Anyone else struggling?

I am just trying to focus on being healthier. I hope to lose weight but I've also been struggling with depression I think and find it thought to get motivated. I am keeping a blog so that I can document my journey but I also struggle with just being consistent. You can read my blog at https://ajourneytobetterhealth.blogspot.com

Any advice? Suggestions? What do you do to stay focused?

Replies

  • Torygetsfit
    Torygetsfit Posts: 17 Member
    Hi there! Sorry to hear you're struggling with depression/ being consistent. I've struggled with depression in the past, for me it can be really challenging to get out of bed and get moving! I try and find accountability buddies who are helpful, positive, and have similar goals. For example my sister (who lives across the country from me) and I send each other gym selfies to prove we are at the gym and working out! I also have a few friends locally who I make gym dates with! Knowing I have someone who is there waiting for me to get there, helps get me out of bed and going in the morning! I bet you could even find some accountability buddies on here ;-)
    I also find looking at the whole big picture overwhelming sometimes ( ie, i have 25+ lbs to lose! yikes!) , so I try and do little things each day to ad up to big wins later. If I don't meet my water goal one day, I make that my focus the next day and work on getting my water in, and try not to worry about everything else. If I make it 7,500 steps one day, the next day I try for 8,000 etc. I've found adding on/building onto what successful habits I have already going, really helps. Maybe this will work for you too?
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I basically don’t beat myself up for being inconsistent. It took awhile to reach this point but I figured I was doing this weight loss thing at whatever pace I could manage, and there’s no reason to be cruel to myself about little missteps.

    Here’s my advice: follow the MFP program. Log your weight and your calorie intake. Drink some water during the day. Eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day. Convince your kids the food you’re preparing is yummy.

    I saw on your blog you’re doing a 5K. That’s awesome! (1) go to a running store and get the salesperson to look at your feet and evaluate your gait. I did that and avoided getting shin splints for the first time in years. (2). Use the Couch to 5K app on your phone. I did, even though I repeated Week #4 I was proud I was trying. (3) Use the Happy Scale app on your phone. Weigh yourself at the same time in the morning daily. Enter the number and you’ll see your weight goes up and down. You’ll see a gentle downward trend, though.

    Congrats on your decision to be healthy!
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,532 Member
    Calculate a modest calorie deficit. Start a food diary. Get a food scale and set about crunching numbers. Try to hit your calorie target. Give yourself time to deal with the calorie counting learning curve. You’ll soon find that you need some sort of eating plan to hit your number.

    A food diary is a pain at first. It gets easier. Give your all to tracking. Track everything, the good, bad and ugly. There will be times when you eat too much. Bad plans, loss of focus, math mistakes, fatigue. Just keep tracking. The process is more important than the numbers.

    Set up a system of regular weigh ins. Try to find a livable downward trend. Ride the trend. Make modest adjustments when needed. Think about how you will cope when discouraged.
  • EsmeMary101
    EsmeMary101 Posts: 154 Member
    Join the Fat 2 Fit group on here. I've been in there for months and it really helps. Team Slimsons are a great bunch.

    Good luck
  • tespencer
    tespencer Posts: 2 Member
    Wow! This is all great advice. This seems like a great community to help keep me accountable too. Thanks so much everyone!

    DebLaBounty - I get shin splints all the time!! I went running again tonight and that was going to be the focus of my next blog. There is a really good running shop where I live and they give pretty good advice and let you test them out by running down the street. But I'm not sure if do a gait evaluation, I will have to look into that. I have flat feet and have always had problems with weak ankles and shin splints.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    @tespencer the "gait evaluation" is just the salesperson watching you jog down the sidewalk and back. I tried on five pairs of running shoes. We figured out that two pairs worked best for me, and I chose one of them. He was just able to see that I ran smoother, my foot hit the ground in the right place, etc. etc. And I ultimately decided which pair was most comfortable. It feels so great!