Need Major Support and Motivation

i'm in a like situation. allthough it wasn't a move but a pregnancy that threw me off. while i ate healthy threw it i oviously gained weight and now am trying to get back into the habit of logging and losing. but it's hard it was the worst of my 3 pregnancies pretty much everything made me sick and now that i was deprived for 9 months i want to make up for lost time!

We are in a similar boat. This spring I lost 20 pounds and was doing good! Then some unfortunate stuff happened and I stopped working out. Then that turned into bad eating habits. Then that knocked me back to my food addiction. Depression doesn't make things any easier whatsoever. So I gained back the 20. Then as a result of my body's shock from eating clean to eating CONSTANTLY I gained another 20 on top of that. Then I started a new antidepressant and gained ANOTHER TWENTY. This has all been within a few months. Sixty pounds of fat on my body. Every single day is a struggle. It's hard even looking in the mirror at myself when I grew up athletic and fit as a cheerleader and tumbler my whole life and now I see myself as fat, lazy, and gross. I don't feel pretty. I don't feel girly. I feel big and manly and just undesirable. But I fight that battle every single day when I choose to workout or choose a healthier alternative over what my "evil side" wants to eat. You can do it. Seriously. You can.

Food is just food. Even though I have tricked myself into thinking it can give me comfort, realize that it can not. Food is only there as a source of energy for your body. Without it you wouldn't live, but you don't need that huge piece of cake. I have to remind myself of that All. The. Time. Everyday. Food is nothing more than a basic body need. I am trying not to find pleasure in food anymore and looking for other ways to feel good and feel "normal." I'm trying to go to the gym often so that the gym becomes my new habit. I'm looking into photography. I write a lot. I clean a lot! haha. Just find anything that you like to do that can give you just a little bit of happiness. That little boost will not only stop you from finding comfort in food, but will ease your mind enough to stay motivated.

Getting started back up is the worst thing in the world. Seriously it sucks so bad. One hour into that first day, I already want to quit. I know this from experience because I am the worst yo-yo dieter on the planet. I read a quote once that helps a little..."If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up."

You can do it. Your body is in YOUR control. No one else's. Food does not run your life. Neither does your reputation, your friends, your family, your reflection, the number on the scale, or anything else. It is solely up to you. You can choose to make excuses and allow yourself to get lazy, OR you can say, "You know what? That's not okay. This is MY body. Life is not going to just pack on 20 pounds and expect me to just sit here and let it happen." Take back control before it gets WAY out of hand, like my problem has. Trust me. It will be worth it.

I have the absolute worst motivation of any person I have ever met. I am inherently negative and pessimistic when it comes to anything dealing with myself. But I know this needs work, because no matter how much my physical body changes, I need to adapt my mind as well. So to stay motivated, as cheesy as this is, I made lists. The first is a list of 100 things to like about myself. I was shocked that I could even think of 100 things, but it's not as hard as it sounds. These things range from my long, healthy hair, to the way I find humor in everything. Think of anything that is a positive quality (physical or mental) and write it down. The second list is a list of "I Will's," which is a personal creed of all the things I will strive to do everyday, such as cooking for myself instead of eating out, smiling when I feel like crying, blocking out the bad thoughts, and remembering all the reasons I started this new lifestyle in the first place. Write down those things you want the new you to do everyday to improve yourself. The last list is a list of "I Am's" which is a list of one word traits that I embody, like humorous, beautiful, unique, honest, important, intelligent, hard-working, etc. Be honest with yourself and ADMIT that there are SO MANY things to love about yourself! No matter how much you beat yourself up when you look in the mirror and see that weight gain, just push that aside for a second and think of the things that are to be celebrated. It's okay to brag on yourself sometimes, especially if you spend most of your days bringing yourself down like I do. Write down all those things and post them in a place where you will see them often. Mine is on the wall in my bathroom right across from my toilet. That way I look at it when I am using the restroom, it is right above my scale, and I pass it as I enter the shower. It's just a little boost in confidence when you see all those good things about yourself. It's easy to forget why you are so special when your mind is consumed with only your weight. But you ARE more than your weight. YOU ARE!!!!! And if all else fails and you just can't do it right now, at least make sure you are aware of all the good things about you. Then maybe once you have settled that debate in your mind that the only thing left to work on is your physical health, then get back into it. One thing at a time.

I try really hard. I really do. And what makes it even more difficult is that I pretty much have no friends left (I guess they couldn't deal with my depression), so I am my OWN little army. And I'm doing a pretty damn good job for being on my own at a big school at only 20-years-old. No matter what the circumstances, it's NEVER too late, never too hard, or never too hopeless to make a change. Think of it as just becoming the best version of yourself. You aren't losing weight to look like Adriana Lima. You will never be her. You're BETTER than her because you are going to work your *kitten* off to get down to that size, and she was born that way. This is not a diet. You're just working everyday to make yourself look and feel amazing. Simple as that. Stay focused and try as hard as you can to remember the good things when everything starts looking bad. Best of luck xxx

You are free to add me as a friend, if you'd like!!! I''m willing to be a positive voice inside your fitness pal! :happy:

Here's the thing. You had a journey, called life, you gained some weight. It happens! Life isn't over and you aren't less of a person for it. For me, I know how I feel when I've "slipped" at times. It creates a disgust within yourself. Don't listen to the negativity. Realize that today is a new day, tomorrow will be a new day, and you CAN and WILL make your successes happen if only you live by today. Forget yesterday. Nothing changes it. You needed yesterday to get you to where you are right now. It will steer you to better choices, and you will learn to avoid the road you don't want to travel. You can use the slips as leverage, to show you where you don't want to go, or you can use them as an excuse to drop out and stay unhealthy. Being that you are here, in front of many, many people confronting this, I take it that you are more prepared to get your positive results. Log today and you will be on a fresh slate to get back on track!!! You CAN DO THIS!!!

You need some help or encouragement, feel free to add me!

SusieK~ #1 you have to give yourself credit on coming back here and asking for the help, and now that you know others are behind you it will make it easier to stick to it and hold you accountable for your actions.

#2 Pick your self up and dust yourself off and remember we are all in this together!

and
#3 please feel free to add me (anyone can) and we can be there for each other when the need arises!!


Sue

I am struggling with staying on the MFP wagon too. This journey is definitely one of the hardest I've ever been on. Anyone can feel free to add me and we can help keep each other strong

Add me for extra support! You can only motivate yourself so much but having others in your corner is def something that can help push you that little bit you need :-)