Hmm I lost ten pounds... can I be done now?
Replies
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My main lesson learned: FORGIVE YOURSELF when you slip. Tomorrow's a new day. Remind yourself that you can lose and will at your own pace.
this is not actually true and its a state of mind that perpetuates problematic behavior. Your brain doesnt say - oh i didnt mess up yesterday - it does the same thing it always does with excess calories -without taking into consideration feelings, circumstances or what smelled good or felt better than exercising. Dont forgive and forget. Accept the consequences and realize that its your fault WHICH IS A GOOD THING cause it means its within your control! FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!
but dont ever say- today is a new day and yesterday doesnt matter - cause even if you choose to forget about how you behaved yesterday... your body will always keep an accurate log. And when you start wondering why you arent progressing - your brain will be confused and your body will like... told you so!
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My main lesson learned: FORGIVE YOURSELF when you slip. Tomorrow's a new day. Remind yourself that you can lose and will at your own pace.
This is true, although if every day is a slip and you just think "tomorrow is a new day", then you find yourself always making excuses and "starting again tomorrow".
For someone in the OP's position, it's probably a good idea to think "the next meal is the next opportunity to make good choices", instead of blowing a day.0 -
I'm just here to say that I totally understand where you are coming from.
I don't know where you are going to find your motivation. I don't know if I've actually found enough of my own to keep me going to get to my bigger goals.
I do set smaller goals so that I don't feel too overwhelmed by the big numbers.
I remind myself that if I don't do this slowly and within my natural eating and exercise patterns this time then it will ultimately not be the lifestyle change I am trying to develop.
I remind myself that it's a process.
I believe that a pint of ice cream every once in a while is not going to "ruin everything".
When I feel tired of doing this, I weigh in every day, because when the scale creeps up consistently (as opposed to because of water retention) I know that the work I had put in starts to be for naught. And I am sick and tired of doing this over and over and over again.
When I'm feeling this way, I post something honest about how I'm feeling to my MFP friends--the ones who have seen my diary and know how many days I've logged in. I am doing this for me and it is a private journey, but it helps to put it out there a little so that I have the support and also a little external accountability.
Good luck. Be healthy.0 -
"I really hate it, I'm not willing. Also busy."
There is no gentle way to put this. If the above is really your attitude, then yes, you can be done. You are already done if that's your frame of mind.
I've struggled with my weight my entire adult life. When I've felt like you have expressed, I stayed fat. Only when I've changed my mind was I ever able to change my body. I'm usually a really nice person and sorry if my statement is harsh. I just see in you where I've been so many times and the best advice I can give is to change your mindset. Only then can you really change your body (and it wont suck so bad).
I've recently changed my mind and the results are fantastic. I'm eating yummy things, working out hard, losing weight, and feeling fantastic. Feel free to add me if you'd like to see my food diary.
:flowerforyou:0 -
Of course I mean no offense to all the MFP'ers who do exercise when I say I'm busy. Please realize it is just me rationalizing/making excuses. My apologies.
Thank you for the encouragement/tips/advice. I'm premenstrual and feeling a little down and unmotivated, and the nudges are helping. I'm going out to the grocery store now, with a plan in my head, to buy good things, and stop feeling so sorry for myself. I'll park far away.
Know that there is nothing wrong with feeling sorry for yourself. We all do it (especially during TOM!) and we all have our bad days but just don't let it define you or ruin your progress so far. 10lbs is awesome so remember that! Have your bad days where you don't move and you whine about everything but wake up the next day and say to yourself that that was yesterday. I've had my moan and now I'm gonna start fresh. Nobody is perfect all the time so don't feel like you have to be. I hope any of that made sense...0 -
I'm 52, in menopause and very lazy:) I don't like to think about having to do this for the rest of my life. So, today I choose to do this. I'm going to exercise, eat right and be happy. I can't change yesterday, tomorrow isn't here yet, but Today I can choose. :flowerforyou:
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Try setting smaller goals for yourself.
My first goal was to drink more water...at least 8 cups a day.
Then I set my sights on 5 pounds lost.
Then 10 lbs. lost.
Then I wanted to mix it up some, so I set a goal to pack my lunch everyday.
Then the first "big" goal was to lose 10% of my starting bosy weight...done.
Up next, I want to fit into this pair of jeans in my closet!
It's all about getting comfortable with the goal(s) you have in mind and keeping yourself accountable. And Lord knows, we all have bad days in everything we do. If you have a bad hair day, do you shave your hair off and say, ok...done with that...no! You try something different, new shampoo, new product, dry it longer, curl it the other direction, add a braid...so, apply that to this process of losing weight. If you fall off the wagon, don't quit, just stand up, dust yourself off, and start over. And get really honest with yourself...what caused you to fall off the wagon? Stress? Boredom? Lack of planning? And look for ways to prepare yourself for next time.
***Just saw where you said this could be PMS related...I feel ya! I'm the same way, I have several days in a row where I'm a bottomless pit, I'm moody, I crave bad stuff...you get the idea. So, now that I know that, I'm prepared. I have a bag of light papcorn or dry Cheerios for the crunch instead of potato chips. I have sugar free jello for chocolate cravings. I try drinking green tea (this seems to end some of the cravings). Lean Cuisine pizza or mac and cheese instead of the full fat versions...see, it's all about how you approach it. You can make it easier on yourself! And you can do it!!!0 -
You could take a short break.
One thing that comes to my mind is---When the pain of not changing is greater than the process of making that change, you will find it important. Maybe the pain isn't that great right now for you.
One Day At A Time.... This isn't an over night venture, it is a life time.
To lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your lifestyle. Slip ups will happen, but you just go back to healthier eating as soon as possible. The more you eat junk food, the more you crave junk. And visa-versa, the more you eat healthy, the easier it is to stick to that.
Good Luck!0 -
So - you don't have time to exercise, but you do have time to hang out online? Interesting.0
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I started a huge quest to lose weight, lost a lot a few years ago..I was 315lbs an got to 205lbs and I stopped, I got de motivated, was tired of taking account of every morsel I ate etc it all felt like too much...I quit, I managed to maintain for a long time til last year when I quit smoking and it crept up about 40lbs......I am saying this because..my absolute biggest regret is knowing that if I had stuck it out another year I would have hit target...instead I am 5yrs later still fat, still unhappy with my body and I still have the same thing to do, instead of enjoying the health benefits that I should be, wearing the clothes I want to, I am still fighting a battle that I could have won already...If you are unhappy enough to have started to lose weight, then you are going to be less happy in a few years time and its going to feel even worse knowing you could have got the job done already!0
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We're all busy - make time - you gotta want it enough.
Take a naked pic and put it on your bathroom mirror - if you don't like what you see then there's your motivation.
No-one said it was easy, if it was we wouldn't be on here.0 -
this! 0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...0
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Motivation wears off, which is why it is recommended daily - like bathing.
Motivation is just the spoonful of sugar that makes that determination and dedication and self-discipline easier. You dont need it unless you need to be tricked into working out that day. (tricked in a positive way :P) What you really need to build up and cultivate is your willpower.
If you dont feel like it, willpower will get you there and you can still enjoy the high happy feelings at the end.
If you arent motivated, willpower will make your legs stand up from the couch.
If you aren't feeling your goals today, determination will get your one day closer anyway.
If you are saying I dont care over and over in your head - then you do care - and self-discipline will help you.
Dont worry abotu motivation at first,. Prove to YOURSELF that you want this enough to approach it seriously and not just with the sugar coated fun happy methods that work in the beginning. Changing your life and your body is sometimes an ugly business with no rainbows and glitter - sometimes its blood sweat and tears... but you know what? Those days are the ones that truly change you. Inside and out.
Those are the days when you feel yourself getting stronger. Those are the days when you finish and you stand there for a second and look back over the last hour and get chills because.... holy crow... You did that. And you didnt even want to - but YOU MADE IT HAPPEN.
No one else. Just you.
And Pride... well Pride is one of the only forms of magic left in this world. It will carry you to your next workout better than motivation will.
:flowerforyou:
:drinker:0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
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It's hard to maintain motivation when you have a negative goal, like wanting to lose X pounds. Rephrase it to the positive - like I want to lose enough weight so x activity is easier to do. When you are moving towards a goal, have an emotional connection to it with your heart and an intelligent plan to get there, motivation isn't an issue, When you deep-down-inside don't believe you can do or that you don't deserve it, it is reflected in your reality. Pick a goal to train to - like a 5k charity run/walk or something - becomes about moving more. Move more, feel better. Feel better, eat better. Fueled better, move better. Fueled better, moving better, feeling better. It's easy to get sucked into that cycle, I hope you find it soon.0
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Well honestly if you want to keep any weight off or to continue to loose its going to be hard not to without exercise... You'll be very flabby and have loose skin. Even if you went walking like once a day for 30 minutes that'd help you out a lot. And maybe do some light exercises with body weight.
If you are serious about loosing weight you need to incorporate exercise. Not only is it helpful when loosing weight, but its good for you. Working out keeps you young. And if you aren't willing to workout then its going to be very tough for you to keep any weight off.... I used to not eat healthy and all and just workout and I would still loose a pound a week. Its 80% diet and 20% exercise.
I'm not trying to be harsh, and I know you were being honest. But it sounds like you are being lazy...
I used to work a full time job, and go to art school full time, and be a wife to my husband and still have to finish about 4 hours of painting and photography homework in the studio everyday and manage to exercise for an hour everyday.
And if you really don't like traditional exercise then try dancing or zumba or whatever people do these days.
You'll get better results if you slip in some cardio and lift some weights.
Even if you loose the weight you're just going to loose a ton of muscle mass and not really trim your waist down.
I'm gonna say it, and I don't care if you don't like it-get off your butt!0 -
Weigh yourself WEEKLY or BIWEEKLY, not every day or several times a day. One dinner of pizza will not affect your long term goal.0
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I never dieted in my life, before starting to use this site maybe 3 months ago. I was shocked and horrified to see what I would normally eat came up as far as the math goes with the calories and fat and whatnot. I was like omg, no wonder, this happened.
So, with huge efforts, over like two months, I managed to lose ten pounds. I nearly cut out red meat, cheese, reduced booze, as I identified these as my major downfalls. Tried to control portion sizes. Switched a lot of things to whole grain. Ate more veggies, more fish. I made a lot of changes, and it was a serious pain in the *kitten*.
At 5'6" and still 210 pounds though, I need to keep going, and it really seems like too much trouble, I'm tired of it. Also my body seemed to adjust to the changes, and I have to watch very carefully just to keep the ten pounds off. A little slip, order pizza or something, and I'm back up a pound or two. I don't want to exercise, I really hate it, I'm not willing. Also busy.
Help, how do you stay motivated, keep going?
You have to want this for you and no one else!!! I eat pizza but just not everyday. I treat my self once a week with something I really like. You just have to eat it in moderations. We did not become over weight over night it took time. So it will take time to lose it. BUT IF YOU DONT WANT IT FOR YOURSELF IF WILL NOT HAPPEN. JUST REMEMBER YOU GAVE UP. IT TOOK TWO DOCTORS TO TELL ME THAT MY CANCER NUMBERS WERE DANGEROUSE AND I NEEDED TO LOSE 20 POUNDS FOR A MAJOR SURGERY. I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT MY NUMBERS ARE DOWN AND THE SURGERY WAS SUCCESSFUL. THEY FOUND ZERO CANCER. I want to life happier and healthier. If you want motivation add me as a friend.0 -
Nobody can make you want it...you have to want it for yourself and be willing to do the work.
The only thing I can tell you is that its never going to get any easier. You probably know this already, but with every year older and ever pound heavier, you're digging in deeper toward health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. Exercise is crucial for women over 40 to maintain bone density...but in the end, its all up to you to want it for yourself.
I hope you find the motivation you need, because it CAN be done!
Why don't you start by filling in your profile on here. Writing out WHY you want to lose weight and get healthy is a good step toward focusing your energies on the positive!0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
why not?0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
WTF thats the only way to do that..... confused as all heck face0 -
Sometimes it is hard to get/stay motivated...what i do at times is log on, look at others stories (community forums) and gain motivation from my MFP buddies other MFP members. I'm like this, do whatever it takes, just dont give up
:):) 0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
why not?
Because building muscle requires a surplus of energy whereas burning fat requires a deficit of energy. You can't simultaneously have a surplus and a deficit.0 -
In the long run, my biggest motivation is the mirror. I look at myself and think of how far I've come since I started this lifestyle. That's right, lifestyle, not diet. That's probably your biggest mistake, you think of it as an annoying diet that you have to do. I'm going to be brutally honest here: if it is such a huge inconvenience for you, then stick with those 10 pounds. I'm going to be brutally honest again and say that you will most likely gain them back.
Most of us didn't exactly enjoyed this at first, but after a while it just becomes part of your life. It's as simple as this: Do you want to keep weighting more than 200 pounds? No? Then do something about it.0 -
how bad do you want it?0
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Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
I do hope you are joking. :noway:0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
why not?
Because building muscle requires a surplus of energy whereas burning fat requires a deficit of energy. You can't simultaneously have a surplus and a deficit.
The human body naturally burns more calories each day to maintain a pound of muscle than it does to maintain a pound of fat. Therefore, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will naturally burn each day at rest.
Which means, just by building muscle, you’ll significantly increase your metabolism and turn your body into a calorie burning, fat melting machine… and this will obviously improve your overall fat loss progress.0 -
Have you thought about lifting? If you add more muscle, you burn more calories at rest...
You can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time
why not?
Because building muscle requires a surplus of energy whereas burning fat requires a deficit of energy. You can't simultaneously have a surplus and a deficit.
lol nice try0 -
My main lesson learned: FORGIVE YOURSELF when you slip. Tomorrow's a new day. Remind yourself that you can lose and will at your own pace.
this is not actually true and its a state of mind that perpetuates problematic behavior. Your brain doesnt say - oh i didnt mess up yesterday - it does the same thing it always does with excess calories -without taking into consideration feelings, circumstances or what smelled good or felt better than exercising. Dont forgive and forget. Accept the consequences and realize that its your fault WHICH IS A GOOD THING cause it means its within your control! FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!
but dont ever say- today is a new day and yesterday doesnt matter - cause even if you choose to forget about how you behaved yesterday... your body will always keep an accurate log. And when you start wondering why you arent progressing - your brain will be confused and your body will like... told you so!
^So true!0
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