Does one mistake ruin it?

sassynoise
sassynoise Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
Why after one mistake do I automatically want to throw in the towel? Do I think I have to be perfect? Did I think I wouldn't make any mistakes on the journey? Am I that upset with myself that I posses no forgiveness? Wow I guess I do. That needs to stop! I'm so accepting of others imperfections and have plenty of patience. I need to apply all that to myself. Blah Blah Blah but what does that look like in real life?
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Replies

  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    What was your one mistake? If it was eating too much, pick yourself up, dust off and start again tomorrow, one day makes very little difference in the larger scheme of things.:flowerforyou: If you have too restrictive of a diet plan, you can always look into setting your calorie goals for a moderate deficit and eating a bit more. And if you enjoy foods that you are thinking of as 'bad' and are unsuccessfully trying to eliminate them, maybe start a plan to incorporate them in moderation. There are no bad or junk foods, some are just more nutrient dense than others and all can be incorporated into a successful weight loss plan. I've lost 123lbs in 15 months and I have ice cream everyday. This is an excellent thread if you haven't read it yet:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Edit for spelling
  • DanIsACyclingFool
    DanIsACyclingFool Posts: 417 Member
    If you think about it, all you really need is more good days than bad!
  • cevalid
    cevalid Posts: 59
    With every 'diet' I have tried, I had the 'throw in the towel' mentality as soon as I broke one rule so I understand completely.

    I've now been logging and working on this for a month, which isn't that long- but a long time for me personally. Despite overeating the same week that I started (the first Saturday I managed 4000 calories), I'm still here and getting better every single day.

    The way I managed to keep it up despite my days over was to initially make it about a commitment to logging, rather than dieting. I wanted to see two whole weeks of an honest food diary, regardless of what was IN that diary. I achieved it. Then I decided I wanted to see a month of an honest food diary, and I wanted to get that food diary showing a few more healthy, low calorie days.

    Don't know if it will work long term, but for the first time I'm just doing it week by week and it has had me going longer than anything else.
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
    It can be hard at times. You get frustrated and think, "I might as well say screw the whole day and do whatever I want and start OVER!" But the truth is, there are 365 days in a year. If that picture is too big, go to there are on average 30 days in a month. So, you messed up a little bit on ONE DAY out of 30. That means you have another 29 days to make it right. Because in weight loss, life changes, and getting healthy it is all about long term. So, if you went over calories, what helps me is to think of that big picture. And I don't know if you have noticed it yet, but from your 'Home' page there is a tab up top that says 'Reports'. Click on that and then check out you cals over 30 days. I add the cals up and then divide by the number of days and then you have your average. This helps because you see that hey, I went over by a few hundred this day, but over the next week I was under and the average came out to where you wanted to be! It REALLY helps you to see the bigger picture and not freak out over the days that aren't where you would like them to be. :smile: And it's even a suggestion I've made to the MFP suggestions page to be able to have the function of checking your average over the last 7, 15, and 30 days.
  • Colorburst29
    Colorburst29 Posts: 8
    I was running5 miles a day everyday, then stopped in September. Haven't run until this last week. It's hard to get motivated again, but mind over matter so to speak. I forced myself to do it again and so far so good.
  • arianadawn
    arianadawn Posts: 3
    And I don't know if you have noticed it yet, but from your 'Home' page there is a tab up top that says 'Reports'. Click on that and then check out you cals over 30 days. I add the cals up and then divide by the number of days and then you have your average. This helps because you see that hey, I went over by a few hundred this day, but over the next week I was under and the average came out to where you wanted to be! It REALLY helps you to see the bigger picture and not freak out over the days that aren't where you would like them to be. :smile: And it's even a suggestion I've made to the MFP suggestions page to be able to have the function of checking your average over the last 7, 15, and 30 days.

    I was just about to come on here to make a post about the exact sme thing. Yesterday and today I seriously screwed up. I wanted to give up yet again. However, i am sticking to it, it has only been a week and a half since I have been starting over once again in trying to lose weight, and I was set to give up.
    I am really glad you told us about the reports. I am going to last through this for the month and will look forward to see how much weight I have lost and how I did with tracking food and exercise!
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
    Just one of those things that happens when your mind wants to give in. Here is some quotes from Kai Greene that help me get back on track



    People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past and getting on with their lives.

    If you think the pain of making a necessary change is too much for you to endure, wait until you one day experience the pain of having not changed, and when there’s not enough time in your life left to take back control of where you are, how you are and what you are.
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    If you're putting a container of eggs into the fridge and one falls and breaks, do you throw the rest on the ground? No, you clean it up and put the rest of the eggs into the fridge.

    Dropping one egg is okay, as long as you clean it up. :)
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    I think some people have that all-or-none mentality because they want an excuse to quit.

    If this is about food, I think that moderation works much better than restriction. Forbidding yourself something you want gives the forbidden thing power over you.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Unless the mistake is fatal, no it doesn't ruin things.
    I've gone over, under and sideways multiple times through my weight loss / get fit regimen - underate, overate, missed workouts, snapped something in the weight room, totally blown days, and in some cases weeks...
    And yet, here I stand in quite literally the best health and fitness in my life at the age of forty six.

    Change is hard. Your body and mind will rail against it. Tell them both to shut the hell up.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    It's the old "diet" mentality. This is real life. We are not always perfect and birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, office parties and life happen and we need to keep living. Yes I will have that piece of cake or stuffing or whatever maybe I will exercise away the calories or maybe I will be a little over one day. As long as I am following the plan most of the time I can get over the little obstacles without a glitch.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    I used to be 50 lb overweight. I was eating all the foodz, and drinking all the beer.

    Then, one day, I had a salad and a glass of water.

    Boom - all that fat, that I had been working so hard on for years - GONE! That hard won beer belly undone by one day's healthy eating.

    One single day!!! That's all it takes people. Be ever vigilant!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i remember failing a test pretty hard freshman year. i still managed to graduate.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    No one is perfect. Pick yourself back up and do better the next day! :smile:
  • openskybeach
    openskybeach Posts: 294 Member
    i remember failing a test pretty hard freshman year. i still managed to graduate.

    That's a cool way to look at it.
  • beckizzle
    beckizzle Posts: 118 Member
    If you're putting a container of eggs into the fridge and one falls and breaks, do you throw the rest on the ground? No, you clean it up and put the rest of the eggs into the fridge.

    Dropping one egg is okay, as long as you clean it up. :)

    Good analogy.

    Walt Disney and Henry Ford all went broke before they made it big. Imagine if they threw in the towel after when they were bankrupt...

    Don't give up!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Don't try to be perfect, just try to be good enough.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    I strongly recommend that you sign up for Nia Shank's eNewsletter and read this blog: http://www.niashanks.com/2013/04/break-free-ocd-eating-build-better-body/ .

    But to answer your question, no, one mistake won't ruin it. This is a very, very unhealthy mentality to start. Break free from it now and you'll be much happier and successful, I promise.
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    Why after one mistake do I automatically want to throw in the towel? Do I think I have to be perfect? Did I think I wouldn't make any mistakes on the journey? Am I that upset with myself that I posses no forgiveness? Wow I guess I do. That needs to stop! I'm so accepting of others imperfections and have plenty of patience. I need to apply all that to myself. Blah Blah Blah but what does that look like in real life?

    It looks like you making choices, logging those choices and accepting the choices you've made. It's called living your life.
  • mikeykhan2003
    mikeykhan2003 Posts: 177
    OP, you need to get sassy with yourself and get back on it!
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    If you don't make mistakes how can you learn to be better?

    Barely competent people never make mistakes. Live within the safety margins and never go anywhere.

    Craftsmen and women, masters of their crafts, constantly worry about their performance, go up blind alleys are never satisfied, are constantly re-assessing and progressing.

    Ask yourself do you want to be barely competent or do you want to strive for mastery?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    i remember failing a test pretty hard freshman year. i still managed to graduate.

    now you mention it, I once got 3% on a piece of coursework at university. Anyone familiar with British universities systems of marking would understand just how dire a piece of coursework would have to be to score that low.

    I was allowed to retake the module, and I got a 2:1 in the end. Lucky first year modules didn't count towards the final grade :laugh: (although I almost didn't make it to the 2nd year...)
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    If accidentally murder someone, yes, that mistake might ruin your life.

    If you eat a bag of Doritos and a carton of ice cream, that does not ruin it. There would be no fit people on the site if that was the case. It's the choices you make most of the time that count.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    also, think of babies learning to walk. If a baby learning to walk falls over, they get up again and fall over again and get up again.... no parent sees their baby fall over for the first time and says "nope, this baby of mine is never going to manage to walk, may as well just keep them in a stroller for life"...
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    If you're putting a container of eggs into the fridge and one falls and breaks, do you throw the rest on the ground? No, you clean it up and put the rest of the eggs into the fridge.

    Dropping one egg is okay, as long as you clean it up. :)

    That was deeeeeep :tongue: lol great analogy!!!
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    it is not about perfection.....it is about progression.
  • OfficiallySexyVal
    OfficiallySexyVal Posts: 492 Member
    No one ever said this journey would be easy, it is most definitely far from it.
    However, one mistake does not ruin the whole journey. Lord knows I have had my fair share of ups and downs. I went from being a fairly healthy person to after having my son and losing the first 50lbs I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and Thyroid disease now after losing another 52 the doctor has advised me to not work out due to an arrhythmia in my heart so on top of it all I am now seeing a cardiologist.
    Life gets hard, it is very hard for me to accept that I have only lost 20lbs in a year but all in all I still need to be thankful for those 20lbs and be thankful that the eating I have been doing because of my stress hasn't caused me to gain an insane amount of weight.
    Today is my day one of eating clean again and I am so glad to be back at it. So if you were to ask me, no one mistake definintely doesn't ruin your journey. Your journey is ruined if you let your emotions and bad habits get the best of you. Good luck with your journey, you can do this!
  • iRun_Butterfly
    iRun_Butterfly Posts: 483 Member
    The only way one mistake ruins it is if you let it. We all have bad days, even the most successfull among us, but this is a long term change, if you want it bad enough, you won't let one mistake, or two mistakes ruin it.
  • SkinnyBubbaGaar
    SkinnyBubbaGaar Posts: 389 Member
    I used to be 50 lb overweight. I was eating all the foodz, and drinking all the beer.

    Then, one day, I had a salad and a glass of water.

    Boom - all that fat, that I had been working so hard on for years - GONE! That hard won beer belly undone by one day's healthy eating.

    One single day!!! That's all it takes people. Be ever vigilant!

    Quite effective, this reply.

    Does really put it all in proper perspective when you flip it upside down, doesn't it.
  • swtposey
    swtposey Posts: 12
    Consider baseball. Even if you don't like it, read on. Even the greatest of the great failed 60-75% of the time. "Batting 500" is failing half the time and that's almost an impossible average to maintain over the course of the season. But even the greatest of the great kept trying despite knowing that they would fail at least half the time if not more. Even with your bad days I'll wager that you've met your food and exercise goals more than half the time. Hey, you're Babe Ruth!!

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