What Gets You Back On Track?

Remembering my long term goal some times helps me get back on track. If you really feel like you might gain this week, why not skip the scale and try again next week? There is nothing wrong with not weighing in every week. If you recognize that a gain on the scale could derail everything, than you have to do what you need to in order to make it through the next week. Just remember how great it is going to feel when you get to goal!

Good luck, you can do this!

I'm feeling a little bit the same..I still follow the guidelines but I'm not as mentally into it the last few days, and last night I went out drinking which put me over a few hundred calories.
I guess what keeps me making sure that today I will do 1200 is the fact that it's a new day, and I get to start over again.
At the same time, you and I both have already lost a little over 10 pounds. That didn't happen by magic! We did that..so let's try to remember the work we put into our past weight loss so we don't regain it. It'll be easier to continue than start all over again

Stay focused!!! Don't let the 4 weeks you have put in go to waste. Weekends are my hardest time for keeping on track but I make an effort to burn more calories when I workout on those days. Forget the scale for a week, don't get hung up on those numbers for 1 lousy week! Keep it up!!

I don't know if this is controversial or not, and may not even be the healthiest thing you can do, but sometimes when it starts to snowball (like, 'Oh well, I ate an entire chocolate cake last night, there is no hope for this weigh in so I mind as well polish off the last two naan breads" you know how it is) I fast for a day. Not as a long term plan, just to put what *hunger* is back into perspective. That way i can remember what my body is telling me, and what my mind is justifying. As I said...not a healthy long term plan, just something to get put back on track. If a whole day of fasting is a little over the top, maybe sticking to a totally green/fruit diet for a day.

I've been doing mfp for a little over 4 weeks and have lost 20 pounds. I'm not looking at this like a diet, but am trying to change what and how much I eat. I've tried the south beach diet, and made it about a month several different times. I can't stick to it because it is too strict. I "fall off the wagon!" In looking around on the website, I found you can change what you keep track of: calories, carbs, fat, etc. Every week, I have changed some of the things I watch. This week, one thing is sodium. So I'm trying to find different foods low in sodium. This is a challenge because there is so much sodium in a lot of the low-fat foods I've been eating. I made up my mind to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. So I made time this morning to wash blueberries and clean and cut up celery and cauliflower so that it's in my fridge when I want a snack. I read a tip on AOL that when you get a craving, don't give in right away. Clean out a drawer, or vacuum, but give yourself a "job" to do to keep busy for as long as you can. Most of the time that craving goes away. When it doesn't, have something on hand for those cravings that's sensible. I like to keep 100 calorie snack packs on hand. I have chocolate (oreo crisps), sweet and salty, and a few others. I find if I absolutely have to have something, one of those will take care of my craving, and I'm not blowing it. I also bought a pair of jeans that are the next size down a couple weeks ago. When I got them, I couldn't even pull them all the way up. This morning, I could, but still could not button them. But they are now within reach! A couple of more inches to go. Have you measured your hips, waist, and neck?There's place to put your measurements. My neck and waist didn't change, but after 4 weeks, I have lost 3 inches off my hips. What a great feeling! Progress!! I am more determined than ever to get into my "new" jeans. I started walking on a treadmill a week ago. Haven't exercised in years, but I can walk a mile without stopping. Make sure you eat all of your calories and drink, drink, drink water. My friend was stuck and I told her she had to drink water and eat all of her calories (she wasn't doing either) and she got "unstuck." She doesn't eat meat, eats a lot of carbs, and she's still losing. Forget about last week, keep foods in your house that you can eat, and keep plugging away! You can do it!!!!

I talk to my sister-in-law on the phone or in person when I'm struggling. We're both on here, and we're both working towards our goals. We help motivate each other. I think MFP is great for motivation and staying on track, but it helps if there's someone you can talk to IRL when the going gets tough.

Everyone is different..so of course what "gets me back on track" is gonna be different from the next person. In general tho I think that at 4 weeks in, you are gonna have to focus on the fact that this is a journey and that doesn't mean a straight shot with steady losses each week. This 4 week chunk with be just that, a tiny chunk out of your entire journey : ) Hope that makes sence.

For me there are certain triggers that generally get me "off track." So I just try to avoid those things and focus on how much stronger I am than everything/everyone else trying to throw me off course. I AM in charge of ME not anyone or anything else.

I don't know if this is controversial or not, and may not even be the healthiest thing you can do, but sometimes when it starts to snowball (like, 'Oh well, I ate an entire chocolate cake last night, there is no hope for this weigh in so I mind as well polish off the last two naan breads" you know how it is) I fast for a day. Not as a long term plan, just to put what *hunger* is back into perspective. That way i can remember what my body is telling me, and what my mind is justifying. As I said...not a healthy long term plan, just something to get put back on track. If a whole day of fasting is a little over the top, maybe sticking to a totally green/fruit diet for a day.

Fasting is actually biblical, and though it does deal with spirituality, I think most people acknowledge that the physical/mental/emotional/ and spiritual are all connected, so I believe there's nothing wrong with fasting every now and then. But like all things- moderation. I think this is a brilliant way to get back on track, and I may just borrow it the next time I "fall" off track.