failure

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  • lgrix
    lgrix Posts: 160 Member
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    Maybe you need to develop a plan that you can succeed at? Are you trying to take too big of a jump? Why not start with a small change this week, something that you can succeed at with some effort. Then take another small step next week. Pretty soon, you will see that you can succeed, you just need the right plan. Good luck
  • carthur7575
    carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you all for the positive feedback. It is so comforting to experience the kindness of strangers. I haven't logged my meals in a month. In that time I've gained four pounds. I'm going to try again tomorrow. All i can do is try. I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    I'm always hungry at night so I save at least 25% of my calories for evening snacking.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
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    carthur7575 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the positive feedback. It is so comforting to experience the kindness of strangers. I haven't logged my meals in a month. In that time I've gained four pounds. I'm going to try again tomorrow. All i can do is try. I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?
    [/b

    Unless I'm having a big Sunday lunch I always eat light during the day and save the majority of my calories for my evening meal, which is pre-planned. I make sure my dinner is satisfying enough to see me through to breakfast the next day. If I have some calories spare after dinner I will have a treat but only if I have the "spares".

    Good luck, you can do it!!
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Oftentimes failure is a result of setting too strict of a plan and unrealistic goals.

    Anyone should be able to do the 1/2 pound per week plan without even exercising.

    Since you didn't tell us how you failed, my guess would be that you created a plan that was doomed to fail from the beginning. You need to make a plan that is sustainable for the rest of your life. All that is needed is to eat the same foods you always have but eat a bit less and keep accurate logs.

    Avoid fad diets and ridiculous plans that are marketed by hucksters that are only after your money. MFP works if you stick with it and take baby steps.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    carthur7575 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the positive feedback. It is so comforting to experience the kindness of strangers. I haven't logged my meals in a month. In that time I've gained four pounds. I'm going to try again tomorrow. All i can do is try. I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?
    Eat enough protein, fat and fiber during the day.

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    and thats the kind of thinking you have to nip in the bud - there is no such thing as failure!....you dust yourself off, you get back on that horse and try, try, try again :smile:
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    The only way I can fail is to give up entirely.

    I take every day as a new chance. I try to do the best that I can do today. I don't think about what happened yesterday or worry about tomorrow. I have control over today, so that's where my focus lies.

    Doesn't mean I don't ever have a bad day, but they've become less frequent the longer I've been doing this.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    I have always looked at failure as a stepping stone towards success. If you don't take those steps you will never succeed.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »
    carthur7575 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the positive feedback. It is so comforting to experience the kindness of strangers. I haven't logged my meals in a month. In that time I've gained four pounds. I'm going to try again tomorrow. All i can do is try. I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?
    Eat enough protein, fat and fiber during the day.

    This ^ plus I budget a few hundred calories for a pre-bed snack.

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »
    carthur7575 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the positive feedback. It is so comforting to experience the kindness of strangers. I haven't logged my meals in a month. In that time I've gained four pounds. I'm going to try again tomorrow. All i can do is try. I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?
    Eat enough protein, fat and fiber during the day.

    This ^ plus I budget a few hundred calories for a pre-bed snack.

    Yes, but first make sure you are actually hungry and not just eating at that time due to habit.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »
    I'm always hungry at night so I save at least 25% of my calories for evening snacking.

    What are your stats (Height Weight Age) and what has your calorie goal been?
  • carthur7575
    carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
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    Been a rough couple of weeks, holiday food has undermined my efforts a bit, but I'm back logging each meal starting this morning. Thanks for the encouragement.
  • DBrooks1979
    DBrooks1979 Posts: 350 Member
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    Its only failure if you give up... keep trying.. its only 4lbs.. and your here.. that is the first step to getting there.. your taking some steps to help you... its just a matter of making a goal each day to log your food and be as honest as possible in what you log and how much.. Your gonna have days where it goes wrong.. your gonna have days where you need more food, your gonna have days where you won't have enough food... Just take one day at a time... Stop making excuses... Excuses are a virus.. get them out of your life. Grab your goal by the scruff of the neck.. your in Charge... you got this... Now Log away and get out there and work off that food.

    Don't give up.
  • Redbeard333
    Redbeard333 Posts: 381 Member
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    carthur7575 wrote: »
    I get so hungry at night though- suggestions?

    Hang in there! I always try to have some fruit or baby carrots around for snacking. But you have to tell yourself something I do almost every day: "Failure is NOT an option!". Yes, it's tough. Yes, it may seem impossible. But, if you set small manageable goals *every day*, you'll find yourself getting there.

    I view losing weight almost as treating an addiction, like alcoholism. We're all addicted to food, and lots of it. Each day we log that is below our goal intake is a victory. Some days we struggle more than others; it's the nature of the beast.
  • MVY_
    MVY_ Posts: 253 Member
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    The finish line seems so far away because it means we have to put in so much work and time out of our schedule that we normally don't. For me, having four kids is not easy. I can barely squeeze time for myself but you HAVE to want this so much you have to wake up an hour early to go work out before work or after a long day of work to stop by the gym before heading home. I've set little goals for me to get there. When I am working out and wanting to give up...I think of why I am doing this in the first place. It fuels me when I am tired or exhausted...and trust me I am like that every day. I have four little kids at home and one of them is a 3 month old.

    Bottom line is...stop thinking of the reasons why you shouldn't...but the reasons why you should. You need to stay positive and keep your goal in mind to stay motivated.

    Good luck!
  • carthur7575
    carthur7575 Posts: 15 Member
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    I can relate to what you said. I'm a single dad with two kids- too little time and too much to do to care for myself.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Motivation always comes and goes. Habit is what keeps us successful even when motivation is low.

    If you couldn't stick to your previous plan, it's time to revise the plan. For me, my plan is built around a couple of tenets:

    1. It has to be easy. I pre-log my food and weigh out portions when I put together the meal I already decided on. It takes me under 2 minutes to plan each day, and I don't correct my pre-logged food unless I deviate significantly from the plan.
    2. It has to be sustainable for a lifetime. I gave up absolutely nothing for the diet except eating in the portions I used to. I eat all the food I always loved, and I work in anything I feel hungry for into my meals.
    3. It has to be for the long term. I'm done with trying to have absurdly large deficits to try to lose as fast as possible.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    edited December 2015
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    You only fail if you quit trying. When things don't go quite right learn from it. Mistakes are how we progress. Think how many times you must have fallen down before you figured out how to stand up and walk. Well... now imagine if you had given up trying after a few dozen attempts.

    This is no different.

    So each time things don't go quite right spend some time thinking about why it went badly. Think about what you can change that might help the next attempt to go better. And then change it.

  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    carthur7575 wrote: »
    I can relate to what you said. I'm a single dad with two kids- too little time and too much to do to care for myself.
    Wow kudos to you!
    maybe an earlier bedtime and an early am workout?

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