Can't stick to my plan

Options
carthur7575
carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need to lose about 40 pounds to be happy with my body, feeling good. Started using this app back in May after meeting with a nutritionist. Began well but lost my motivation and commitment after about 3 weeks. The last couple months my workouts are inconsistent, I've stopped tracking my food and I'm eating far more than I should. Afternoon and late night snacking are my weaknesses. I had a healthy breakfast today and logged my food for the first time in 3 months. I'm back and I want this to work this time! But I question my own commitment to do so. Seeking advice, encouragement, tips, anything you might offer to help me restart this process and this time be successful. Thanks to all who take the time to read this.
«1

Replies

  • beamer0821
    beamer0821 Posts: 488 Member
    edited November 2015
    Options
    herein lies the issue "I need to lose about 40 pounds to be happy with my body, feeling good."

    you are waiting to be happy. don't let your weight hold you hostage. you deserve to feel good about yourself today. once you treat yourself with kindness and understanding i think you will be surprised how taking care of yourself i.e. making good food choices and exercising, becomes very easy.

    be easier on yourself. start there and the rest will fall into place i promise..
  • carthur7575
    carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it! I like who I am and I'm actually a very happy person! I just want to feel better physically. I'm tired of walking up the stairs hurting my knees. I'm tired of squeezing into pants too tight for me. I'm actually as happy as I've ever been in my life, I just want to figure out how to stick to a plan so I can feel physically better.
  • eliaus3640
    eliaus3640 Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    Try to make your goal to consistently log your food, regardless of if you are too much or not. It took me a couple months myself to become consistent with it. Start there then you could work on the rest.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    Options
    My method of making logging easy is to pre-log each day the previous night. Makes it easy to hit my calorie goals and I like getting home and knowing exactly what I should be cooking and how much.
  • Lucille4444
    Lucille4444 Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    You started back today, good for you. No one is perfect, if you read the posts here tons of people backslide, cheat, etc. All we can do is be the best we can be, and you are trying.
    How do you 'stick'? Make rules, your own rules. 'No eating after 7'. Go through the house and decide if you want tiny portions of hi cal snack stuff, or do like I do, have sugar free jello on hand. A little planning beforehand can help you succeed. But you are already halfway there since you were motivated enough to try again.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    Options
    Its easy to start a diet but its hard to actually stick to one. At some point in your life you're going to have that moment where you say, "enough is enough" and then it will be easy. I've started and stopped so many diets in the past I can't even remember why I stopped them. I always lost weight when I was dieting but then I just got bored with it or whatever and just stopped doing it. I honestly can't even remember stopping them. But the thing is I always saw them as diets....but not anymore. Now I just eat less of whatever I was eating before. I no longer see this as a tempory "thing" I'm doing. I've simply just changed the quantity of my food intake. I make sure of that quantity by counting the calories. So just get into the habit of logging everything you eat just like brushing your teeth. It needs to become a routine. Weigh yourself on a regular basis and log your food. Do that everyday and you will see just how easy it can be. You won't stay within your calorie goal everyday...but you will most days. Just keep doing it.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Options
    Is your plan too rigid?
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Options
    rankinsect wrote: »
    My method of making logging easy is to pre-log each day the previous night. Makes it easy to hit my calorie goals and I like getting home and knowing exactly what I should be cooking and how much.

    Yep! It's easy to say what foods you're NOT going to eat, but unless you know what you ARE going to eat, you could struggle at meal times or end up blowing through your calories early in the day and end up going over because you're winging it.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    strong_curves wrote: »
    Is your plan too rigid?

    This^

    Pick a few changes you can make. Eat an extra serving of veggies each day, walk a mile, allow only 2 snacks, etc. Then make sure you reach these goals routinely. Then introduce more changes.

    Losing weight is about improving choices. All your choices don't need to be perfect, everyday. Don't beat yourself up for slip ups, we've all been there.
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    Options
    I would suggest calorie-free or healthy snacking. I know I couldn't stick to dieting without snacking on broccoli, etc... Lots of volume for low calories. I think all I need is the feeling of "I can eat" in the moment, soooo these kinds of foods are perfect for that. No deprivation!
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Options
    I agree, keep your focus on the logging, don't worry about the other stuff...

    First identify what gets in the way of logging... do you forget? Do you feel anxious or guilty? Do you feel resentment about logging? Is it overwhelming? What are the thoughts and emotions that come up when you think about logging everything and following a calorie goal?
  • jenbcz
    jenbcz Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    I've been there & can totally relate. Waking up in the morning feeling bloated, heavy and guilty after eating way too much of everything I'd just the morning before told myself I'd avoid. Dreading getting dressed, nothing fit right but I was too ashamed & disappointed in myself to actually buy a bigger wardrobe. Waiting for that spark of inspiration to hit to begin again, to be "ready" to loose. We'll this time I started when I was not "ready" or "inspired" I just started. Full of self doubt I Weighed myself every morning and entered it, weighing & logging every meal. It became fun as I gained confidence, I like all the information, the challenge of hitting my macros, seeing the fluctuations in my weight slowly in a downward trend. I got a fitbit and being competitive by nature, almost always do my 10,000 steps, just too see all the lines turn green. I'm enjoying the journey this time. I like waking up feeling good and happy. I like getting dressed again. Being a little hungry sometimes is worth it, not eating my weight in potato chips every evening is worth it. One of my fav inspirational quotes "being fat is hard, loosing weight is hard, maintaining is hard, choose your hard." I wake up and choose again, every morning. Good luck on your journey, you've got this! :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    Nutritionists/dietitians suck, IMO. I saw one once and his plan was so restrictive, I never stuck to it either.

    Pick a reasonable goal (one pound a week or even half a pound a week). Then eat what you want within your calories. Try to eat your 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, it will help. But whatever you eat, log it. Log everything. It's much harder to let yourself go and give up when those big red letters stare at you and make you realize that if you keep going you WILL gain weight. And it makes you think twice about whether that donut is REALLY worth it.
  • fatgottago
    fatgottago Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    Hi! It seems we both had the same idea today! Well we are both on the right start! We logged back in. I need someone to hold me accountable. Maybe you need the same? A goal? A lot of people here care, so I know you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    OP, my personal opinion is that if you rely on motivation, you are bound to fail, because motivation comes and goes. You need to find a way to eat that can become a habit, that you enjoy, and will get you and keep you at goal. Don't set too aggressive a weekly goal, maybe 1 lb or even one half pound per week. Focus on eating the stuff you want to focus on, like veggies, lean protein, whole grains, whatever your definition is. Then fill in the spaces with whatever you want. As others have said, I find planning my meals for the week as much as I can, and pre-logging my day either the night before or first thing in the AM helps me stay on track. Good luck!
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    edited November 2015
    Options
    I came back when I wasn't ready. I set my calorie goal to maintenance and logged. Just that act helped me make more nutritious choices. I felt better. Then I switched my goal to .5lb/week and have left it there ever since. When I can, I add exercise in. Barely a diet. But over the course of the last three months I've lost more than 10 lbs, and I'm in no danger of "falling off the wagon". My wagon is only an inch off the ground and moving at a snail's pace.

    ETA: actually I haven't left my goal at .5lb/week ever since. I move it to maintenance whenever I'm stressed, sick, or just want a break from my practically no deficit diet :)
  • carthur7575
    carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Wow! Just got back from a 4.5 mile walk and look at all the comments and support to my post from 3 hours ago! So great to have so much support from people I don't even know. Thank you all!
  • FGTisme
    FGTisme Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    I think what keeps me going day to day is knowing that I can eat whatever I want, as long as I plan for it and it fits within my calorie goals. It kinda takes the pressure off, and now my eating plan doesn't feel like a "diet" I need to get motivated for. I just do it. Every day. It took me many starts, stops, and failures to figure that out.
  • SabrinaP0069
    SabrinaP0069 Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    What a great community we have found here! Good Luck! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

Categories