Keep Trying, Keep Failing

I can understand your frustration. I need accountability so I had to get a personal trainer. I needed someone to call me out on things when I was sort of calling in a work out. She created a plan for me and told me to join MFP and log everything. I was shocked how many calories I was eating. I went for working out 3 times per week to now every day. I did that gradually through her help.

A personal trainer is not for everyone but I needed it.

Good luck!

Baby steps. Start tracking what you eat for a week or so. Then look over your diary and see where you can make changes. You don't need special food just eat what you normally eat. As for exercise, walking is good and it is good for mental health. I know it lightens my mood. Good luck and best wishes!! You can do this

queenliz99 wrote: »

Baby steps. Start tracking what you eat for a week or so. Then look over your diary and see where you can make changes. You don't need special food just eat what you normally eat. As for exercise, walking is good and it is good for mental health. I know it lightens my mood. Good luck and best wishes!! You can do this

Exactly this. If you aren't losing weight, and don't have underlying medical issues, then you're eating more calories than you're burning. It's really as simple as that. Track absolutely everything you eat and drink. Gum, vitamins, the Hershey's kiss from a co-worker's candy dish, every single thing. Most people who really start tracking are shocked how many calories they are actually eating every day.

Once you figure out what you're really consuming you can figure out how to make small changes to lower your calories to stay under the calorie goal MFP sets for you. You don't need to buy special foods, just eat less of the foods you already eat. Keep in mind, though, while you can certainly lose weight eating nothing but french fries. Twinkies and chocolate you'll be really unhappy doing it. Vegetables give you more nutrients for far fewer calories. Lean protein (chicken, fish, etc.) will help to keep hunger at bay longer. Most of us find that eating better helps us to feel better.

Add more movement into your day. You don't need to buy a gym membership or special equipment. Park at the back of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your breaks at work. Those were the things that I started doing a few years ago when I realized I was barely moving during the day because I went from my car to my desk to my car to my sofa. Walking lead to running a little which lead to half marathon races which lead to weight lifting and running. I'm in better shape at 48 than I was at 28 and I was in decent shape back then.

Most importantly, make changes that you can stick with for the rest of your life. This isn't a sprint, it's a lifelong marathon. Don't expect or try to lose weight really quickly. Slow and steady definitely wins the race. If you don't like an activity, don't do it. If you can't take another day eating carrot sticks and cottage cheese, don't eat them.

The first step for me was accepting that this was going to be a life long war...I don't remember when it started, and it won't end til I die. With that freedom to not look for a finish line, I just started taking life day by day. I started out really small (with big results)...give up any kind of soda you are drinking and replace it with water (you mentioned your skin being awful which I bet means you aren't drinking enough straight up water...or even water with a splash of fruit juice is okay). Then work on what you are eating. Try replacing some of the bad foods with good foods. Put quinoa in the place of rice. A grilled chicken breast in the place of fried chicken, etc, etc. Don't make it difficult with some fancy diet program that guarantees rapid results. Baby steps! Then try adding in a walk here and there.

I did eventually have weight loss surgery but had already lost a lot of weight on my own. Find what works for you....not what works for someone else. Everyone is different, and you just have to keep trying different things until something clicks for you. Good luck!

How did you lose the weight the first time? What worked and what didn't? Use that as a tool to build off of and make adjustments. Yes, the info here is very valuable, but you have to get you mind on board first. You have to want the result enough to make the changes needed to obtain it.

Start with tracking everything you eat accurately. See how many calories you are eating compared to how many you should be eating. Then start making changes. You can do this! You're too young to be dealing with poor health due to weight issues. Be determined!

As a few above have said, track what you eat, and track how much you exercise. Results often don't come quickly, so don't expect the loss to be fast or consistent. Based on my experience I can tell you that weight loss involves the following:

1) Figuring out what you need to change. (How many calories per day/how much exercise per day/). I think the trickiest number to come up with for me was finding out when to eat more because of exercise.
2) Sitting on your butt won't make it smaller. You do need to exercise. Experiment! Find something you like, find something that you will keep doing. Find something you can get mentally addicted to.
3) Face it. Veggies are involved. You don't have to like them, but you do have to eat them. Some of them you can learn to like, too. If you don't already know how to cook, learning, and then experimenting with new recipes can help you here too. Veggies will help you on those days where you're really hungry. They mainly help by providing a low calorie way to get more food in your belly. Friends laugh at me, but going to Subway and building a salad on top of the sub isn't a bad way to work yourself into the veggie habit...

Don't give up so quickly. Sometimes it takes a good 3-4 weeks to establish a routine for yourself. The more consistent you can be, the better your results.

I also see that you go to school/work Full time. You're going to have to FIND time to put thought into what you eat. So you might have to do some homework. Research and make a list of healthy foods at local fast food restaurants/vending machines/ or any place that you frequently 'fly by' to get food. Then stick to that list. You may end up eating the same things all the time, but you'll be in control. My advice to you is to take about 20-30 minutes each day and make a rough list of what you're going to eat. (Heck, even enter it in MFP the night before). Once you've identified what you think you can eat based on your schedule, its not a big leap to make substitutes during the day.

Hope all this helps!

Yes tuition can be very expensive. I work at a university. I know each one of the universities I have worked had a fitness center with classes for students and some even nutritionist for students.

If you commute to school try parking across campus so you can get a walk in a few times per day. I am the person that even on a rainy day I will take the last parking space in the parking lot to just get a few extra minutes of movement before my desk job.

Good luck with everything!

My heart broke when you described your attempts at weight loss "failures". Life is too beautiful and you are too young to feel so broken down, when obviously in other areas of your life you are accomplished, smart.

This is what the doctor who runs my Weight Wise program has to say about the struggle to lose and to maintain the loss.

http://www.drsharma.ca/running-down-the-up-escalator.html

Some friends have found his message discouraging, but it was a revelation for me. What you are attempting to do is very, very hard.

But it can be done.

The great bulk of my weight loss was done by making small changes and incorporating them as new habits. My idea of what a "portion" is has drastically reduced. Pre-planning can help. You might bulk cook on the weekend and package up your portions ahead of time.