Need help

You have to stop ignoring those excuses to tell yourself. That's the only thing that will work. If you want to exercise, put it on your calendar and just start at the scheduled time. No matter what. If you simply need to start counting calories, just track what you eat normally for a week. See where you are, then make a plan to cut out some calories.

Make it your priority. Just like brushing your teeth or going to work. It's something that HAS to be done so you arrange or rearrange life around it. You can make it happen, in fact, you're the only one who can make it happen.

chocolatedori1 wrote: »

I used to be really fit 4 years back gym 3 times a week and a jog on a sunday, obviously gained when I stopped. I love to exercise ....im just strugging with motivation thing :-( I just joined a gym this week so hoping to go mon wed and thurs...after my induction but im worried ill just stop going again

Then decide not to stop. It's hard to break out of our routine and start new habits, but the only one in control of whether or not you stop exercising is you.

OP, stop depending on motivation, it comes and goes. Do you need to be motivated to brush your teeth in the morning or else it doesn't happen? If a meeting is scheduled at work, do you skip it if you don't feel like going?

DECIDE that starting today you will log your food accurately and consistently. It's just something you do. Even if you fall off plan and eat too much, you will log it, every single time. Logging the "bad" days is a great learning experience.

Try pre-logging days, it helps me a lot. If I already logged a great day of food, I am more likely to stick to it. If I've been craving a fast food burger, I will pre-log my meals including that burger and see how the day will turn out, if I have to tweak my other meals. Or maybe I'll see what my splurge will look like once logged and decide to make a better choice.

If you want to factor in exercise, schedule it. Actually enter or write it in as an appointment.

The only way you fail, is by giving up. If it's important to you, keep at it. :drinker:

chocolatedori1 wrote: »

im so glad you are getting better what youve achieved is amazing, and from what youve said is exactly how I want to feel again

my liver is flagging on tests and I now on daily meds to stop my stomach acid from causing me anymore pain, I struggle to breath even when seated im only 3 and a half stone over weight... but have been told that unless I change I will get worse, the rapid change in health is due to the amount I gained in just a few years and is definatly all linked to the weight gain...... i was very recently told this by doctors and advised unless it changes I will be worse...my worst fear would be to end up in those scooters..... I used to scuba dive daily, run and gym ..... had friends everywhere and well .... over all loved life...and I hate that I have all that up for tv, pizza and doing nothing all day

I just want all that back

One more thing that hasn't been mentioned, and not sure this affects you or not - you don't HAVE to give up the foods you like. Just mind your portions. I always tried to eat the cliche healthy diet - broiled chicken or fish, steamed veggies, rice cakes, etc. And I would quit because I was miserable. What worked was eating mostly the same food, just smaller portions. For some people the temptation to binge would be too great, but for me, learning how to have just 2 slices of pizza, or getting the crispy chicken sandwich but no fries, was definitely the way to go. So if eating one way doesn't work for you, don't give up, just try a different way...

Best advice I can give is that it's ok to start slow and build. Weigh and log everything for a week while eating like normal and see where your patterns are. Then, make one change. Give yourself a couple weeks to get used to it, and then make another. Yes, it's slow, but doing so gets you used to things gradually, as well as helping you learn better eating habits because you're not going on a 'diet', you're adjusting what you currently eat to fit what your calories should be. I don't know what you normally eat in a day, but when you actually WEIGH everything and add it, you will be surprised! Don't let it bother you; after all, your goal is to change that. That doesn't mean cutting foods out, it mostly means learning what the proper portions are for something and sticking with that. One or two cookies is fine, 10-12 cookies is not. 3 fried chicken tenders is fine, 10 is not. See where I'm going? And that applies to healthy foods too! You can eat too much 'healthy' foods and go over your calorie limit that way. It's harder to do, but people do manage to do it!

You probably will want to add in more low-calorie/high nutrient choices, such as more veggies or whole grains, simply because when you take into account the calorie totals of some of your favorite foods, you'll find that eating a single portion doesn't fill you up! But that doesn't mean you have to give up anything unless there's a medical reason for it. I still have my garlic breadsticks, I still go out for wings and cheese fries, I still eat ice cream or candy. The difference is that I know what a portion usually looks like, and even if go over, I know how to adjust my day to account for it.

You will screw up from time to time. That's normal. Everyone does. When it happens, log it, learn from it, and move on. You'll be fine, but we can tell you that 'till the cows come home. It's up to YOU to internalize it and make it real.