Success after false starts

I wouldn't necessarily call myself a serial starter but I've had a few different period of gains/losses since starting to use the site/app back in 2012. The verbiage has gotten cliche after being misused by many users, but treating this as a "fitness journey", or "lifestyle change" is a good approach if actually implemented to that level; not just labeling temporary and unsustainable diet & exercise as such. My approach has always been one rooted more in continuous improvement, however, this comes somewhat from the fact that I had a relatively small amount of weight to lose (within the spectrum of the user base) and wasn't happy with my aesthetics at even the lower end of "normal/healthy" weight for my height. There's always been a lot of talk in the community posts about optimal diets, workouts, macros, meal-timing, etc., though I've found being able to foster consistency and support positive habit-building to be far more important to success, despite how comparatively little those aspects are discussed.

When a user "fails" however you may define that (negative food choice, unable to stick to calories, skipped workouts, stopped logging, etc.) too many post talking about needing more motivation to "stay on the wagon" or whichever metaphor they prefer, and try to implement the same methodologies that led them to "fail" previously. Instead, take inventory of what conspired to create that "failure" and take measures to remove those contributing factors. This certainly doesn't guarantee success and takes some iteration to find the obstacles and figuring out the best way to remove them.

- Consistently ending the day over calories? Try meal prepping, or pre-logging/planning and sticking to that. Look at your log and see where extra calories are coming from; unplanned snacks? your daily coffee? a fast food lunch routine?
- Having trouble finding time to workout? Schedule it in your calendar like an appointment, figure out the time that works best for your schedule. Is that early in the morning so other stuff doesn't get in the way? Is it on your way home from work? Is it 11pm before you go to bed? This is easier to commit to if your workout is something you enjoy. I spent years thinking it didn't really like resistance training because I was always trying to do some beachbody program that promised optimal stimulus and efficiency but I didn't like doing the movements, YMMV.
- Want to workout in the morning but never get up on time? Take little steps to support building that habit; lay out clothes the night before, get an app that doesn't let you turn off your alarm until you match a picture to something (I use an app like this called Alarmy, and took a picture of my toilet... sounds weird, works like a charm).

TL;DR - Have a better mindset, "fail" better each time, Habits & Sustainability > Unsustainable & "Optimal"