Advice needed to refocus

Ahsim24 · October 2016

Last year 2015 I lost about 45lbs. I went from 190lbs to my lowest weight of 143lbs, I'm 5' 2". As 2016 began I went through some 'stuff' and my weight began to increase steadily. My weight climbed to 173lbs. At present I weigh about 168lbs. I have made efforts to get as motivated & focused as I was last year and I still can't seem to get back my groove. I still workout not as aggressively though. My diet is terrible. I know what to do but I can't seem to do it. How should I approach this? Can anyone help please?

lillypadstudio · October 2016

Make a goal for yourself, give yourself a reasonable timeline and treat yourself to a day spa/ shopping spree/ trip when that date has arrived.
I did this for myself. Going with my friend in March to Atlantis Day Spa in Reno. We have something exciting to look forward to. Best wishes for you!

Ahsim24 · October 2016

Thanks for the advice Lilly!

jankig · October 2016

I've always have had issues with my weight, up and down my whole life. I lost a bunch of weight earlier this year on a weight loss challenge through my gym. It was a very restrictive diet with 5 protein choices, 5 veggie choices, and 4 Carb choices. No fat, no dairy no fruits. For 6 weeks. I lost the weight quick but felt so deprived and depressed, that when the challenge ended, I ate everything in sight. No inhibitions. I was rebelling in a way, against the strict diet. I've always had an all or nothing attitude towards food. Either I'm on a strict diet or I'm eating everything my heart desires, with no discipline. I've forgotten what normal eating is. Needless to say I gained the weight back. This time around, instead of being really strict with the diet and restricting major calories, I'm trying to eat "normal". Eat when I'm hungry, make healthier choices and log my food. Once I feel I have a handle on "normal" eating, I'll pay more attention to the calories and make sure between healthy eating and exercise, I create a calorie deficit to start losing weight. But my first task is eating "normal". Maybe that'll help you since you say your diet is terrible.

jo_nz · October 2016

I'd recommend picking one specific thing to improve on at a time.

So, instead of saying "I'm going to eat better", just pick one things to start with - "I'm going to drink water instead of juice/soda", or "I'm going to eat 2 types of veges with my dinner every night", or "I'm going to have an apple instead of a cookie for my snack". Something you think you can stick with.

Do each one for a couple of weeks to make it a new habit, then add the next thing.

AllOutof_Bubblegum · October 2016

I had a terrible weekend of eating badly (well, from Friday to Monday, if we're being honest) so today I went through the kitchen and put encouraging notes to myself near the chocolates, on my son's Pop Tarts and personal pizzas, and in the freezer and fridge. Notes like "Will they even taste that good?" "THIS, or first place?" (I am a bikini competitor) "Have some gum instead" and "The girl who WINS will make a smarter choice". Nothing that puts you down, because that won't help if you're having a bad day. Just something that you know will encourage you to do better and put things in perspective, when you find yourself in a moment of weakness.

It also really helps to have your meals planned out for the day ahead of time, or even better: already cooked and pre-portioned. It's a lot easier to stick to a plan if the food is already there and only a two-minute microwave away.

Charis50 · October 2016

I have no advice for you, but I do have an observation: At 168, you're still over 20 pounds lighter than when you started. Give yourself credit for not gaining back to 190-plus! You're still better off than when you started in 2015, and you've already proven that you can lose the weight.

You can do this!

sew205 · November 2016

The one piece of advice I ever give on these forums is the only advice that has really worked for me: outsmart yourself. Figure out where you want to be, and identify all the barriers that will keep you from getting there. Be honest. If you (like me) are not going to be a 5-am-crossfit-person or a celery-and-avocado-snacker, don't pretend you will magically transformed. Once you've identified the barriers, make a plan that gets over or under or around them. For me, the keys were things like realizing that I was never going to be able to sustain a system that required me to leave the house to exercise, so I would have to come up with a basement-based exercise program. (With that said, I am also fairly stalled out now, and struggling to keep my food on track, so I'm not THAT smart. Or maybe I'm too smart to outsmart! But I do exercise in my basement almost every day, so there's that.)

Oh, and then there's the one other piece of advice I do give, which is to be kind to yourself. You've done a lot of work, and whatever your stuff was, it was hard, and you're getting through it. Please be as generous with yourself as you are with others.

zorahgail · November 2016

Pick one thing/change/behavior that you feel good about doing, that seems the easiest to do, and go from there. Rinse and repeat daily.

Advice needed to refocus

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