Perfectionist

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cheyeneinthesprings
cheyeneinthesprings Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Every time I have an off day, eat over my calories, or can’t figure out the calories in a meal...I want to quit....and sometimes I do. I’ve downloaded and deleted this app about 100 times.
What are some of the strategies you all use to continue on?
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  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    I feel like quitting every day until I try on my clothes and it feels so wonderful fitting in them. I want to just eat whatever I want when I want but not possible, I have to have discipline, dirn it!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Knowing that it took time to get to a point of needing to lose weight, and understanding it'll take time to fix it, too. And since it's a long haul kind of thing, a day here and there doesn't matter, it's the long term trend.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Now that you've got it downloaded, don't delete it!

    Treat each morning as a new start.

    Treat each evenings' bed time as a sprint to the finish, or whatever else floats your boat.

    You are not responsible for your dreams.
  • zeejane4
    zeejane4 Posts: 230 Member
    edited May 2019
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    cheyeneinthesprings wrote: »
    Every time I have an off day, eat over my calories, or can’t figure out the calories in a meal...I want to quit....and sometimes I do. I’ve downloaded and deleted this app about 100 times.
    What are some of the strategies you all use to continue on?

    By thinking in terms of months and years, not days and weeks. Back when I started this whole process I needed to lose the extra weight to stop prediabetes from progressing to type2. Seeing the affects of this disease with various other family members cemented it in my head that I wasn't going to fail at this, no matter what.

    I've had lots of challenges and triumphs along the way, and I'm now 7 years into the process and 6 years into maintaining the weight loss and normalized health markers. I pay attention to the day-to-day nuts and bolts, but I keep my focus on the big picture, which should be 40+ more years for me.

    Stop focusing on days and start focusing on where you'll be a year from now, 5 years from now, 20 years from now. It gives you perspective and keeps your head in the right place :)
  • cheyeneinthesprings
    cheyeneinthesprings Posts: 46 Member
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    Yea, I think another problem I have is that I get frustrated because the weight doesn't come off super fast...I must get used to the loooong sloooow process...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    cheyeneinthesprings wrote: »
    Every time I have an off day, eat over my calories, or can’t figure out the calories in a meal...I want to quit....and sometimes I do. I’ve downloaded and deleted this app about 100 times.
    What are some of the strategies you all use to continue on?

    The all or nothing "perfection" mentality is pretty much always going to lead to failure...you can't let perfect be the enemy of good or good enough. I'm a big picture thinker which is something that really helps me in my job since I'm usually looking at things in the now, but also 1, 2, and 3 years or more into the future. It's the same with diet and exercise...I don't look at a singular day as being of any particular relevance to the bigger picture. What is happening most of the time is what is important.

    Weight loss is a slow process...you have to think in terms of months and years...not just today or a few days or a couple of weeks. You also need to develop habits and have a plan for maintenance. The weight loss process isn't the real race...it's just prepping you for the starting line that is maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. Six years maintenance for me.
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
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    It sounds like you need to change your definition of "perfect." You've set a goal, which is to lose weight. You might or might not succeed at that goal. If you do? Great! You succeeded perfectly. If you stop trying to achieve your goal? Boom, you just failed. You've traded a decent chance at success for a 0 chance of success.

    That doesn't sound all that perfect to me. All you've done is stopped when it got difficult, which 100% of people can do.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
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    For me I had to change my goals toward the process instead of the results. Logging is more important to me than accuracy. The results have come after setting consistent habits. When over calories for the day I look at the weekly calorie stats to have a better view on what the impact is instead of feeling defeated that day. Podcasts have helped me mentally stay on track.
  • cheyeneinthesprings
    cheyeneinthesprings Posts: 46 Member
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    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    For me I had to change my goals toward the process instead of the results. Logging is more important to me than accuracy. The results have come after setting consistent habits. When over calories for the day I look at the weekly calorie stats to have a better view on what the impact is instead of feeling defeated that day. Podcasts have helped me mentally stay on track.

    Can you tell me some of the podcasts that you listen to? I love podcasts and I listen to them while I walk. I already listen to "Half Size Me" and "Primal Potential." I love both of those...oh and Phit to Phat.
  • Dreamwa1ker
    Dreamwa1ker Posts: 196 Member
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    cheyeneinthesprings wrote: »
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    For me I had to change my goals toward the process instead of the results. Logging is more important to me than accuracy. The results have come after setting consistent habits. When over calories for the day I look at the weekly calorie stats to have a better view on what the impact is instead of feeling defeated that day. Podcasts have helped me mentally stay on track.

    Can you tell me some of the podcasts that you listen to? I love podcasts and I listen to them while I walk. I already listen to "Half Size Me" and "Primal Potential." I love both of those...oh and Phit to Phat.

    I also listen to podcasts while I walk! I don't listen to health ones though, just ones that are interesting to make my walk more enjoyable. I really like "Radio Lab" - has a lot of random interesting topics, some science-related, but laid out in interesting stories. https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab
  • quarterhorseygirl
    quarterhorseygirl Posts: 18 Member
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    It's definitely frustrating, I know I've been through this before and it's why I'm back here again, starting over and re-learning better habits all over again. For my own self I'm learning I have to quit beating myself up over the failures or I'm just going to keep winding up in the same unhappy boat I'm in right now, or worse. So I guess right now I'm ... beating up my tendency to beat myself up? It makes sense in my head I swear lol.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
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    cheyeneinthesprings wrote: »
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    For me I had to change my goals toward the process instead of the results. Logging is more important to me than accuracy. The results have come after setting consistent habits. When over calories for the day I look at the weekly calorie stats to have a better view on what the impact is instead of feeling defeated that day. Podcasts have helped me mentally stay on track.

    Can you tell me some of the podcasts that you listen to? I love podcasts and I listen to them while I walk. I already listen to "Half Size Me" and "Primal Potential." I love both of those...oh and Phit to Phat.

    Half Size Me is amazing. I also like WhysAdvice (Fatdag). I’ve listened to Primal Potential as well. I liked it but it’s not a “regular” for me. Sometimes I’ll search for interviews from James Krieger, Lyle McDinald or Yoni Freedoff to sample some others then listen to a few episodes. I really like n=1 so far but they’ve only done a few episodes. Podcasts help keep my head in the right place. I’ll often all while listening to work in some gentle exercise too.
  • liz0269
    liz0269 Posts: 139 Member
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    I have the same problem. Three things that are helping me.
    1. Practice makes permanent. I have had to shift my thinking from trying to achieve the perfect BMI to setting better habits.
    2. Weight management is a skill that I am learning. For a long time the whole thing mystified me. It seemed magical but it isn't. It's science. That was a huge realization because now I can take my emotions out of it. It really does boil down to CICO. Logging is information gathering. That's all. I am gathering information to learn how my body works.
    3. Try weekly tracking instead. If you can eat a little lower on some days, you can bank those calories for a treat. You can have your cake and eat it too if you plan for it.

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