How to stay committed?

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misspersiphone
misspersiphone Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need all the help I can get. I want to lose weight so badly but when I think of watching what I eat all the time, counting calories etc I start to feel overwhelmed. What advice can you give me to get motivated and how to teach myself to stay motivated? Thanks.
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Replies

  • exact0ninja
    exact0ninja Posts: 33 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I had the same exact issues and would fail after a week. The thing that cured it for me is... instead of putting pressure on myself by planning a lot and anticipating, I just did it. Like Nike's , "Just do it" slogan. And it worked! The calorie counting sucks but only at first. You start to know what to eat and not eat regarding quantity, and as this happens your body starts to naturally know your new limits as well. Or, at least it did it for me. Regarding gym, I got a personal trainer. I know that not everyone can do this because it isn't cheap, but, the idea is to involve othee motivational people who can help push you. Like, before I was in 3 different martial arts at once. I didnt even think about the exercise we were getting due to us being together and supporting eachother. I had to stop due to a neck injury, however. Between that, and breaking through that first tough calorie counting week or two, it will alll start to be easier. Oh, and invest in a smoothie blender. I have the ninja 2 in 1, so I never skip a breakfast anymore. I hope this helps!
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    edited January 2016
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    The counting calories gets way easier, especially if you tend to eat a lot of the same foods because you don't even have to search for them once you've used them. Its tedius at first but gets way easier. I used to feel overwhelmed at eating well for the rest of my life but now that I've been doing it, and not restricting things I love but just working them in to my calories, it feels easy and not upsetting to me at all. I guess what I'm saying is that if you just get yourself started, you'll realize over time its not nearly as overwhelming as it feels at first. Once I realized that, I had no trouble keeping motivation.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Hmmm, either you do it or you take the easy way out and don't. Your decision.
  • parfia
    parfia Posts: 184 Member
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    Just keep at it and keep logging consistently. I think that once you start to see results, the commitment to stick with it follows. After a while, it is like second nature and you don't really think about it, you just log it :smile:
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Little goals along the way, and set some of your meals on autopilot.

    The big goal can just be too distant to really keep in mind, so I prefer something I think I can reach in a month or two.

    4 of my 6 entries are mostly the same every day, so coffee, Quest bar, apple, and popcorn are there more often than not. Personally I don't like to spend a lot of time thinking about/planning around food. Lunch and dinner have the most variety.

    If a single choice is too restrictive you can do an A/B pattern, like maybe alternating eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. A lot less to weigh and measure if you make the same thing the same way day after day.
  • winterfly6
    winterfly6 Posts: 9 Member
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    Watch for times when you are tempted to eat then pause and decide if you really are hungry or is it an emotional urge to eat. If it's the later and you realize it's just an emotional urge,, then you probably won't eat it.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
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    Thanks to this app, it really doesn't take long to figure out what you are eating.

    Don't psych yourself out over it. Just enter what you are eating and then when you see how much it is you can see where to cut back. Even if it's only small changes at first, you are making progress. Be honest with your logging.

    Motivation comes from how bad you want to succeed. We can't give you that.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Eh you have to want it badly enough. That's pretty much it.

    The app does help.. if you log everything... and don't stop even if you go over... it stares at you right in the face that you're just going to get fatter if you don't do anything about it.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    Like others said, it gets easier with time. It was overwhelming when I started about 6 weeks ago, but now it's a habit and I don't really even think about it, and I definitely don't stress about it. As for "watching" what you eat, you don't have to deprive yourself of foods you love, but you do need to exercise portion control. And that comes a lot more easily after a few weeks as well, because you're learning what an actual portion looks like.

    As for logging, over time you'll probably see that you probably eat a lot of the same things on a daily/weekly basis, so adding them is a breeze. I think it's stressful for everyone at first, but if you want it as bad as you say, then you can do it.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I was a little overwhelmed at first too. What I have learned over the past 9 months of CICO lifestyle.

    Don't jump into this right away trying to lose as much as possible as fast as possible with the lowest calorie goal allowed. Get used to using the tools. Start with a slow loss/small deficit or even no deficit at all, and just get used to the aspect of thinking about what you are eating. Get a scale, learn to use it, get used to it. Get comfortable with using the App and logging your meals. Once you are comfortably logging every day and doing it correctly and accurately you can start playing with the numbers. This really won't take that long but go at your own pace. For me that process took about a week.

    Once you get through those steps consider your activity level. What degree of deficit can you comfortably sustain for the long haul? That means without feeling like you can't control yourself around a piece of cake or that you become afraid of going out to eat with friends. You need to chose goals that will still allow you to live your life. That means weight loss won't be fast. But you will have success.

    Remind yourself that sometimes you will make mistakes and that is okay. Some days you will overeat and that's okay, as long as you don't let it derail you. Realise that some weeks you won't lose, some weeks you will gain but the trend over the long term is what you need to focus on.

    Allow yourself to take a break sometimes but don't "cheat" or get in the mind set that you are cheating by eating something yummy or a bit over your goal. You are not being "bad" you are being human.

    There are NO BAD FOODS.
    You don't "have" to eat "clean".
    You don't have to give up food you love you just need to keep calorie dense foods in their place.
    Sugar is not the devil
    Fat won't necessarily make you fat but it will help keep you full(satisfied).
    Bread is perfectly okay
    More veggies means bigger meals for smaller numbers, but you don't have to become a vegetarian or go vegan. Neither do you need to become an obligate carnivore.
    Eat real food
    Learn to cook and use spices and herbs
    Water comes in many forms. Coffee counts.
    Salt will make you gain weight but it's only temporary and it isn't fat so don't stress.
    Macros are goals to be met not necessarily maximums to stay under.
    Red numbers do not mean you failed.
    Pay attention to your daily NET.


    If you eat it log it.





  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    Don't think about watching what you eat "all the time". Think about your next meal or snack having the proper amount of calories and macros for your goals. I've lost 75+ pounds and still get overwhelmed by "forever" so I just have to take it day by day.

    Motivation doesn't get you too far, either. You just have to form healthy habits and perform them every day.
  • Ogopogo
    Ogopogo Posts: 58 Member
    edited January 2016
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    misspersiphone wrote: »
    I need all the help I can get. I want to lose weight so badly but when I think of watching what I eat all the time, counting calories etc I start to feel overwhelmed. What advice can you give me to get motivated and how to teach myself to stay motivated? Thanks.

    For motivation: I weigh myself every day, have clothes that I want to fit into hanging where I see them every day and try to stay busy so I don't think of food.

    Snacking excessively is my big Achilles heel - now I snack better. I eat apples, broccoli or protein bars instead of the chips, chocolate and other crap I used to load up on. I also go to bed earlier as the later I say up the more I tend to snack.

    Hope that helps. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you like.

  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
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    Take it day by day. But the most important thing for me was logging EVERYTHING I ate. The good, the bad and the ugly. It's easy to just say "Screw it I know I ate too much so I'll just not log it". But when you see what you're actually eating through logging, you end up adjusting and really working at it. Before you know it, it's a habit and weight loss happens. Making a big elaborate plan can be too exhausting for me. Calculate your TDEE, start with a smaller calorie deficit and go from there.
  • vczK2t
    vczK2t Posts: 309 Member
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    i detest calorie counting and measuring portions and tracking and all that. I track because i like the streak # going up. but i am an intuitive eater. i pay attention to my body signals and what it wants and doesn't want. i stop eating when my body says "tasted wonderful, but i've had enough". i am not losing a lot of weight, but to me listening to my body is the most important. the weight will come off eventually.
  • Renwa82
    Renwa82 Posts: 8 Member
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    When I first started my fitness journey 6 years ago, I could hardly run a static minute on the treadmill. Today, I have a fitness level where I can run a 5k without breaking whenever and I don't run. I had a lot of starts and stops but I kept at it. Initially, counting cals and regular exercise was overwhelming but as I have kept at it and got back on the horse when I've fallen off it is sooooooo much easier. You are capable of more than you are giving yourself credit. Your capacity has yet to be touched. Believe and keep pushing. The reward is manifest.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    Honest answer: by deciding you are going to do it, and doing it. If you want it bad enough, you will do it. And until then, you will make excuses. It's as simple as that.
  • ReadyWillingEager
    ReadyWillingEager Posts: 56 Member
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    One thing that helps me immensely is logging my meals a day (or even 2) beforehand. That way it's not so stressful the day of. It also helps with grocery shopping knowing in general the stuff I want (I tend to buy small amounts at a time to keep produce fresh, little $3-10 trips sprinkled through the month rather than one big trip). When the day actually comes I might tweak it. For example, forego a few grams of pasta here, a slice of toast there, so I can add a treat of some sort. Other days I find I'm not as hungry and can delete some entries entirely and "bank" calories for the next day or the weekend. Prelogging is really helpful to me when it comes to stressing.
  • Jenfromtheblock84
    Jenfromtheblock84 Posts: 140 Member
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    meal prep is my best friend. I work a desk job and it was so easy to just run to the break room grab a bunch of junk and go back to sitting on my butt for the next 4 hours till lunch. By doing meal prepping I set aside about 2 hours of my day on Sunday and make my breakfast and lunches for the week. (egg muffins/breakfast burritos for breakfast grilled chicken and veggies for lunch) I switch up my meals each week so I don't get tired of them and It helps dramatically with the snacking. I make sure to pack my rice cakes, cucumbers, and protein bars for when I get the urge to snack; making sure to keep each of my snack choices less than 100 calories each. Knowing what I'm going to eat BEFORE i'm hungry helps me make smarter and healthier choices that I won't regret in a few hours.
  • fidangul
    fidangul Posts: 673 Member
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    Ultimately if you want it bad then you do it. Whether you use MFP(my preference) or other tools and strategies to lose weight is totally up to you. I would just say, take it one step at a time. Every day is a new day. We have good ones AND we have bad ones. But perseverance (don't give up) and honesty (did you take that second bite and not log it?) is best.
  • lgoldfarb
    lgoldfarb Posts: 76 Member
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    Right now, support of friends is helping me. We made a bet starting Jan 1. $10.00 each per month. Log food everyday. The first one to miss a day has to pay up. I'm also premaking all my food for the week on Sunday so there is no question to what I will be eating for meals.

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