Just started and afraid I'll quit
ladystarr
Posts: 56
Hi everyone. I am very new to myfitnesspal.com and I just started my diet on Saturday the 11th. I'm 22 and for most of my life, I have been overweight. As a child, I was chubbier than the other kids and suddenly when I hit 12 and until 16, I was happy with my weight, since I lost a bunch. But from 17-now I gained it back and more! Every time I tried to diet and exercise, I would last about 2 weeks to a month and then I would quit.
I think it hit me hard a few weeks ago when I was walking up the stairs and was so much out of breath. I'm about 5'10" and weighed in at 245 pounds. That number really hit me hard and I could not believe I let myself get this far. My thing is, I'm so afraid that after two weeks I'll quit, but amazingly, it's been 6 days and each day I have cut back in calories significantly, been walking, and trying my best to do the exercises from the 30 Day Shred. The first day I began to walk, I thought I would pass out in the driveway on the way back up, but today, I felt so much better. I am already seeing small results, but still I am afraid.
Have any of you had that problem? You give up so easily and then when you try again, you are afraid it will happen like before?
Honestly, I feel so much better within these 6 days and every day when I wake up, it is so nice to see the small changes in my stomach and legs. I'm hoping that using my fitness pal will help with tracking the foods and calories I take in, which so far, I am enjoying. My total goal will be to lose 70-80 pounds, but I am taking it 5 pounds at a time.
I think it hit me hard a few weeks ago when I was walking up the stairs and was so much out of breath. I'm about 5'10" and weighed in at 245 pounds. That number really hit me hard and I could not believe I let myself get this far. My thing is, I'm so afraid that after two weeks I'll quit, but amazingly, it's been 6 days and each day I have cut back in calories significantly, been walking, and trying my best to do the exercises from the 30 Day Shred. The first day I began to walk, I thought I would pass out in the driveway on the way back up, but today, I felt so much better. I am already seeing small results, but still I am afraid.
Have any of you had that problem? You give up so easily and then when you try again, you are afraid it will happen like before?
Honestly, I feel so much better within these 6 days and every day when I wake up, it is so nice to see the small changes in my stomach and legs. I'm hoping that using my fitness pal will help with tracking the foods and calories I take in, which so far, I am enjoying. My total goal will be to lose 70-80 pounds, but I am taking it 5 pounds at a time.
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Replies
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My suggestion is not to massively change your life as (in my opinion) its not as sustainable.. you are better changing one thing at a time and then something else a few weeks down the line.. logging is a great place to start - why dont you open up your diary so we can have a look and give you some more help?
The thing to remember is, you didnt put on all the weight in a month so it ain't gonna come off in a month!0 -
Of course! I don't expect it to come off in a month. I'm just afraid that when I hit a plateau, or when I get discouraged like I did the other several times, I'll just stop. So far, I am happy with the walking, the eating less and healthier and the exercises are pretty fun to do. So, so far so good. Fingers crossed for the future.0
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What if you focus on your success so far? Sounds like you're doing great and making great strides. To focus on the negative doesn't get us very far it actually keeps us stuck. No reason to look back.. look ahead and keep your eye on the changes your body is feeling moving and eating healthy now. We've all failed in the past at one thing or another...that's being human. Looking ahead is what success is all about... decide to succeed this time, don't make failing an option.
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Listen, you're definitely going to have days where you'll feel like quitting. And these days are going to come when you're either stressed or sad or hungry when you've already eaten too much, etc, but at the first sign of progress you'll see how it's all worth it. And with every little mile marker, (Not just weight loss) whether it's you realizing you were able to put down/resist the sugary food or that you're able to go a little further on your walks/runs you'll see how much better off you are.
I still get little sparks of pride every time I get the munchies and I go to open the pantry and then find myself closing it almost immediately, realizing I don't even want the bad snacks that badly and that I CAN say no.
It's empowering, and maybe since you've had trouble in the past with sticking to it, you should have a little journal or a piece of paper somewhere in your room where you jot down something that you did on a given day that made you proud. And then when you think about quitting/throwing away all your progress, you can look at that sheet and say, "Is it really worth giving up all that I've achieved so far?"
You can do it, we believe in you.
P.s., don't beat yourself up when a bad day happens, and certainly don't quit over it. I would find myself slowly falling back into my old eating habits over the course of a week, the best thing you can do is snap out of it and start transitioning back into eating right, and not being too hard on yourself for slipping up.0 -
Hearts_2015 wrote: »What if you focus on your success so far? Sounds like you're doing great and making great strides. To focus on the negative doesn't get us very far it actually keeps us stuck. No reason to look back.. look ahead and keep your eye on the changes your body is feeling moving and eating healthy now. We've all failed in the past at one thing or another...that's being human. Looking ahead is what success is all about... decide to succeed this time, don't make failing an option.
This made me feel a bit better! Thank you so much for your kind words. It's so nice to see really nice people on this forum. You are definitely right and I'm going to try to keep focused on the present and positive future
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »What if you focus on your success so far? Sounds like you're doing great and making great strides. To focus on the negative doesn't get us very far it actually keeps us stuck. No reason to look back.. look ahead and keep your eye on the changes your body is feeling moving and eating healthy now. We've all failed in the past at one thing or another...that's being human. Looking ahead is what success is all about... decide to succeed this time, don't make failing an option.
This made me feel a bit better! Thank you so much for your kind words. It's so nice to see really nice people on this forum. You are definitely right and I'm going to try to keep focused on the present and positive future
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i started and stopped so many times... you have to want it because you want it, not because you should want it. once you really want it, you will stick with it.
for me, massive life change was what worked... its different for everyone. but really what made me finally stick with it longer than a month (7 months now, 57 pounds lost so far), was that i kept going through the motions until i found something to love about it and then built everything else around the thing i loved (for me it is fitness, especially running)
dont be afraid to get a little obsessed.0 -
I think what is a bit different for me this time is, I am a bit obsessed! Only a bit
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There will be times when you will want to give up and just go back to your old days.
Routine is important. Make a schedule (something reasonable), and even if you don't really feel like it, stick to the schedule. (I'm talking about having bad days from the motivational side, not 'I'm so sick I can't breathe' days)
Keep a list of all the little changes (and progress photos). We tend to forget the positives and focus on the negatives.0 -
Yes I have had this problem so many times in the past. So. Many. Times.
I think what is different about this time, is that in my head I am not on some other diet. I seem to have figured out that I need to change my lifestyle forever. Lifestyle change seems to be the new cliche, I know. And forever is a really, really long time.
I was motivated to sign up for MFP by my brother - who has recently reached his weight loss goal. He lost 30kg....it took him 3 years. 3 YEARS! Speaking to him, he is not afraid of all the things I have always been afraid of... "falling off the wagon", or stuffing up, or quitting.....there is no wagon to fall off, nothing to stuff and no program/diet to quit. He chooses to make healthy choices now, logs his food so he can keep an eye on what he is taking in, and chooses to move more. So I'm not going to reinvent the wheel....I'm just copying him
I have days where I eat too many calories and don't get around to exercise. Life happens, but that's not the end of it anymore. You are already doing an amazing job, 6 days and you see changes already? Fantastic!! You said so yourself...you've not signed up for some fad, you just made some choices and the results are already impressive. Lifestyle change is really smaller than 'forever' - it is actually making one better choice at a time. You're already smashing it 0 -
Thank you for all of the amazing replies! You are all awesome 0
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I have felt that way and completely shut down a couple of years ago and let all the weight I lost come back. I broke my ankle and couldn't go as fast as I liked too and got all depressed. I have a friend who I talk with on a daily bases and she checks on my progress.
I'm finally back on the horse and I'm close to being the weight I was before quiting last time. I just finally learned to keep all the junk food out of the house. I have another 13 pounds to go and I will be back where I was before I broke my ankle.
One day at a time and slowly work your way into a healthier life style. Once you keep yourself off the junk you find it''s hard to binge on that stuff later down the road. I still indulge but not like I used too.
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Hi everyone. I am very new to myfitnesspal.com and I just started my diet on Saturday the 11th. I'm 22 and for most of my life, I have been overweight. As a child, I was chubbier than the other kids and suddenly when I hit 12 and until 16, I was happy with my weight, since I lost a bunch. But from 17-now I gained it back and more! Every time I tried to diet and exercise, I would last about 2 weeks to a month and then I would quit.
I think it hit me hard a few weeks ago when I was walking up the stairs and was so much out of breath. I'm about 5'10" and weighed in at 245 pounds. That number really hit me hard and I could not believe I let myself get this far. My thing is, I'm so afraid that after two weeks I'll quit, but amazingly, it's been 6 days and each day I have cut back in calories significantly, been walking, and trying my best to do the exercises from the 30 Day Shred. The first day I began to walk, I thought I would pass out in the driveway on the way back up, but today, I felt so much better. I am already seeing small results, but still I am afraid.
Have any of you had that problem? You give up so easily and then when you try again, you are afraid it will happen like before?
Honestly, I feel so much better within these 6 days and every day when I wake up, it is so nice to see the small changes in my stomach and legs. I'm hoping that using my fitness pal will help with tracking the foods and calories I take in, which so far, I am enjoying. My total goal will be to lose 70-80 pounds, but I am taking it 5 pounds at a time.
I have quit smoking...and quit smoking more than ten times before it happened for real (6+ years now)...so yes, I do understand that feeling - but the trick is to never stop trying to change for the better, because eventually you wil do it and it will be worth it. I am applying that to my weight loss journey too.
This is your time. Stick to it. 5lbs at a time. Good luck.
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I woke up today with a totally different attitude and went right into working out. About to go for a walk. Thank you all for the words of wisdom! 0
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You actually are going to quit, and restart, and quit, and restart. That's how a successful diet works, by being able to restart every time you slip. Don't expect perfection because if you do, you will end up very frustrated. I "quit" every few weeks/days but as long as I'm able to wake up next morning (or even next week or month) and restart I will keep losing weight. I have lost 90+ pounds so far by trying not to demand perfection every single day.0
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Thank you to everyone for the motivation! Weighed in and lost 2.2 lbs this week. (Could be more since I am bloated and it's my TOM). Thank you again! I feel great about this!
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Thank you to everyone for the motivation! Weighed in and lost 2.2 lbs this week. (Could be more since I am bloated and it's my TOM). Thank you again! I feel great about this!
You're doing great Hon! Congrats on the lbs. dropped especially if you're feeling bloated, it's even more of a victory!
I think it was pretty ingenious of you to open up like you did with your thread title so others could jump in and know how you were feeling and what you needed from us. It's also a good feeling when you know you're not alone and the only one out there going through this! By now I imagine you've gained much wisdom, many friends and confidence that you can do this. Yes they'll be bumps along the road but now you know it's possible right from the start you asked for support and you've got a great attitude to make changes possible and then the loss this week...
Well, Congrats on so many levels!!!
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Thank you so much 0
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I found when I looked at the foods I was eating that they were calorie dense but nutrition poor. This app helps me look at calories in a different way than I was...I stopped eating the pre packaged foods and mostly eat whole foods. Lots more vegetables and fruit and resistant carbs. I would eat something like a burger before or a frozen burrito and still be hungry...I would turn to chips or something to fill up on. Now I eat foods that serve me rather than ones that make me feel bad. One day at a time is the goal. When you over load on calories or go off the wagon just remember that your body will forgive you if you just get back on the wagon again. Every little bit helps. Good luck. 0
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You are being brave and are trying to tackle something that has a profound effect on your life and future. Im sure the others have given you some good advice, but my four tips are.
1. Get some good friends or if not in real life get people from mfp who will sipport you. If you feel responsible and someone is looking out for you then you are going to feel less isolated and more likely to stick with it.
2. Be realistic and set small targets. What you want are targets which mean something but you can hit. 1lb loss, 5 min walk, log for a week. When you hit them look for your next target.
3. Take it one day at a time by the use of these small tragets. Every day you win and dont quit is a day closer to your target.
4. Prepare properly. Read up and learn as much about what you are trying to do plus learn how to avoid the pit falls.
If you apply your mind and make the commitent follow the plan, then you will get to your destination. Have faith in yourself and keep your eye on the target.
Hope that helps.0 -
That does help a lot. Luckily, I have found fantastic friends on MFP and reading all the success stories have helped push me. Thankfully, this time, I am looking at this as not really a diet, but a healthy way to live. Veggies and fruits are my lifesavers!!!!0
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Just take it one day at a time. Don't have the all or nothing mentality. Don't weigh yourself everyday because it is very deceiving and it shouldn't determine your mood. These are just a few things that are helping me. MFP and looking at other's food choices is also helpful.0
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Don't quit. Stick with me despite what the scale says at times. You are going to have setbacks, but you are also going to have proud moments. You are going to go through a trail of emotions, but that's okay. Those emotions are going to be brought along by the change of your lifestyle, eating habits, and your body transforming. At the end of your journey, you are going to look back and think "that was easy." Don't let the tough times get you down.0
Great Attitude! 
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