How have you all been able to 'get back on track?'

You're sabotaging your own attempts in order to reinforce your negative image of yourself. Focus, will, and a good self kick up the *kitten*. Sorry to be blunt.

We have all been there dear. Several hundred times in my case


my best advice to give you is take one day at a time. Time flies by and before you know it you will have been eating good for weeks or months

you can do it

I'm constantly getting 'back on track'.

Weekend's are not my friend :L

However, I never let myself eat badly for more than two days. If I don't allow myself some flexibility, I wouldn't stick to it at all.

Go at your own pace and make your own rules

one thing i've learned...resistance never works. you don't resist brushing your teeth in the morning you just get up and do it. it has become a habbit and something you do automaticly. there does come a time when the love for yourself happens this way too. thats how i see what i do for my body everyday. please be kind to yourself while you continue your journey.:flowerforyou:

Yeah I've read this before, great article, but I don't understand how that applies to me in this situation. What am I meant to be getting over? I'm just trying to find enough internal power to get back on track for at least a week, and then hopefully, like last time, it'll becoming something more habitual and consistent.

well, you have to start chaning some habits. do you wake up in the morning and go work out? no? well, you should start, before you start coming up with excuses.

i used to do that... wake up as late as possible, mess around for an hour or so, then i'd eat breakfast while watching tv, and then it would be 11am and i'd say things like "well, it's too hot/cold to go running now," or "the gym will be too crowded now." you get the idea.

start developing some habits to combat your weaknesses. if buying junk food at the supermarket is a weakness, then don't go groccery shopping hungry. if getting a work out in is a problem, wake up early and go before you realize what is going on.

Going for workouts are never a problem for me. The only problem I have is giving into every temptation around me. No matter the situation - I need to find a good frame of mind that will defeat any temptations. I want to be able to say NO, so I can get on track. But as posted previously, I like the idea of "taking it day by day", conquering each day.

sometimes it's hour by hour. sometimes i tell myself "okay, you can have that candy/chocolate in an hour." by the time i remember that i told myself that, the hour passed.

Just keep trying - when you make a bad judgement and over eat or eat bad foods, don't leave it until the next day - get right back on track there and then I'm just getting back on track too, and I've fallen off it lots of times, but like you say I know that after a week or so of doing it right it will be habit and I'll be able to keep to it happily (and feel better about myself too!)

the big thing for me is planning - plan what you are going to eat and what exercise you will do, write it down (better still on here so you can be acountable to others!), prepare (shopping, whatever you need to do) and then don't put yourself in the way of tempation whilst you carry out your plan.

I am like you in that once I've been on the waggon a few days I am in the swing of it and it's generally ok, but as soon as I fall off for a day or two I have real trouble getting back on again - even though I want to and intend to, somehow I just can't focus.

So if you don't allow yourself the opportunity to fall off then you are less likely to. At least that's what works for me!

When this kind of thing happens, I often find that I need some change. A new start, feeling refreshed, clear-headed. I take some time to think things through and come to a solution. First you have to feel good, and confident - and not so scared. You have to trust yourself. You have to stop acting like you are powerless and start remembering that you are smart (you know what decisions to make), you are cool and collected (you won't let one less-than-ideal decision lead to more bad decisions but will take the mistakes as they come and LEARN from them instead), you have all the power in the world (every choice you make is YOURS and nothing or no one has any control over that, it all comes from you).

But also, you have to not be fighting yourself. You have to be going with the flow of "You". It shouldn't be a fight every time.

Also, I know what you mean about trying to do what you did last time, but I've never gotten back on track that way before. I've tried, but it just isn't the same as 'last time'. I think it's because you're different now than you were last time - I mean, every day, every hour, with each new experience, you become a "different" person. So the situation is different now and you need to arrive at an "at peace with yourself" mindset and do what will work for who you are now.

My last piece of advice is not to "start" at all. I mean - this is your life. It goes on "forever". You gained back 3 kg after eating too much for a while. So? You're still alive, aren't you? You're breathing? Ok. You're ok, then. You didn't end anything, you are simply continuing living the timeline that is your life. So really, you don't have to make a deliberate effort to start anything over again

What works for me is saying to myself "I don't want/need it RIGHT NOW. I can always have it later if I really want it." That enables me to walk past the temptation much more easily. I've used this strategy in restaurants, in the chocolate or bakery sections of the grocery store, at fast food outlets--pretty much wherever there are food temptations. Then I distract myself by doing something like brushing my teeth or going for a walk--that sort of thing. Never say "I can't have that"--then you feel deprived. Say "I don't want that."(even if it's not true) That makes you feel more in control of the situation. It does work.

I'm devastated. Disgusted. Heartbroken. With myself. I spent eight weeks of flawless eating. Realistic, healthy weight loss, losing 8 kg in total. I felt so fantastic and on top of the world during those eight weeks. But for the past month, I have put three kilos back on, eating horribly and not working out.

I can't seem to get back on track. I have tried to completely repeat everything I did before that helped me succeed. I'm also just as - or even more motivated then before.

Personally I find that starting is the issue here, that once I've been going for a week I would be able to get my good habits back, and get back into the zone. But every 'new day' where I plan to 'get back on track' I end up thinking to myself "Hey, look at all that long, pain in the *kitten* time you have left in front of you. So much pain. Just give up" or "You're already off the track, why don't you just start tomorrow. You have time!". Of course, these thoughts always pop up and dominate my mind when I'm in the bakery section of my supermarket . In these situations, I am hopeless. I have no discipline.

I remember clearly, I began my successful 8 week weight loss journey last time by simply saying "NO" to temptations for a couple of days. I gradually gained self discipline quite quickly, and became stronger and stronger. But I just can't seem to say NO! What's the difference between back then and now!? Nothing.

Tips? Advice? I know I can do it, I've done it before. I'm sick and tired of continuing to fail. I want to be that soldier again that conquered these negative thoughts. All I want is another eight weeks of solid work so I can lose my final 8 kilos, before I'm at my DREAM WEIGHT (omg). I want it to happen

I chose one aspect to make non-negotiable. For me, it was exercise.

So, I work out five days a week (most weeks) four at minimum. It is not negotiable.

I've been doing this since January '12. In January '13, eating right becomes non-negotiable.

Exercise isn't a problem anymore because it has become a habit, I hope that the eating thing will also become more habitual, but I struggle with it every day.

But it takes SO long to create a habit.

Good luck. Just remember, you can't change what is done, you can only move forward and try to do better.

Dwelling on failure isn't productive, using that failure to make better choices is.

Don't worry about being perfect, work on being better than before. Eventually, you'll get to a balance that works for you and your life. I'm still working on that, but I'm getting closer most days and sliding back some days.

a train can hit a truck and not derail. be like a train. stay on track.

Xanem:

From your post, it's clear what you're being: lazy. Yes, I'm being a b*tch. But it's true. You're making excuses. You're not being strong. You're giving in, because it's easier than working for what you want. I have the same problem as you do: chocolate. chocolate. MORE CHOCOLATE. And sometimes I lose. But most often I don't. Why? Because saying "NO" to whatever is tempting you today, is easier than hating yourself / your body, today, tomorrow, forever.

There's a really nice quote, posted by another MFP member:
"The scale can't measure your will, drive, or dedication. The scale can't recount how many temptations you said no to or how many bad habits you broke. The scale doesn't have any idea how many times you got back on track when you felt like giving up. So every time you get on the scale, measure what's really important, including your behavior and effort."

This, and one other thing has helped me greatly to remember that this is a journey, a lifestyle change. So what IF you lose the remaining 8 kgs but continue to (over) splurge in the bakery selection every week? Unfortunately, those kgs are just going to come back on. You've gained 3 recently from bad eating habits - it sounds like you're prepared to go right back to them after gaining your ideal body weight!

For me, it sounds like you're looking at this the wrong way. This is a JOURNEY, with lifetime goals, including healthy body weight, healthy eating patterns, a healthy lifestyle. Most people fail because after their success, they forget everything they've learned, and go right back to their bad habits!

My suggestion for you:
A) Change your habits. I don't know the specifics of your eating / exercise / falls, but there's tons of info on how to lose and maintain a healthy lifestyle here. Look around!

You have to learn to both manage indulgences properly and how to incorporate them into your life. I have a) a ferrero rocher ball OR 5 m&ms OR a reese's peanut butter cup everyday. Everyday. Because this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. And I certainly couldn't imagine my life without those things!

C) Change your goals. Why do you want to make healthy choices? Is it REALLY for that perfect body? Or should it be something deeper, something more meaningful, such as "I want my kids growing up, knowing how to make healthy choices" or, "I want to be healthy and strong when I'm older, so I can do things after I retired". Look deeper, and motivation will come to you!

And one last thing, its just my personal opinion. Take someone to the grocery store with you! Take someone who knows youre dieting. You'll feel self-concious picking up things that are not diet worthy, and will likely avoid them completely!
Also, as I mentioned, I have chocolate everyday - hopefully you can find moderation with your bakery items It's all about priorities!

You've mentioned "habits" in a couple of your posts. You're wanting to get rid of the bad ones and replace them with good healthy ones corrects? From what I've studied it takes on average about 28 consecutive days of doing something to make it a habit. Which also means 28 consecutive days of not doing something to get rid of the habit. So, your eating healthy for a week is not enough time to make it habit.

For motivation I would get yourself a calendar, pick a habit you'd like to develop and start marking of the days until you hit 28 and see what happens? When you are in the bakery before you buy something just remind yourself you only have to do it for 28 days, if in 28 days you still want that treat then go back and get it. Just commit to 28 days and it won't feel so overwhelming. Try not to focus on how much further you have to go just look at how far you've come.