Had a very tough weekend. Just about quit

Keeping up this routine is HARD. I am not going to lie, but I am proof that slow and steady it does come off. Prior to MFP I was on another site tracking, and lost 30 lbs already.

The rule I live by is 10% goals. I make a goal to lose 10% of my body weight and set a realistic goal. My first was like six months and I didn't meet it, one month later I did. Right now I am aiming for 175, just shy of 10 away, my next 10% goal by June.

Keep at it. I am a full-time student, work part time for the school, am in the middle of my internship, and have three kids at home. If I can do this, you can do this. Keep going!

Definately consider smaller, intermediate goals. Don't give up on the Big Goal, but allow yourself rewards for small successes.

Every little thing helps and should be celebrated.

Keep at it - just had a weekend like that - had too much on and when it came to sitting down and eating I went for convenience rather than healthy - so thats another pound or two that I'm not going to count this week ... but don't stop ... I'll hit it the week after.

I'd worry if I was doing it every day - or even every week - but every now and then I think I can live with. I've got around 20lbs off so far this year - and admit that I do feel better for it ... still got a way to go ... but not going to give in .... :-)

First is first, you need to forgive yourself. Dust off and pick yourself up. I agree it is a time intensive process but you gotta remember what is your goal, are you doing this for yourself? Health? For your kids? Your wife? I had a horrible binge this weekend eating everything I shouldn't have but did I enjoy it. Yes I did, can I continue that life style no. I dusted off reminding myself why I am doing this and got back on track.

Be like water, stop worrying about this and that, just remember 1 pounds loss in a week is just that, 1 pounds lose. Progression is still progression regardless what form it takes. Keep to it, that's all I can ever ask, because you didn't get fat overnight. We all have our own monsters to vanquish you are not in it alone.

I understand your frustration, but maybe you should think about it in a new light. When you look at it as "quitting" you're already losing, because that is you telling yourself you're doing something "out of the ordinary" or hard. What you're doing isn't "out of the ordinary," it's your new "ordinary." As long as it's something you see as a chore it's not going to be sustainable. Fitness is about a lifestyle change - I guarantee when you reach your goals you'll never believe you did and ate half the **** you did before.

I'll give you a little anecdote. There are two women at my work who both weigh roughly 250lbs. Woman A met with a nutritionist and started losing weight at ~2 lbs a week about a year ago. Woman B has been on Weight Watchers, Food-Lovers diet, Atkins, and South Beach. I was at lunch with Woman B last week and asked her how her diet was going - she told me she was disgusted because she only lost 5 lbs in her first month and is switching back to Weight Watchers. Later that day I saw Woman A and she looked fantastic. She has always been incredibly quiet about her weight loss and has trouble talking about it, but I dragged it out of her because she noticed my changes as well. What was her secret? She kept going. She didn't quit after a month and "just five pounds."

Now I doubt Woman A would say her journey has been easy, but with how she looks and feels now, it seems like the easiest thing in the world; a real no-brainer. Woman B struggles every month because "nothing works." "The Tortoise and the Hare" exists for a reason. It's what I tell everyone - it takes you years to put weight on, what makes you think it's going to come off any faster?

It's cliche and stupid, but true: "Winners never quit, quitters never win." There is nothing wrong with having an "off" day as long as you realize what you are putting in your mouth and the work it's going to take to live with it. For proof: I had ~4000 calories this Saturday at "boys weekend" (there was a lot of alcohol involved...). Today I am sore sore sore from the football and other exercising I did to get "back on track." Monitoring calories doesn't exist to stop your life, it exists to enhance it in the long run!

You can do it ShunkyDave - stop swinging your legs and get back in that ring! In a few months everyone is going to be asking you "what your secret" is. And deep down inside you're going to know it was one small step at a time, day after day, not a race to the finish line. Good luck!

There have been some really good responses here so far. I hope that you take the time to read them and find what works for you.

I just have two things for you: The advice about the "new normal" is exactly right. You can't look at your eating as a temporary change or that it is some way restricting you. Eating healthy just needs to be the only option. You can't even think about the decision because then you will feel like you are denying yourself something. That leads to cheats, which just leads to making deals with yourself, which leads to more cheats and that defeats the whole purpose. You can find healthy alternatives that you will enjoy. The difference is the mindset. Healthy choices aren't a punishement or a restriction. They are a positive thing that you are doing for yourself. If and when you do slip, don't beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and move on. Make a different decision next time and celebrate the fact that you did. It's all about focusing on the positive.

Second is the way I look at goals. I, too, have a lofty goal of 100 pounds. I set my goal ticker at 80, but that's because I will be doing the happy dance and then setting a new goal when I get to the 80. But the important thing is that I don't look at my goals as a win or lose situation. I have targets that I would like to reach by a certain time because that helps me visualize what is in my future - I like to know what the prize at the end of rainbow looks like. But I know deep down inside that even if I miss the deadline or even if I stabilize at 75 out of the 100 or whatever, I have won. I won the day that I put the junk food away and walked around the block for the first time. Why? Because I was already healthier than I was the day before.

You have made the decision to make a change. You have taken some action towards it. You are already a winner. The key now is to get your head into the game and move forward. Look at every day as a victory and focus on the positives. Every step you take, every calorie you don't consume, every meal that you make better choices about is a big win. Use the wins to pump yourself up. Pretty soon the wins will become bigger and bigger and the momentum will take over.

The fact that you took the time to write and post your story says a lot. You reached out to a great group of people and many have reached back. Not everybody can get the ball rolling by themselves. For a lot people, it's easier with a support group. You clearly have one with the people on this site. Keep using us when you need us. We'll make a difference in our lives and we'll help each other when necessary.

Really wonderful and thoughtful responses so far.

I’ll just ask you if you’ve given some thought to why you are on the journey in the first place? Maybe you started for one reason (a contest, a bet, just happened to download the app). But maybe the reason you are on the journey now is different. And for a few hours this weekend you just lost connection with why this journey has meaning for you.

Or maybe, you’ve just been doing and not feeling and thinking. And you’ve just reached the point in the journey where you can’t move forward without going inside. Don’t be afraid of it, and don’t feel shame if it doesn’t come together for you in one hour.

I just don’t think we can lose 20, 40, 50, or 100+ pounds without some internal shifting as well as the external. But sometimes that internal shift is harder than all the healthy eating and P90X in the world.

I did the same and gained 3 pounds this weekend.