Calling all long-time "losers"

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Amandac6772
Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
in Motivation and Support
Like a lot of us on here I can be successful for the short term. I started May 31 and have been totally committed until October. I shouldn't say totally, I've had some slip ups..weekends are bad for me. I wil say on the weekend "I'll get back on track Monday". Then I'll have a good day and then two or three bad days. Well this week that equates to a 2 lb gain...it took me almost a month to get the last 1.6 lbs off. All I can relate it to is a couple of stressful life events and an injury that I think was related to overtraining. I can exercise...love, love, love it but the eating thing is killing me.

So how do the long-time losers get over these humps??

Replies

  • maritajane
    maritajane Posts: 17
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    I can really relate to this - it is so hard to get the weight off and then if you just slip for a day or two it all comes back on (and more). The only way I can lose weight is to be totally committed the whole time. This means watching every calorie. Myfitnesspal really helps as it makes me more aware of how much I am taking in and burning. But it'a a slow old process, and really boring. I feel pathetically pleased if I have lost half a kilo in two weeks. The worst thing is that I know I can't drink and lose weight, so that has got to go too.
    I have been fighting obesity for years, with greater or less success. But every now and again I can see that it's either take action or go up another dress size! The misery.
  • k2charmed4u
    k2charmed4u Posts: 282
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    Personally I think everyone is different in their approach to weightloss and their commitment to how much life changing things it involves.
    I've been losing since May last year and my main approach was exercise. I never did exercise! As soon as I did it just completely left me I lost 24lbs May 09 - April 10. When I had emotional problems I would turn to comfort for food but I've managed to change my way of thinking so now that if I have problems I actually don't get hungry.
    For me perserverance is the key. I moved into my own place in may and I only buy food that I will eat for dinner, no treats. My treat is a bowl of my favourite cereal (love the stuff). My parents were holding me back in the fact my mum cooked everything for when I was home from work and they always bought crisps, biscuits, chocolate, cheese etc. None of which I buy now. I've lost another 24lbs in 4 months a huge difference to the first 24. I've lost 48lbs and I know there is no chance on earth that I'm going back to the way I was no matter what. The whole process is psycological (can't spell) and it's about finding a way to "re-programme" (if you like) your approach to food and your attitude with yourself and what you need to do to change for the better.
    I hope this helps :)
  • championnfl
    championnfl Posts: 324 Member
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    Substitute something in place of eating! Sounds like [don't know] your making excuses for your weakness[easy to do] when stresses,problems, or unseen events come up!
    Need to first get mentally ready to do task.Then don't give yourself a reason to fail [eat]...Have a can do attitude,90% mental 10% physical! Do you think you can? You will!....[see 90% mental] Visual picture of yourself [after reaching goal] is Important! ...... See it to achieve it!!!!:wink:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    I feel like I've been at this forever. I was very committed until my wedding in August 2009, but after that I fell off and slowly piled on 20 lbs. I felt like a total failure. I'm back at it now, and I'm realizing now, more than ever, that this has to be a forever change or I'll never be able to maintain my losses. Right now I'm trying to concentrate less on dieting and more on exercising and making general healthy choices. Like the 2 mile run I'll take after work today, or my afternoon stop off at the farmer's market.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    I have been in maintenance mode since August and have discovered that it is actually harder than losing weight! Mainly because it is harder to stay motivated, as I found watching the scales decrease each week and all the lovely compliments as I lost so motivational! Now I just have to keep doing it for myself and we all know how hard it is to do something for ourselves! I slip up quite often, but what I am doing differently than when I was in weight loss mode is to weigh once a day (when I was in weight loss I only allowed myself to weigh once a week). I still log all my calories here on MFP; and every 2 weeks, I write my weight on my bathroom mirror as a log to see where I have been in comparison to where I am. If I gain 3 pounds, I use that as my determinate that I have to tighten up and quit slacking off. Our weight does fluctuate 1-3 pounds in general I believe, so I generally don't "panic" over those 1-2 pound differences. Portion control is my nemesis, so if I am going to eat something "bad" I try to be more accurate in my portions (but I often fail here, it is just what I try to do !!!). All I can really say is that this is a new lifestyle and I know I do NOT want to go back, so I start each day fresh, log my calories, exercise several times a week and forgive myself when I mess up. Good luck to you! IT is tough but you are tougher!!!!
  • Natalie43
    Natalie43 Posts: 122 Member
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    i find i need challenges to stay motivated.
    i have slowly built up my running and now take part in local events maybe one race every 3-4 months. it doesnt have to be a marathon, fun runs work for me just as well.
    I tell family and friends i am taking part so they encourage me, and if i commit to a race with sponsorship, i feel inspired by the charity i am helping.
    long may it continue!
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
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    i find i need challenges to stay motivated.
    i have slowly built up my running and now take part in local events maybe one race every 3-4 months. it doesnt have to be a marathon, fun runs work for me just as well.
    I tell family and friends i am taking part so they encourage me, and if i commit to a race with sponsorship, i feel inspired by the charity i am helping.
    long may it continue!

    I was thinking that I really need to take part in one of the challenges here on the board to help me. I've decided for now that I'm just going to take it a meal at a time, a decision at time and try to refocus on healthy living. I really do want this to be a permanent change but it is so easy to fall back on what is comfortable. I can't wait for my comfortable place to be a healthy place instead of a gorgefest place.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    You just hit the nail on the head. Take it one decision at a time. Always ask yourself, BEFORE making decisions, "how will these HELP me get healthy." If the answer is it won't, you know what to do. Notice, I didn't say to just avoid the things that hurt you. I said to ONLY do things that will HELP you. It's easy to get overwhelmed when we think about big tasks, especially those that are supposed to take a long time like losing weight. One day, one meal, one decision at a time is how you get there.

    You mentioned "slip ups" and "bad days". How is this even possible? Before you eat anything, put it in. Then try to put in everything else you plan to eat that day. You can always change it later, but you'll know exactly where you stand. All you have to do is follow the plan. Understand right now that how you "feel" is WRONG, and is NOT helping you. Feeling hunger does NOT mean you need food, and being satisfied doesn't mean you DON'T need food. Being sad, or stressed, or overwhelmed, or happy. . .what does any of this have to do with food? NOTHING. The sooner you cut that connection between feelings and food, the sooner you can get on with your life. I'm hungry right now. Really hungry, actually. But I just had a big breakfast, and sometimes my body screws with me and makes me feel hungry after a big meal. I'm certainly not going to eat anything, because I learned a long time ago that my body is usually wrong about what it needs. That's what got me in this mess in the first place.

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