Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

nunezj22
nunezj22 Posts: 10 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am putting it out to the Universe and to the MFP Community because I am feeling lost and hopeless! I have been doing so well as far as diet and exercise is concerned, but for exactly one week now, I have fallen off the diet wagon and I can't seem to be able to get back on! I have prepped and packaged my meals for the week and I still find myself nibbling on high sugar, high fat, low nutrion foods! The scale is quick to remind me how quickly I can gain back what I have lost! Can you please suggest some advice and tips to getting back on the proverbial wagon? Please help!

Replies

  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    I understand the feeling of knowing you need to get back on track but you just can’t seem to make yourself do it. What changed? Did you have pms or was your calorie deficit too big?
  • nunezj22
    nunezj22 Posts: 10 Member
    I am under a lot of stress and feeling overwhelmed! There simply are not enough hours in the day to do what I have to do, so I have fallen back on old habits and old coping mechanisms, but I need, I WANT to stop! I have come a long way to sabotage myself, but knowing and doing are two different things! Have you experienced that and if so, how did you handle it? What helped you? Thank you for your response! I appreciate you taking the time!
  • nunezj22
    nunezj22 Posts: 10 Member
    Adaro666 wrote: »
    First of all, don't be too strict to yourself. A small break from diet is not the end of the world. If you really need it, you can indulge in some sweets or whatever and really enjoy it. But make sure that it is an exemption and keep your weekly balance in mind. Think of what you achieved so far and keep on going. I'm sure you'll succeed in the end. I wish you all the best!

    Thank you! I needed a reminder! Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to move in the right direction!
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    I assume you are logging everything already, try adding notes about when you are eating, why and how you are feeling before, as you finish and an hour after eating. This will help ypu pinpoint exactly where and why your new plan isn't working for you. Then you can find places to tweak your plan a bit so it's so they more sustainable. For example I do GREAT during the school week because I don't have to think about breakfast, lunch or snacks. I have a very set low cal routine, with backups and don't even have to think about them anymore. I am discovering however that I cannot be left at home because I am a boredom eater, and will find ANYTHING in the house for munching, and can get quite creative about what I deem good enough to shove in my maw. I am still finding workarounds, but it's alot easier to solve "in home boredom eating" rather than "Screw it, I am a fat failure, everything sucks, I need to change everything all over again"

    Lol, I just realized this is exactly what I do at work. Take data to figure out exactly where thier behavior breaks down, figure out exactly why, and change things around so they can develop new behaviors in a successful environment
  • skinnyrev2b
    skinnyrev2b Posts: 400 Member
    ^^^^^ this! One day or one week does not a lifetime make. You've been doing well? Great! You will again! I've had a crappy week where I've been logging one or two meals then thinking 'sod it' at dinner and drinkies time. I've lost a 1lb... the body is crazy. You can be sooooo good and not lose a thing, or even put on. Then BAM. Gone. For no apparent reason except that you body doesn't look at calories consumed over the day but over time. CI=CO works; over time! So think about how you might move more. Think about grabbing some water or diet soda before reaching for that full fat coke or chocolate bar. Then have it, spaced out over time, mindfully enjoying every single bite. Then log it. Rinse and repeat. You'll soon get your mojo back.
  • combsshan
    combsshan Posts: 47 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    Are you still tracking? I won’t assume you are. Not from the number of folks I’ve seen abandon their diaries in the face of a rough spot.

    If you are tracking or go back to it, you haven’t gone far off course. Because the process is still in place. The process is more important than the numbers. It’s not possible to do long term weight loss and never ever eat too much. Lapses and mistakes will happen. No human undertaking proceeds mistake free.

    Do you have your plan set too tight to live with? Can you reset at a higher calorie mark to regain control? Also, how low do you aim at low fat? If I don’t get sufficient fat, seems like I’m always hungry and cranky. Big difference between fat in an egg or olive oil than fat in a donut.

    All of this. There have been studies that show that when under a lot of stress you may need a few more calories. I'm talking 100-200 a day here, not 1200 :) . Give yourself a little wiggle room for a few days, so you're not adding "I'm so gonna get fat" stress to the stress you're already under. If you can manage it, add some easy relaxing exercise to help with stress. Gentle walks, yoga. I find that when I'm really stressed the last thing I want to do is a hard workout. Sometimes your body needs to move in a natural, easy way to relieve that stress and sometimes it needs the hard core workouts to burn it off. You have to listen to your body.

    Also, don't beat yourself up about the time you've fallen off the wagon. We all do it. I'm also a stress eater, but I'm learning to really listen to what I need and usually it's not a chocolate bar. Sometimes it's a nap, or time to myself or a good gab session with my best friend. And I understand that you can't always get what you need, but try to get as close as possible.
  • GetFit4Life2018
    GetFit4Life2018 Posts: 27 Member
    Yes, I feel your pain. It's so easy to just cave when the scale isn't going down. I've done it and struggling currently to lose even though I work out regularly and cut calories and have been eating better. Add me if you need someone who gets it. :smile: Maybe we can be there for each other on this journey! hang in there.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    nunezj22 wrote: »
    I am under a lot of stress and feeling overwhelmed! There simply are not enough hours in the day to do what I have to do, so I have fallen back on old habits and old coping mechanisms, but I need, I WANT to stop! I have come a long way to sabotage myself, but knowing and doing are two different things! Have you experienced that and if so, how did you handle it? What helped you? Thank you for your response! I appreciate you taking the time!

    To be honest if I'm under A LOT of stress it's very hard to stay on track. My mind is too preoccupied with stress and anxiety to focus on weight loss. My head has to be in the weight loss game to be successful. That's my honest answer to say, yes, I've experienced that.
    I'm sorry you're under a lot of stress right now. I hope it's something that will pass. But in the meantime it sounds like coping with stress, not necessarily weight loss, is your biggest struggle at the moment. I know you mentioned that your time is limited but could you fit in an outdoor walk? Maybe on your lunch break if you can't do it before or after work? Not even viewing it as exercise. View it as refreshment for your mind and body and for the endorphins. Journaling can also help to get all those stressed out thoughts out of your head. Spend time with someone you love and take it easy on yourself. This may not be the time to focus on weight loss. OR! Maybe getting back into weight loss could be a good distraction from whatever is stressing you out. It depends on your individual personality type. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Stress is hard enough on the body. Don't add to it by being angry and disappointed when you (understandably) can't stay on track. But when you can get back to it, absolutely do it!
  • syntelis
    syntelis Posts: 1 Member
    edited February 2018
    [But in the meantime it sounds like coping with stress, not necessarily weight loss, is your biggest struggle at the moment.]

    This is so simple yet so profound. We (I) always look at food out of context. As if the cookie or the slice or the mug is the magical answer to a mysterious question. When in fact, food, especially in the context of overeating, just exacerbates the problem.
    But we've (I've) been conditioned to immediately turn to food to mask any uncomfortable feelings.
    Personally, moving forward, I'm going to try to diagram situations in my mind and see how damaging the Problem + Food = Solution mentality really is and I'm going to try to dig a little beneath the surface to find I'm really looking for.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    i gained 20 lbs and am so mad at myself after losing 40. I am making myself drink water and hot tea when I get hungry, seems to be helping. Making myself eat healthy, I am so addicted to junk food and cant stop when I eat it.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    syntelis wrote: »
    [But in the meantime it sounds like coping with stress, not necessarily weight loss, is your biggest struggle at the moment.]

    This is so simple yet so profound. We (I) always look at food out of context. As if the cookie or the slice or the mug is the magical answer to a mysterious question. When in fact, food, especially in the context of overeating, just exacerbates the problem.
    But we've (I've) been conditioned to immediately turn to food to mask any uncomfortable feelings.
    Personally, moving forward, I'm going to try to diagram situations in my mind and see how damaging the Problem + Food = Solution mentality really is and I'm going to try to dig a little beneath the surface to find I'm really looking for.

    I understand what you’re saying. So many of us turn to food for comfort. It’s a huge challenge to change this way of thinking when you’re in the moment and you have to tell yourself that the cake will only make you feel better temporarily and that you’ll regret it later. We want comfort now! But it can be done. We can learn to cope with other ways.

  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    nunezj22 wrote: »
    I am putting it out to the Universe and to the MFP Community because I am feeling lost and hopeless! I have been doing so well as far as diet and exercise is concerned, but for exactly one week now, I have fallen off the diet wagon and I can't seem to be able to get back on! I have prepped and packaged my meals for the week and I still find myself nibbling on high sugar, high fat, low nutrion foods! The scale is quick to remind me how quickly I can gain back what I have lost! Can you please suggest some advice and tips to getting back on the proverbial wagon? Please help!

    I love sweets and derail at Halloween, sometimes all the way to Christmas. I keep logging, and if I do miss a day, I get right back on it. I’ve logged 1000 calories over, two days in a row at Halloween. The next year I told myself to only eat 500 cal over. This year I was only 250 cal over on Halloween. I was over many days during the holidays, but kept fighting back and only ended up gaining 3# by Jan. 1st. I’ve lost that already. It takes awhile to learn to trust the process, and understand how to handle slips.

  • nunezj22
    nunezj22 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you everyone for your insightful and inspiring comments! You have given me some great ideas! I am over my calories for the day and will be over tomorrow as well, since we are celebrating Lunar New Year at the office, BUT today, I feel as if I finally had SOME sense of control! I am actually going to take some of your suggestions and write them in my easy to access planner so I can refer to them when I am feeling overwhelmed! I am so happy that I reached out! I am not on the wagon yet, but I am doing much better than I have during the past week! At least now I feel like I vave gotten a hold of the proverbial wagon! Today I am feeling mentally stronger! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! ❤

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