Fallen off the wagon big time
lizstyles2013
Posts: 34 Member
I am back after awhile of not using mfp app. When I was following it I was exercising and eating fairly good but I am at my heaviest now. I have given up eating healthy, exercise and just basically caring about myself or life in general. I keep telling myself yes today is the day I will get on the treadmill do some exercise or not eat that chocolate bar but then I just go ahh it's ok I'll start tomorrow. I have lost interest in cooking and feel everything is too much effort. Has anyone else felt this way and gotten themselves out of the rut? How did u do it? Starting to feel like a overgrown whale
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I feel that for weight loss to work (losing, and maintaining) you have to "like" yourself and really want to improve. You may need to work on "liking" the you that you are first. Because when all those external challenges come along, it's the internal dialog in you that makes it either easy to keep going, or to quit. Usually people who like and value themselves have an easier time with "caring about themselves".
Everyone has that "moment" where it just hits them that this is the "right" time. Maybe you haven't really had that moment yet?5 -
Thinking of it as a second job or just another chore helps. You go to work when you don't want to, you do the laundry when you don't feel like it: same thing
I've been through this many times. Sometimes things just 'click' and I can get right back into the good habits. Most often I have to force myself to just get on the treadmill for 30 minutes almost everyday. I may hate every second of it for the first week or so, but if I can stick with it I don't mind so much and then I can start focusing on my diet.
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I don't know how much of this helps. But I've been there and that feeling as you put it "a overgrown whale" was the one thing that keeps me motivated to continue each day. Focus on it, hate it, have that feeling drive your motivation. My new method after getting back on the wagon has only been about focusing on how I feel. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Start small, then slowly add healthy changes. Now I look at my wife eating Halloween chocolate and think if I eat one, first I'm going to feel good, yay! its chocolate, then I'm going to have quick burst of energy.....but then I'm going to be tired and feel awful (sugar crash), and last I'm going to be upset with myself that I just probably ruined a small part of my diet and really got no nutritional value out of that treat. This thought process before I eat something has fueled my fat loss journey.
I used MFP for a year went from 275 to 230 for my wedding. After though... I jumped off and gained plenty more back in 2 years getting to my heaviest at just tipping over 300. Back on now and so far have gotten down to 260 (5 Months). This time is different though I don't have a date I need to loose weight by.
1) Food - I really started focusing on how I felt after I ate something. Kind of funny but I don't have a diet apart from calorie counting I just go based on how I feel after I eat. For me bread made me tired after I eat. So I stopped eating it because I really focused on "do I want to feel exhausted after eating that sandwich?". Sugar, hardest one to give up, but probably the biggest change. Every time I noticed I ate sugar I would have tonnes of energy and then crash. So I don't like that feeling of crashing. Vegetables, seriously strange, I eat as much as I possibly can of anything that's green and leafy. Results, I can breath, I've always had a stuffed up nose, allergies or something, but now I eat greens to breathe better makes me feel amazing. I could keep going but this has been the best """Diet""" (I hate that word) I've ever done and its just about how my body feels after I eat something. I'm not advertising a low carb diet or that you give up sugar, still need to be in a calorie deficit (MFP's help). But this is what works for me and I'm a true believer in everyone bodies are different. What I'm getting at is that motivating factor of how you feel after you eat something and im not talking abut that self gratification feeling after eating a big piece of cake. I mean the couple hours after, been a life changer for me.
2) Exercise - I'll be honest every time I go to work out (5:30am) I hate it. After a work out though I always feel amazing, which keeps me focusing on that feeling. I don't know how much of this helps with fat loss so I won't focus on this. As a motivator though I feel like when you bring it back to the very basics, with any type of exercise after awhile you start to notice that everything is a lot easier. I'm talking about the general day to day stuff: carrying grocery bags, doing laundry, oh the best walking up stairs without being out of breath.
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Sometimes I have off, but I get back up. I always think about my health and what can happen to me. So I've been going to the gym at least 4 days a week. Well this week I went 3 days, only because I just got a small cold. In which I have to take care of. But I will be back in the gym next week, some days I do Zumba which is an AWESOME class to take. Other days I do cardio.
As for food, I've been meal prepping which helps a lot. I do have the weekend, where I may splurge a little but not to much. Stay determined, motivated! you can do it.4 -
Join the club honey, we'll all fallen off the wagon...well most of us have. The trick is, not to let that wagon ride off without you.
You can have the best support team encouraging you along but if you don't have the want/will to do it, then you're pretty much setting yourself up for failure. You have to want this for yourself, only you can encourage/make yourself exercise, eat healthy etc...Trust me you're worth it! Find your balance, what works best for you (it takes time, a lot of trial and error). When you feel like you're slacking off, take a step back and reassess. You got this! 10 -
I've definitely been there. At my worst I'd take the kids to school and come home and sit in dark, watch TV and eat eat eat. This sort of behavior is so unhealthy. I needed outdoors, fresh air, movement, company and conversation. Now that was me, but can you make a realistic plan for your health? Not for tomorrow nor for Monday, but right now. Today. Tonight. Do what will make you feel healthy and happy. I had to take Facebook, pintrest, instagram off my phone.4
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Getting out of the rut is one thing - not getting into the rut again, is actually more difficult, if your wagon is broken. Eating healthy, exercising and self-care is supposed to feel good. Did it stop feeling good? Or did it only feel good because you lost weight? If so, the minute you hit goal weight, you have no more reason to not eat that chocolate or hit the treadmill.
Make sure you pick a first class wagon this time. (You don't want to leave once you get as taste for luxury travel.) Set up a plan that includes a calorie deficit (the easy part) and how to stick to the calorie deficit (more difficult, but way more fun and interesting) and several contingency plans for when things don't go as planned (very important because that's what things tend to do).4 -
@pjbarclay55's post is spot on! Being mindful, aware, and present is key. It takes time to learn and practice but it helps tremendously because what works for YOU may not work for others and vice versa.
However, I'm concerned about your comment about not caring about yourself or life in general. Addressing this first may be a good idea.1 -
lizstyles2013 wrote: »I am back after awhile of not using mfp app. When I was following it I was exercising and eating fairly good but I am at my heaviest now. I have given up eating healthy, exercise and just basically caring about myself or life in general. I keep telling myself yes today is the day I will get on the treadmill do some exercise or not eat that chocolate bar but then I just go ahh it's ok I'll start tomorrow. I have lost interest in cooking and feel everything is too much effort. Has anyone else felt this way and gotten themselves out of the rut? How did u do it? Starting to feel like a overgrown whale
First bold part: One of the answers is just getting right back on it, and you appear to be back, at least in text. Hold onto this if you can.
Second bold part: What do you mean by "eating fairly good"? We can go over our calories even with the "healthiest" foods.
Third bold part: This seems chaotic (don't know your life circumstances), but you sound overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed, in my experience, looks like paralysis. Mental block, fork in the road, so to speak. Not fun.
I'm not sure what you've already done regarding food, but what I did was to note down what I ate daily for a week, no adding anything up, just the names of everything, and I went from there. It wasn't long before I was using food scales after that, which will become second nature.
For exercise, it was just the treadmill for me, but I made a text document and logged the date, time, speed, duration, etc.. giving myself a green tick in the completion box, lol. This helped me see progress in my new times and durations as I got better, and an anchor that tied exercise to me, like keeping the food diary did.3 -
I had this same feeling about a week ago, not like it wasn't brewing for quite awhile before I got fed up and got back at it again. Feel free to add, I'm realizing I could use a few more mfp pals. This time around I've been telling myself that no matter how much I screw up, I will get back at it the next day like nothing happened. If I focus on the screw-up I won't get back on track until I feel absolutely miserable again. You can do it, sister. If you're fed up with how you feel now, moving forward is a bit easier.3
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I've been on and off the wagon from my early thirties on. I am just getting back on the wagon once again. What we both need to do is get away from the dieter's mind set of "tomorrow is another day". Realize that you will have ups and downs while dieting. When you have your down days, accept the fact that you didn't eat like you should have but work toward making sure you eat correctly the rest of the day. In the meantime, get back on the wagon as soon as you can. It's much easier to stay motivated after you've lost that first four or five pounds. Just try not to get de-motivated when you hit an eventual plateau.3
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Start with doing just one thing. Like, don't change your diet, just get used to recording it.
Or add something. Extra water, or taking a walk.
Once you've gotten used to that, do the next thing. And the next.
You'll be back on track in no time.4 -
After falling off the "wagon " and not using MFP for over a year. I had gone from 275 to 230. I was so hungry all the time and started getting into my old habits of eating sweets and overeating. I am so fed-up with being fat. I have decided to start tracking my food and eating better. the sugar cravings are what I am going to have an issue with. Any help beating the sugar cravings ?
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If you keep waiting for the day where you feel like taking back control of your life...you are going to be waiting a LONG time. First, sounds like you are dealing with more than just physical health issues, maybe some mental health also (depression, low esteem, etc)??? I would suggest you talk to your physician about it. Second, how about setting small goals and FORCING yourself to to them. Maybe during a favorite show, you get up during the commercials and do something (walk the house, do stretching, exercise, etc). Anything to get into the habit of self-disciplining yourself. There are many days (almost all actually) where before I go exercise I think, "eh...I could take today off. One day won't really matter"....but I know how easy one can become 2, then 3, then morphs into "today is a busy day running errands"...and now Im at 3 weeks going on a year or more.
I've heard it said, "People only change when the pain to stay the same is greater than the pain to change." The questions is, do you really want to keep putting it off and deal with that much pain later?3 -
Keep telling yourself: "I can do this." And yes, as Jondspen said, force yourself to do it without wanting to, without motivation.1
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PearsePlace wrote: »After falling off the "wagon " and not using MFP for over a year. I had gone from 275 to 230. I was so hungry all the time and started getting into my old habits of eating sweets and overeating. I am so fed-up with being fat. I have decided to start tracking my food and eating better. the sugar cravings are what I am going to have an issue with. Any help beating the sugar cravings ?
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I started delving into the wfpb (whole food plant based) lifestyle...I was a binge eater and a very large part of my binge was sweets. I have been eating fresh veggies and some fruits for about a month. My meals consists of extra large salads with hummus or fresh veggies. I no longer buy processed foods and am no longer craving sweets. I can’t tell you how this lifestyle change has made me feel physically...short of a miracle for me. I lost 11 pounds in one month, and I have about 90 to go. Whatever you do do not give up on finding an eating plan that you can adapt as a lifestyle. You can do this!2
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Fell off the wagon before I got on it everyday for over a year. Don’t beat yourself. I know I can e my own worst enemy at times.1
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I can relate to you. It is hard. You just have to decide one day that your going to do at least one healthy thing. Then, praise yourself on how great you did at that one thing. And then, build on it. Add another healthy thing. And then, praise yourself. Then, build on it again until you start feeling better and seeing results. Start slow and build.
For example, i started by adding more vegetables to my diet. I praised my self on how great i added vegetables to my diet. I bragged about it to anyone that would listen. Then, i needed to brag about something else, so i continued to add vegetables to my diet and i started to walk 30 minutes a day. Then i bragged (praised myself) about adding vegetables and walking.
I just started my journey so its motivating me so far.
Good luck. Don't feel down if you fall off the wagon. We all do it. Tomorrow is another day for change.2 -
I just keep coming back to your post.
If you don't care about yourself, or life in general, consider being evaluated for depression.
Looking back, at 285lbs, I didn't care if I lived or died.
It's not exactly that I decided that I liked my 285lb self, but I decided that even at 285lbs, I was a worthy cause.
We only get one life. Is this how you want yours to go? You deserve to have the life you want to the extent it's within your control. But you have to go get it yourself.
Don't want to misrepresent myself but your post really struck a nerve with me, so- prayers.
Really. It can be done.0 -
Well, first thing is to go to the doc and get some basic labs done. Especially things like vit D, which can easily cause depression, tiredness and fatigue and just not feeling like doing anything or having any interest in anything. It would be sad to think a simple vitamin is holding you back. Also, if not something like that, perhaps a simple anti-depressant and/or counseling to see why you feel so "blah" about life - if you "lose interest" in stuff and feel like everything is just too much trouble, something is wrong that just "I need to get motivated" is likely not going to fix. If your life is not going the way you want, YOU are the only person who is going to do anything about it. Waiting for anyone or anything else to come along and "fix" the things you dont like is an exercise in futility and self-pity.... YOUR life is YOURS. Dont waste it! Change it!0
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