Help! I can't stay committed
2claisreal
Posts: 9 Member
I've been really good most of my like keeping my weight stable. But for the last 4 months I've put on 20 lbs. I feel like I hit rock bottom. My energy level is so low. Had gone to the doctor and everything is fine. I'm really struggling to stick to a proper meal plan and getting myself back to the gym.
Amy suggestions?
Amy suggestions?
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Replies
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Unfortunately, everyone could give you a slew of suggestions to try. But no matter what, if you do not have the motivation or dedication to do what needs to be done, no suggestions will help.
Eat less, move more. There's not much else to it beyond that. How you get there is up to you.23 -
Are you under more stress than usual? Are you getting enough sleep?
It's also possible that you need a change of activity. If you usually lift weights, maybe take a class instead. Or vice versa. Start training for a 5k. Learn a new sport. Go for a hike or go skiing if the weather permits. Maybe find a fitness challenge that you can participate in and check in regularly. Ask a friend to be your exercise buddy, or join a group that walks or runs or bikes regularly.
I find that on days when I don't want to exercise, if I get myself out the door or down to the basement with its TM, exercise bike, and VCR with exercise dvds, after 15 minutes or so I am glad I did and I enjoy my workout. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to do it, with the understanding that if it really sucks, you can stop after a time.
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It's really up to you. How bad do you really want it? Is it a priority to you? If you're hesitating, then deep down, it's not that important to you and you'll struggle to do what you have to do because you really don't want to do it.
Commitment means come hell or high water. Not, well I'll restart tomorrow. You'll run into deterrences and obstacles, but you go through them and not give into them.
Have a specific plan set and get it done.
Good luck.
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
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Are you feeling depressed? If so, addressing that would be a good first step.
My energy levels in winter tend to drop a ton. A few years ago, a friend of mine mentioned it could be Seasonal Affective Disorder/seasonal depression. I tried a few things to manage it on my own, but they didn't cut it. I'm now on an anti-depressant and it's helping tremendously.
Also, do you have any family members with thyroid issues? An underactive thyroid can cause energy level drops, among other things. Asking to have your thyroid checked would be worth doing as well; I don't think that's part of the standard yearly bloodwork.
~Lyssa5 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »Are you under more stress than usual? Are you getting enough sleep?
It's also possible that you need a change of activity. If you usually lift weights, maybe take a class instead. Or vice versa. Start training for a 5k. Learn a new sport. Go for a hike or go skiing if the weather permits. Maybe find a fitness challenge that you can participate in and check in regularly. Ask a friend to be your exercise buddy, or join a group that walks or runs or bikes regularly.
I find that on days when I don't want to exercise, if I get myself out the door or down to the basement with its TM, exercise bike, and VCR with exercise dvds, after 15 minutes or so I am glad I did and I enjoy my workout. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to do it, with the understanding that if it really sucks, you can stop after a time.
Really good advice here on activities. Being fit doesn't require going to the gym at all, particularly if you don't like the gym. Find an activity you not only tolerate, but one you enjoy.1 -
Maybe now is not a good time to try losing right away, but can you at least maintain your current weight? At that rate you're gaining more than a pound a week, meaning you're eating more than 500 calories over maintenance every day. If you can reduce your eating to maintenance levels it will stop the rot and make things easier when you do feel ready to lose the extra weight.
What do you mean by a "proper meal plan"? Is it possible you're making this too difficult? All that's needed is to reduce how much you're eating by a little bit, no need to "go on a diet" or adopt a lot of restrictive rules.
First thing I'd do is start logging what you're eating without changing anything, do that for a week or two to identify where the problem is, then you can see what changes you can make to fix it.6 -
20 lbs gained over 4 months, or you gained 20 lbs a month every month for 4 months? Either is a significant weight gain in a short period of time that warrants concern, but the latter is very critical. I would suggest getting another doctor, and also looking into the possibility of another problem like depression. I really am amazed your doctor said everything was fine if you've put on that much weight that quickly.1
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What happened four months ago that made you change the way you eat and move? Find that out and change it back or find another way that fits your current situation. Don't eat and exercise in a way that feels unnatural/too hard.4
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I've been really good most of my like keeping my weight stable. But for the last 4 months I've put on 20 lbs. I feel like I hit rock bottom. My energy level is so low. Had gone to the doctor and everything is fine. I'm really struggling to stick to a proper meal plan and getting myself back to the gym.
Amy suggestions?
What's a proper meal plan? Why do you need to get back in the gym now
Just focus on your calories, scrap the meal plan it's clearly too much for you to deal with right now. Instead set your defecit to 500 calories and weigh and log your food
No meal plans, just food
And then start walking places instead of driving or just cos
Try it for a few weeks then think about the gym and what you'd like to do
You've hit inertia
Just break the habit with maths of calorie logging7 -
My opinion is..,if you've put on that much weight in such a short time frame then something is going on. No judgement because I've gone through it myself, but...you have to determine what fueled that be it stress/depression/boredom, ect and deal with it.
After that, you'll probably have to start forcing yourself into a routine. Anything new is difficult. Changing habits is difficult. BUT...if you WANT to change and you commit to it, you can.3 -
Would I be best off doing the induction phase of Atkins?
I need something immediately
I really hate I let myself go this big
I've never been this overweight
Yes I am very depressed over this0 -
Do you like low carb eating? I have had success with Atkins, but it wasn't sustainable for me because I like fruit and whole grains too much. If you enjoy low carb, then give it a try. Or just do a lower calorie way of eating that is part of MFP. Very low carb eating will cause you to drop a lot of water weight, which can be encouraging, but ultimately it still comes down to CICO. If doing induction reduces your calories enough, you will lose weight. But you can do the same without eating very low carb.0
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Would I be best off doing the induction phase of Atkins?
I need something immediately
I really hate I let myself go this big
I've never been this overweight
Yes I am very depressed over this
Personally, I don't think so, as that seems extreme. You don't need to change everything in your life, just start logging your food so you can see where the extra calories are coming from. If you try an extreme diet like Atkins and then burn out then it will make things worse as you are already depressed. My advice is just to start logging right now. You don't need to change what you are eating, just start logging it.5 -
What if I cut out breads and pasta to start? Would that aid my weight loss quicker?0
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What if I cut out breads and pasta to start? Would that aid my weight loss quicker?
You aren't getting the point. Extreme changes like this are why you keep failing. Read what others have wrote. Let it sink in. And stop trying to cut out food groups or do fad diets. You're only hurting yourself.
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What if I cut out breads and pasta to start? Would that aid my weight loss quicker?
For what its worth here is my opinion....Atkins does work, I think if you cut out pasta and breads you will lose. I've done it in the past. Here is the problems that I learned. You get tired of eating just proteins (meats, fish, poultry) A lot of veggies and fruits have carbs so you end up cutting a lot of that out of your day to stay in your allowed carb count. Eventually you start adding it all back little by little because you want and need those things in your diet, and then you go back to your old eating habits and soon your weight is back where you don't want it to be. Trust me I am an over-eater/sweet addicted person and have been for a long time. I am down 40 lbs now since September. I am counting calories in/calories out. For now I do not eat my calories back but many people do. I am older and sedentary so I take that into account. As many on this thread have already pointed out in the end its how many calories you eat and how many you burn. After many many years I am finally getting it. LOL1 -
Low energy eh. Did they check your thyroid, do a nutrition panel, things like that? If not I recommend having those checked. When my thyroid was out of whack I was so tired. I barely had the will to brush my hair and there I was pregnant and chasing my 2 year old around all day. I had some serious brain fog also. Another time I found myself feeling exhausted I turned out to have a vitamin D deficiency. If you have not had these things checked then my advice is to do so.1
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You don't need a diet, you don't need a kickstart, you need a calorie deficit and some patience. Quick measures yield worse results in the long run.5
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Ok I'm over 160 calories over for the day
I'm slowly getting there
Starting to be more mindful
Just need to get through the holidays
So many functions and so much food!3 -
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Well done, excellent start!
Make sure you make room for holiday celebrations, if you martyr yourself you are only making it more likely you will lose motivation again. At the end of the day you are not that likely to lose significantly over Christmas, and that's OK. The trick is not to gain too much!0 -
Would I be best off doing the induction phase of Atkins?
I need something immediately
I really hate I let myself go this big
I've never been this overweight
Yes I am very depressed over thisWhat if I cut out breads and pasta to start? Would that aid my weight loss quicker?
Quit flailing around
Focus
Calories in lower than calories out over time
More activity7 -
Ok I'm proud to report I'm down 2 lbs in two days. It's a start and a long way ahead.
Thanks everyone for your advice3 -
The good thing is you're not alone!!! I think everybody struggles with the long term commitment to some extent. It's not easy to change your life for good - otherwise everybody would be doing it!
I always struggled with staying motivated. Over the course of 5 years my weight fluctuated up and down, couldn't stick to anything, would make progress and then undo it all. But over course of the past 2 years I have lost almost 20kg (44 lbs), kept it off and still losing!
What's the secret?
Find something you ACTUALLY ENJOY.
I *kitten* hated dieting. And I hated long cardio sessions. And I hated restricting carbs. But I thought these things were necessary to be successful - they're not.
I got a trainer for accountability and a kick start, also to help me with enjoyable workout ideas. He really did change my whole mindset. Then I started making small talk with the people I saw at the gym everyday, formed little friendships with people who had similar goals - made it more enjoyable to go to the gym.
Don't cut out any foods. Read up on IIFYM - if you're not tracking and counting your macros, you should start. It doesn't work for everybody but it's certainly the only thing that's kept me going. By doing this you can fit anything you want into your diet and still lose weight (this includes chocolate, ice cream, pizza and pasta!)
Also don't set your calories too low. I tried doing 1200 for years. It only works short term but it's not sustainable, especially if you're doing a lot of exercise. I also now only do 1-2 short cardio sessions per week, and 3-4 days of heavy lifting because it makes me feel strong. I used to do cardio only and that would always exhaust me.
Hope this helps, and I hope you find something you really enjoy - feel free to message me if you need to!3 -
What if I cut out breads and pasta to start? Would that aid my weight loss quicker?
If you like them, then cutting them out will just lead to frustration and adherence failure. You can continue eating the foods you like, you just need to learn how to fit them into your calorie goals.
Weight loss is pretty straightforward -eat at the correct calorie deficit for your goals (MFP does the math part for you ). No need to make drastic changes or box yourself in with arbitrary rules and restrictions
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Ok I'm proud to report I'm down 2 lbs in two days. It's a start and a long way ahead.
Thanks everyone for your advice
You can't judge weight loss over days ...you need to just keep on weigh in daily or weekly or monthly whatever you want and work out your average weight loss over rolling 6-8 week cycles
Scale weight movement happens due to water weight fluctuations in the short term..it's only over medium and long term that you can see the true picture
But your acknowledgement of it being a start and a long road is great progress
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Can you go with eating low carbs the rest of your life? Cause if not, you'll just regain the weight back again. Not uncommon because lots of people do this just to lose weight, but not intend on abstaining from carbs the rest of their life.Would I be best off doing the induction phase of Atkins?
I need something immediately
I really hate I let myself go this big
I've never been this overweight
Yes I am very depressed over this
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
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You'll become committed when you're ready to. I went through the same thing for a whole year. A whole YEAR. Eventually, something will "click" inside of you and you'll know that what you want to achieve is more important than temporary pleasure or comfort. Then you'll do great.0
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I gained 20 in (not sure) about 4 months as well. It was a new stressor that got me. I think the fact that you're on here and admitting it's time to get going is a really good sign. Have someone hold you accountable. Definitely try to get some fresh air for exercise and energy levels. Take deep breaths to try to lower your stress. If necessary, check for signs of depression. Take care of your mind so that you will be well-prepared to stick to your calorie goals and lose the weight! Surprisingly, the red and green numbers are great motivators. But this time of year is so tough. Best of luck!0
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