How do you all get back on track and stay on track
Retakesfitness
Posts: 22 Member
So I managed to lose 87 pounds and I have gained about 20 of them back. I just stop trying at some point, now I want to get back into the groove. I was working out at home but I have moved with someone and thats not really an option. Im finding it hard to find motivation. How do you all stay motivated?
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Replies
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Hi @Retakesfitness!
Congratulations on losing & keeping off 67 pounds. That is a WIN!!!!
Check out the Halfsize Me podcast. She recommends eating at your maintenance calories for your current weight. Get that settled. Then, there will be a time when you feel like losing some more!
Really Sound Advice, I think.
The way I do it is by practicing gratefulness. Profoundly. I was verrrry sick. Awake all night with leg cramps. Brain fog. Blurry vision due to chronic dry eyes. 75lbs heavier. Unable to walk more than 1/2 a mile without horrible center of back pain. I could do anything. Could be active with loved ones.
Someone donated their precious kidney to me. I’m doing everything I can to keep
It in my body, be as active as I can, feed myself healthily, and live this Second Chance as long & as fully as I can.
Humans are notoriously bad at realizing the longterm effects of bad familiar habits. I’m not in denial about that anymore.
What we eat gets broken down into nutrients, processed by our bodies & THAT is what our blood & urine labs measure. I find that motivating. I can control what I eat so I can control my labs.
I hope this helps. I so want to spread this message.
Your Future Self will be SO grateful for each healthy thing you do ToDay. Really.
I wish you all the best.
Maddie 💕
PS Small baby habit changes over time yield great results.48 -
I just want to lose weight and then act on it.3
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If I go above my 5lb goal range and its more than 4 weeks of seeing higher numbers, I get back to eating at deficit until I'm back where I want to be. Been in maintenance 6 years and have had to work several times on losing a few extra pounds that have slipped on due to vacations etc. Stepping on the scale frequently means I can nip any would be gain in the bud.25
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Retakesfitness wrote: »So I managed to lose 87 pounds and I have gained about 20 of them back. I just stop trying at some point, now I want to get back into the groove. I was working out at home but I have moved with someone and thats not really an option. Im finding it hard to find motivation. How do you all stay motivated?
Why do you stop trying? I feel like figuring that out will go a long way toward learning how to stay on track.
I will say that maintenance has very little to do with motivation. No one can sustain motivation for long periods of time. Maintenance is about creating routines and patterns that you can follow for the rest of your life, regardless of whether you feel motivated on any particular day.26 -
There’s no special way to get back on track because there isn’t any track. There’s just one decision at a time. Make enough good decisions and you form a habit, which takes the place of motivation. As you have noticed motivation comes and goes, and habits are longer lasting.
The first thing I would do, since you know it’s an issue, is to figure out how you plan to get activity in now. You don’t have to do purposeful exercise to lose weight but it does make it easier, and regular activity is essential for health and fitness. Why can’t you work out at home anymore? If this is going to be your home, you need to be able to do the things you need to do there. If that means clearing a space for yourself, or a time, or using headphones in your bedroom while watching tiny videos on your phone, you can do those things. If it’s truly impossible you are going to need to find some other way to get activity.
If your activity is less than before then tracking every bite and staying within your calories becomes even essential.18 -
Good job! Even with your detour you're down 67 pounds. Focus on that number. Losing 67 pounds is quite a feat! Don't let that go. Start with the truth. Record everything, the bad and the good. Seeing it on the "page" will help to get you back on the plan, tracking and weighing your food and your self. Remember, "That which is measured improves".
I, myself, find that when I stop planning meals, tracking and weighing, I quickly slip back into small unhealthy habits, deliberately ignoring the little lapses in judgement, like it won't add up if I don't acknowledge them. I finely decided if I need to track to maintain my healthy weight, then that's what it takes. It's worth it. We're worth it.
I like your positive moniker You got this.
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spelling oops - finally!!!1
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As others have said, maintaining is largely habit based. I find it *extremely helpful* to review my habits seasonally and account for things that *change with the weather.* You may find that a different schedule suits you better, but since my *fitness* activities change seasonally, and so do the foods I pursue, seasonal review works really well for me.
I walk home from work from spring through fall. It's nearly a 4 mile distance and my activity level for MFP ends up being in the "active" to "very active" range BEFORE I include any gym workouts. When the sidewalks get icy and the temperature drops to -55F out here, I stop walking outside and my dogs don't want to be out longer than it takes for them to potty with extreme efficiency. If I don't drop my calories at that point by about 250 calories/day, I end up gaining.
Through no small coincidence, the hot winter foods I like are hot soup, stew and tea, which are much lower calorie that a few of my "steak and potatoes" fall options, so *some of that* calorie drop can happen naturally without a huge alteration in eating volume - but if I don't pay attention and I do one without the other, then I can end up gaining weight pretty quickly.
You've probably built up a bunch of little habits over the course of your impressive loss. Some of them will need to be tweaked periodically to stay helpful to you. Before you despair, do a review of what you did to lose the weight and what's changed since then. It may be less than you think! Tweak a few things as needed without changing your entire life overnight, and you should start seeing improvements that don't seem like a stupendous amount of work.29 -
Retakesfitness wrote: »So I managed to lose 87 pounds and I have gained about 20 of them back. I just stop trying at some point, now I want to get back into the groove. I was working out at home but I have moved with someone and thats not really an option. Im finding it hard to find motivation. How do you all stay motivated?
girl i am in the same boat. 85 pounds lost 20 gained back7 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »If I go above my 5lb goal range and its more than 4 weeks of seeing higher numbers, I get back to eating at deficit until I'm back where I want to be. Been in maintenance 6 years and have had to work several times on losing a few extra pounds that have slipped on due to vacations etc. Stepping on the scale frequently means I can nip any would be gain in the bud.
Who reported this? Really? I'll go all southern on'em ma'am if you want me to. When I go off "track" rarely do, but I just go back to the way LIVE. So far, as my friends can attest, the weight seems to fall off. I think I have found my settling range of about 190-195.11 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Hi @Retakesfitness!
Congratulations on losing & keeping off 67 pounds. That is a WIN!!!!
Check out the Halfsize Me podcast. She recommends eating at your maintenance calories for your current weight. Get that settled. Then, there will be a time when you feel like losing some more!
Really Sound Advice, I think.
The way I do it is by practicing gratefulness. Profoundly. I was verrrry sick. Awake all night with leg cramps. Brain fog. Blurry vision due to chronic dry eyes. 75lbs heavier. Unable to walk more than 1/2 a mile without horrible center of back pain. I could do anything. Could be active with loved ones.
Someone donated their precious kidney to me. I’m doing everything I can to keep
It in my body, be as active as I can, feed myself healthily, and live this Second Chance as long & as fully as I can.
Humans are notoriously bad at realizing the longterm effects of bad familiar habits. I’m not in denial about that anymore.
What we eat gets broken down into nutrients, processed by our bodies & THAT is what our blood & urine labs measure. I find that motivating. I can control what I eat so I can control my labs.
I hope this helps. I so want to spread this message.
Your Future Self will be SO grateful for each healthy thing you do ToDay. Really.
I wish you all the best.
Maddie 💕
PS Small baby habit changes over time yield great results.
Really great advice thank you! Maintaining is a great way to get back on track, I never thought of that!
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Retakesfitness wrote: »So I managed to lose 87 pounds and I have gained about 20 of them back. I just stop trying at some point, now I want to get back into the groove. I was working out at home but I have moved with someone and thats not really an option. Im finding it hard to find motivation. How do you all stay motivated?
Why do you stop trying? I feel like figuring that out will go a long way toward learning how to stay on track.
I will say that maintenance has very little to do with motivation. No one can sustain motivation for long periods of time. Maintenance is about creating routines and patterns that you can follow for the rest of your life, regardless of whether you feel motivated on any particular day.
Good question, I have no idea. Maybe I get tired of the lifestyle and want to eat bad again and it just goes from
There. I must find a long term routine for sure
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rheddmobile wrote: »There’s no special way to get back on track because there isn’t any track. There’s just one decision at a time. Make enough good decisions and you form a habit, which takes the place of motivation. As you have noticed motivation comes and goes, and habits are longer lasting.
The first thing I would do, since you know it’s an issue, is to figure out how you plan to get activity in now. You don’t have to do purposeful exercise to lose weight but it does make it easier, and regular activity is essential for health and fitness. Why can’t you work out at home anymore? If this is going to be your home, you need to be able to do the things you need to do there. If that means clearing a space for yourself, or a time, or using headphones in your bedroom while watching tiny videos on your phone, you can do those things. If it’s truly impossible you are going to need to find some other way to get activity.
If your activity is less than before then tracking every bite and staying within your calories becomes even essential.
Thank you, I will find a way to get active. I had an elliptical at home, watching videos or working out in a small space is a great idea !
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ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »As others have said, maintaining is largely habit based. I find it *extremely helpful* to review my habits seasonally and account for things that *change with the weather.* You may find that a different schedule suits you better, but since my *fitness* activities change seasonally, and so do the foods I pursue, seasonal review works really well for me.
I walk home from work from spring through fall. It's nearly a 4 mile distance and my activity level for MFP ends up being in the "active" to "very active" range BEFORE I include any gym workouts. When the sidewalks get icy and the temperature drops to -55F out here, I stop walking outside and my dogs don't want to be out longer than it takes for them to potty with extreme efficiency. If I don't drop my calories at that point by about 250 calories/day, I end up gaining.
Through no small coincidence, the hot winter foods I like are hot soup, stew and tea, which are much lower calorie that a few of my "steak and potatoes" fall options, so *some of that* calorie drop can happen naturally without a huge alteration in eating volume - but if I don't pay attention and I do one without the other, then I can end up gaining weight pretty quickly.
You've probably built up a bunch of little habits over the course of your impressive loss. Some of them will need to be tweaked periodically to stay helpful to you. Before you despair, do a review of what you did to lose the weight and what's changed since then. It may be less than you think! Tweak a few things as needed without changing your entire life overnight, and you should start seeing improvements that don't seem like a stupendous amount of work.
Great advice! Im going to review what I did and get back in the groove thank you so much
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How have you been doing so far since the last time you posted? I see you’re still on the forums so I know you haven’t given up yet! Good job!4
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I go by how my pants are fitting. Once they get tight, its time to smarten up.I find it takes a few weeks of bad habits before that happens. It also usually takes about the same amount of strictness to make my excess lbs go away. After being overweight all those years it is easy to fall back into bad habits and I suspect no matter how long I am in maintenance I will always need these reality checks.9
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junk food and chinese was my downfall. I had lost 40 lbs for 4 yrs and then put 30 of it back on. I went on low carb, 100 gr or less also and got it off. My motivation is fitting in those clothes, socializing and going to dr with a low weight. I dont like to socialize when I am fat, I tend to isolate.4
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brenn24179 wrote: »junk food and chinese was my downfall. I had lost 40 lbs for 4 yrs and then put 30 of it back on. I went on low carb, 100 gr or less also and got it off. My motivation is fitting in those clothes, socializing and going to dr with a low weight. I dont like to socialize when I am fat, I tend to isolate.
Thank you!! So true I isolate when I gain .2 -
First, you’re not alone. I was down #85 and have gained back #20. But I have now maintained within 5# for a few years. One thing I’m absolutely consistent with is 60 mins of exercise a day, even if it’s just walking. I also do a lot better when I plan and pack my meals. Winging it does not work for me.
The basics: Get plenty of sleep. Drink tons of water. And try to only eat when you’re hungry and stop when satisfied.14 -
It's challenging at times, but I try and keep a routine and I stay true to myself and in the days I don't feel like exercising, I still do and will get in at least 30 minutes. I also listen and watch alot of motivational workout videos with music which personally always inspires me. I also use MFP friends. Feel free to add me. Good Luck 😀
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