Just can't stick to anything

I agree with the advice of the posters above but I want to add that you should consider aiming for slow weight loss initially, 0.5lbs per week. If you find you want to quit at that level, set your parameters to maintenance and just take a week to log and watch your nutrition. IMO if it's felt too hard, it was. You just have to make it easier for a while. You can always increase your deficit in a week or two if you become convinced you can do it without quitting.

Dang! You definitely have a full plate going here. No wonder you are having such a hard time! Stop making things harder on yourself than you have to. Your health is super important right now, especially if you are having energy problems. Make sure you are goung to your Dr. and ruling out other possible health issues.
As far as the weight, slow down a bit. You did not gain all that weight in 6 months, don't expect to lose it all that fast, and then be able to keep it off. The key is to trick your body into thinking this is all perfectly normal and easy by doing it slowly and sustainably.I
Break things down into individual behaviors and habits. Instead of looking at this as an all at once, or all or nothing proposition, find ways to break things down into smaller and more sustainable habits. That makes it much easier to pinpoint where something is not working, and fix it, rather than staring at the whole jumbled mess of NOT WORKING. Plus, when you do backslide, you are less likely to drop everything, just one or two habits, that can then be fixed again. Otherwise, trying to everything at once, means that you are likely to leave out something important (like weighing food), and pay excessive attention to things that aren't. (Like fiber drinks and vinegar)
Don't demonize foods that don't actually make you feel bad. Obviously if you have food sensitivities avoid those things, but don't cut out all your favorite goodies because they are not "healthy". Think of your calories as a type of currency. You should purchase the nutrient rich stuff first, budget for regular treats, and don't waste any calories on stuff you hate, even if it is theoretically good for you.
Log EVERYTHING.
Don't JUST weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, also write why you are eating it (i.e, lunchtime, hungry, kind of bored, out with friends, watching tv) and how you are feeling right before, right after and an hour after (hungry, comfortable, normal, full, very full bloated, drowsy, OMG I am so damn sick of this crap I want to throw the whole plate out a window, etc).
This gives you a baseline pattern for your normal habits and routine. From there, it's just a matter of experimenting. Are you very full after dinner? Cut back on a few things. Does lunch leave you bloated and gassy after an hour, try less or no mayo, and see if there's something you don't mind dropping each meal (fries, or cheese, or maybe only 2 tacos instead of 3).Are you starving an hour after dinner?Maybe more fats during.
It's amazing how quickly these small and easily sustainable changes will add up to big calorie cuts. Only cut one or two things at a time, until they become habit instead if trying to do everything at once. That way they become individual habits instead of one big "diet".

Sparx_81 wrote: »

Why thank you for taking the time to reply and read my post! If you read my post you will notice I don't have a 5 yr old, I have 5 children... They are 2, 3, 12, 15 and 17 yes old! I am lacking focus because I am tired! But again thank you for taking the time to tell me I have issues! They are all in fact related "issues"... My day is a giant schedule and any change has a knock on for the entire day!

What I meant is that I think you should approach all the issues- or problems or difficulties, however you want to call them - and sort them, categorize them, and focus on ONE AT A TIME.

I sensed from your original post that you feel overwhelmed. And maybe you are, with this crazy schedule and all your responsibilities.

So I stand by what I say: I think that you don't have a motivation issue, but maybe a need a bit of clarity.

You think about finding a way to stick to your diet, then pop! you remember that you should also focus on your thesis, then pop ! you think about those skipped jogging mornings and ... pop! this doctor appointment with baby no 1, and the birthday cake for baby no 2, and pop! you forgot to buy the foods you need for your diet ...

You get the idea.

When we're too busy, we often can't find time to think straight.

Try to tackle one problem/issue/hurdle at a time. Pick one, focus on it, try to find a solution for that one alone.

So whether it's sticking to the diet, or getting up to run more often, or your thesis, or anything else ... One at a time.

You can do this !