Why...

Yes, but then I think of how miserable I would be if I weighed a lot more, and of how reliant my health is on the things I put in my body, and of how much more alert I generally feel after exercising, and find my willpower again, as in the end, it does come down to willpower, and to the wish to reach your goal, whatever that might be, overriding the wish to find solace in food.

When you're ready and decide that it's a priority and important to you, it will all fall in place. Yea, sometimes it'll still be hard but it's all about how bad you want it and how far you're willing to go to get it.

Thank you for all the kind words and advice. Looking at your numbers going down... Good job guys

It definitely helps to watch the numbers. I remember when I thought it would take FOREVER, but pretty soon, it just becomes a part of daily life. I barely think about what I eat anymore because I know what's good and what's bad after tracking my food for so long. I know what certain foods will do to my weight (i.e. sodium bloat). After a while, it's just routine, and before you know it, ten pounds then twenty pounds then thirty pounds are gone.

The time passes like any other time because it's just part of your life, like getting up, brushing your teeth, going to school or work, and so on. Pretty soon, it's been a few months and you've lost twenty pounds, just like that. You get used to the weight fluctuations and stop flipping out when the scale doesn't move for a week because you know it will move next week or the week after that.

The first 15 pounds were the hardest for me. I was so impatient. Now that I've hit 34 pounds lost, I feel like a champion, and I know I can do this all the way down to my goal weight. Time will pass, the seasons will change, and I'll keep getting smaller.

It isn't a race. It's life.

I did, but why are you wanting to stay fat and unhealthy is a better question than all of those. I don't want to be fat anymore. Also, don't completely cut out those things. Moderation is key.

I did that, too. And it was always because my expectations were too high. I thought I just had no self-discipline. However, I've discovered that I do - as long as I'm reasonable, too. This time around I made only little changes at a time... Instead of trying to lose 2 pounds a week - I aim for .5 or 1. In the beginning I took little short walks and gradually added more.... and this time, I'm having success. I hope you find what works for you - but don't give up.

Everyday I struggle with the "WHY" its hard to motivate yourself especially if your doing it alone and no one understands. Its easy to eat but so hard to get up and do hard core exercise and eat healthy. We just have to push and motivate our self.:blushing:

What is today but yesterday's tomorrow?

small changes my friend. don't cut out soda completely right away. if 2 liters is what you normally drink a day or week or whatever, cut it down to 1L in that time frame. make substitutions that are slightly healthier. this is a process, you can't just change your lifestyle on a whim. you have to be emotionally ready to do it, and when you are, it's the slow, gradual changes that will make the change sustainable. it might take you two months, but eventually you'll be cutting out that soda for good.

think of every single item you put in your mouth as one step forward or one step back. which is it going to be?

Quit focusing on things you shouldn't do and instead focus on what you can do--and you will do it. Get up and go exercise--find something you like doing. More importantly find your motivation--your goal--this should be your number one focus. If you're passionate enough about it, the eating and exercising will fall inline. Be careful when setting your goals--be specific, positive, and passionate.

I've been here before. Then all of a sudden all of the clothes in my closet no longer fit including the size 20 jeans I hid behind.

One day it will just "click" and you will find your motivation or motivation will find you.

Instead of "Why me?" ask "Why not change my life today?"

Hang in there...YOU CAN AND WILL DO THIS!!! :flowerforyou:

Your brain is not a computer, it is thousands of impulses and processes that are often conflicting with each other, that moves you towards certain things based on trends, not on cohesive decision making. Very basically your brain has two distinct primary systems in it. A limbic system and a rational one.

Your limbic system is primal and instinctive. It moves fast. It responds exclusively to pleasure and pain. You rational system is slow, it's logical, it helps you reason out problems, it is based on logic.

Your rational system wants to lose weight and be healthy. It knows you will feel better at the beach etc. The long term reward will be worth it. BUT your limbic system sees cake, knows cake brings pleasure, eats the damn cake before you cna really think about it.

So what can you do? Align your limbic system with your rational system. If they both want the same thing you'll be better equipped to make decisions that lead you towards the goals you rational system has set.

Your limbic system is pretty basic. It doesn't respond to words. Or "don'ts". It responds to images and two positive and negative emotions. One of the MOST powerful things you can do to "programme" it is to visualise. Get images of scenarios where your goals are leading you two. E.g. on a beautiful beach, then imagine yourself there, calm and confident, happy with your body, able to run around etc. Really really imagine everything and all the feelings you get. Do that every morning (I keep my pictures in a book by my bed) and then all day your goal will be clear to both systems, your limbic system is essentially tricked by being given the pleasurable emotional experience your goal is leading to and you'll find it much much easier to work towards.

This is me condensing a **** tonne of neuroscience but the concepts are sound. If you have any interest in how your brain works in this way I'd recommend The Winners Bible by Kerry Spackman and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (which is based on his Nobel Prize Winning work).

This isn't a magic formula, or switch to flick. But a good way to strengthen your brain and thoughts
Good luck x

I think most of us here with a lot to lose have asked those questions and more - I know I did. The answer I found is that I didn't care enough about myself to do what it takes. I put everyone/thing else first, so food became the one thing I would "do for myself" Then all things spiraled out of control.

One day I made the decision that NOTHING was more important than getting healthy. Instead of looking at the fact that I had more weight to lose than I wanted to keep, I took it one pound at a time, one victory at a time.

Different things work for different people. Search deep, and find the root cause within yourself, and find what it takes to help you overcome. Once you do, the weight will fall off. You CAN do it.

No I don't If I ate something that tops off my calorie allowance for the day (or the week) I know why I ate it - I wanted it
question is, what do I actually want...more.
Talking to myself too much is not helping

Besides, could it be that you are in 'all-or-nothing' thinking mode when it comes to changes?
What is it exactly that lasts only till lunchtime?

Why are you beating yourself up so harshly? Changes in life should not be done all at once if you want to make a lasting change.. Instead you should pick one thing on your list and focus your energy on that goal (perhaps eating sensibly for a day). That way when your will power feels weak at lunch time you can go get a soda (preferably diet) and a healthy snack and conjure up all your will power to one goal instead of 5.

If you take the process a little slow over time you will have some success in your back pocket. At that time when you think about the treadmill you will be able to say, "I was successful at _________,, I can do this too!" You will know that you can do it and motivate yourself to the longer-term goals.

Getting healthy is not ALL or NOTHING, it is a little bit her and a little bit there, individual habits which are added over time to make you a more healthy person. Good luck!