Need Encouragement

grewmullins
grewmullins Posts: 16 Member
in Motivation and Support
I restarted MFP last Monday and I was really excited about getting serious about losing weight and getting in shape. Monday through Thursday I did great, exercising, staying below my calorie goal and felt better thn I had felt in a long time. Then the weekend. I knew it would be a tough one as I had a few outings and family coming in from out of town (and they love to eat,). I saved all my calories for Friday evening and then I landed at a party starving and started stuffing my face and overdoing the vino. I woke up Saturday feeling defeated and it was downhill from there once the family arrived. Today has been a disaster because I have that "gotta start a diet on Monday" mentality. Just need some MFP buddies to prop me up so I can get back in the saddle tomorrow.

Replies

  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Don't beat yourself up. We all have our days when we slip. Start over on Monday, and stick to it.

    I have been on this journey for 18 months now, and spent 6 months gaining and losing the same 5lbs or so. I finally broke through the plateau the day after I broke all the rules--skipped the gym, didn't drink enough water, and probably ate too much.
  • cfathletes
    cfathletes Posts: 4
    We are all human! We fall short of our goals and often exceed them. Dwelling on what has already occurred skews our vision on what needs to be done. Keep your eye on the prize and keep reaching for your goals. I often take my own food with me when I'm going to get-togethers with friends and family. This way I stick to my diet and can still socialize. Cheat MEALS are ok during the week if you adhere to your nutrtion plan throughout the week. Perhaps next time instead of starving yourself all day, continue to eat as your normally would on your nutrition plan and just eat a little something extra at your event. It will prevent you from overeating and keep you on track the next day.

    Keep up the good work!

    Nichole
    www.nicholecruz.com :smile:
  • ahavoc
    ahavoc Posts: 464 Member
    #1, forgive yourself and move on. These kind of things are going to happen. What's important is that you go right back to your program. You go right back to exercising. Don't use this as an excuse to quit. After being on program for a while, you'll find that eating the way you used do won't appeal to you. But you can have wine, you can eat lots of things. Just plan for it better in the future.

    Because, why don't you deserve to be at the weight you want to be at? Why don't you deserve to feel good about yourself, feel happy, and healthy? Why don't you think you deserve it? Because you do!

    So stop whining, start loving yourself and your life, and make it happen. You're the only one who can.

    Remember, you're not going on a diet. Everything you eat is your diet. Your just going to change your diet up a bit. Eat more reasonably and healthy so you can have your splurge days. Athletes and active people, eat pizza, and pasta, and ice cream. They just don't do it all the time. If 80% of the time you eat well, then you'll be 80% better than you are now, and splurging once in a while won't be a big deal.
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    Even though you can save your calories, it's usually a bad call, due to the fact you end up extremely hungry by the time you do eat, then end up binging.

    Will power, self control and determination will pay off in the end. Don't deprive yourself of the things you like, just eat them in moderation.

    Also, if you want a blow out, I found doing extra exercise is the key. So you want to eat pizza and chips/fries on Friday night, so double your exercise for that day if you can, earn some extra calories so you can stay within your allowance for that day, it beats starving yourself all day then binging later on.
  • JumpingDog
    JumpingDog Posts: 125 Member
    I just did this sort of thing a few days ago. I basically ate 700 calories over my goal every day for a week but as soon as I got home I went back to my typical (except for that klondike bar I ate today). It was a vacation.

    If I did the math though, all of those days only add up to maybe 1 lb of fat, if I'm lucky. I came back 3 lbs heavier though - likely water. The point is, don't get down on yourself. It takes a while to build fat; you aren't going to be significantly heavier from one weekend. It is sustained caloric surplus that results in weight gain.
  • mdgivens
    mdgivens Posts: 206 Member
    One day, or even one weekend, isn't going to do you in. Like others have said, just like it takes a while to lose, it also takes a while to gain. Just get back at it! Use the weekend as motivation to dial in your diet more, go harder, and do what you need to do to get where you want to be!
  • wendyc321
    wendyc321 Posts: 1
    Hi I am really struggling to lose weight ive kept to the calories allowed however despit lots of exercise I have failed to lose weight . I do eat lots of carbs before I exercise but I do martial arts but still not losing . Ive had an hystrecyornmy this year maybe thats why I cant lose weight . I feel like giving up :( at least id be able to eat more food if I gave up lol . I never struggled before to lose weight with myfitness pal Please help :(
  • rose228822
    rose228822 Posts: 186 Member
    I restarted MFP last Monday and I was really excited about getting serious about losing weight and getting in shape. Monday through Thursday I did great, exercising, staying below my calorie goal and felt better thn I had felt in a long time. Then the weekend. I knew it would be a tough one as I had a few outings and family coming in from out of town (and they love to eat,). I saved all my calories for Friday evening and then I landed at a party starving and started stuffing my face and overdoing the vino. I woke up Saturday feeling defeated and it was downhill from there once the family arrived. Today has been a disaster because I have that "gotta start a diet on Monday" mentality. Just need some MFP buddies to prop me up so I can get back in the saddle tomorrow.

    Don't give up and I will be more than happy to give you support and encouragement along your journey if you want to add me as a friend. Weekends has been hard for me until last weekend when I went out with my sister and this time checked out the menu beforehand to see what healthy choices I could make and my food ended up being delicious but low cal and low sodium.
    I also love wine but keep it at a limit but it's still better than a mixed drink:)
    Stay focused and motivated and having a goal even a small one will help...take care - rose
  • Meeks8108
    Meeks8108 Posts: 3 Member
    I suggest you pack healthy snacks and keep them with you at all times (trail mix, fruit, veggies and dip) also, don't think of it as "cheat meals", allow yourself to have some flexibility in your diet, but you must be consistent with it and stick to as much clean eating as possible. I love sweets, so instead of adding fruit w/ high sugar content, I'll add stevia drops and have like a vegan cookie (because that's actually what I want) and I don't beat myself over it. :flowerforyou:
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    as much as I would like to think we can stay the course 24/y the reality is we cannot.. life happens and sometimes it derails us on a TEMPORARY basis..accept what happened.. plan to adjust for it if it comes up again ( when not if LOL)..I ended up having to travel for a family emergency.. of course I could not eat like I usually eat.. usually I keep track of calories and so forth.. but being out and not really knowing the counts of the food I was getting I switched into portion control instead...it helped me feel like I was not just completely blowing it.. Hang in there...start again and keep swimming!!
  • musicboxes
    musicboxes Posts: 133 Member
    Focus on today...set your goals for today....today is a new day....forget yesterday & tomorrow. Tracking everything you eat & drink is a biggie. It is so amazing to see what you are really eating as opposed to what you think you are eating. Also it's a great tool to review the things you are doing right & the things you need to work on. You are on the right track...Yes, You can do it!!
  • Gianna44
    Gianna44 Posts: 124
    Everyone falls off the track now and then. The ones who eventually succeed pick themselves back up and keep on going. You learned from this (not to go to a party starving); each meal is an opportunity to begin again.

    You can do this!
  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
    Don't worry about it, you've done great so far, just remember tomorrow is a new day! I often fall off the wagon on weekends - it's tough being social and keeping up with this, but instead of just giving up then, I start over the next day. This is a lifestyle so there are going to be times when you can't stick to your calorie goals and that's totally fine! Feel free to add me if you want :)
  • QueenWino
    QueenWino Posts: 106
    You just took a step off the path, you didn't stop MFP. If you don't have a life filled w/potentially incredibly fun or fulfilling social interactions that might cause you to go over your cals, what is the point? My rule is to not punish myself ahead of time for fun I know I will have in a few days; instead, I might skip an extra snack or dessert ahead of time, but my cals are at the necessary to life levels all week and I eat well on the day I know I will be starting an eve of excess. I've had to go to dinners, entertain, and have a million drinks w/friends since starting this journey but I've been pretty consistent in my weight loss. It is slow, but it will work itself out. One good thing I did recently was plan a hangover food day. Before, I'd eat a pizza or burgers because everyone knows you need grease to cure it right? This time, I made sure I had food I'd want to eat that wouldn't take me further away from my goals and it was fine. Don't ruin the pleasure you hopefully had w/regrets over too many calories ingested - that is a form of sabotage and will keep you from your success.

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