Falling off track

Take one choice at a time and choose the healthier option. If you fall off track on one choice, don't let it lead to one or several more choices. (i.e. the one cookie leading to the whole bag. ) The more you exercise this mental muscle, the better you will be. You can do it!!

My hubby eats junk and when he cooks those bacon breakfast sandwiches it gets hard, I just tell myself that those foods are not what my body needs. The other day I almost cheated so I put a post on my mfp wall and my friends on here sent me motivating words within minutes, it was great. I didn't cheat and went out for an extended walk to get my mind off it.

You just have to make yourself keep going. Wanting to be fit needs to become a higher priority than wanting to be lazy.

Do you ever watch Extreme Makover: Weight Loss Edition? One of the biggest problems for these folks is their families and routines. You've made a routine for years and a couple weeks of good habbits can so easily be forgotten. I was working out 5 times a week and then it was 4 and then school started and it was 3 and now I'm lucky to get in a walk now and then. I think it takes honest conversation with the folks around you - "hey, this is my goal and I need you to help me." Good luck!

It is hard! My husband snacks at night on brownies and ice cream... ugh! I want nothing more than to eat right along with him Really, the only way I can do it to stop and consider what I'm going to see on the scale the next day. When I've worked so hard to see results it's discouraging to see a moment of weakness (or in my case, a whole weekend of weakness) undo everything I've worked for.

Last weekend, I went off the deep end. Still didn't eat half of what I used to, but enough that I weighed 5 lbs more on Monday than I did on Friday That realization is what kicked me back into gear, but it's taken me all week to overcome the mess up, and now I just think in terms of the fact that it just isn't worth it.

You can do it!

@ Laurenpence - my coworker listens to books on tape. Something he wants to read. And he ONLY gets to listen to it if he's working out. Pretty cool, I think.

I hear you loud and clear and often times follow the same cycle. Earlier this year I took control and decided to quit smoking and start losing weight. It was very difficult with my family still eating crap and not wanting to change their habits so I started telling myself, "This is for me. This is about me, and this is my time. I deserve this. I deserve health and happiness and it starts today, with me. I am in control of these choices and this time, it is about me." I know that sounds silly and cheesy, but I would tell myself that whenever I wanted to smoke, or now, whenever I want to eat everything in the pantry. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you deserve this and you are doing it for you. Then drink a big glass of water and get out of the kitchen.

We have snacks in our house that tempt me all the time (I have a teenager and it's just impossible to NOT have snacks or unhealthy food in the house).
1)Logging those snack calories is so hard for me that I usually just end up walking away.
2)I check and see how many I can have of something and still be at/under my calorie goal for the day!
3) If I can't meet it, then I say "What exercise can I do for 15 minutes that will burn enough calories to justify me eating this snack?" Then, I exercise first and have the snack after.

Most of my snacks run between 150-300 calories, so that equals between 15 minutes to 30 minutes of brisk walking. That's a quick trip around the neighborhood!

This way, I can indulge and not have to worry that I've sabotaged myself!

We'll still have days where we totally go off-track, but the more and more you keep track (and look at those reports), you'll see where those "cheat" days become less and less, because you see what you can accomplish! When I thought back over the last few weeks, I thought I had at least 5 or 6 cheat days. Turns out, after running the report, I only had TWO! Just goes to show how my mind was playing tricks!

I like that MFP says "If you eat like this every day, you'll be XXX pounds in 5 weeks!" You can look at that and say "Wow, I'm so much closer to my goal. Do I really want to sabotage that by indulging?"

If I can do this, as a busy single working mother who can have anywhere from 1-3 jobs at one time, while living with chronic back pain from herniated disks causing nerve damage, you can too!

I hear you, that is my problem. I think of this, my family has so many health problems because of being over weight. I don't want those same problems. I have been begging my dad for at least 5 years to watch what he eats, well, now his belly is so large he could be kate when she was pregnant. He said he would walk for about 30 minutes, adn his hip hurt. My mom talks about losing weight, but will not give up her wine, at least a glass a day! I see the blood pressure medication, the lack of energy, the tiredness, and decided, I want better! I smoke, but that has been cutting back with everything I have been doing lately, I plan on being 120, and smoke free, for me. It's hard, but when they go for Ice cream, frozen yogurt is a great alternative, adn they have them in individual servings now. They want potatoe chips, baked tortilla chips.
Motivate yourself bythinking about why you are losing the weight, the reason you decided to do it. Life is short, and to me, adding ll that crap on top of it will just shorten it up.

I'm in the same boat... great for the first little bit, then...

hopefully we will both stick around!

I have a really hard time with that too. Sometimes if i mess up and have something bad and over indulge i'll think "Oh well, i already screwed today up, better just start over tmw and eat whatever else i want today" which is NOT the way to go. Im learning to take it one day at a time, one meal at a time. If you ate something bad, go exercise. If you had an unhealthy meal, make sure the next is healthy and full of "clean" foods. I always want instant results and i know i wont see them, especially if I just give up because i had one bad thing. Moderation and time is key :-)