losing motivation, needing support

kerryberry666
kerryberry666 Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've lost a significant amount of weight numerous times in the past, between 15-30 pounds. Before ever reaching my goal I seem to just lose motivation and end up gaining the weight back. This time, since using MFP, I really felt like this could be a permanent change for me. I read the forums all the time and they have really helped to motivate me. I've now lost 21 pounds (almost halfway to my goal) and I feel my motivation is going downhill. It's the same pattern that has happened every time and really scares me. I get periods of time where I will simply stop caring and then just go eat a box of cookies or a pint and a half of ice cream. It's like I'm possessed for that short amount of time and while I know I will be sorry after, I do it anyhow. Sure enough following the binge I feel like crap physically and emotionally.

I do bootcamp classes on a daily basis and feel really strong, but then the bad eating just defeats the purpose.

Has anyone go through this and have some advice for me? I really fear that all my hard work will be lost once again. How do I gain control?

Replies

  • hrtease2
    hrtease2 Posts: 10 Member
    I am with you here .. felt like i was reading my own post when i just read yours! I have had a bad week and feel like im losing all my motivation :(
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You make up your mind that you WILL break the cycle. You CHOOSE to make it happen.

    Don't beat yourself up the times you slip up, just make the decision to keep going and to keep making healthier decisions more and more. Have just 2 cookies instead of the whole box. Make it harder to get to the cookies so you have to think longer about the choice. Whatever you have to do to disrupt those bad habits.

    It's all up to you.
  • Ta2dchic20
    Ta2dchic20 Posts: 376 Member
    Don't give up. Just think, you're doing the boot camp daily. Even though your diet may need a little work, at least you're working out. Imagine how hard it would be to keep your weight in check if you weren't? The motivation will come back, just keep trotting along...:flowerforyou:
  • SavvyCake
    SavvyCake Posts: 150 Member
    For me, it's helpful to just not have that kind of stuff in the house. I can't remember the last time I purchased a container of ice cream from the grocery store, because I know I'd have an evening where my control would break and I'd scarf it down. Once in a blue moon I'll actually be so bad that I'll give in to a craving and go to a store to get what I'm freaking out for. But, that's rare, and usually I'll just eat something else that I already have in the house. Another thing I've done (that I learned from friends on Tumblr) is put a posterboard on my wall that has the numbers 1 through whatever is your target weight loss, say 30. Each pound I lose, I mark an X through that number, and it feels great to mark those suckers off. Also, when I buy pants, if they're the kind that has a size sticker on them, I pull that off and stick it on the wall in my closet. It's super motivating getting to put a new size up there. What started at 24 has now gone down to 18, and I can't wait to add more :)

    Good luck! And just keep on posting and talking, I find that helps me a lot too.
  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
    Just keeping logging. Maybe you're body is trying to hold on to old habits, maybe it's bringing up some issues you have with food. If you keep logging you'll find that one bad day doesn't really matter in the long run. You've proven that you can do it. Just keep coming back here! You have accomplished so much, you have the tools, you can do it!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I've lost a significant amount of weight numerous times in the past, between 15-30 pounds. Before ever reaching my goal I seem to just lose motivation and end up gaining the weight back. This time, since using MFP, I really felt like this could be a permanent change for me. I read the forums all the time and they have really helped to motivate me. I've now lost 21 pounds (almost halfway to my goal) and I feel my motivation is going downhill. It's the same pattern that has happened every time and really scares me. I get periods of time where I will simply stop caring and then just go eat a box of cookies or a pint and a half of ice cream. It's like I'm possessed for that short amount of time and while I know I will be sorry after, I do it anyhow. Sure enough following the binge I feel like crap physically and emotionally.

    I do bootcamp classes on a daily basis and feel really strong, but then the bad eating just defeats the purpose.

    Has anyone go through this and have some advice for me? I really fear that all my hard work will be lost once again. How do I gain control?

    Sometimes people do this because they deprive themselves of things they love. When I was losing weight I calculated treats into my calorie budget so I could have them and still lose weight. It was still hard. I'd have a set amount, and I would always go out to get it (not keep the treats at home), and I always wanted more and had to tell myself I could have more next time. You can have everything you want, just not all at once.

    Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.

    Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.
  • BeautifulBetsy
    BeautifulBetsy Posts: 60 Member
    Go shopping. Go into a change room with the clothes size that you want to be able to fit into, and guilt yourself into sticking to your healthy choices! Nothing like bright lights and mirrors everywhere to make you feel bad about yourself......LOL, just kidding, don't be so hard on yourself, and good luck, it's a day to day, a week to week, month to month goal. You'll be alright.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    I don't believe in depriving myself. If i want chocolate I have a piece. The trick is to just have that one piece. I buy a bag of the dark chocolate squares not candy bars. Moderation is key for me. Have what you like but just a small amount of it. Most of the day I eat very healthy. I even have a cookie now and then but just one. When i first started to try and lose weight I had to get rid of all of the junk in the house. Now we have healthier options. When you get to that point where you feel your about to give up just think of how far you've come. Do you really want to go backwards? Do you really want to start all over again? That always keeps me on the straight and narrow.
  • jazzydaisy84
    jazzydaisy84 Posts: 2
    I've been where you are. I lost 50 lbs and then gained it all back plus some. I am restarting my journey. I recently came across a quote that has been keeping me going and perhaps it will help you. I keep it on my refrigerator, my laptop desktop, and on my bathroom mirror. "Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret". Find a mantra that works for you and memorize it and repeat it.
  • been285
    been285 Posts: 99 Member
    Are you feeling deprived of something in particular ????

    chocolate ???? pudding cups ,, fun sized candy ,,, under 100 cal stuff is out there

    ice cream ??? skinny cow makes some in the 100 - 150 cal range

    cookies ??? at least look at something like snackwell they have 100 cal mini packs.

    have some goodies in your life on a regular basis ,,,, It could be all you need to keep from falling off the cliff into a binge.
  • kerryberry666
    kerryberry666 Posts: 7 Member
    I definitely have been allowing myself treats all through the process.. that's really the difference between this time and all the previous times I've lost weight. I'm eating in a way that is sustainable for life, not denying myself anything in reasonable amounts. That's why I really felt this time was easier to get through. But just lately I've been getting that urge to just go out and buy something huge and eat the whole thing!

    Also, I generally do not keep ice cream and cookies in the house because I know that I will not be able to resist them. It's all just a mind thing for me. Have to get that way of thinking about food back on track!
  • kerryberry666
    kerryberry666 Posts: 7 Member
    I've been where you are. I lost 50 lbs and then gained it all back plus some. I am restarting my journey. I recently came across a quote that has been keeping me going and perhaps it will help you. I keep it on my refrigerator, my laptop desktop, and on my bathroom mirror. "Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret". Find a mantra that works for you and memorize it and repeat it.


    I do like this quote a lot and will post it and think about it when I have that urge. Thank you!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I got more motivated when I finally got tired of starting over AGAIN.
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
    You may need to reconsider your caloric intake goals. You are probably not eating enough to sustain your exercise levels. Just a thought! I get ravenous for a couple of reasons I have identified on my own. You just have to be your own detective to figure out your body.
  • bima80
    bima80 Posts: 46 Member
    I am with you here .. felt like i was reading my own post when i just read yours! I have had a bad week and feel like im losing all my motivation :(

    Same here . .. I feel like she's talking about me. I even do bootcamp also.. I need some help 2. smh It's like I can't keep going to the end.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Motivation has to come from within. Try to make your diet and your exercise obsessions or integral parts of your life, not just something you are doing until you get the weight off. As it becomes part of your life or part of who you are motivation will be there. If that doesn't work fake it until you can make. Literally force yourself to exercise until the motivation comes back.
  • bima80
    bima80 Posts: 46 Member
    bump
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    I definitely have been allowing myself treats all through the process.. that's really the difference between this time and all the previous times I've lost weight. I'm eating in a way that is sustainable for life, not denying myself anything in reasonable amounts. That's why I really felt this time was easier to get through. But just lately I've been getting that urge to just go out and buy something huge and eat the whole thing!

    Also, I generally do not keep ice cream and cookies in the house because I know that I will not be able to resist them. It's all just a mind thing for me. Have to get that way of thinking about food back on track!
    My down fall was/is doritos and cheese puffs. I love salt and am not allowed to have it period but I would just pig out on a bag of cheese puffs and pay the price for it later with high BP and swollen hands and feet. Not anymore! I'm off all my meds now. Not even on the meds for the birth defects I have in my heart. That is also under control thanks to no longer eating any salty junk. I never liked fast food so that was never my problem. But get me to walk past a bag of muchos, doritos or cheese puffs without buying a bag was nearly impossible at one time. Oh and salted nuts? Forget it!! I simply can't have any of that stuff or i'm back on all my meds again. Don't want that. Then when my MS went into remission I had to beg my dr's to let me try going without those meds as well. Little by little I got off of all of those without any problems and now my weight loss is finally moving well. I'm not much into sweets but the salty junk was always my down fall. Can't tell you the last time I had any of that stuff. Not even as a treat. Just one chocolate piece now and then but limited to one a day if I have any at all and maybe one cookie tops.
  • kerryberry666
    kerryberry666 Posts: 7 Member
    I definitely have been allowing myself treats all through the process.. that's really the difference between this time and all the previous times I've lost weight. I'm eating in a way that is sustainable for life, not denying myself anything in reasonable amounts. That's why I really felt this time was easier to get through. But just lately I've been getting that urge to just go out and buy something huge and eat the whole thing!

    Also, I generally do not keep ice cream and cookies in the house because I know that I will not be able to resist them. It's all just a mind thing for me. Have to get that way of thinking about food back on track!
    My down fall was/is doritos and cheese puffs. I love salt and am not allowed to have it period but I would just pig out on a bag of cheese puffs and pay the price for it later with high BP and swollen hands and feet. Not anymore! I'm off all my meds now. Not even on the meds for the birth defects I have in my heart. That is also under control thanks to no longer eating any salty junk. I never liked fast food so that was never my problem. But get me to walk past a bag of muchos, doritos or cheese puffs without buying a bag was nearly impossible at one time. Oh and salted nuts? Forget it!! I simply can't have any of that stuff or i'm back on all my meds again. Don't want that. Then when my MS went into remission I had to beg my dr's to let me try going without those meds as well. Little by little I got off of all of those without any problems and now my weight loss is finally moving well. I'm not much into sweets but the salty junk was always my down fall. Can't tell you the last time I had any of that stuff. Not even as a treat. Just one chocolate piece now and then but limited to one a day if I have any at all and maybe one cookie tops.

    That's awesome! Glad to hear you've had so much success even aside from weight loss!

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