overcoming setbacks

ck2307
ck2307 Posts: 21 Member
in Motivation and Support

I was in a great place with my health and fitness and was really proud of where i was at, but over the past few weeks I have stopped exercising almost entirely (I used to find time every day) and haven’t been eating well. I’ve gained almost 10 pounds in three weeks and feel sluggish. I find that it’s easy for me to treat my body well when I like the way that it looks and feels but when I take big steps back like this it’s difficult to stay motivated. It took such a short time to go from being healthy and in shape to where I’m at now, but it will take months of work to return. For anyone else who has experienced this- how do you get back on track? And stay on track? Any words of advice or encouragement are much appreciated!

Replies

  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    Stop right now and log everything you have eaten today even if it's over your calorie goal. For me, that is how I take control. I don't really have to be motivated as much as I have to be compliant with my goals.
  • mel35645
    mel35645 Posts: 267 Member
    I agree with Emma. You have to fight through the urge to give up. I too have gained back 23 Of the 43 lbs i lost and am trying to get it off again. I keep reminding myself how hard it was in the beginning when i first lost my weight but how eventually as i felt more healthy it got easier and it was mire if a lifestyle than a diet. Hoping to get back there again as i know you are too. The good thing is we did it once so we know we can do it again!
  • kk_a99
    kk_a99 Posts: 5 Member
    I’m with you- I’ve very recently gained back weight and want to work to get on back on track to reach my goal. We can do this!
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    I have been at this for a while now. Not years and years like some but since last Oct. (Down 54 lbs to date with 4 more lbs to go till goal)

    I have been asked many times by friends and family how I have been able to keep plugging away at this and never give up. For me when I began I was thinking of summer of 2018 approaching. Here Canada Day is big celebration (July 1st) and this celebration always runs right around the same time as a huge music festival. One day it just hit me how if I got at this now by July 1st I would be well on my way to feeling and looking great! That date has never been a deadline or goal for me but just thinking I could go into Canada Day at my Current weight or likely even more or I could get off my as$ right now and go into Canada Day lighter and healthier.

    Something just kind of stuck in my head that time would pass regardless, so why not do myself a favor and deal with this. When times have been tough I just think about July 1st coming and how I want to be when it arrives. Further ahead, or further behind?

    Think of something special to you months away (Christmas, birthday, anniversary, wedding, etc.) and how you want to be when it arrives.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    ck2307 wrote: »
    I was in a great place with my health and fitness and was really proud of where i was at, but over the past few weeks I have stopped exercising almost entirely (I used to find time every day) and haven’t been eating well. I’ve gained almost 10 pounds in three weeks and feel sluggish. I find that it’s easy for me to treat my body well when I like the way that it looks and feels but when I take big steps back like this it’s difficult to stay motivated. It took such a short time to go from being healthy and in shape to where I’m at now, but it will take months of work to return. For anyone else who has experienced this- how do you get back on track? And stay on track? Any words of advice or encouragement are much appreciated!

    I found that it is easiest to stick to just watching my calorie intake no matter what I eat. I don't have to be a perfect dieter or exercise like crazy just not exceed my maintenance calories. Smaller changes are easier to sustain.
    I can stick to walking a certain number of steps per day even when I don't feel motivated to do a workout. A pedometer has been really useful for reminding me to move around more.

    You probably did not gain 10 lbs of fat in 3 weeks. I'd guess at leaat half of that is water weight.
    How had you been losing? Were you losing fast? Did you make big changes?
    Did something change in your life 3 weeks ago or did you just burn out? Different schedule? More stress? Less sleep? Allergies? Relationship change?
    Any health conditions? Had a check up recently?
  • ck2307
    ck2307 Posts: 21 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    ck2307 wrote: »
    I was in a great place with my health and fitness and was really proud of where i was at, but over the past few weeks I have stopped exercising almost entirely (I used to find time every day) and haven’t been eating well. I’ve gained almost 10 pounds in three weeks and feel sluggish. I find that it’s easy for me to treat my body well when I like the way that it looks and feels but when I take big steps back like this it’s difficult to stay motivated. It took such a short time to go from being healthy and in shape to where I’m at now, but it will take months of work to return. For anyone else who has experienced this- how do you get back on track? And stay on track? Any words of advice or encouragement are much appreciated!

    I found that it is easiest to stick to just watching my calorie intake no matter what I eat. I don't have to be a perfect dieter or exercise like crazy just not exceed my maintenance calories. Smaller changes are easier to sustain.
    I can stick to walking a certain number of steps per day even when I don't feel motivated to do a workout. A pedometer has been really useful for reminding me to move around more.

    You probably did not gain 10 lbs of fat in 3 weeks. I'd guess at leaat half of that is water weight.
    How had you been losing? Were you losing fast? Did you make big changes?
    Did something change in your life 3 weeks ago or did you just burn out? Different schedule? More stress? Less sleep? Allergies? Relationship change?
    Any health conditions? Had a check up recently?

    I hadn’t been losing for a while. I was happy maintaining where I was at. But when I was losing, yes, I was losing very fast (which in hindsight I wouldn’t do again).

    I moved back with my family for the summer (from university). I’ve been working long hours, without much sleep, at a few jobs where I’m surrounded by and constantly offered food. My parents also keep a lot of junk around the house that I won’t buy when shopping for myself. On top of that I’ve been having some relationship and mental health issues and have also just been doing a lot of eating out of sheer boredom. So a lot of factors are in play here.
    I find it hard to believe that I gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks as well. I haven’t been counting calories meticulously and have had a few binges, but am not sure how I’ve managed to eat an extra 12,000 cals a week!!!!! Unfortunately that’s what the scale says and, regardless of how much I’ve gained, I am noticeably bigger. :(

    On the positive side, I did go for a run last night and did some core work this morning so I’m getting myself moving again!
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    ck2307 wrote: »
    I was in a great place with my health and fitness and was really proud of where i was at, but over the past few weeks I have stopped exercising almost entirely (I used to find time every day) and haven’t been eating well. I’ve gained almost 10 pounds in three weeks and feel sluggish. I find that it’s easy for me to treat my body well when I like the way that it looks and feels but when I take big steps back like this it’s difficult to stay motivated. It took such a short time to go from being healthy and in shape to where I’m at now, but it will take months of work to return. For anyone else who has experienced this- how do you get back on track? And stay on track? Any words of advice or encouragement are much appreciated!

    I was in a similar boat as you. I went away for over 2 weeks for a European getaway, ate however I wanted, didn't do my lifting routine and it was hard as heck to get back into it. When I came back, I spent a week trying to get in the swing of things with proper eating again (even though I tracked in Italy..just not as strictly since I wasn't able to weigh and measure my food). I ended up lifting 3x and doing cardio 4x (which is usually 7x a week for both) that week of "getting back into it" because I was so dang sore. It was tough. It was difficult to get in the mind set of working out and eating properly all the time again, but I have a meet in about a month so I knew how necessary it was.

    My top tips for getting back into routine are pre-logging food, meal prepping and starting your work out goals low - with just a goal of cardio for 30-minutes a day or something along those lines to start. After that, set weekly increases. Add in 30-minutes of lifting, then 60-minutes of lifting, etc. You can do it! You did it before, it's all about staying dedicated.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    ck2307 wrote: »
    On the positive side, I did go for a run last night and did some core work this morning so I’m getting myself moving again!

    Great job on taking control of your jouney!!!

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