So tired of yo yo dieting

SunsetSafari
SunsetSafari Posts: 39
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone. Over the past few years I've lost and gained weight so many times, that it seems like my whole life is one big failed diet. Sometimes I get so tired of it and I wonder: how do I ever break the cycle.
Dieting always goes great for a while because i know that "this time will be different, I can feel it", then it gets hard, I often push through, however, and get really close to my goal weight when I decide that life gets in the way, I'm too stressed, worried, have too much work to foccus on the diet and let it all go big time. I stop eating right, stop exercising and I end up back at square one, but with a few extra pounds, kilos, each time.
Anyone have any advice on how to break this cycle?

Replies

  • princesslucylou86
    princesslucylou86 Posts: 35
    Aw sounds just like me!!! I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to kick this awful habit....I find keeping photos of when i was slimmer and pics when im porkey helps motivate me! Good luck! xx
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
    So, don't "diet". Make changes to the types of foods you eat, eat smaller portions, allow for a few "naughty" foods on occasion, track every morsel of food and drop of drink on MFP to hold yourself accountable, get moving (and I'm not even talking about a hard workout; cleaning house with enthusiasm and thinking of it as "working out" works for me), and you'll lose.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    Agreed... and now I want a grilled cheese. Haha!
  • kilverstone
    kilverstone Posts: 89 Member
    I was thinking the same thing about the grilled cheese. However previous posters are correct, it is a lifestyle change and change is by its very nature not easy. We are creatures of habit, so make a new habit. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, that's such a small commitment. You can do anything for 21 days, make your health, your fitness, your LIFE a priority. :) You can do it! Happy to help support and motivate you if you need it.
  • SunsetSafari
    SunsetSafari Posts: 39
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    I agree with everything you say... I guess I already know it. I know this is a lifestyle change, I know it'll make me feel better, I know i should do it for me... Yet I still fail time and time again... It's like when stress kicks in, I reach for comfort, and that's food, yeah, I know, it's lame but true.
  • SunsetSafari
    SunsetSafari Posts: 39
    Aw sounds just like me!!! I think you need to be in the right frame of mind to kick this awful habit....I find keeping photos of when i was slimmer and pics when im porkey helps motivate me! Good luck! xx

    Yeah, those pictures :smile: sometimes I flick back and fourth between two of them and see the drastic change.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    I agree with everything you say... I guess I already know it. I know this is a lifestyle change, I know it'll make me feel better, I know i should do it for me... Yet I still fail time and time again... It's like when stress kicks in, I reach for comfort, and that's food, yeah, I know, it's lame but true.

    So then, say to yourself "My health is not a priority. My life is not a priority."

    If that doesn't feel right to you, start by making SMALL changes. If you start to get stressed, re-train yourself to NOT need food. Food was my automatic comfort (and sometimes still is if I'm stressed enough). I now write, or go punch the heavy bag. Find a healthy way to deal with your stress, and THEN focus on the next steps. They say it only takes 21 days before something becomes a habit. That's not even a month.

    You first have to believe in yourself, and then you have to have the determination and the willpower to follow through with it. I can say with myself, that my previous times didn't work because I wanted and expected a quick fix. I didn't want to put in the effort, the YEARS that it'll take to change myself. But if I don't do it, no one is going to do it for me. And why not NOW? Every day, every minute, every SECOND is another chance to make the healthy decision.

    It sounds to me like you already know all of this. You just don't want to put in the effort to get the results. You don't want it to "get hard" for you.
  • SunsetSafari
    SunsetSafari Posts: 39
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    I agree with everything you say... I guess I already know it. I know this is a lifestyle change, I know it'll make me feel better, I know i should do it for me... Yet I still fail time and time again... It's like when stress kicks in, I reach for comfort, and that's food, yeah, I know, it's lame but true.

    So then, say to yourself "My health is not a priority. My life is not a priority."

    If that doesn't feel right to you, start by making SMALL changes. If you start to get stressed, re-train yourself to NOT need food. Food was my automatic comfort (and sometimes still is if I'm stressed enough). I now write, or go punch the heavy bag. Find a healthy way to deal with your stress, and THEN focus on the next steps. They say it only takes 21 days before something becomes a habit. That's not even a month.

    You first have to believe in yourself, and then you have to have the determination and the willpower to follow through with it. I can say with myself, that my previous times didn't work because I wanted and expected a quick fix. I didn't want to put in the effort, the YEARS that it'll take to change myself. But if I don't do it, no one is going to do it for me. And why not NOW? Every day, every minute, every SECOND is another chance to make the healthy decision.

    It sounds to me like you already know all of this. You just don't want to put in the effort to get the results. You don't want it to "get hard" for you.

    You're right. I don't like stress, I don't like feeling unhappy. I want a quick fix, not just for the weight loss, but for the stress, tiredness, etc. And sometimes, I must admit, I think I've even told myself: my health is not a priority right now, it's studying, it's this, it's that... I'm gonna try as hard as I can this time. Thanks for the advice: sometimes it's good to hear someone talk about you: it makes you see things clearer.
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    I agree with everything you say... I guess I already know it. I know this is a lifestyle change, I know it'll make me feel better, I know i should do it for me... Yet I still fail time and time again... It's like when stress kicks in, I reach for comfort, and that's food, yeah, I know, it's lame but true.

    So then, say to yourself "My health is not a priority. My life is not a priority."

    If that doesn't feel right to you, start by making SMALL changes. If you start to get stressed, re-train yourself to NOT need food. Food was my automatic comfort (and sometimes still is if I'm stressed enough). I now write, or go punch the heavy bag. Find a healthy way to deal with your stress, and THEN focus on the next steps. They say it only takes 21 days before something becomes a habit. That's not even a month.

    You first have to believe in yourself, and then you have to have the determination and the willpower to follow through with it. I can say with myself, that my previous times didn't work because I wanted and expected a quick fix. I didn't want to put in the effort, the YEARS that it'll take to change myself. But if I don't do it, no one is going to do it for me. And why not NOW? Every day, every minute, every SECOND is another chance to make the healthy decision.

    It sounds to me like you already know all of this. You just don't want to put in the effort to get the results. You don't want it to "get hard" for you.

    You're right. I don't like stress, I don't like feeling unhappy. I want a quick fix, not just for the weight loss, but for the stress, tiredness, etc. And sometimes, I must admit, I think I've even told myself: my health is not a priority right now, it's studying, it's this, it's that... I'm gonna try as hard as I can this time. Thanks for the advice: sometimes it's good to hear someone talk about you: it makes you see things clearer.

    Remove the word "try" from your vocabulary. You'll either decide to do it or you'll decide to give up. "Do or do not; there is no try." ~Yoda
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
    #1: It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change. This isn't just to lose weight. This is to become healthy, to live a longer life, to live a life free of disease and medical issues.
    #2: It's all mental. It's not you "shouldn't" eat that stuff, it's that you "don't". You don't eat sugar, you don't eat fast food, you don't eat crap.
    #3: Only you can figure out what motivates you. I was tired of how I felt, how much I hated my body, and how much people doubted me when I said "I'm going to lose weight.". I want to be healthy for ME, for my future, for my unborn kids, for my fiancé, for the things that I want to do. I want to love my body, not be ashamed of it.
    #4: Even if you eat one bad meal, get back on the horse. One salad doesn't make you healthy, one 'bad' meal isn't going to make you unhealthy. However, all that weight didn't happen overnight, so its also not going to come off overnight.
    #5: Just ****ing do it. I was the same way. However, I was tired of making excuses for myself (because that's all I was doing). Some days I hate getting up to go to the gym. ****ing do it anyways. Some days I hate not having a grilled cheese. ****ing eat my salad anyways.

    You can do this. Is your health, your LIFE a priority to you, or is it not?

    I agree with everything you say... I guess I already know it. I know this is a lifestyle change, I know it'll make me feel better, I know i should do it for me... Yet I still fail time and time again... It's like when stress kicks in, I reach for comfort, and that's food, yeah, I know, it's lame but true.

    So then, say to yourself "My health is not a priority. My life is not a priority."

    If that doesn't feel right to you, start by making SMALL changes. If you start to get stressed, re-train yourself to NOT need food. Food was my automatic comfort (and sometimes still is if I'm stressed enough). I now write, or go punch the heavy bag. Find a healthy way to deal with your stress, and THEN focus on the next steps. They say it only takes 21 days before something becomes a habit. That's not even a month.

    You first have to believe in yourself, and then you have to have the determination and the willpower to follow through with it. I can say with myself, that my previous times didn't work because I wanted and expected a quick fix. I didn't want to put in the effort, the YEARS that it'll take to change myself. But if I don't do it, no one is going to do it for me. And why not NOW? Every day, every minute, every SECOND is another chance to make the healthy decision.

    It sounds to me like you already know all of this. You just don't want to put in the effort to get the results. You don't want it to "get hard" for you.

    You're right. I don't like stress, I don't like feeling unhappy. I want a quick fix, not just for the weight loss, but for the stress, tiredness, etc. And sometimes, I must admit, I think I've even told myself: my health is not a priority right now, it's studying, it's this, it's that... I'm gonna try as hard as I can this time. Thanks for the advice: sometimes it's good to hear someone talk about you: it makes you see things clearer.

    I needed someone to do it for me, so maybe it'll help you. But you know something? That weight, it attributes to your stress and tiredness. I started working out and have SO much more energy and it's such an awesome stress reliever. Exercise while you watch TV, or listen to an ebook for class. Or walk and read. You've got time and you've got a way... now you just have to want it bad enough. :)

    Edit: I agree with above poster. Remove 'try'. You're GOING to do this. "Trying" leaves room for failure. And you know what failure equals? An unhealthy body and early death.

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