Why can't I just do this?! How did you stick with it???

It's not all or nothing. It's not 100% effort all the time. Change your diet gradually and don't cut your calories too low because that will lead to a binge. You are not responsible for your hormonal impulses. The human body does not like change and generally wants to maintain a certain weight. The taste buds do not prefer a 100% change in diet, even if it is healthier. You have to push your body a little bit each day to accept exercise and healthy food. It took me about 6 months for me to feel like my body bounced back after exercise.

Consistency will win the game. This is not a program and there is not an end point. You have thousands upon thousands of days with millions of small choices that will push you closer or further from your body's ideal. Those choices build up slowly. No one day can make or break anything. Be patient. I woke up fat every day for months, despite doing the right things. Then one day I noticed a little less wobble, and then - bam - I look in the mirror and suddenly the tight clothes are hanging from my body.

I used to give up about half way from my goal weight, because suddenly I'd feel as though I had finished and had nothing to worry about. It would take a while to gain the weight back but I always did. The only time losing weight worked was when I kept it as a permanent lifestyle choice. It's as much effort, maybe even more to stay a certain goal weight for years than to lose weight over a few months. But the improved health and vitality make it so worth it.

You have to change these things over months. I gradually changed my diet until fruits and vegetables started to taste different and delicious. I found lower calorie substitutes to replace the stuff I originally ate. I ate more protein and more fiber. I eat less fat and less calorie dense foods so I can enjoy a higher volume of food without going overboard on calories. I eat more on the days that I lift weights so that I will hopefully hang onto lean tissue while still losing fat.

Here are some substitutes that help if you are craving treats and less healthy foods foods:

Soft serve ice cream
replacement: yonanas banana ice cream (healthy), or skinny cow ice cream snacks (low calorie)

white flour snacks
replacement: fruit, whole wheat breads sweetened with applesauce or sweet potatoes (healthy), or 100 calorie granola bars with minimal sugar

chocolate
chocolate is good for you, empty sugar and grease are not - replacement: cocoa powder and truvia on my cereal, black bean cocoa brownies (healthy), or 100 calorie fiber one brownie bars,

People make this more complicated than it needs to be. Let's be empirical. Eat food which calorically is above you BMR and less than your maximum TDEE. Accurate do this overtime. Done.

I'm in a similar hole right now, my friend. I've had an horrific year or two, emotionally speaking, and although I do not suffer from depression (so far as I am aware) I do seem to suffer from a severe lack of drive and motivation. I think when you're this down it's hard to get up again, and it's a catch-22 to hate what you see in the mirror because it reinforces your negative behaviours (if you're a comfort eater like me, anyhow).

The annoying part is that I've done it all before. I started eating right and exercising and BAM, there went ten kilos. It turns out that it's all about calories in/calories out. That was about four or five years ago now, and the weight stayed off for the first three years as I kept up a healthy lifestyle but as I said, the last two have been murder. Lots of travel, working very long hours in a negative situation and lots of bad, bad stuff happening in my personal life. I do well for a few days and then suddenly binge eat, probably to avoid dealing with the complex and painful emotions inside, and then from there it's a slippery, uncaring slope that's labelled "I'll start again on Monday".

I know it probably doesn't help much for people to say "just do it". Or that you have to "want it". Because if you're anything like me you want it so bad that it just overwhelms you and makes you freeze, which means you can't just do it at all. But educating yourself helps. And finding a reason to do it that you can remind yourself of every time you waver helps. Which is hard when you've never seen what you can achieve, but it's worth trying to have a picture of you and the life you will lead in your head.

What also helps for me is to just not have temptation in the house; to have a fridge that contains lots of healthy options so you have no reason to get take-away food, and so that at least if you do over-eat then it won't be empty calories; and, if this is a long-term problem you've had, seek counselling. I started a couple of months ago and it took a while before anything changed. But one thing sunk in recently - he said "be kind to yourself". So every time I was faced with a decision where one option was "good" and one was "bad", I said "be kind to yourself" and made the "right" choice. Stairs over escalator. Apple over donut. Soda water over wine. If your local supermarket is laid out anything like mine, it is possible to visit only the vegetables, meat and dairy without venturing into the aisles that house the confectionary, chips or chocolate-coated biscuits.

Also, if cooking is not your strong point, learn. I've noticed from a lot of diaries on here that people eat heaps of pre-prepared, processed foods instead of buying a scale and measuring cups and and learning what a portion size looks like. If you don't already know how, learn to steam vegetables and grill lean meat. You can cook a healthy, tasty meal in ten minutes, start to finish. Read fitness-focused cook books and discover how quick and easy it can be to cook healthful food and how to use herbs and spices to your advantage. I know from last time that once you develop a taste for the healthy stuff, deep fried and over-sweetened things actually make you feel really gross to eat and the healthy stuff actually gives you this "light", "clean" feeling.

Good luck and if you need support feel free to add me

I don't know about everyone else, but I do love food that is bad for me just as much as the next person. Pizza is my weakness, and I have a serious sweet tooth (especially chocolate, especially at that TOM). BUT....the way I feel AFTER I eat that food has started to not be worth as much as the feeling of not eating it. I feel SO much better when I eat healthy and exercise, and when I am faced with temptation, I need to tell myself that the taste of what I am craving is so temporary, versus how bad I will feel for hours after I indulge. Personally, healthy eating is so much more fulfilling to me - I have more energy, I feel cleaner, lighter and less bloated and heavy. I've always had a sensitive stomach, so maybe that is what helps me, because I know I will be uncomfortable after I eat a lot of things that are bad for me. For people who don't have any digestive/stomach issues, and bad food does not affect them in a negative way, I'd assume it would be a bit harder to take this perspective!!

Another way to look at it is that food should not be something we reward or punish ourselves with. Tonight at a work party for a coworker, I was not indulging in the pizza, cookies, cakes, etc, and my coworkers couldn't stop questioning me as to why I wasn't eating. (I work overnights in a hospital, the idea of splurging on pizza in my scrubs outside a hospital room doesn't appeal, lol) If I am going to splurge, it is not going to be every day. It's easier to stick to healthy eating if you can figure out how to do moderation. I won't have pizza tonight so I can maybe have a glass of wine or some dessert tomorrow night, when I'm enjoying the weekend with loved ones. I don't feel like I am "missing out" when I don't eat bad food, but I think a lot of people have that mentality, which is what makes it hard to stick. Seeing it as a lifestyle change and not a diet also helps. If you adopt a healthy lifestyle but realize the importance of still enjoying what you love in moderation, you will feel happier and less deprived! There is a time and a place to splurge, and resisting the urging of others (whom a lot of times are overweight themselves), is definitely a challenge, but it does end up making you feel stronger every time you fight the temptation!

Find healthy alternatives to the things you like. I like to take things I love (pizza, etc) and find ways to satisfy my craving in healthier ways. It's fun, and you may discover some new things you didn't even think of!

Throw your trigger foods out of the house. ;^) If I want ice cream, I have to go out and get it. And then I go to the frozen yogurt place instead.

Or eat what you want, but stay within your goal limit. Write down everything when you eat it, and that will let your head know where you're at. There's a phone app, so no excuses. Write it down NOW while you're eating it.

Or if you overeat, go take a walk or run and burn off those calories.

Or go by your weekly totals and not daily, so you don't stress out if you overeat one day. That's what my hubby does.

Or work out like crazy and burn baby burn. Burn off any excess and eat whatever you like.

Lots of strategies, but first -- stop beating yourself up over it. That's just another excuse.

I am exactly the same, great and on track for a short while then off the rails I go!!:embarassed:

I am trying to make myself do more exercise, I really need to move more!!

You'll have to overcome the emotional before you can get over the hump.
If you eat out of emotional reaction every single time, you'll likely always end up at the same starting point.
If food is always the crutch, you'll continue to let it be so.

Replace food with something else.

This sounds about right. Whatever it is you want to do in your life, it's all about attitude and priorities. You have to determine if a healthy lifestyle is a priority. You have to want it more than you want the alternative. Sometimes people just aren't ready. When you're ready to make the change you'll do it!

Maybe I'm not a good one for advice on this, since I've always had a healthy relationship with food and when I set my mind to something I have excellent self-control. Losing weight and maintaining (I've maintained for over 2 years) has not been difficult for me at all. That may be because I have other outlets for stress. Instead of eating my feelings, I find exercise (especially running) to be very therapeutic. As a bonus, it helps me with my health goals. Find a physical activity that you enjoy so you'll stick with it and then just go for it whenever you start feeling stressed. You might also want to look into hypnotherapy to help you reset your attitude and get yourself moving in the right direction. Some people find it helpful.

that's exactly i feeling in the start.... then i start the Running.... ALL my friends mocking me... my best ally is my MP3 player, every time i want to eat something wrong, i walk for 10 minutes and think how will affect me.

if you fix a standard running/walking plan/program after this is easy to think the consequences and to eat the best for you

Takes 12 weeks to develop a habit that you will stick with. THAT is what you need to aim for....12 weeks. Workout every day, eat good every day....it's ONLY 12 weeks. Tell yourself it's ONLY 12 weeks. You can do it, you WILL o it. It's only 12 weeks after all. Anyone can do that right?


Dont have a cheat day, dont have a day off.

12 weeks.

Trust me...... 12 weeks is nothing when you think about it. 3 months is a very short time. It's a season. Nothing. Pffft. Easy.

Hello my name is Chasidy and I have been on my journey to a healthier me since August 2011. I'm very proud of myself and how far I've come. I am determined to reach my goals because it's what I want. In my opinion the secret to "weight loss" is the want to lose weight, but ACTUALLY wanting to do it. Wanting it to the point of sweat and tears. Wanting it so badly that you know nothing else is an option. That feeling of want is called determination. You know deep down that you are determined to do whatever it takes to get yourself the one thing you want the most. If losing weight is something that you want, you will do it! You have to stay dedicated everyday, one day at a time. It's so worth it! When I workout and eat healthy, I feel more alive and focused. I want everyone to know that you can succeed if you just believe! You have to change your mind before you can change your body. Meaning that you cannot let the negative voice inside your head win. You have to IGNORE the voice or CHANGE it! Tell yourself you CAN and WILL do everything in your power to make this change forever because you deserve so much happiness. This is a kind of happiness I could never of imagined and I wish the world could experience it. Enjoy the transformation and watch your body change one day at a time with your hard work and determination! If I can change my life, you can change yours! I have never said this was easy because it's hard work! But I promise you it's worth it! YOU ARE WORTH IT! YOU TOO CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE, ONE DAY AT A TIME! I believe in you!