On my third week and already wanting to give up

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Replies

  • essaryswife73
    essaryswife73 Posts: 81 Member
    The best thing I have found is to log EVERY SINGLE THING that goes in my mouth. If I have a piece of sugar free/zero calorie gum, I log it. I just had a really bad night and morning and put myself right back on track. For me, it's a mind game, along with the physical exercise and eating. I talk to myself about this all the time. Always asking myself if it's really worth it to eat the candy, drink the soda, eat the chips, etc... I know we're all different and different things work for each of us. I've done this weight loss journey too many times to count, and I've regained every pound lost and then some. I will help you, motivate you, whatever you need, just DO NOT give up on yourself!!! Feel free to send me a friend request. I will accept it! And I will give it all I've got to help keep you on a positive track!!!
  • mojohowitz
    mojohowitz Posts: 900 Member
    A tough lesson for me that I continue to struggle with is that food is simply fuel. We don't have to assign such emotional significance to it. Its much easier said than done, however.

    This is not just your third week, it's just a rough patch in a lifetime of improving dietary habits.

    No diets. Just better choices.

    It's hard. We all understand.
  • LEStacey
    LEStacey Posts: 5 Member
    Hang in there. I, too, am just counting counting calories and sticking with 1200 per day period. I don't count net calories for exercise and just consider them a bonus. It's tough but after losing 5 lbs the first week I was totally stoked. A good friend gave me some good advice once. He said don't be so concerned about the instant results on the scale or the total quantity of lbs loss (that comes with consistency). You should be more satisfied with the over all self discipline and determination which it takes to live a healthy life style, that's the reward, that's the hard part. Anyone can go to the gym, anyone can chose to eat healthy, it's the discipline and consistency that separates the rest! Keep going strong!

    I have also learned that you don't have to go out for a run...walking is just fine. I was killing my knees and back thinking I HAD to jog...not true. I found something the other day that between walking at a brisk pace for 3.5 vs. jogging at 5.0 there is only a little bit of calories burn per hour...not enough to kill myself over :)
  • mauswood
    mauswood Posts: 137 Member
    Thanks so much for that! I find that I have a real problem with portion control because I eat really quickly. The faster I eat, the more I eat because I don't "feel full" but then feel bloated. I'm starting to work harder on that. I also found out in the last three weeks, I *really* don't know any healthy recipes or the motivation to cook the ones I have found. Laziness will be the death of this diet.

    A little trick I use - Eat with a baby fork and spoon! It FORCES you to slow down when you're eating. Also, drink a huge glass of water before every meal - helps to fill up some of that empty space, plus, you know, water's good for you and stuff. Find some easy foods that are tasty and zero prep time. When I was first losing I ate a ton of baby carrots and hummus - fills you up and you get much needed veggies and protein. Also try apples cut in half with peanut butter - again, fiber and protein to help you stay full longer. I stuck with a few key meals until I got the hang of it - but just make sure you pick stuff that will fill you up. I would also eat a can of tuna with light mayo and cut up a BUNCH of celery and pickles in it - makes a HUGE bowl of food that fills you up and is only about 170 calories (plus, again, more protein) - Just stick with it - it DOES get easier, I promise!
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    If you quit now you'll really be kicking yourself in 3 months when you could be 15-20 lbs lighter than you are now.

    No one said it would be easy, but it will be worth it.

    Stop looking at the negatives (how hard it is, what you can't eat, exercise you dont enjoy, lack of motivation.) Start looking at the positives. Celebrate every victory. (scale, clothing fit, measurements, feeling better, fitness accomplishments.) Delete whiners from your friends list. Surround yourself with positive attitude. Misery loves company and it destroys your confidence and your outlook. Fake it till you make it if you have to, but get your head in the game. Your give up attitude will get you nowhere.

    Find some kind of exercise you enjoy.

    Get used to the idea you will always be on a diet. Whether you are actively trying to lose or are maintaining, this is never-ending. It's a new lifestyle, if you aren't willing to make a permanent change your hard work will be for naught because you will just gain it back.

    You won't be truly successful until you are really ready. Until it clicks in your head you'll yo-yo back and forth until you reach the point you've had enough. Then, you will be like a dog with a bone. Nothing will make you quit. You wont let anything stop you. Are you ready?
  • CaliSteph
    CaliSteph Posts: 142 Member
    Just take one day at a time. Don't look at days, months, years. Just one day at a time. And log it all. Anything that you put in your mouth - just log. You can do this! 3 weeks is a lot of effort, don't give up now. As much motivation as you put out there, remember that you deserve that much and more for yourself!

    Good luck! Feel free to add me and anyone else who needs the motivation.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    Not sure what your approach is, but i may be best to just try to build healthier habits.

    like eating some of what you want and fitting it into your calorie limit for the day.

    This way the changes are less drastic, easier to stick with, and more sustainable in the long run.

    Honestly if you don't do something like that your kind of doomed to yo-yo
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member

    Just keep thinking that a year from now you'll weigh 52 POUNDS LESS!!!! You didn't gain all the weight overnight....you shouldn't try to lose it all overnight.

    Good luck!

    this just made me grin my *kitten* off. thanks!
  • A little trick I use - Eat with a baby fork and spoon! It FORCES you to slow down when you're eating. Also, drink a huge glass of water before every meal - helps to fill up some of that empty space, plus, you know, water's good for you and stuff. Find some easy foods that are tasty and zero prep time. When I was first losing I ate a ton of baby carrots and hummus - fills you up and you get much needed veggies and protein. Also try apples cut in half with peanut butter - again, fiber and protein to help you stay full longer. I stuck with a few key meals until I got the hang of it - but just make sure you pick stuff that will fill you up. I would also eat a can of tuna with light mayo and cut up a BUNCH of celery and pickles in it - makes a HUGE bowl of food that fills you up and is only about 170 calories (plus, again, more protein) - Just stick with it - it DOES get easier, I promise!

    There's some really good advice here. Sloooooow down. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to get the message from your stomach that it's full (cruel, right?), so if you power through without thinking you can easily go from famished to bursting. Take a moment, maybe put down your fork between bites, have a conversation, that sort of thing. I used to make myself be the last person eating. Like that person at a concert who always claps last, but with my dinner. :) I don't consciously do it anymore, but that can give your brain time to catch up.

    Don't quit! There's no quitting, there's just a continual process of making choices that either help you towards your goals or hinder them. We all make bad choices sometimes, then you just focus on making the next choice a good one!
  • koreys1990
    koreys1990 Posts: 23 Member
    my second and third weeks were hard for me because I was eating just what ever was in the house instead of holding myself accountable once i started holding myself accountable it was eaiser to see the pounds dropping off.. try just doing your measurements and that might help you out when you feel down. Please keep up the good work and if you need someone to talk to you can add me.. I have lost 22 lbs and to say it was easy is a lie, but its so rewarding seeing the difference and feeling the difference now.