Its hard to stick with it!

I make out my eating plan at night, before I go to bed. That way, when I get up the next day, I don't need to spend time or energy trying to figure out what to eat.

I love seeing all my macros line up and my percentages getting close to what I want them to be. It's a little like playing a brain teaser game. My husband plays suduko, I fill out my meal plans. Hahaha!

I have restarted today for the 100th time and we will see how things go. I have a very limited diet due to intolerances and IBS but I am trying to follow a mix of the Paleo and Mediterranean diet. I am unable to workout due to my foot surgery so I know my diet is KEY at this point. I think I have 2-3 more months of no exercise.

weight/fat loss comes from eating at a defecit, you dont need excersise to do that. Obviously excersise helps burn calories and gets you in shape but is not needed. That excuse cannot be your crutch in this one, no pun intended with your foot surgery.

Also, Paleo diet? Why not start on an easier diet...that one is hard to maintain.

I found that after awhile everything becomes 2nd nature. I am used to eating better and exercising more. I like a challenge and I am winning!!! Stick at it and you will see rewards. Try and take small steps instead of larger ones.

How about some upper body exercises? If people in wheelchairs can get in a good cardio workout, there should be something you can do to stay fit. Are you in a wheelchair? Maybe you could go outside for a "walk" using your arms to propel yourself around the neighborhood. You could also get some ab work done on the floor with your feet elevated in "V" sits or "L" crunches.

I try very hard to be mindful and present in my life, and that helps to keep me on track with my eating and exercise. I pay attention to how I feel when I eat appropriate amounts of healthy food and work out regularly. I pay attention to how I feel when I eat crap and lay on the couch all day. I use that information to make choices about how I want to feel on a regular basis.

I feel so much better, mentally and physically, when I eat right and work out. I feel like a giant gob of lethargic crap when I overeat unhealthy food and avoid activity.

I like feeling light, energetic, confident and proud. Feeling sleepy, too-full, guilty/embarrassed, slow... not so much.

But others are right, in the beginning, you just have to power through and do the right thing as much as possible to build positive habits into your daily life.

Variety is the key to life, is what they say, it also plays out in our eating. Find a variety of veggies you like, then a variety of ways to fix them. I am also on pinterest, and have found a way I could eat Brussel Sprouts, which I don't really like. If you are not there, check it out, if you need an invite, let me know. Also look at weight watchers recipes, as they are healthy options.
As far as exercise, can you ride a exercise bike, depending on your limitations, that could get you some cardio in. The other thing is google T-Tapp, it is a exercise dvd, and I believe they have one that can be done sitting.
Don't give up, you can do it.

You say you have a very limited diet due to other health issues. Maybe you can turn this to your advantage. I find that having a limited range of foods in my diet helps me to stick with it. I eat nearly exactly the same thing every weekday, with the only variations being the type of fruit I eat or maybe a piece of toast and an egg instead of two eggs.

It's boring, but it works for me. I'm not constantly thinking about what I'm going to eat next because it's the same thing as yesterday. And I don't really get cravings during the week. Mondays are sometimes tough, since I'm more flexible about what I eat on the weekends.

I'd suggest finding foods that work with your other considerations, plan out your menu for the week as others have suggested, and turn your interest to other things.

Good luck!

I had surgery on both feet in November and luckily didn't gain the weight back - till I got back on my feet :blushing: But the only way to do this is by making the right choice every time. You choose what you eat and how much. By now you know what you should be eating, you have the knowledge just work on the consistency. I don't say this because I have it down myself, I say it because I understand and also have to consciously make decisions all day long. Good luck!

I have been watching what I eat on and off for 3 years with very little weight loss success. I have been working out consistently until I had foot surgery 2.5 months ago. I now cannot workout at all and my weight has all came back to haunt me again.
My question is.... What do you do that keeps you on your preferred eating plan? I start off with the best intentions and it lasts a week or 2 and I'm back to my old ways. I have completed the insanity workout before I had foot surgery and lost about 5 pounds doing that but I still had a hard time actually sticking to my calorie intake. I generally dont have a hard time sticking to my workouts...its just the diet that kills me. I do eat healthy but I eat way too much of the healthy stuff. Any tips of what you do to stick to your goal??

I had half of my left foot amputated because of bone infection, so I know where you're coming from. Diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. When I just worry about my diet, I lose about 2.5 lbs a week and that's while laid up. There are some exercises you can do while resting your foot like boxing on the Wii or even dancing in your seat (sounds lame, I know).
If you want it enough, you'll stick with it. I ended up dropping my calories to 1300 and kept my sodium super low while laid up.

Best of luck to you!

You have to find things to eat that are healthy AND that you enjoy as much as some of that other unhealthy stuff. I promise you there are things out there! If you constantly feel like you are being deprived of what you really want to eat, you will never succeed in the long term. There is no reason why you can't eat what you want within reason. It's all about portion control. There are many variations to this type of "lifestyle change" depending on the person. Some people may feel 100% satisfied by 100% clean healthy eating. Others may need to get their McDonald's fix in from time to time, or eat an ice cream at the end of the day. You have to find out what works for you. That is the only way you will stick with it.

How to do this?

Try eating different things, in particular fruits and vegetables. Try cooking vegetables in different ways or dipping raw vegetables in different things -- i.e. yogurt based ranch dressing, salsa, or hummus. Think about how you can make healthier versions of meals or desserts you really enjoy. (Making something at home is almost always going to be lower calorie than eating out.) Check out Skinny Taste for some great recipes. Find replacements for your weaknesses. For example, if you like potato chips, see if there is something else you can snack on -- i.e. veggies and hummus dip or even pita chips and hummus dip. Of course, it won't hurt you to have potato chips from time to time. Maybe eating a peach or some raspberries will help out with your sweet tooth, if you have one. You can make chicken and fish a million different ways, many of them very healthy. Simply changing your portion size can make a huge difference. This requires some experimentation, but it is worth it. If you keep it interesting, you will be less likely to lapse.

I have had two foot surgeries and then broke 4th metarsal bone all in my right foot. One of the surgeries required me to be on crutches with no weight bearing for 16 weeks. Use the bike for cardio. It takes a little practice with the boot on but the last time I broke my foot, there were 4 of us in the gym with boots working out. Do upper body work. Get creative with what you can do. Watch the foot. If you hurt, it is going to take longer to recover. Eating healthy also helps with the recovery.

I have restarted today for the 100th time and we will see how things go. I have a very limited diet due to intolerances and IBS but I am trying to follow a mix of the Paleo and Mediterranean diet. I am unable to workout due to my foot surgery so I know my diet is KEY at this point. I think I have 2-3 more months of no exercise.

Have you heard of sit aerobics? There are exercises out there that can be done sitting so there would be no strain on the foot injury. Do a google search on it, it may help get the exercise factor back in. Also as for the diet part of it, diet is like 80% of the weight loss and exercise is the other 20%. As hard as it may be if you committ to the diet side of it you will lose the weight. (My sister lost 100lbs by diet alone before adding in exercise.) I have found that by sticking to the changes to my diet it gets easier in time. Good luck to you!