Time for change

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dnr4ever
dnr4ever Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, I've been struggling a lot lately with weight loss. My mind tells me I need to be healthier but my stomach says eat the fries and cupcakes. Earlier this year i lost about 27 pounds but i have managed to put it all back on and then some. I lack motivation, I start out strong but when I don't see the results i want immediately i give up.

Any advice on how to stay motivated and changing eating habits would be greatly appreciated.

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Don't even try to stay motivated. Motivation is an unreliable "friend" that will desert you when you need it most.

    Don't start out strong. Start with something that will have a positive impact if you do it consistently and forever, and that you are able to do today as well as think you could do forever.

    Then don't expect to see immediate results. The most weight you can expect to lose in a week, and that's when you do everything perfectly, all the time (which nobody does), is 1% of your body weight, and that is on average - some weeks you won't even see a drop, and even a rise. But over time, this adds up, so that you will reach your goal if you stick to it.

    If you choose a path you can't stick to, or a path you want to not stick to, you'll either not lose weight, or start regaining as soon as you reach your goal weight.

    So - have fries and cupcakes, but not all the time, eat other things too - everything can be eaten in moderation. If you tell yourself you'll never have fries and cupcakes again (if fries and cupcakes is your favorite food), you'll drive yourself insane dreaming about them and eventually cave and overeat and feel awful, possibly eat even more you didn't plan because you feel awful and out of control, and then possibly restrict further because you think you're a bad person. All this for some fries and cupcakes!

    Do not expect to be "perfect". Accept that you are human, that you have desires and a real life with real life challenges.
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Yes it's hard, but the only way is to stick with it even when things don't appear to be moving, if we don't stick with it we put on more and more weight and so the vicious cycle. I wish you very good luck
  • ydcorbin517
    ydcorbin517 Posts: 1 Member
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    I can totally relate. I lost 18 pounds earlier this year doing Weight Watchers and put 15 of it right back on when I stopped. I think that's the key...you can't stop. You have to choose something that you can do forever, because if you go back to old habits the old pounds come back too. So it's not really about a diet, it's a life style.

    I just started MFP today because I have found that tracking is the only thing that seems to work for me...it's also cheaper than WW and easier to count calories than to figure out the points on something. But this time, when I get close to my goal, I will not stop tracking. I will continue until I have lost all the weight that I need to in order to feel comfortable in my own body. I will continue to track even after I hit my goal so that I can maintain my new body and not have to start over once again.

    Just take it one day at a time...that's what I'm doing!
  • Bubba2017Fit
    Bubba2017Fit Posts: 14 Member
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    Find healthy food you love to eat to replace the bad stuff. It’s a lot easier when you enjoy what you’re eating.
  • LisaBFit2day
    LisaBFit2day Posts: 39 Member
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    Well, I struggle to stay motivated, and it's only been five days! I think the key word is "commitment." The only thing working for me is very tiny victories, like being a bit proud that I stayed true to a diet, one meal at a time. And now it's five days. So, I guess just get the ball rolling and then reflect on each little victory. Personally, I know I can't sustain this "diet" so I'm going to try to transition after a month into a more doable, healthy style of eating that is just a little more than I'm allowing myself right now. But I like finding out foods that u can eat a lot of that don't have many calories...like raspberries!
  • j4zm7n
    j4zm7n Posts: 6 Member
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    I use Pinterest it is full of motivational quotes! Some of my favorites are:

    "Nothing will work unless you do"

    "Because the next few months will go by if you work out or not make them count"

    "Working out is hard.. being fat is hard.. pick your hard"

    "Slow progress is still progress"

    But the one that keeps me going after I've fell off the wagon is:

    "IF I QUIT NOW I WILL SOON BE BACK TO WHERE I STARTED AND WHEN I STARTED I DESPERATE TO BE WHERE I AM NOW"

    Hope this helps!

    Add me as a friend!!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    LisaBFit2day wrote: »
    Well, I struggle to stay motivated, and it's only been five days! I think the key word is "commitment." The only thing working for me is very tiny victories, like being a bit proud that I stayed true to a diet, one meal at a time. And now it's five days. So, I guess just get the ball rolling and then reflect on each little victory. Personally, I know I can't sustain this "diet" so I'm going to try to transition after a month into a more doable, healthy style of eating that is just a little more than I'm allowing myself right now. But I like finding out foods that u can eat a lot of that don't have many calories...like raspberries!
    I'll just contribute some unsolicited advice:
    If you struggle five days in, you are not on a good plan.
    If you're proud of the way you're eating, you're not eating well. You should feel well, not virtuous.
    Do not "stay true" to a diet - don't even go on a diet.
    Do not try to stick to this diet for a month. What you can do for a month has little impact in the long run. What you do after that month, is what counts. So what happens after that month? Will you transition into a healthy WOE, or will you EAT ALL THE FOODS? If your goal is a healthy diet, why are you taking a detour?
    If you want this to be a permanent lifestyle, you will probably have to work on your attitudes and presumptions. Overeating made you overweight. A balanced and healthy diet is enough of what you need of anything you like. Overeating is still overeating, even if it's berries. (And they're expensive, unless you grow your own.)

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