How do you stick to it for more than a week?

The important part for me is being involved at the Y. They have so many classes and different ways for me to burn those calories. Keeping it interesting is a deal for me. Being able to do Pilates, Yoga, pool cardio, machine cardio, and different strength classes and options is what keeps me coming back. I'd say pick a gym where you have a lot of options to explore what works best for your attention span!

You make small goals and you stick to it.

Self discipline!

I completely understand where you are, even after losing 170 lbs, it can be a daily struggle to stick to the accountability. But as many have already posted, you have to want it bad enough. It really isn't about being bored, it's about what you are trying to hide from yourself and maybe from others. What is going on emotionally that you don't want to stick to it any longer? I have found that when I don't want to log it is because I am whirling emotionally. It is so important to have friends on here. Being honest with yourself and others, even when you bomb out, is key to getting back on track and doing it quickly.
Even if you fall off course, your next choice, the healthy one to log your food, is the best choice. Don't stay in a place of beating yourself up for what you didn't do, choose your next move, take back you control and be proud of yourself!!

Healthy food is crazy delicious, you learn to love it. Also, don't buy junk food. After a while you crave sweets less (I think most things are too sweet for me these days) and can resist the chips a lot easier, because when you do give in it's not as satisfying. Or you find healthier alternatives, like air popped popcorn and kale chips.

This is so true. Healthy fresh food is amazing. There are so many recipes and idea's on how to utilize and be creative with it on this site as well. I am on my second month in MFP, and I have never though there were so many things you could do to vegetables to make them a meal. As part of cutting my caloric intake I had to cut carbs and protein (I was eating wayyyyyy to much) so in doing so I became a flexatarian (mostly vegetarian..I eat meat maybe 2x a week).

Also, with MFP you learn that you don't need to actually give up all the "junk", you just need to keep it within reason and within your goals. For example, I LOVVVVEEEEEEEEEE adult beverages and appatizers (I'm a social butterfly). Anyone who has been around the site can tell you that most alcohol is a huge caloric hit. So, I've developed plans for outings that include gins and diet sodas ( very low calories in gin), omitting or limiting fried food (we know how many apps are fried right?? LOTS) and finding ways to work off the caloric hits once they happen. I feel like everyone on this site learns as they go.

BUT back on topic. Healthy food is more delicious than that junk you've been feeding youself, MFP is a great tool, and you need some friends on the site in order to really make it work. These people are all going through the same struggle as you (with the exception of the bodybuilders who are always bulking :P ).

well, i don't work.. full time mom- but i sorta have a full length mirror in the kitchen, as well as scales near the fridge.. and stuff like "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips", "dont care how much it hurts, wanna have control, want a perfect body, want a perfect soul".. stuff like that pasted to my fridge....

My first thought...and I mean this in the nicest way possible...but how do you stick to it for less than a week? I mean, once someone reaches that point where they're seriously committed to making a change, it seems they can stick to even the craziest of plans for a few weeks (or months).

If you're having trouble making it into weeks two, then I question if you're truly committed to the change. If you're having trouble sticking to it past that, I question the long-term sustainability of your overall plan. Don't try and lose it all in a week or two. Set a reasonable goal for a gradual change that slowly, over time gets you closer to your goal.

I would say just focus and think of the end result and how your going to feel when you hit your goal weight. You can do it this is what MFP are here for, find one of your pals and vent a little. Then get right back up and make it happen. If you go over your calories for a day, do some extra pushups. Just remember this is a life style change and it won't happen overnight, its a daily process!! but don't give up you have all these people on here rooting for YOU!!!!!!!

I have the same problem with trying to stick to any diet past a week or two! Hoping to find motivation through others on this site. They say you lose 3x more weight when connected to others losing weight.

It really just depends on your determination and such. If junk food is your problem, you can look for ways to make your favorite foods, but in a healthier (And more delicious) way. When I have a craving, I always look for something I can make myself, or something that is low calorie!

Hi yea it is very hard, but once you get your head around it, you be fine.With the snack bit, take some fruit in or low fat snacks which you can eat. Thats what I do and it helps a lot, good luck

For me, it was logging the food and seeing how many calories I was actually consuming on a daily basis! That was a big eye opener. I have never looked back. I used to think I had a really slow metabolism, now I wonder how I didn't weigh a lot more than I did. I was definitely addicted within the first week. Once I added friends, this is my new social network, I rarely even get on Facebook anymore.

What works for me:

* Steely-eyed, unswerving focus on the goal. No more excuses, no more contrition - face the truth, and then take action.
* Prepare more than 80% of meals at home.
* Use a scale and/or the nutrition on the package.
* Use the diary. Track every bit of food and drink consumed.
* Plan ahead. Figure out how many calories a dish will be before eating it, so that the number of calories being consumed isn't a mystery.
* If it doesn't fit my healthy food profile, I don't eat it. No ifs, ands or buts. No one controls what I put in my mouth except ME.
* Celebrate positive moments. I reward myself with things other than food. More recent rewards: a new outfit for work, and a set of bluetooth headphones. The former celebrates my new shape; the latter supports my exercise efforts.

How do you stick to it for more than a week?

You do it for one week. Then another immediately after. Set smaller goals until they become habit, then add another goal on top of it.

It's like remodeling a house that you're already living in. You can't gut the whole thing. You have to tackle it one room at a time.

Start by packing healthy snacks so you won't go nuts on the snacks at work. Then start eating a healthy breakfast. Then start a healthy lunch. Then a healthy dinner. Set small fitness goals, too, and add to them as you achieve them. For me, it was the ability to run a 5k, but first I had to run 1/4 of a mile, then a half mile, then a mile, and keep adding to my distance until I could complete the whole thing. Then work on endurance. And longer distances. And speed. Then weight lifting. Light at first, then heavy.

But if I went from being a candy bar snackin' couch potato and tried to eat "perfect" and deadlift my body weight and run 10k... I'd have burned myself out and quit.

^^Couldn't have said it better. Making small changes in your habits is the way to make it permanent. I started off taking my boys for walks in their stroller...nine + months later I'm 60 pounds lighter and doing Insanity. I began measuring everything that I ate, and now I focus on fine-tuning my macros and making sure I eat enough. That's right, eat ENOUGH!! I still binge on occasion because that is a die-hard habit of mine, but I have one bad day and then I go back to weeks of healthy habits. One day is just that...one day. And you can make one good choice every day over one bad choice, and before you know it a year has gone by and you are making healthy choices every day. It really is that simple...but it takes dedication, consistency, and the desire to feel better and live better.

Go ahead and eat A BIT of the junk food, within your calories. The only way this becomes a lifestyle change is if it's sustainable, so eating treats within reason is fine.