Just sharing my shame-chart - quite the peaks and valleys- can this time really be different?

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sylkates
sylkates Posts: 173 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am so embarassed by this. I would never share this chart on a normal social media site.

I keep on forgetting about/ getting annoyed with CICO. Whenever that happens, I gain weight with the speed of a rocket ship taking off.

Then, I remember it again - and start doing CICO again. And slowly lose weight.

I find it extremely relaxing to stop counting calories.
But I also find it extremely nice to be able to wear old clothing, and to not have my big-clothes start getting even tighter.

Can I do it this time? Can I get down to 125, where I have some really cute outfits from college that I want to wear again? I hope so! Can this time be different? Can I thoroughly enjoy myself with things that aren't food or alcohol, so that tracking my calorie intake no longer feels like 'no fun' and therefore I don't stop it again?

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If you have been there and have gotten off of the yo-yo, I'd love to hear from you.
If you are struggling with a similar yo-yo, I empathize with you, and would also like to hear from you, as this is frustrating as heck, and I want to offer sympathy, because I am there with you.

Replies

  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Well, it's really only you in charge of how you do this time. My only thoughts:

    * Don't base your success on getting into clothes from a different time period. Bodies - even if you are the same weight - change. Also, while it's nice to be thin, don't base your goals on a past time. (I'm thinner now than I was in college in the 1990s, but my body isn't that of a 23 year old and never will be again. Also, I don't want to wear 30 year old clothing in general.)

    * Yo-yo dieting is due in part to dieting rather than lifelong lifestyle changes. You need to make actual long-term changes to see actual long term results. That doesn't mean giving up ice cream for life, but may mean you need to make physical activity a consistent lifestyle choice.

    * People confess becoming overweight in a way that's almost as if it was a deep dark failure. But your true value cannot be measured by any BMI score. You're working on losing weight, and that's a good thing. And you may find some great skills, self-esteem, accomplishment, discipline, and all those good things through it. But one thing to realize is that your self-worth and value isn't on the line here. Just relax. If you panic every time you're faced with an unexpected setback or mistake you will go through unnecessary angst.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Oh, and this isn't a shame chart by the way. This is just a graph of body weight over time.

    If it was amount of kittens kicked over time, or outright lies on resume, or times cheated on spouse over time...that would be a shame chart.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Let's be honest. Counting calories isn't fun. I've done it over 400 days in a row and some people have done it for years on end. We don't do it because it's fun.

    But is it really difficult? No. It isn't really hard and it gets easier with time.

    So I would suggest be honest that you're doing this tracking thing not because it's fun but because like other tasks in your life (brushing teeth, shampooing hair, shaving) it's not fun but necessary for good health. It's one thing to forget once in a while, but over time neglecting it has a bad effect.

  • lioux93
    lioux93 Posts: 6 Member
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    You're only human! All we can do is strive to be better and make better choices. Use this as motivation!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Mine looks the same. IMHO: needing a 10lb correction every once in a while is fine. It's how you do it that matters. If you diet while exercising each time, I personally don't find any negative consequences. The argument that you lose a little muscle each time and that it adds up to a making you a weakling is only valid if you don't exercise.
  • sylkates
    sylkates Posts: 173 Member
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    I do find counting calories difficult, **socially**, since I live with someone with totally different caloric needs than me, who also relies on takeouot more than I. It's just annoying not being able to say "sure" when he says "let's just get some fast food for dinner, I'm tired, and I'm sure you don't want to bake something."

    I'll get used to it again, it just causes friction since he doesn't like getting takeout just for himself.

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