I can never stick to it, how do you?!

The first time I lost all my weight and maintained for years (gained some back recently due to an illness),
I made very small changes first and took it very slow.

Things like traded out my potato chips for lower calorie "junk food" ... Not carrots and celery sticks.

I traded out my soft batch cookies for Trader Joe's mini chocolate chip cookies and TJoe's vanilla wafers... Bigger serving size, lower calories.

Traded soda for coffee and tea with sugar creamer--International Delights Cold Stone Creamery (sweet, but lower calorie than my sodas).

Instead of ordering pizza out fully loaded, I made pizza quick at home with canned pizza sauce, with chicken or steak, cheese, veggies, on a thin lavash bread for crust, (probably like an eighth of the calories of what I would've ordered).

I wouldn't worry about working out yet, I start that slow too. After weight starts coming off, usually energy increases naturally, and will want to move more.
Swimming 1-4 days a week for 25-45 minutes a day is perfect!!

I start at 25 minutes of light cardio every 3-4 days, then build up intensity or length or days. Same with strength...I start by using handweights (15.9 oz cans of food) doing high rep arm exercises while watching my favorite shows for 10-15 minutes 3 days a week. Can increase weight and length later.

Making small simple changes, takes a lot of the stress out of it.

Track calories on here, but don't shoot too low. Make the first changes and steps doable for the long term.

You can do it!

The other people who've replied have fantastic points, I can't give you an essay or a step by step guide as habits and lifestyle changes are unique for everyone but I do have personal experience with this problem that I will share. I've been on and off these types of sites and only recently have I stuck to one. I basically "shocked" myself into a routine, made myself research the horrible side effects and complications living such an unhealthy lifestyle can have. Helped me stick with it for a month and that length of time made this a habit for me. If I ever feel unmotivated I remind myself of those suffering from the unhealthy diets and how I could end up like that if I was to continue living the way I was.

I stay healthy, avoid the yo-yo cycle I've seen in people close to me, by keeping things at a level I'm comfortable with. There's a middle ground between abandoning your health entirely, and going to the gym ten days a week fueled only on salad and protein shakes.
Walking the dog in the morning is an easy thing for me to do, but it has significant health benefits when compared to lounging in bed an extra 45.
If you have something manageable as part of your daily routine, it's easier to build on that.
I usually walk the dog in my running gear, in case I feel like running. If I don't, I've had my walk and achieved my goal. If I do feel like running, whether it lasts for 3 minutes or 30, I've achieved something extra. Yay me! Aren't I awesome today!?
Setting myself up for success, rather than beating myself up for not doing 10k each morning, means that running isn't a dread. Running... it's a "what the heck, let's go for it!" on the spur of the moment, joy.

You know you. You don't have to win a marathon, you just need to find a way to live a healthier lifestyle. It's ok if what works for other people doesn't work for you, as long as you find something that does work for you. Think about what motivates you, what you enjoy, and what makes you hide under a blanket whilst reaching for the chips. Make a plan for you.

First of: make sure there aren't any chips in your cupboards. Never go shopping hungry and only buy good stuff. And learn to have the "bad stuff" in it's less-tasty-but-still-satisfying form. For example, I love chocolate. God knows I do. There are so many treats I just guzzle down. But I leave them. Instead I take pure 75% chocolate, which I honestly don't like that much. But it helps me when I crave chocolate; just a tiny piece because I don't like it enough to want more. Also, whenever you're tempted at the store to buy something bad: read the label. It is so off putting to know that 1 tasty waffle will cost you 350kcal. Makes me lose interest pretty fast.

Secondly, do one thing at a time. If you struggle with both eating clean and gym, pick one to do and make a habit of it. I would suggest food because in my humble opinion weight loss is 80% food and (maybe) 20% exercise. Not claiming exercise isn't super important and good for you (it totally is) and will make weight loss easier (it totally does) but one step at the time. Plus, you just don't burn that much as you would like to or feel that you deserve for the effort you put in (especially as a beginner). So get a grip on eating habits first.

Thirdly, learn to recognise hunger and learn to appreciate "not actually being hungry but being peckish'. I know this may sound weird but most of us are addicted to food. And we live in an environment where food is plenty; an everlasting supply of cheap, easily attainable food. Which is not the way our bodies have been taught to function. We are meant to be hungry on a regular basis. Try to prevent yourself from eating al day long, ie from the moment you wake up till you go to sleep. Your body needs a break from insuline.

I went from overeating at dinner (top button of pants open, shove down a third plate, have to sit at the dinner table for an extra half hour to let the food digest before moving) to actually appreciating the feeling of a light and empty stomach. I dislike feeling overly full now; I don't find it comforting anymore. I now find joy in having full control of my body, and by not having to "chase down" food on account of getting hangry.

Lastly, know that the body is designed to prevent you from losing weight. So don't be too hard on yourself, don't get frustrated. Not seeing the number on the scale go down doesn't necessarily means you're doing a bad job. It's just your own body fighting back.

And maybe most important: realise that this "fight" is a life long one. In my opinion there are only 2 options:
1) You accept that you don't look like the way you want to, and you'll be at the "set" weight your body prefers. You can eat pretty normal without gaining too much. (Assuming not obese of course, this only counts for people who are a bit too heavy to their liking, not unhealthy heavy)
2) Suffer and learn to like it. Forever. Give up stuff. Only have 1 slice of pizza instead of the whole pizza. Don't take the free donuts your coworker brought in. Be jealous of that one friend who can eat whatever the frig they want and get away with it. But be so happy with how you look and feel. It is super rewarding.

Add me as a friend if you like, for coaching, encouragement, or just if you want to rant!

[Disclaimer] None of this is verified medical advice (obviously). It's just the mindset & actions that work for me.

[edited by MFP Mods]

Well, I started to keep myself accountable in regards to exercising and eating well. I create a calendar every month. I decorate it and really take my time to make it fancy. :-) I use those fun scented markers we all had in school to make it really colorful. Each day of the week, I give myself a check mark if I exercised. I mark my weight loss everyday. I make sure to monitor what I eat on this website everyday. At the end of a full week of exercise, I give myself a sticker. lol You know, those stickers we used to get in grade school? I used to love those things! The stickers may say things like "Great Job!" or "Awesome!". Getting a sticker every week gives me motivation. At the end of two weeks I treat myself to something nice. It doesn't have to be food, it can be anything. I continue like this until I get to the end of the month. Each month I give myself a goal to lose a certain amount of weight. So far, I have met my goal and it has been two months since I started. I learned that I need to develop a routine and I need to establish discipline in order to see progress. I have to see my results and feel like I am being rewarded for my efforts. You have to think about what makes you feel accomplished. How will you reward yourself and keep yourself accountable?

xDaynie wrote: »

I want it more than anything, to lose weight, be happy and confident in my skin.. But laziness, unmotivated, procrastination, self pity always takes over with the stresses of life. I can mentally think all this, but physically I cant stick to it. Mind is not over matter in my case and I need it to be.

How did you flick that switch?! What changed you, what made it *LIGHTBULB* in yourself.

I realised that making massive changes all at once are not how long term success happens.

xDaynie wrote: »

"Ill start Monday" is no more... But thats my point, I mean it when I say it in my head but on Monday my hands steer the car home after work, not to the gym, and they grab the chips out of the cupboard, not the carrots.

On the upside, I have managed to up my water consumption consistantly, so I am capable of changing habits. But eating healthily, and gyming are my downfalls. I have taken on swimming, which I actually enjoy, I plan to go once a week and gym the rest of my excercise days.

Firstly, losing weight doesn't mean you have to eat carrots instead of chips, it also doesn't mean you have to go to a gym.

Weight loss isn't easy but it is simple! To lose weight you must simply be in a calorie deficit, you can do this one of three ways:

• Eat less than you normally burn by reducing your calorie intake.
• Eat less than you burn by increasing your calorie output.
• or do a little of both - eat less than normal and increase your activity.

This doesn't mean you have to start living on carrots and celery stalks and eating only chicken salads.
What it does mean is looking at how you eat now (perhaps try logging everything you would normally eat with a food scale for a couple of days) and then look at ways you can bring your calorie intake down by making small changes like smaller portions of the higher calorie stuff, filling some of the plate with some lower calorie stuff and being mindful of little extras that add up - beverages, condiments.

In my own case I managed to cut hundreds of calories a week just by switching from using regular vegetable/olive oil to 1 cal spray oil, switching from full fat milk to low fat milk, weighing out things like pasta, cereal, etc so I know how much I am eating and including more vegetables for fibre and more protein for satiety in my diet.

I try not to keep foods that trigger binge eating in the house, I haven't stopped eating them I just buy them in an individual portion if I am out and don't bring big bags home any more. I plan my food ahead and buy only what I need for that plan.

I quit the gym in 2016, haven't looked back, some people enjoy the gym, others do better with exercise outside or at home. I am far more active now than I was in 2016, I do strength training at home, I go hiking/walking in the Spring, Summer & Autumn and have an exercise bike/cross trainer that I use in the Winter. I also cycle and have discovered a love of rowing.

It is possible to lose weight and improve your fitness slowly without any intentional exercise too, just by increasing your NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which contributes to your calorie output. You can do this by doing things like taking stairs instead of elevators/escalators, parking a little further away if you drive, getting off public transport a stop or two earlier where possible, finding activities at home that keep you off the sofa - gardening, craft activities, housework (watching tv whilst ironing, etc), etc.

To tackle your weight long term, you need to find things that you can live with doing beyond a few weeks because you can't make massive changes for a few months and then just go back to what you were doing before, that's how you end up stuck in a yo-yo cycle which isn't healthy either.

xDaynie wrote: »

I want it more than anything, to lose weight, be happy and confident in my skin.. But laziness, unmotivated, procrastination, self pity always takes over with the stresses of life. I can mentally think all this, but physically I cant stick to it. Mind is not over matter in my case and I need it to be.

How did you flick that switch?! What changed you, what made it *LIGHTBULB* in yourself.


"Ill start Monday" is no more... But thats my point, I mean it when I say it in my head but on Monday my hands steer the car home after work, not to the gym, and they grab the chips out of the cupboard, not the carrots.

On the upside, I have managed to up my water consumption consistantly, so I am capable of changing habits. But eating healthily, and gyming are my downfalls. I have taken on swimming, which I actually enjoy, I plan to go once a week and gym the rest of my excercise days.

I know the answer to all of this is "Just do it" and thats what I should do, but what is the answer when that doesnt work?

The lightbulb moment for me was being diagnosed with prediabetes on my A1C test. I never looked back since then. Ok, I do look back, at all my obese photos for motivation!

When I really needed to lose weight I set a date and then I planned and paid for a vacation in the south which would mean being in a bathing suit for a week. That'll do it.

Then I got to work. I didn't hit my goal by the vacation date but I did go from a size 20 to a 12 (210 pounds to 155 in eight months,) and that looked a lot better in a bathing suit plus it put me in my healthy BMI range.

There were two steps forward and one step back all through my weight loss. It's the nature of the process. It's hard at times and at other times it's not. Just keep going. Get back at it after you have an off day.

LOG Everything, regardless. Step on the body weight scale, regardless. Write it down.

Lots of good perspectives here. As you can see it's often different for each of us how we finally got it done. I think what makes it really hard for most folks is they set up unrealistic goals then beat themselves into a plan that they hate. That's why they can't stick to it. The one thing I can tell you that made a difference for me was I quit setting a date that I had to "arrive" at my goal weight. I also was satisfied with a loss of one pound a week. When I finally started looking for what I liked to do I started exercising. When I started finding lower calorie alternative foods that I liked and learned that I could eat smaller portions I started dieting. Weight loss is the result of those things. I knew I had to live with this life once I got to my goal weight so I learned what I could do permanently. Once you start seeing progress it motivates you to continue but you have to make it livable. Good luck.

As I read through this thread, I don’t see anyone who says they “flipped a switch”. Some got that switch flipped for them, but the ones who did it on their own just started somewhere and built on that. I say the best place to start is with your food diary.
Just start logging. Log every single day, every single morsel. Don’t worry if you don’t know which listings to use. It’s a learning process. Try to be better at it today than you were yesterday, aiming for perfection “some day”. Think of a baby learning to walk. So much to learn. Balance, mechanics— where to start. Also agree with the idea of doing something you like for exercise. Lifting weights is great! But not if you hate every minute of it. Swimming is great! Even better if it’s something you look forward to, enjoy doing, and feel better after. Keep an open mind to all forms of movement, not just “exercise”.

Don't start monday. Start Right Now. Right this second. Immediately start logging what you're eating and what you ate today. Plan roughly what you'll eat tomorrow.

Never mind eating healthy. For now, just log food. If you're feeling up to it, see if you can eat within a calorie limit, but even that can wait until logging becomes part of your routine.

Add new stuff slowly, like once a week or every few weeks. And don't feel like you need to change everything. I've barely changed what I eat, only how much.