Starting over AGAIN!!

MissJazzie14
MissJazzie14 Posts: 60 Member
edited November 28 in Getting Started
Hello,

I am starting my journey over again. I have lost over 100lbs using My Fitness Pal in the past but after dealing with a bad break up, depression and family issue, I had put the lbs back on plus more and I am ready to take my life back. The only thing that is holding me back is excuses and depression. I get up to go to the gym, walk to my car, start it up, but i just can't put the car in reverse and head out to the gym. I start having bad anxiety and panic attacks. Has anyone else dealt with this issue before?

Replies

  • Morph201819
    Morph201819 Posts: 1 Member
    Here's a little trick: Tell yourself that your only goal is to go through the front door of the gym. You don't have to workout. You can turn around and leave. It's about starting the habit. Maybe, too, you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to succeed "or else". Having succeeded once means you have this history riding you. You just need to start where you are. Redefine what success is for you at this very moment. At this very moment, getting through the front door of the gym is success. Anything beyond that is just the proverbial gravy.

    Also, I often feel extreme self-consciousness about working out around others. That can trigger some anxiety. This is where I really have to put blinders on, focus on my music and the workout I intend to do. Sometimes it's only 15 minutes on an elliptical machine and walking away. It's hard when you're self-conscious to realize that everybody else is doing their own thing and has their own issues that have nothing to do with you. I wish you luck - one step at a time.
  • mazurkiepolish
    mazurkiepolish Posts: 363 Member
    Welcome to mfp. Remember to take baby steps. Don’t feel like you need to do everything at once, because then you will most likely get overwhelmed and stop. The gym is great, but you don’t need it to lose weight!! Eat in a calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Then, you can begin to add in the gym. By going once a week, twice a week, three times a week.

    Do you feel comfortable taking walks? Putting in some music and getting steps in?
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    Start slow and build momentum.


    1. Food. Start tracking, not to lose weight but to see what you are actually eating. It's called a starting point. A food scale is essential to know how much you are actually eating.
    2. Maintenance. Set your goal to maintain. If you keep gaining, then stopping the gain is progress.
    3. Losing weight. Start will a small deficit and slowly adjust the foods you are already eating (portion sizes) to fit into your calorie budget
    4. No special diet required. There isn't one magic diet that works for everyone. Find what works for you. If you'd be miserable giving up certain foods, then don't.
  • Mjg2016
    Mjg2016 Posts: 27 Member
    You’ve done this before - you CAN do it again. You look in that mirror and tell yourself I CAN do this! Just track for now and walk to music. I’m in the same boat. I lost it and found it but I’m back on track! tracking daily calories and walking a few times a week. I cannot bring my out of shape self to go to a gym either. Just walk! YOU CAN DO THIS for yourself. Think about how good you are going to feel when you get the extra pounds off. Post yourself some post it notes around that say: “I CAN DO THIS!” Post one In your car, on your desk, on the bathroom mirror. YOU CAN DO IT! !! 🎉
  • eadooo
    eadooo Posts: 5 Member
    Everyone is so diff, but for me, these things help:

    1. I need a clear 'diet plan' for the daytime, or I just at junk at work, so I do the most basic 'meal prep' in the world - I get 5 lunch boxes, fill half with frozen veg and then the other half with either grilled chicken/ stirfried steak and hot sauce or a quick lean chilli that takes 10 mins to make. Done. Cheap as well!! Then I have what I feel like for dinner (within reason).

    2. I find it hard to stay motivated, but it helps me to tick off a tiny bit of exercise first thing in the morning at home - it's a bit of ' you're doing good already, keep it up' in my mind.... So I find a 15 minute workout video on youtube (the HIIT ones are a nightmare but its only 15 mins and you know it works) and do that. Or I just use a skipping rope for 10 mins / 3 songs. It's free, its easy and it starts me on the right track.

    3. I buy individually wrapped single chocolates. I have SUCH a sweet tooth, so I let myself have a single chocolate to stop me looking for snacks to satisfy the sugar cravings :)
  • fabulousmomofone
    fabulousmomofone Posts: 51 Member
    On Monday, I walked into a gym for the first time in years. I felt very out of place and intimidated. I didn't leave I did what was familiar to me, the stationary bike as I looked around to find out what I could do next. Needless to say I plan to return to the same gym tomorrow. ☺️
  • LeGypsyRov
    LeGypsyRov Posts: 36 Member
    Big hugs and I hear ya. I suffer from PTSD and get discouraged easily. But you can do it! I'm just now getting back into my routine (at home) after a year or two off due to health issues. I'm no stranger to anxiety and depression. Sometimes you just have to be good to yourself and ease into it.
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