Can't stick to anything. How to overcome this?
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I'm glad you're confused about the exercise advice cos it made no sense
It does, not for everyone but still it does. If you don't like exercise it's demotivating, will strain your willpower, then it just leads to abandonment of the whole diet. Some people get beastly hungry from exercise and tend to overeat the calories they spend, that's also a big strain on your willpower perseverance, it also will easily lead you to abandon your diet.
If these factors are not relevant, or you are able to deal with them, exercise is king. If it leads you to stop your diet, because its really making it hard to stay on your diet and be motivated, it's just not worth it. Its more important to lose weight, because that's the major health risk in this equation. After you reached your weight goal, you should exercise (until you like it
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Take me for example. I really like running, but I need to lose weight and can't do both. It just makes me way to hungry to stay at a deficit, without driving me mad. So I took a break, until I reached my weight goal. Running then will be easier, more effective and because my weight is lower I'm much healthier.0 -
OP: pre-logging and getting everything ready the day before has been made a huge difference in my calorie counting. If everything is already planned out then I don't need to figure out what to eat on the fly and give up. Not only do I prelog but I also have plan-b options if something goes wrong with plan-a. Putting the work into my diet when I'm "in the mood" helps combat any poor decisions when I'm tired and just don't care. I'm at 60+ days of calorie counting and I have yet to have one of the I'll just start tomorrow moments this time.0
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You are the only one who can fix this. When you are ready to overcome your eating habits you will do it. Just remember, you haven't failed until you quit trying. IF you mess up at 10:00, try again at 10:05, don't Start Again Tomorrow". It will never come.0
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Motivation is a limited resource find a reason to stay fit like so you can see your grandchildren is a much better push.0
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Having three kids myself,im going to say you have the exercise part down at least for now so the main thing would be planning your meals ahead. even if it's just your lunch for the week fully planned out then if you start out good by the time lunch hits and you want to quit you really don't have a reason to because it's already done for you so no excuse ☺ kinda like a healthy cheat...I remember making my smoothies for 3 days straight I did not regret it at all and even if that was my only healthy meal of the day it helped alot energy wise0
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Honestly it takes time in order to make this a lifestyle. I started by telling myself that I'm going to do 1 active thing/day. Some days that was just walking around the block...some days playing soccer with my kids..now some days I walk on my lunch and others I hit the gym.
And it also helps to have some great MFP motivational pals on here! I look forward to logging on, because I'm excited to see what ideas others are incorporating to make sure they are successful. Find some active fun MFP members to friend!0 -
Don't change what you eat, just the amounts. Concentrate on logging as accurately and honestly as you can and sticking to your calorie goal. Eventually you might add more vegetable or something but don't worry about overhauling your diet right now. Calories are what matter for weight loss.
Set a reasonable goal. If you have less than 50 lbs to lose your goal should probably not be to lose 2 lbs a week. If you have less than 25 lbs maybe just .5 lbs a week is the most reasonable goal. Be patient.
Plan meals in advance. Pre-log your whole day.
It is okay to have leftovers or eat the same thing for breakfast most days. You don't have to make elaborate food to lose weight. A simple sandwich and some carrots can fit your calorie goal and require very little effort.
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sevans85mfp wrote: »It literally gets to 10am and I give up and say....I'll just start tomorrow.
Any advice how to overcome this?
If you've been logging, I'd love to take a look at your diary and see what you have for breakfast. But I'd bet that you're not starting your day with enough foods that fill you up.
I'd give up if I were always hungry. But by eating more protein and fiber, and less carbs, I'm not hungry while losing a pound per week.
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Keep running.
Don't think of it as a diet. No foods are off limits. (Just maybe eating LESS of them...)
Find a sensible deficit, perhaps somewhere in the range of 500 calories per day less than your TDEE. If you try to change from 2000+ calories per day to suddenly 1200 calories of rabbit food, yes, you'll be hungry by 10 a.m. DONT DO THAT. Eat what you enjoy and what gives you enough energy for your life and exercise. And eat enough so you keep losing, but you're not hungry and driven to snack/binge.
If you need help figuring your TDEE (how many calories you burn per day), then let us know. We'd love to help.0 -
professionalHobbyist wrote: »It is just a matter of getting sick and tired of being fat
No way to dress it up
That is what it took for me
And a high school friend that was my size had is first heart attack
Fat is more than not good looking, it will kill you.
Plus my daughter needed her dad alive.
That's the first post I've seen from you where you haven't filled my screen with your bike ride jpg..thank you for that
Maybe next time, because you are so sweet.
Map my run has a screen as well. I'll put up one of those from my next 10K.
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Hard to say..from personal experience, I think at some point you'll just stick with something, but for now you're probably just not ready to commit enough. There's nothing wrong with that, whether it happens in a moment, or years of frustration, eventually you'll realize you're read for the journey.
That's what happened to me at least. Good luck!
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You need a change to change.
It's tough, I'm only a week in and some days are much harder to keep the motivation level high. I don't even think of any other reason why I shouldn't do it, I just tell myself it has to be done. Also, logging food has helped me tremendously. I never did this before thinking I never had to. I was wrong, and it's making a positive impact on my motivation.
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Batch cook, pre-plan, weigh out and pre-log
And stop making excuses - starting tomorrow is no solution
Your alternative is to accept your bigger body
this. cook in large batches, and pre-plan your meals.
so at 10am you give up and want to eat bad. congrats, your normal. many people want to cheat on their diet all the time. i got healthy food and stuff in my house all the time, and i have access to pizza all over!!! and sometimes i'll cave and have a slice, but that doesn't destroy the rest of my plans for the day.
check out budgetbytes.com for a lot of good healthy and tasty meals. the slow cooker ones are great for large batch meals.0 -
Bribe yourself. That's what I did. Set money aside for an item or special dinner you really really want, and set a goal before you get it. For me, if I log 30 days in a row, I treat myself to a steak dinner. And it's not a big dinner either, so I can totally fit it into my day when I do it. For you, it might be a piece of clothing or a day trip to someplace you like. Maybe a massage, I dunno. It has to be something you REALLY want, but can live without. That way, you feel rewarded for making a goal. Then set a new one with another bribe. Keep it up until logging and eating your daily calories becomes normal.
Something else that might help you is to log everything (with a scale) for a week or so, but don't change anything yet. Give yourself that week to see what your baseline is and figure out what to change. Start small, one thing at a time and give yourself time to get used to it. It's slower, but much more effective.0 -
lewissheldon125 wrote: »I don't know from your post but it could be that when you try to do your "healthy eating" you go into into it too hard too soon. My wife used to do the same, decide on healthy eating, set out a plan that was way to restrictive and fail days into the process...
Ya, my downstairs neighbor is back into an extremely restrictive diet. I've never seen her have any success with this.
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I didn't read all the previous posts closely so I might have missed this: are you breastfeeding? I found it difficult to lose weight while breastfeeding. Part of it may have been my body holding on to fat so I could continue. I think another part of it is just being tired. Making enough food for another person, from my body, was tiring for me. Add to that the fact that I didn't sleep as well while my kids were infants, and I was tired mom. Sticking to a new way of eating, and /or a calorie deficit is hard when you are already tired. Finding a way around that, like with the preplanned meals others suggested may help.
How about looking into nutrition? This will help you and your baby is you work to find the healthiest foods. I became a healthier cook once I had children because I wanted my kids to grow up with great health. To be honest, I wish I'd looked into it more before they were born so I could have given then a healthier start than most kids get. Finding ways to bring health to yourself and baby can be motivating.
The diet I wish I had clued into first was the Paleo diet. It made sense to me. Feed my family the foods that we are designed to eat - a good way to raise healthy kids. Paleo Mom is a good place to look. JMO.
It might be easier to eat a deficit when you find a healthy diet that suits you. I know it definitely beame easier for me when I found a WOE that suited me.
Best wishs.
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professionalHobbyist wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »It is just a matter of getting sick and tired of being fat
No way to dress it up
That is what it took for me
And a high school friend that was my size had is first heart attack
Fat is more than not good looking, it will kill you.
Plus my daughter needed her dad alive.
That's the first post I've seen from you where you haven't filled my screen with your bike ride jpg..thank you for that
Maybe next time, because you are so sweet.
Map my run has a screen as well. I'll put up one of those from my next 10K.
Why? To prove you did it? We believe you. You're awesome.0 -
Everyone who has ever succeeded at making a change had their own "a ha" moment. Until you have yours you will alway find reasons for not sticking to it. A couple vanity pounds can be lost and gained without much thought or soul searching, but true over all change of everyday habits does require more. It doesn't have to be hard, it doesn't have to feel like a big sacrifice, it just requires consistency.
This.
We can't take that first step for you.0 -
Also plan a meal for 10am ...if that's your regular I'm going to crash time ..plan to eat something
I eat breakfast at 6.30...by 9.30 I'm generally chomping on a pack of crisps (chips) at my desk...within my calories0 -
If it feels too hard break it down to one thing at a time. Years ago I went through a very successful weight loss. I took things one little step at a time. The first week the rule I followed was simple. No candy. None. No excuses. Just eat no candy and be committed to it. After I was no longer having candy urges I moved to the next step. The next step was cutting almost all cheese of my diet. A slice on a sandwich was ok. But no mac and cheese, no broccoli cheddar sauce, no cheese based soups. At that point it was amazing how much better I felt. My skin really looked better too. Feeling more proud of myself prompted me to want to work out. Next step was to actually pay attention to how much I was eating. I noticed how it was ore comfortable to work out when not bloated from over eating (sounds silly but I really hadn't recognized it before that).
The one thing I can say it that you simply have to be 100% committed to not sliding backwards. That is the hard part. Its a slippery slope. So don't go there.
Ten years ago I lost 25 pounds and loved how I looked an felt. Ten years later I have gained back the 25 and 25 more on top of that. I have lost about 12 pounds in the last month and it really hasn't been hard. My life is at stake. So, relatively speaking, its been pretty darn easy!
But I found out I am diabetic and it made "making the commitment" extremely easy. But the rules are the same.
Don't worry about diet plans or what other people do that worked for them. I read that some people get up at 430 in the morning to go work out. I WOULD NEVER DO THAT IN A MILLION YEARS. So, I do what works for me.
Maybe you would like to take your children for walks, or play with them on the jungle gym, play with the dog, it helps to do things that you won't feel you will be judged by anyone when you do them....whatever you can do that is more active than before will improve your weight loss results. Once the changes you have made are easy for you move on to something more challenging.
When I was younger I was kind of a super athlete. But those days are looonnnnggg gone! The idea of trying to do what I did back then was nothing but discouraging. So, whatever you do - do something you will be successful at. That will make you feel good about doing it. You will likely be willing to do it again. Eventually, you will get where you want to be. How long it takes is really up to you.
Just remember the golden rule....no sliding backwards.0 -
When I first joined this site I posed sort of the same question but it was about exercise. I had the eating part down. Someone responded with this "you don't want it bad enough.....yet". I thought it was just a little harsh but I came to realize, this person was 100% right. I didn't want it bad enough at the time. I would make excuses as to why I couldn't work out that day. One day, it clicked for me. No one is going to motivate me but ME! No one is going to be there when I feel like giving up and no one is there when I don't do it (who would know?) But the thing is, I would know when I said I would workout and then didn't. I was only letting myself down.
Just take it one day at a time or even one meal at a time. Try to plan out healthy meals so you aren't last minute trying to figure out what you are going to eat. Best of luck and you CAN DO THIS!!!!!!0 -
Sorry, there's no magic. You have to decide you want it more than being bigger.0
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tincanonastring wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »It is just a matter of getting sick and tired of being fat
No way to dress it up
That is what it took for me
And a high school friend that was my size had is first heart attack
Fat is more than not good looking, it will kill you.
Plus my daughter needed her dad alive.
That's the first post I've seen from you where you haven't filled my screen with your bike ride jpg..thank you for that
Maybe next time, because you are so sweet.
Map my run has a screen as well. I'll put up one of those from my next 10K.
Why? To prove you did it? We believe you. You're awesome.
Since regulars are not writing just for other regulars, but for the new posters as well, we can be repetitive. It's inherent to open online forums.
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kshama2001 wrote: »tincanonastring wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »It is just a matter of getting sick and tired of being fat
No way to dress it up
That is what it took for me
And a high school friend that was my size had is first heart attack
Fat is more than not good looking, it will kill you.
Plus my daughter needed her dad alive.
That's the first post I've seen from you where you haven't filled my screen with your bike ride jpg..thank you for that
Maybe next time, because you are so sweet.
Map my run has a screen as well. I'll put up one of those from my next 10K.
Why? To prove you did it? We believe you. You're awesome.
Since regulars are not writing just for other regulars, but for the new posters as well, we can be repetitive. It's inherent to open online forums.
Wut?0 -
professionalHobbyist wrote: »professionalHobbyist wrote: »It is just a matter of getting sick and tired of being fat
No way to dress it up
That is what it took for me
And a high school friend that was my size had is first heart attack
Fat is more than not good looking, it will kill you.
Plus my daughter needed her dad alive.
That's the first post I've seen from you where you haven't filled my screen with your bike ride jpg..thank you for that
Maybe next time, because you are so sweet.
Map my run has a screen as well. I'll put up one of those from my next 10K.
Please don't. It's rude, derails the thread, and you don't need to prove you workout.0 -
What is "eat healthy"? You need to be in a deficit to lose. It's that simple.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »What is "eat healthy"? You need to be in a deficit to lose. It's that simple.
That's it! You can eat 100% healthy /organic and still gain or be overweight.
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I think these messages have given me some motivation. I stayed at 1500 calories yesterday and have pre planned today's food.
I'm going to come and check these boards each day to motivate me.
Also taken measurements.
I have a wedding on Friday and have already prebooked my food. So rather than worry about that I am going to enjoy that meal and not have any alcohol.
Someone asked about breastfeeding, I stopped a month ago. Still producing some milk but not fed my girl in a month. Which could be a problem as I was very hungry while breastfeeding, then once she reduced her feeds my hunger didn't disappear.
Anyway I feel super motivated today, if anyone wants to add me on here for support etc then you are welcome.0 -
sevans85mfp wrote: »I'm going to record every mouthful on myfitnesspal.
That's the main reason I'm here. I wouldn't have signed up with MFP if I weren't going to log everything as accurately as I possibly can.
And it is all about calories. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you remain under your max calories. However, along the way you may discover that certain foods keep you fuller longer, and other foods are just not worth it.
Enter your data into MFP.
Set yourself as sedentary.
Pick your goal (1 lb/ week).
And see what you've got for your max calories.
Then weigh and measure everything you eat. Log meticulously and accurately. It's actually kind of fascinating to see what things weigh and how many calories they are.
Don't deprive yourself ... you don't have to eliminate a whole pile of foods. Instead go to the grocery store and see what there is available in the way of low-cal options. These days there are a lot of choices. And of course veggies are a real win-win because they are delicious, they fill you up, and they are low cal.
Enter your exercise on the exercise tab, but remember that MFP over-estimates calories burned, so adjust lowish.
Then eat about half your exercise calories back.
Exercise gives me the freedom to include some yummy extras in my diet. About once a month, for example, I go for a long-ish bicycle ride, and then eat pizza! You may find your runs allow you to do something similar.
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sevans85mfp wrote: »On Myfitnesspal with a goal of 1lb per week. It literally gets to 10am and I give up and say....I'll just start tomorrow.
Any advice how to overcome this?
I've been exercising twice a week doing a 10k and my daughter is my exercise the rest of the time as I'm constantly up and down chasing her.
I have no willpower. I've never done a diet before, being a mum is a whole life for me and I'm in the house more and picking at food constantly.
Another way to think about this ...
At 10 am, do you give up on your daughter and say, "I'll be a mom tomorrow"?
Of course not.
So if you can be a mom every day, you can do other things on a consistent basis. And that's all tracking your calories is ... it's just doing something consistently every day.
Brushing your teeth
Changing diapers
Tracking your calories
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