Some of you will fail.

uconnwinsnc
uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have many friends on MFP that haven't logged on in months. I look at their page and see, "I will not fail." "I'm ready to change." "I'm ready to do this!" "Getting in shape is all I want." I don't want to be the person to say it, but I want you all to know the harsh reality that there will be some of you who will fail. Some of you will sign out tonight and not come back. Some of you will start eating like your old habits and go back to what turned you into who you are today. I want you all to really be conscious that. Although you think you're invincible, you are most certainly not.

The bright side of recognizing this harsh reality is this: Just because you failed doesn't mean you are a failure. You can always, no matter what point in life you're at, make the changes need to better your health. It takes dedication and an understanding that this journey is not a fictional tale. This isn't a linear story about a man/woman who started off being fat, cried a bit, and then got in shape with an, "I can do anything" attitude. This is realty. It is unforgiving and can put you on your back and keep you there. It is quite alright to sign out of MFP and become inactive on the site. But never become inactive in your real life.

Replies

  • doll28
    doll28 Posts: 8 Member
    I agree totally with what you said. I see the same things with the few friends I have. right now. I need friends like you for motivation. Thanks for sharing. :)
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    sooooo not logging in means eating poorly and gaining weight?

    good to know. thx.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    Yes! Thanks for sharing! :-) Apparently, the average length of time someone sticks with a weight loss plan is just 3 weeks. The first week or two is easy because you drop all your water weight, but then the weight loss slows down, we get demotivated and fall off the wagon.

    I have realised that, for me, this is nothing to do with motivation or willpower any more. It's about my choices. I am an adult and I can do whatever I like, therefore if I make choose to not look after my health, then it's no-one else's fault but mine if I fail.

    I will not be one of those people!!
  • SymphonynSonata
    SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
    In
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:


    This
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Me too. In it for life.
    Don't follow fad diets. Get rid of bad habits. For life.
  • crystalcastles9
    crystalcastles9 Posts: 38 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Positivity is what it's all about!!!
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    sooooo not logging in means eating poorly and gaining weight?

    good to know. thx.

    Way to skip on the last and most important two sentences of the entire post, buddy. Not logging on to MFP was what sparked my thought, not the end-all and be-all of failing at weight loss: " It is quite alright to sign out of MFP and become inactive on the site. But never become inactive in your real life."
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Of course people will succeed. As long as the person follows a sustainable plan it is very likely they will succeed.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
    Every diet I went on before I joined mfp I had the 'I can do it' attitude. Failed every.single.time.

    When I joined mfp I didnt put the pressure on myself. I didnt think 'this is is it'. I thought I would give it a go but to be honest expected it to end up like every other diet Ive been on....in failure. I didnt tell people I was trying to lose weight (as I have in the past), I didnt proudly proclaim every time I shifted a lb. Apparently the lack of pressure worked for me. That and the fact that I now realise I can still eat the things I like, just in moderation.

    I find the people on my friends list who enevitably give up are those who consistently fail to meet calorie goal, spend ages exercising and not eating enough, and those who use pills or shakes etc. They are just making the change to drastic and far more difficult than it needs to be.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Me too. In it for life.
    Don't follow fad diets. Get rid of bad habits. For life.

    So, is the glass half empty, or half full? Or is it just too damn big?
  • aarnwine2013
    aarnwine2013 Posts: 317 Member
    I will be a success. I will be at a healthy weight and I will be fit and active. I think the difference this time is I realize this is a process not a quick, I gotta get in those jeans in two months kinda thing.

    Educating yourself on what is sustainable is the way to go. It's hard when I don't see the scale move, but I remind myself at least it isn't going up...

    My killer legs I'm building by running and the fact that I'm more active has me hooked. It's great to feel good! Sure looking good will be nice too, but I love how I feel! I'm addicted!
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    I will be a success. I will be at a healthy weight and I will be fit and active. I think the difference this time is I realize this is a process not a quick, I gotta get in those jeans in two months kinda thing.

    Educating yourself on what is sustainable is the way to go. It's hard when I don't see the scale move, but I remind myself at least it isn't going up...

    My killer legs I'm building by running and the fact that I'm more active has me hooked. It's great to feel good! Sure looking good will be nice too, but I love how I feel! I'm addicted!


    Here here... Good comment
  • Veggie_mama
    Veggie_mama Posts: 77 Member
    For some it's easier to put the weight on. It's not easy to get the weight off, especially if you've struggled with it. Not all will succeed, not all will fail. It takes hard work, willpower and support of people here and in your personal life to get through. I believe that everyone can succeed if they put forth the effort and have that belief in themselves that they can do it, because really, they can.
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
    When I accepted the fact that I am not invincible is when I was ready to allow myself to fail and get back to it.
    If failures propelled years of bad habits in the past, those cycles now are shorter and do not last more than a few days. I can now catch myself in time and use one of the many tools I've learned to dealing with whatever made me go back to bad habits.

    Failing seems so scary- but once you cross that line, you see it's not the end of the world and you can always come back.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Me too. In it for life.
    Don't follow fad diets. Get rid of bad habits. For life.

    So, is the glass half empty, or half full? Or is it just too damn big?

    Half empty or half full, this just means there is more room in the glass for alcohol...
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    The sucky thing is when you log in, log food and workout regularly and still don't reach your goals or even get close ...
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
    Not it!
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
    I would much rather look at the other side of things. That's the inspiration for those of us that do log. Who cares about the people that don't, they won't see this post anyways.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    On the other hand, some of you will succeed. :drinker: I've been here on maintenance for over three years now. It's easy and it's a habit now. I have no reason to stop. If you stick with it long enough to make it a habit and you decide you want it more than you want the comfort and familiarity of your old ways, then you'll do it and you'll end up loving it! :flowerforyou:

    Me too. In it for life.
    Don't follow fad diets. Get rid of bad habits. For life.

    So, is the glass half empty, or half full? Or is it just too damn big?

    Half empty or half full, this just means there is more room in the glass for alcohol...

    I like the way you think.
  • skinnysushicat
    skinnysushicat Posts: 138 Member
    Some of your freinds may have had other health or family stuff they needed to deal with. Maybe they liked another diet app better or moved to a cave with no internet. Maybe they have been hospitalised, or lost all their weight some other way and decided MFP wasn't for them. Maybe some are dead, married, or went to the moon. Maybe they lost a bit and decided to take a break. Maybe they got too busy getting their PhD or finding a cure for cancer.

    My point is, just because someone is not on MFP, does not mean they failed. Or that they are a failure.
  • ChristineRoze
    ChristineRoze Posts: 212 Member
    I have failed before, i counted my calories once before and ended up putting back on weight, not all of it but enough to get me back on! I do hope that this is the time that it sticks forever.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member

    My point is, just because someone is not on MFP, does not mean they failed. Or that they are a failure.

    Literally my ENTIRE thesis is summed up in the penultimate and final sentence and you ignored it...
  • skinnysushicat
    skinnysushicat Posts: 138 Member

    My point is, just because someone is not on MFP, does not mean they failed. Or that they are a failure.

    Literally my ENTIRE thesis is summed up in the penultimate and final sentence and you ignored it...

    Fair enough.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    I agree, typing on a website i will not fail, this time I'm here for good, I need to change my life won't make it so unless you get out and do it. I have bad days and I get out and run. I have bad days where the day before I ate a meal I shouldn't have, but the next day, I'm back on the horse and back to business. it just depends on the person if they really want a change and willing to sacrifice their time (which is really all they are sacrificing) and do something to better themselves. some people tell me they wish they had my motivation to get out everyday (except recovery days) and run 6 miles. I'm at the point where 6 miles is my normal and today I must muster the energy to run 9 miles. I have done it once, i can do it again. I won't stop until 10 miles is my new normal. I want it that bad. I'm willing to take the time to train no matter what. this is part of me now, I won't and can't give up.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Pure inspiration right here.

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