What Gets You Back On Track?

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Caper88
Caper88 Posts: 418 Member
in Motivation and Support
I feel like this week has been a real bust for me. It is my 4th week and so far the hardest. I feel like the scale is going to show again so why bother keep trying. Once I see a gain or think I am going to show again, I want junk food even more. So what helps you to get back on track after a bad week? What do you do the fallowing week to lose even more weight?

Replies

  • goohan
    goohan Posts: 155
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    thats happening to me at the moment, i just keep telling myself that its not about loosing weight its about good habits and the slower you loose weight, the longer it stays off xxx
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    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!
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    My own confidence keeps me going. I'm overly confident that I can do anything and that sort of conceit helps me. I don't do anything for anybody except myself. I'm selfish like that. I take life as a challenge, and when it tried to take mine, I took it back.

    I feel that a lot of people's personalities play a vital part into how they perceive their own struggles. Personally, any damage I've done to myself, I accept, because it was my decision to do the things I did. And no matter what that decision was, it was the right choice for me at the time. I'm not one to sugarcoat BS to people. I'm honest enough to have them realize that they get themselves into situations and that they're looking for a way out that doesn't involve their own actions, but I'm supportive just enough to also have them realize that if they're strong enough to take a downfall, they're strong enough to rise above it.

    So, to finally answer your question, fluctuations in weight will always happen. It's just your body readjusting to a new lifestyle. It will take time, so don't get discouraged. The more you do the right thing, the more your body will listen. By giving into the feeling of "it's not worth it if it's not going to perform the way I want it to," then you're pretty much gonna set yourself up for failure. I'll just work a little bit harder over the next week and know that it will pay off. Instant gratification will produce instant consequences. Whether you consider them good or bad is up to you.
  • happy_vegan
    happy_vegan Posts: 200 Member
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    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 :)
  • lbarrett74
    lbarrett74 Posts: 12
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    Focusing on the long term. Having a bad day or even a bad week is normal. Forgive yourself and move on!! Keep your eye on the prize!
  • sapmart
    sapmart Posts: 16
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    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!!
  • YourFriendBecky
    YourFriendBecky Posts: 229
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    I do get off track occasionally and then get myself back on track by reminding myself that it's not that hard to log my food... that if I log my food, I will probably lose, but will at least maintain... and if I don't log it, I tend to gain.

    Becky
  • esthersnippe
    esthersnippe Posts: 6 Member
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    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.
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
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    Focusing on the long term. Having a bad day or even a bad week is normal. Forgive yourself and move on!! Keep your eye on the prize!

    I am so with you on that. Same advice I give to myself. Best thing to do.....'nuff said:drinker: (water)
  • Caper88
    Caper88 Posts: 418 Member
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    I think its my personality. It keeps popping in my mind "why did I bother to struggle the other three weeks if I was going to blow it this week". I feel bad and guilty now that I think I put on weight that I worked very hard to get off. I am really wishing I had of measured inches as well. Now I will not know if a gain or stand still is because I am gaining muscle or put more fat on.

    Is it a good thing to gain muscle while trying to lose fat. My main goal is to lose fat.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    I feel like this week has been a real bust for me. It is my 4th week and so far the hardest. I feel like the scale is going to show again so why bother keep trying. Once I see a gain or think I am going to show again, I want junk food even more. So what helps you to get back on track after a bad week? What do you do the fallowing week to lose even more weight?

    The fact that my clothes are much tighter. When I **** up, I go so overboard it's ridiculous. That or this mental switch in my head goes off.
  • pippimarie
    pippimarie Posts: 3
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    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!!!!
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    Treat every day as a new day, and don't use yesterdays mistakes as an excuse for what you do today. I have had problems with alcohol consumption in the past, and with hindsight, I was forever making excuses for myself - 'oh well, I had a skinful of beer last night, I might as well do it again, I've failed' - that is so not true! Try varying your exercise routine - I walk a lot, but yesterday I played a game of squash (racquet ball?) for the first time in 2 years - hey, I didn't win, but really enjoyed it and have another game next week. I just found an old coffee table in the garage, and cut the legs down to 12" so I can do some 'step-ups' whilst watching TV in the living room! My wife thinks it's hilarious, but I'll be the one laughing this summer, when I reach my target weight and have to buy a whole load of new clothes!

    Don't let yesterdays failure get in the way of today's success - stay focussed, and you'll be happy you did when you look back at the progress you made. Good luck and best regards,

    David (friend requests welcome)
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
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    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.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I've been working on getting healthy for 3 years, have lost 250+ lbs and its always come down to what is it that I really want. I was sick, tired, unhappy and my overall quality of life was not good. Doctors were actually talking about amputating my legs because I had infections in them for over 2 years and it was a constant battle not to have it spread to the rest of my body. So right there that was powerful motivator to start losing weight. But once I lost some, legs healed up I almost crashed & burned. Went through a period of not focusing on the real issue and that is I didn't want to be "dieting" off and on for the rest of my life. If I could get to the point that eating well & exercising was part of my life, that would be such an accomplishment.

    So every time I'm tempted or I stray, I come back to that. Some of the little techniques I use:

    I write down my mini goal every single day. Right now its reaching my goal weight and being able to do a 2 minute ab hold (plank on elbows).
    I have my "mantra's" posted where I see them every day.
    I try to prepare things in advance. I know the night before what I'm doing & what I'm eating. If I'm having tuna for lunch I prep it the night before and I put out my gym clothes before bed.
    The last 30 lbs has been a struggle, but its really come off since I've been consistent about using MFP. Showed me that I was getting a little sloppy with my diet and then once I got that under control I realized I wasn't eating properly/enough for the amount of exercise I was doing. Plus the support, and information is crucial to focus & making good decisions.

    Bottom line: decide what you want, then YOU have to do it. Now matter times you restart, if you want it bad enough you will do it.

    Good luck.
  • TakeOne
    TakeOne Posts: 345 Member
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    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.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    I think its my personality. It keeps popping in my mind "why did I bother to struggle the other three weeks if I was going to blow it this week". I feel bad and guilty now that I think I put on weight that I worked very hard to get off. I am really wishing I had of measured inches as well. Now I will not know if a gain or stand still is because I am gaining muscle or put more fat on.

    Is it a good thing to gain muscle while trying to lose fat. My main goal is to lose fat.

    Yes it's a good thing to gain muscle. Not in the sense of bulking up, but gaining lean muscle. Strength training to tone your muscles. To do that, you do use weights and/or resistance bands and you use light weights/resistance, but you do more reps. That will specifically build lean muscle which will lead to losing fat.
  • SmartFunGorgeous
    SmartFunGorgeous Posts: 699 Member
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    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.

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