Need mega help to keep me focused

Hi,

I've been using MFP for just over 1 week now, but have been trying to lose weight for ages (mixture of weight watchers, rosemary conley, fast diet and calorie counting - I'm in the UK). But now I have really got to get serious and stop faffing about. I'm getting married in 10weeks and 2 days, and I have my dress fitting in just under 3 weeks!! aaahh!!
Now, my wedding dress does fit. But when I tried it on the other week my first thoughts were "I'd like my waist to be thinner" and "god my arms are big"

A little bit about me - I have a 6 month old baby. I have lost 1st 10 (24lbs) since she was a couple of days old. I still have about 10lbs of baby weight to lose, and another 4st (56lbs) of lazy greedy weight!! lol I enjoy exercise when I actually do it, but often find loads of reasons to keep putting it off. I often have good intentions food-wise, but lack enough willpower to say no to food if I start to feel crappy (tired, annoyed etc). I also often make the wrong food choices, mostly because I haven't planned my meals properly. I am also a chocoholic!!

What I would really like is some friends on here who can badger me every now and then (a lot in the next 3 weeks). I can't keep asking my other half, as when I have a bad day he gets his head bitten off, bless him.

So anyone, especially people in the UK, please feel free to add me. Hopefully we can be of support to each other. I plan to log on to MFP every evening at least (time when I am most likely to hit the choccies!!!).

Good luck to everyone, wherever you are in your weight loss journey.

Replies

  • ColdFeetWarmHeart
    ColdFeetWarmHeart Posts: 18 Member
    Anyone???
  • AquaFan
    AquaFan Posts: 309 Member
    Feel free to add me. I'm on daily and I always try to be supportive. :) Congrats on the baby and the upcoming wedding.
  • ColdFeetWarmHeart
    ColdFeetWarmHeart Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks AquaFan. Have sent you a friend request.

    Thanks - new baby, impending wedding and trying to lose weight!! Absolute madness!!! lol
  • brisingr86
    brisingr86 Posts: 1,789 Member
    Feel free to add me. I'm on every day. I don't have the baby or upcoming wedding (congrats on both), but a lot of the rest of your story sounds familiar. Make sure your diary is public or open to friends.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Nobody can give you motivation, or do it for you. You don't need pushing online from strangers, you don't need handholding. You need to motivate yourself to get off your *kitten* and actually do it. Log everything you eat, and I mean everything. It will be a relevation as to how much and what you actually eat. Exercise...just do it. NO excuses. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is UP TO YOU and nobody else. And if you don't have the determination, you will just stay as you are, and you have to live with it. Bottom line.
  • SassyMom23
    SassyMom23 Posts: 112 Member
    Congratulations on the new bundle of joy and your upcoming marriage! Feel free to add me also. This site is great and I find the people to be very supportive.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    Hey!

    Feel free to add me! I am always on and try to encourage and support everyone daily!

    Some things that helped me stay focused and motivated through my workout were:

    Pinning an old photo of me in a place where I can see it daily. It was a Christmas photo taken of me in 2011 that got my butt into gear to lose weight and live a better lifestyle. Even though I've reached my goal, that photo still stays pinned up in my home office. When I am feeling lazy or not into working out, one look at the photo gets my butt to the gym!

    A visual board. I have one in my home office, and one on Pinterest. They are full of fitness pictures, motivational and inspirational quotes and pictures. They keep me reminded of what my lifestyle goal is: To stay healthy!

    The keys to my weight loss: Exercise, portion control, moderation, substitution and healthy eating. I exercise 5-6 days a week. 2-3 non-consecutive days are dedicated to strength. Watch your portion sizes and educate yourself on what a REAL portion is. It can be quite shocking! My favourite kitchen tool is my Food Scale. It's a great investment! Substitution. When I am craving junk food like chips or ice cream, I try to substitute for something healthier; Air-popped popcorn or yogurt. If I really must have the real deal, than that is where the portion control and moderation really kicks in. Have that one scoop of ice cream but just watch how often and and your portion size. I love pairing a scoop ice cream with mixed berries. You get more volume with less calories! If I must have chips than I count out about 10 and pair it with salsa. Again more volume but less calories. Carrot and celery slices with Hummus is a great substitute as well!

    Another tip I would recommend is changing up your exercise routine. I change mine up about every 4-5 workouts. That way your body is always guessing and doesn't fall into routine. I think that's what kept me from a plateau.

    Good luck!

    And again feel free to add me :)
  • TnDMommy
    TnDMommy Posts: 15 Member
    Feel free to add me. I have a 4yr old and a 2.5 year old.
  • ColdFeetWarmHeart
    ColdFeetWarmHeart Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks to everyone who has added me as a friend, or invited me to add them. Hopefully we can all be of support to each other, and share tips and things when times get tough!!

    MelsAuntie - yes you are right. I have to do this myself. No-one else can do the exercise and lose the weight for me. But in the real world I am pretty much on my own here. I don't need hand-holding. I need support and encouragement, and more importantly advice! I have a lot of weight to lose, and the most I have ever lost before is about 21lbs before hitting a weight loss plateau. The main reason for me hitting the online community on MFP is to get different ideas off of people, especially if I hit a hard patch and don't understand what I am doing wrong. After all, weight loss is not as simple as "just eat less and move more" as many people, including UK health officials, try to tell us.

    Crazybookworm - thanks especially to you and your very helpful post.
    I have already found "thin" photos of me, which I am keeping close to hand to remind me of what I am aiming for. Finding the fat pics are a little harder as I have hidden from the camera for years lol. Though I am sure there are some family members that have taken the odd sneaky snap when I wasn't looking, so I will look into that. I have got a picture from our engagement party last year that I absolutely hate (but I was pregnant then!). I think tomorrows mission is to get the photocopier working and then pin both the fat and thin pictures up all over the flat!
    Thanks for the diet tips - I think for the next ten weeks at least I need to give up everything!! I seem to have a bit of an all or nothing attitude when it comes to food. I can't seem to have just a square of chocolate, or a scoop of ice cream. One little relapse seems to lead to a binge, and until I work out why I do that and how to stop, I just need to give up everything for the time being. I really want to learn how to just have the odd treat though - that skill is something I want to pass on to my daughter.
    I am quite busy at the moment (with baby and wedding), not that I am trying to make excuses. But what I am going to do exercise-wise is plan my workouts (and meals) for the next 2 weeks, and see how that goes. If the weight loss starts to slow down then I will sit back down and revise my workouts.
  • slw0107
    slw0107 Posts: 15 Member
    I would love to keep in touch. You have such a great goal to look forward to though - that's cool! I'm in the UK too, so will add you. Good luck!!!