Trouble sticking with it...

My theory was small and consistent change. It was #5 that really made a difference for me when it came to sticking to it....

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress.
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and I gave myself a range with 1200 as my rock bottom, lose 1 lb/wk as my target*** and maintain my goal weight as the top of my range. As long as I keep within in this range I'll lose. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range.

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I won't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as acheivable. I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.)

I did have to take a break for a month due to a health scare, but otherwise I kept with the slow and steady approach. Took me 9 months (including the month off) At first I lost at the rate of about 3 lbs per month, but the closer you get to the goal the slower it goes. So be patient and hang in there.

***also once my lose 1 lb/week target was down to 1200 calories I switch to lose 1/2 lb/ week (1200 cal rock bottom, 1/2 lb/week as my target, maintain goal weight as the high end of my range.)

Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occassional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time the occassional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.

Good Luck

Congrats on grad school!! I'll be there soon along with working and raising three kids so I know how hard it is when you are busy. I would recommend making a small change every week. For example, eating only the proper serving size at each meal, then the next week, cut back on snacks, the next week adding an extra fruit, etc., etc. My husband has lost almost 18lbs by making little changes and he has stuck with it because now it is just habit. Then with exersize do the same thing. Set a small goal the first week and add a little as you go. Good luck to you!!!

Are you eating back your exercise calories? If you are at 1200 calories a day and burn off 300, you'll be at 900 for the day! way too low! and it's sooooo hard to stick with it being that restrictive.

what pound/week loss do you have MFP set at? maybe you should aim for 0.5 lb/week or 1 lb/week at first to try and get yourself started, then keep tweaking your diet and exercise along the way. it's a process. it doesn't happen all at once. it has taken me A YEAR to lose the 18 lbs I've lost! And I have about 50 more to go! What I'm doing now is completely different from what I was doing last year, and I'm sure this time next year, things will be even more different.

Personally, if I set MFP at 2.5 lbs/week, it puts me down to 1,200 calories. I was doing this for months and the scale DID NOT BUDGE!!!! I didn't get it because I was eating almost 1,600 before that and losing 2-2.5 lbs/week!! (and 1,600 was the calorie recommendation from MFP for 1 lb/week for me). i FINALLY realized that my body doesn't like eating so little, plus I struggled and kept falling off the wagon. I'd be good all day and splurge. when i have MFP set at 1 lb/week (1,600 calories) I am more likely to not stress about food and to stay within my calorie budget for the day and not feel hungry or drained. MFP is just a suggestion....it isn't hardcore fact. You really need to commit and experiment to make it work for you.

when it comes to exercise, you need to think about what program excites you the most. not all programs are for everybody. I started out this time last year with P90X and made it 45 days in and stopped! I was seeing weight loss but I got so bored with the program. I switched over to a ChaLEAN extreme/TurboFire hybrid and the lbs started melting off. I might do P90X in the future, but back then, it wasn't for me. I tried 30 day shred a long time ago and it wasn't right for me then either.

There are SO many aspects when it comes to staying committed. The way I look at it (and tell everyone), especially when I'm not seeing results, is that exercising won't hurt, but NOT exercising will (regarding my goal). What do you have to lose? If you keep exercising you chance losing weight or not losing weight. If you DON'T exercise (or eat well) you really risk gaining even more weight. I like the exercising option better when I look at it that way

if you need any help or motivation, let me know

When I joined MFP I decided to spend the first couple of months getting a handle on eating within the calorie goal they gave me, which was 1370 (I was set to lose one pound per week, how many are you set to lose?). I did that for a couple of months fitting in exercise when I could. This worked for me, because trying to get my calories down and starting exercise at the same time would have been catastrophic. One thing at a time! Now I am still eating better 6+ months later and am exercising 3 to 4 days per week!

Awesome that you are still with this program for 6 months. My calorie intake is only 1200.. and I have been eating just veggie and protein, so I should be fine there. I just now need to get "moving" again.. I am excited to start having my calories counted for me- a big plus. I look forward to meeting new people and a lot of support! Thanks again for you motivating message.. I so need it.

Congratulations to you. What a great feeling that must be to see your efforts paid off. Yes tomorrow I am hitting the gym again- getting active. This system has me at my goal by Sept. 11, however I want to focus just on tracking at first and exercise!! I can't believer the over whelming responses I have gotten already. What a terrific support system this will be,

Hi Kmb1282, your 32 pounds goal is realistic. You are giving yourself 5 months to lose the weight and that's good. The slow step is the best way to go.

I think you should do Leslie Sansone's indoor walking. Check Walmart. WalMart has Leslie Sansone's Walk At Home Super Walks Deluxe Kit. That would be a good set to get. Some people like following an eating plan. It has that as well.

A lot of people have lost weight using Leslie Sansone's indoor walking workouts. I use them and I love doing indoor walking.

Do you plan on doing strength training workouts as well? I know you have said that you will be working out 3x a week. Maybe for now, you can only focus on cardio.

kristen...i feel for you and i can relate. i am also very busy. i have two boys and i am a self- employed jewelry artist with long work hours. i am trying to lose weight by exercising more. considering to this point i have exercised very little- that's not hard to do. i have a friend that i meet to walk with three times a week, but i know that is not enough. i have started walking in place while in my studio for 10 minutes three times a day or 15 minutes two times a day (i set the timer on my oven to keep track). i figured if i can do this every day, it should help me. i know it is not a 'real' workout, but at least i'm moving and i am able to do it consistently. i am also trying to eat better by consuming more protein and veggies and less carbs.

anyway i know that i do not have the type of schedule that allows me to go to the gym or anything like that right now. the walking in place allows me to think out my day, look at my inspiration board, organize my workbench while squeezing in a quick 'walk'. i simply set the timer and start stepping while sometimes doing other things. i use some of the moves that i learned from doing the leslie sansone 'walk away the pounds' videos.

i have tried to quit thinking that the only way i can exercise or do something good for myself is through a workout video or gym. i hope this helps and i wish you the best! peace to you!

Hey. Good luck.

I'm in my second year of law school and gained a good 30-40 lbs in my first year. Yikes!

I decided to focus on health to the detriment of grades if necessary because I didn't want to end my degree at 300 lbs. I have lost 50 lbs and am now working on the last 50.

Add me if you want a friend who is on here every day.

One thing that really helped me this time was to give myself a pass fitness wise. I focused on breaking my old bad food habits for months and only exercised when I felt like it. Now that I'm fueling my body better, it craves the exercise more so I'm doing more.

It took too much energy to do both cold turkey. But once food was s habit and not a chore, it was easier to think about exercise.

But regardless, good luck. I'm rooting for you.