I'm so sick of being on a weightloss journey!!!

Hey there! I saw your message on the message bored. Our bodies are art. They take time to perfect. Stay patient and be kind to yourself and the changes will come. Friend request me if you would like to stay in touch. Best wishes.

I found that at first it was really beneficial to set short-term goals and not sweat the small stuff. If I had a bad day with food or exercise, so be it. It's a journey, there are bound to be some setbacks, delays, and days where you want nothing more than to just give up entirely. Set a small goal to start off with... Something like "Lose 5 pounds in June." That small, short-term goal is easier to comprehend and reach for instead of "I need to lose 100+ lbs." Once you plow through a few short-term goals, then look back at your long-term goal of 100 lbs, or whatever it is. Mark your progress, set some more goals. Once you get going on a plan and stick to it for a few months, it becomes a habit, which gets harder and harder to break once you've stuck to it for many months.

This is totally normal! I have been on my journey for just about a year now (I have been in maintenance for 2.5 months) and I PROMISE you that if you stick with it, all of your healthy habits will be fully ingrained and it will seem effortless and normal. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT work out 7 days a week (usually 4-5) and I DEFINITELY eat cupcakes! The whole "everything in moderation" thing can't be more true. Could you go through the rest of your life without birthday cupcakes? or pizza? or a huge bowl of pasta with some crazy thick sauce all over it? hell no! But having these things only once in a while is what makes the difference.

I had a really hard time when I was about 1 month in, just like you. I was sick of weighing everything, logging everything, working out all the time, and avoiding my favorite foods only for like a 4lb loss that first month and no visible changes. Time is KEY. I promise! I can't pinpoint what kept me going. I think I was really just so sick of being fat and hiding from life. My life and happiness have improved dramatically since I lost the weight. I feel free and like I can really be myself and not hide from the world anymore. It is so worth it!! Please stick with it!!! Feel free to friend me if you want some support. (Warning: tough love is my style!)

You're making progress! Don't give up. I suggest you look up Nia Shanks, and Beautiful Badass. She's amazing. She wants us to keep it simple and sane. Don't give up everything you enjoy! I'm reading her 10 commandments now and one of them is just eat well most of the time - everyone slips, or has a treat (like birthday cupcakes!). Don't feel guilty. Just move on.

Good luck!

Is only been a month and your giving up. No one said it was easy. Until you truly want to change then what ever we say is actually useless but start your goal small like 5 lbs a month and have yourself a cheat day/meal once a week whichever you prefer. Keep your cheat day/meal no more than 500 calories over your daily limit.(So if you usually eat 2000 cals a day then make it 2500 on your cheat day). Baby steps!

I posted some of this in another forum, but I thought it might help you here too to tell you a little about my experience.

Last year I decided I wanted to lose weight and get in shape. I was very serious and dedicated. I bought a cheap elliptical, got workout gear, clothes, all that stuff. I decided I would exercise 45 minutes a day at least 5-6 days a week.

And I did, for about three weeks. But here's the thing... I was a total couch potato before I started doing that, and it was really hard to go from nothing to that. I was exhausted. My body hurt a lot. So then I went on a work trip, and I had every intention of using the hotel gym, but I forgot my exercise shoes and my sports bra, and then the gym actually cost $20 per day to use, and I fell off the exercise wagon.

I didn't get back on it, either. Once I hadn't been exercising for a few days, I felt so much better. That sounds silly and counter-intuitive, I know, but it was true. I didn't ache, I wasn't tired all of the time! And so of course then I didn't want to go back to killing myself. I felt guilty, so I stopped counting calories and stopped logging into to MFP, before you know it, a year had passed and I was back up to my starting weight.

This time around, I've been using MFP for about twice as long. But I wanted it to last this time for me--my mom has been a yo-yo dieter all my life and I don't want to be that kind of person or live that kind of lifestyle! I read up a lot on the psychology of exercise and weight loss and I heard over and over again that making big drastic changes all at once is hard to sustain

So this time I've started much more simply. A calorie deficit set to lose .5 lb/week. I did that for a few weeks by itself. Then, in order to care for myself on the fitness side of things, I decided to start taking walks as often as I could. Just walks. And no set time limit or number of times per week--just as often as I could. It usually ended up being about 1.5 miles 2-3 times per week. On the days when I don't walk, I try to do some sit-up and push-ups. Again, no set number--just as many as I find the time and have the strength to do.

After doing that for a while, I added in going to the gym during my lunch break one day a week. It's a pretty simple routine, and if I miss a week, I'm still doing everything else and I don't feel like my entire plan for fitness has failed. It also means that if I plan to go on Tuesday and I'm too busy or too tired, I just go on Wednesday instead. I don't feel guilty, I don't feel like a failure, and I'm still being healthy and losing weight.

I'm usually a Plan and Schedule kind of person, but this time around I'm trying to make a long term change that is easy enough for me that I don't want to stop doing it. So far I've lost 17 pounds, which in 2 months is waaaaay more than I expected. It also feels, well, pretty easy. In fact, I'm shocked that I can drink wine, eat custard, cake, pizza, tacos, burgers, etc. (just not all at once!) and still see a loss on the scale. It really feels like a lifestyle change this time around, not a crazy regimented diet.

Eventually, I'll up my gym time to twice a week. Once that becomes a habit, I'll probably up it again, or think about getting involved in a an exercise program, or something, but I'm not thinking too far ahead. One healthy step at a time.

Good luck to you on your journey, and please just consider that it doesn't have to be hard. It can be easy. You can make small steps towards being healthier and still see real results. I hope you find a way to make it work for you!

Congratulations on doing C25k. I think it's the best thing you can be doing. When you're really heavy, yes, you need to focus on your weight loss. But, when you get closer to your weight goal, it's better to start focusing on other fitness related things.

Yes, watch what you eat. However, crossing that 5k finish line in under 40 minutes is so much more satisfying than another pound down. And being active is going to take care of that occasional extra cupcake without you having to worry much about it.

Also realize that the beginning is tough. In a few more weeks, it'll be more of a habit and you'll know generally when to stop eating.

Yeah motivation ebbs and flows and it's important to just remember that this is a long-term (forever?!) plan. So you should never feel guilty about having cupcakes on your birthday!!! I thinkt he first couple of weeks are easier because your motivation is high. Then around the 4 week mark it gets tiring and motivation wanes. You just have to push through and the motivation will come back (and it will wane again at some point, and come back, etc., etc.) I figure I try to be as "good" as possible and take advantage of every day that I feel fully motivated. That way I can feel less guilty for days I don't give 100% on my workouts, or go over my calories, etc.

I know how you feel, it is somewhat frustrating at times. Especially when someone next to you is eating whatever they want! My boyfriend lives on pizza pops.. (my favourite) and chips and HE'S SKINNY! But, the way I've done it, and I feel as though I've been quite successful in my journey so far, that I haven't restricted myself completely. I am a junk food ADDICT and a chocolate fiend! So I have the odd treat. My house has a big bag of little mini dark chocolate squares. I have one every few days when I really want chocolate. (I prefer milk chocolate, but dark fulfills the craving and you only need one or two!) It's your birthday, have two cupcakes! How long is it going to be until your next cupcake? Just remember you can't eat them everyday. But if you're really craving something, have a bit in moderation. Because if you're completely depriving yourself of something you love, you won't stick to your lifestyle change. My whole family decided to go on "Gluten Free" diet. I'm not 100% supportive of this diet, but in support of cutting back carbs. (I'm a carb addict as well... I eat all the wrong things. :P) But now I've cut back a lot, and I feel fabulous! I have probably 1-2 servings of carbs a day and it suffices my cravings. (Plus, if you can eat nuts.. they help too!

Don't restrict yourself completely, remember, slow and steady! If you create yourself something that you'll be able to keep up, you'll succeed. It's not a temporary thing, because after you've lost the weight you have to maintain it! Make a lifestyle change. So don't be super strict on yourself! And if you are that crazy about one extra cupcake on your birthday, add an extra 15-20 minutes to your work out!

We can do it together!

You say "lifestyle"...but you're not treating it as such. "lifestyle" is sustainable. You maybe need to re-evaluate...maybe cut yourself some slack. My lifestyle, for example, includes a whole lot of nutrient dense whole foods and good eating...but you better believe I'm going to have a cupcake or whatever on my birthday.

Lifestyle is about what you do most of the time...you're trying to be 100% restrictive and that is doomed to failure...100% restrictive isn't a "lifestyle" that is generally sustainable.

I eat 80-90% good, nutritious foods...but I also allow myself some pleasures, and do so without guilt. Life would just suck without them. I've also lost 40 Lbs along the way and counting. You don't have to deny yourself all of the time. Take a more moderate approach and really treat it like a lifestyle.