"I'll start tomorrow" epidemic

Tomorrow isn't soon enough. It's either today or not any time soon.

Honest logging. Force yourself to log it, no matter how bad it its. Often, it's not nearly as bad as you thought and you can salvage the day. Otherwise, seeing the damage in black and white is really a wake-up call to what you're doing to sabotage yourself.

I honestly think this often happens because people try to do too much too soon, so it seems scary or uncomfortable and your mind's natural instinct is to put it off. Here's what I would suggest:

First, just get used to logging. Don't worry too much about changing anything, just tell yourself you will log everything, good bad or indifferent. After a week or two, look back at your logs. Where did all your calories go? What foods or drinks do you seem to waste a lot of calories on? What foods that you like are actually fitting nicely into your day?

Your profile says you have 15 lbs to lose, with so little to lose your goal should be no more than 1 lb per week, and honestly half a lb might not be a bad idea.

Once you are used to logging and start trying for real, don't insist on changing your diet too much. Take what you learned from your logging, and make small tweaks every week to try to feel satisfied on the right number of calories. I manage to fit an occasional fast food lunch, after dinner ice cream, bagel and cream cheese, etc into my 1600 calories. It keeps me sane and on track.

Good luck!

Edited to add: Weight loss is a long term process, and maintenance will literally take the rest of your life. The mindset that one bad meal ruins everything is a problem. If you have a bad meal, it's key to get right back on the horse, do your best to salvage the day and get right back on track. No one is perfect, everyone has days they go over their goal. One day will not negate a week or two of hard work if you catch yourself in time. The only way you fail is if you quit!

Instead of saying "I'll start tomorrow" try telling yourself I will get back on track for the rest of the day. Even if that puts you over your calories, logging the whole day and getting back to the healthier and/or lower calorie choices you planned for the day could help you get back on track.

ebrass73 wrote: »

I've told myself "I'll start tomorrow" about every day for the past 6 weeks. I do well with MFP for a couple days, and then for some reason I just lose motivation, which results in me eating whatever I want. I figure that since I already messed up and went way over my calories, then who even cares?!

Then the guilt follows... and I say, "I'll start tomorrow!"

...and repeat.

Help! I struggle to stay motivated and not beat myself up every time I lose control. How do you overcome "messing up" and continue to focus on the current day without convincing yourself that you'll just try again tomorrow?

I feel ya, I am the same way!

some days I don't feel like eating much, other days I need more. I tend to need more the day AFTER exercising, so i make sure I'm aware of that in my calorie breakdown.

I focus on a weekly average rather than trying to hit goal each and every day. This means I can go out for an impromptu meal with friends, but make up for it later in the week. I'm less stressed about hitting my daily target that way, and I'm less likely to give up. Maybe try that rather than 'I'll start tomorrow'

If you're not COMMITTED to it, this will continue to be your "day one" motto.

"Procrastination is the Assassination of Motivation"

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

It can be tough. Today is a crappy day and I said "I don't want to deal with the anxiety of having to watch what I eat today". Then I realized that I will just be more unhappy if I don't watch what I eat because the cycle will just continue and I will gain more. Even though I don't feel good and I am tired, I plan on getting some exercise in as well. Just push yourself, even if it is really difficult. The future you will thank you.

I stopped beating myself up because I'm human. I'm going to make mistakes. Imagine a friend was going through the same journey as you and they "messed up". Would you get angry with them? Or tell them that it happens and to just move on? Treat yourself nicely. If you wouldn't say the things that you tell yourself, when you mess up, to a close friend, you probably shouldn't say them to yourself.

For me this usually happens when I'm having a bad week, or getting stressed, or getting bored with the monotony. I tell myself "Fine. You can eat what ever you want all day today, and as much as you want. Your diet doesn't exist today. You have my permission. You don't need to feel bad. But you still have to log it". And I do it! But forcing myself to log it really limits how much I eat versus how much I eat when not logging it so it's less of a massive binge. It forces me to be present when I'm eating. Also when I first started I pre-entered everything the night before from the app while I'm in bed and (unless I'm having a no diet day) I dint look at it again until that night where I would make the edits needed and pre load the next days. Eventually it became a habit that I don't think about. I think that's the key. Making it a habit like brushing your teeth or stretching int he morning (or whatever it is you do so often you don't even think about). Finally I use the mantra there is no tomorrow or yesterday, there is only today. I don't have to worry about last week or next month. I only have to think about today. Doing all of this has not only really cut back on me "blowing it" but I no longer feel that I am blowing it. I don't beat myself up if I go 300 calories over. It's just part of my learning curve and part of me learning what it means to take care of myself and move forward.