before, I'm going to be glad I'm doing it now.
*~Chris~*0 -
Keep it up lady! This is not a Diet...it's a change of lifestyle for the benefit of your future! Weight loss will come..keep it up! This is YOUR journey and very soon you'll be advising people on here on how to do things the right way! This is not a race but an excellent journey with great member support!
You are doing fantastically...we all hit the wall from time to time, but we get over it and carry on! You are so amazing for carrying on! That is even harder than giving up!
Keep up the fantastic work
Regards,
Natalie0 -
Stay Strong Chrys!
We all have thoughts of quitting at some point and time. Think of how great it feels when the clothes fit a little looser. That natural high you get when the scale goes down a pound or two. All the support you are getting from MFP people. Just knowing that there are tons of us out here trying to reach the same goal ... just with different numbers. We are all here to help each other. Don't give up yet. I have only been on here a week and a half ....I love it!
Keep going....keep going!
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Amen, girly! You CAN do it!!!!! :happy: You know... I got an encouraging comment on my profile about 10 minutes ago and I was making my lunch, thinking, "God...but I don't think I work as hard as kaitlinj"... and I pictured her abs and thought, "Man, I'm behind"... but you know what? I SWEAT a LOT. And I burn a (pardon my french) sh!+ load of calories EVERY week (2-3k consistently, if not more) and that's a big deal to me. So I KNOW I'm working hard.
I said all this just to let you know that everybody's got those little nagging thoughts... even those of us who've been in this for 4 months straight, haven't missed more than a week of exercise... but who have also eaten 2/3 her daily calorie allotment in donuts... and eaten fast food when she vowed not to... etc. etc.
So just hang in there! You're doing awesome just being on this site and committing to moving more!!!0 -
Girl, you can do this!! I read something that made me even more motivated than before that said if we just hadn't given up all those times we started and quit imagine where we'd be now? Probably close to goal! For me anyways cause I've been on and off it for a while. REMEMBER "A Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"0
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Loved your post and reading all of the replies. We all battle our own deomns daily. Those that will keep us overweight and unhealthy. May we all tell frank or George a thing or two when they start bringing us down! :laugh:0
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Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from quitting is reminding myself of every time in the past that I've kicked myself for not losing weight.
I remember putting on my cap and gown when I graduated with my Masters degree and thinking, "Ugh, you lazy butt. If you would have just got on it, you'd be skinny now!"
That same drama has played itself out over and over again in my life. And I'm fed up with it.
I don't want to look back in two years and think, "if you'd just stuck with it you'd be skinny now," ever again.
Omg, this is how I've been feeling every day lately! My husband says I obsess too much but I've been there/done that and I can't do it all over again!
I am NOT going to look back two years from now and say "if you just stuck with it you'd be skinny now" ever again either!0 -
Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from quitting is reminding myself of every time in the past that I've kicked myself for not losing weight.
Me too.
When I see only a 500 gram loss in a month (about a pound) I get really discouraged, what's the point, etc etc.
Then I have to stop and think: If someone had have said to me, "in a year you will weigh 6kg less than you do now" I would have been YEAH! I've just gotta remember that it's all adding up. If all the times I quit last year because it wasn't fast enough I had have kept going, I'd be 6kg down today, not just 2!0 -
Sounds like that was one productive walk!!
You're absolutely right, we're not in a race, we have a lifetime together to get this right and make our lifestyle change. Diets are quick, over and over and over and over again. lol That's why we're done with those right?:laugh:
Becca:flowerforyou:0 -
I haven't lost anything yet, its been 2 weeks since I started exercising at the gym, and day two with actually dieting.Exercise sucks when you first start, but then you start feeling different and it gets easier and you can do more. 2 weeks ago I was struggling to push my sons stroller up the hill by our house now I'm almost running up it. Good luck!0
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Keep it up! try measuring you will probably have more results there.0
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Or Goober? lolYou all SOOO ROCK!
I think I'm going to start calling that voice in my head "Frank" too! Or maybe George. Something. Whatever sounds good after saying "Shut UP......Frank? George?" so that it can't win.0 -
Try to look at it as making yourself healthier and stronger. Losing weight is just a bonus.0
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Or Goober? lolYou all SOOO ROCK!
I think I'm going to start calling that voice in my head "Frank" too! Or maybe George. Something. Whatever sounds good after saying "Shut UP......Frank? George?" so that it can't win.
Fred (as in, Drop Dead Fred0 -
NO ONE else is going to do this for me. And all those people 'ahead' of me? 1)This isn't a race. 2) They started a long time before you did, or else they don't have as far to go. 3) They are many people who had further to go, and were able to do it.
Your doing an awesome job so far, and we have to start somewhere.
I've thought of what you said many times. Nobody is going to do this for me, and this isn't a race.
Create mini goals, and you'll feel great when you hit them.0
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