frustrated over no progress vs. doing something about it

My problem is that I get so frustrated over not seeing any progress at all, even after working very hard at it with exercise & paying attention to the foods I eat. I get discouraged easily and argue with myself "I might as well just eat whatever, since eating the right foods and limiting my calories to 1200-1400 is doing nothing. Why bother with that hard work if it's not going to pay off." and so on.... so it becomes a vicious cycle that I can't break out of. I get so stressed because I can't seem to follow an eating plan enough to lose weight, and the stress alone problably contributes to not being able to lose weight. I've been trying to lose weight for the past 30 years & just not able to do it, resulting in me being very frustrated & negative over the whole thing.

After relocating in April, I signed up for yoga for 3 months to see if I liked it & to establish a regular pattern of exercise. While that was enough to reduce my blood pressure so that I don't need bp meds any longer, I didn't lose a single pound. Yes, my own fault. I didn't always eat correctly, and I've also come to realize that I also don't push myself nearly hard enough during exercise. If left on my own, I would slow down or stop because I was too tired, instead of just pushing through it and get finished. When the yoga contract was up at the end of July, I decided that instead of renewing that for a year, to use the money and hire a personal trainer. This way, I would have somebody I was accountable to & who would tailor a workout for my goals.

After looking around, I did find one I like. I met with him the first time on Tuesday for a consultation & fitness evaluation, which included a 30 minute workout. Tough workout! I never would have pushed myself that hard - but I was able to do it. In addition to a certified trainer & sports nutritionist, he's a Black Belt instructor and has helped other people lose over 100 pounds, which is the range I need to lose. During Tuesday's workout, we did kicks & punches, since I also take karate. While we were talking, he said he's 51 (doesn't look anywhere close to it) & has a hypoactive thyroid, but doesn't need any medication for it cause he keeps himself in such good shape. We also discussed diet. He tweeked my foods a bit (I should clarify here, my foods when I'm being good), and told me that he wants me at 1800-2000 calories right now. He explained my basal metabolic rate is 1833, and I need that many calories just to exist, especially if I'm going to be working out so much. So I'm looking forward to working with him, and I think he will be able to help me. I'm quite pleased so far. (He actually has a 30 day money back guarantee as well, which I have never seen before from a trainer.)

In addition to this trainer, I just got my red belt in Tang Soo Do last Friday - which is the level right under Black Belt. I still need to earn 2 stripes on my Red Belt and prequalify for the Black belt test; however, this still means that I will be getting more of a workout there to get ready to face the Black Belt test.

So, I'm officially "off the couch" and doing something about finally losing weight - for good. Thank you all for listening!

Laurie