Im failing

ThickThighs_SaveLifes · November 2018

I started my weight loss journey around Halloweenish. I was doing very well & went to the gym by myself & felt great! But I’ve been in a pretty negative head space for the past few weeks and I think it’s effecting my ambition. I haven’t gone back to the gym since my last good workout last week. The day of that workout I went home & ended up binging & I haven’t been able to stop. I’ve gone back to drinking pop & eating junk or if I’m not eating junk I don’t eat all day. There is no in between it’s always one extreme or the other....I have 2 weeks before the end of my 5 weeks arrive & im terrified because I know there will be no changes.....nobody around me cares about fitness so I feel alone in my journey which is soo *kitten*. Do I start over again??

TavistockToad · November 2018

why does there have to be progress in 5 weeks? that's no time at all...

Panini911 · November 2018

Maybe set goals you are more likely to keep? IF you don't like the gym, then find another exercise option you enjoy. I just walk. I used to run but am recovering from injury so had to stop that - but i didn't let that hamper me and just walk!

Same with food. you CAN eat "junk food" and loose weight. keep foods you enjoy in life but in moderation.

I think we're all alone for the most part. I have no one helping me, but at the same time, i also don't have others in the house hampering me by eating stuff under my nose and bringing in food i don't want around (so that is a big help). but i'm on my own for buying, preparing and cleaning after all my meals. For getting out and exercising.

also, don't think of it as "starting over". every day is a new day, treat it like it. a new days to make the right decision. and don't think of it as hard deadlines (not sure why 5 weeks is a benchmark?)

bemyyfriend0918 · November 2018

Honestly you remind me a lot of myself... I was caught up in a cycle of binging and not eating repeatedly for like 15 years. Don't feel like you're failing, it's just a normal, typical part of the process.

This may sound weird, but the only thing that helped my binges was eating MORE. I know, to us dieters it sounds weird, but I read a book that talked about why our cravings go insane and we want everything the minute we start dieting and it started making a ton of sense. MFP always gave me a calorie allowance of somewhere between 1200-1400 to reach my goals. I cannot eat that little and not feel like I'm starving, especially on workout days. Me trying to stick to 1200 calories is exactly all it takes for me to binge and give up the very next day.

I set my calories to a higher number and decided to give it a shot. I went with 1550, which was about 350 calories higher than what MFP recommended. (I'm 5'4 and sedentary at work). I also started walking 5 days a week, 3 miles a day (not looking at how long I was on the treadmill, but rather, the distance I walked), and I ate back the calories from that. When I did the research, I found out that I burn 117 calories per mile walked at a pace of 2.5 - 3.5, which gave me an extra 351 calories on workout days! (this is not the number on the treadmill or the number MFP gives, I researched it on a fitness site). Talk about motivation to hit the gym. This means on days without working out I was eating 1550, and days I got all 3 miles in, I ended up with about 1900.

I only weigh myself once per month, so a part of me was nervous. I was so concerned that I wouldn't lose anything because it felt like so many calories. I wasn't skipping lunch to make sure I didn't go over, I ate dessert or a snack almost every day. I kept reminding myself that I probably wouldn't lose 10lbs that month like I would have if I ate what MFP suggested, but that even if I "only" lost 8lbs it would still be worth it.

When I stepped on the scale after that first month, I lost 16lbs! I couldn't have been happier. The reason it worked was because I was not binging because I was starving. For the first time in my life it feels like I have a normal relationship with food. I really feel like this is something I can sustain long-term. It feels like I still live my life despite dieting, where as before I was just waiting for the days to end and my diet to be over. When I went out with friends, I had pizza and cocktails, and I ate the office bagels and coffee. I wasn't abstaining, and instead for the first time I learned moderation!

Good luck!

cariwaldick · November 2018

Someone in another group commented that they weren't motivated to go to the gym after a busy day. Another poster said, "So? Don't wait for motivation. Get dressed and get your butt to the gym! Stand on the treadmill or sit on the bike, but GO!"

I am a very fat woman who has used every excuse in the book. Don't let yourself off the hook. Results will vary, but YOU know what you need to do. Treat that pop like you're an alcoholic trying to get back on the wagon--give it away or dump it out! I had to go through my kitchen and get rid of my temptations. If your family doesn't agree, ask them to claim the things you like, mark their names on it, and consider it theirs--not available to you. It's 90% mental, and YOU have to be committed, so it won't matter what THEY think and do.

MFP is a great tool, but only if you use it. I had to shoot for about 200 calories less than their recommendation, since I wanted faster results. Others suggest weighing and measuring EVERYTHING you eat at first, so you get hyper-aware of what you're eating.

I concentrate mostly on eating, since my body is shot and working out is painful. You can lose weight by cutting calories alone--I'm down 53 now, and much of that was in the first month. You're a smart, powerful, disciplined woman--tell yourself that every day. You must change the mind, and your body will follow. You're young, so going to the gym should be a priority. Muscle weighs more than fat, but you know if you're doing it or not.

Examine your motivation. If watching the numbers on the scale dwindle isn't enough, you'll go back to your old habits. What made you want to get fit? Hang that bathing suit where you walk by it every day, pin a fat picture to the fridge, make a date to do something fun--like kayaking or dancing, shout it on social media and ask people to hold you accountable, save the money you'd spend on pop and junk, and plan something better for it. Be annoying, and insist your friends and family consider your diet when you're out. Go places with the calorie counts on the menu.

You're not failing; it's just a minor set-back. There will be ups and downs; it's a marathon not a sprint. Think of it like a relationship. You've just had your first argument after a whirlwind romance. If you want the relationship to be over, continue to ignore it. But if you want to mend it, you have to get back into it. The relationship is you and your health. You deserve it. You can do it. Now, get your butt to the gym!

amy19355 · November 2018

Why does someone else have to care about your fitness?

You own your body and your mind is yours to command. Other people have no rights to your body or your mind, and allowing them to have influence over your choices is counterproductive.

Life isn't perfect, and nothing comes for free. Everything requires an effort of some kind. The satisfaction with the results has a lot to do with the commitment to the effort made.

Take charge of you.

good luck!

Im failing

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