Having trouble staying on track with MFP

When I am feeling unmotivated it really seems to help to make sure I track all the calories I eat...ESPECIALLY on a bad day. Then when I click my 'complete the day' button on the bottom of the food page and it shows me what I will weigh if I continue..well that can be enough to get me back on track.

Other things...pull out the fat pants and put them on. Do you really want to go back there? I also like to review my goals and imagine why I started on this journey in the first place.

Finally, remeasure yourself or do your initial measurements. Those numbers don't lie! When you see how many inches you are down that can be really motivating!

If you are looking for additional support, add me as a friend! Good luck and stick with it. You have such a great start going! And look at it this way...what would it feel like now if you had to carry an additional 25 lbs with you everywhere you go!?! Grab some weights and try it. It is really exhausting!

Sorry...read your ticker wrong. Thought it said 24 lbs lost. :blushing:

I agree with the others. I FORCE myself to log on my bad days - it's too easy to keep having bad days otherwise. Heck, I just had one yesterday. Recognize that a higher calorie day is not the end of the world and won't hurt you. Having 7 of them in a row, well, that might do a little more damage.

I have to step on the scale everyday also. Otherwise I'm like an ostrich with my head in the sand thinking things couldn't be that bad.

Oh, cards!! get index cards. Write on each one a different reason why you want to lose weight (I have like 5 that say "look good" - not all of them have to be "to be healthy" - lol) and read those when the going gets tough. Sometimes its easy to forget why we want to lose weight and focus on what we are giving up in that moment in time - this helps keep me focused.

I've actually made a friend on here that we keep up with each other almost every day...If I don't hear from her or vice versa our emails start blowing up and even our phones..Its really nice having someone who is keeping me accountable for my actions and helping me stay on track, and support me on my roughest days. I say find someone...someone who will go to the next level of support then just the usual "way to go" or "good job".. Its kept me from giving up.. good luck!!

Try eating healthier versions of what you crave.
Try eating portion sizes of what you crave.
Dont cut urself off completely of everything all at once. I still go out for dinner and such which i enjoy with my boyfriend, but I just order differently then i did before. To many changes at once make it easier to fall off the wagon, little changes at a time, and eventually ull be eating perfect wihtout even thinking out it.
Imagine yourself weighing even more weight than your heaviest weight and imagine how ur body will look.
Look up pictures of morbidly obese people and say i dont want to look like that.
Look at your own self in the mirror and tell urself u dont like the extra rolls u see.
Work what u eat around what u want... so have a low cal breakfast/lunch to have a higher calorie dinner.

I had steak and mashed potatoes last night with Wendys for lunch, and a second lunch had a sandwich with veggies. and snacks & candy & beer. I cheated a little bit, but I stayed under my calories and still made pretty healthy choices minus the 2light beers and a piece of easter candy.

If you want french fries, make home fries, lay ur taters on a baking sheet that is greased with 0cal olive oil spray then spray ur taters with it too, and season with garlic and pepper, onion, red pepper flakes maybe, parsely or other seasonings, 350degrees for like 20minutes, flipping over half way... and then one potatoe worth is 100calories, filling, and not deep fried in oil making it fattening or salted increasing ur sodium.

If you want a cheeseburger, make it urself with lean burger, a small amount of cheese or a low cal cheese, no mayo, lettuce, and whatever other veggies u want, on a wheat bun/bread..

Fried chicken---portion of chicken breast dipped in egg white and no yolk then instead of bread crumbs or whatever, use ground up fiber cereal.

Whatever u want, create a lower cal, healthier version of it.

Or if u just have to have that mcdonalds burger and there isnt any other option for u, order it plain or without mayo, eat half the bun, half the cheese, and only single patty, and instead of fries have the salad.

When u go out for coffee, order it sugar free fat free, even the 20oz at that point r only 100cal cuz of the milk instead of 500 or whatever.

Be accountable for everything u eat, and enter it, u cant make progress if u cant see that ur doing badly right in front of u.

I've actually made a friend on here that we keep up with each other almost every day...If I don't hear from her or vice versa our emails start blowing up and even our phones..Its really nice having someone who is keeping me accountable for my actions and helping me stay on track, and support me on my roughest days. I say find someone...someone who will go to the next level of support then just the usual "way to go" or "good job".. Its kept me from giving up.. good luck!!

That's a really great idea - sort of like a stalker, but in a good way!