Tips for staying consistent
xxzenabxx
Posts: 935 Member
Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
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Replies
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Make it habit to log your intake, like the habit of brushing your teeth, you just do it. You eat it, you log it.7
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Make it habit to log your intake, like the habit of brushing your teeth, you just do it. You eat it, you log it.
I’m already doing this 🙂2 -
Don't set your calories too low.
With 20 pounds to lose, set it at "Lose 1/2 pound per week." Be realistic with your daily Activity Level, and add back in those exercise cals.
You may find you lose more than that half pound on some weeks. You can definitely get close by August, but not if you look at this as some big chore.
If it makes you miserable, you're doing it wrong (i.e. too low cals, too restrictive of your food choice, no day "off", etc.)7 -
I don’t understand then.2
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Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
Would it help you to *plan* inconsistency?
I take a longer view of my calorie budget - rather than every day it's weekly. On weekends and holidays, or other special occasions, I budget more calories, and shave a few from the surrounding days. I would find it very difficult to plod along with the exact same calorie number every single day without fail, because life just isn't like that. But on average, my deficit works out to the weight loss rate I want, and the scale reflects that. As I get closer to goal weight, my deficit will shrink some and I expect the last 20 pounds to take longer than the first 20, perhaps by quite a lot. But it should be good practice for maintenance.
Do you have a variety of foods you like that you eat while in deficit, or are you eating boring "diet food" you tire of quickly? I tend to eat the same breakfast every day because I like it and I'm fine with that, but what I eat for dinner changes a lot and lunch is almost always leftovers, so I'm still eating a wide variety of food and it doesn't feel stale.2 -
I was definitely like this for a while. I don't know exactly what helped me, but one day a switch just flipped and I was able to really hold myself accountable. Events and things of that nature occurring in the future like the upcoming wedding are not motivating for me, but seeing the change in my body and the drop in the scale absolutely are. Even though I "wanted" to lose weight and knew all the logistics of how it worked (CICO), I struggled to really dive in. I think you just need to figure out exactly what motivates you, as it will be wildly different for everyone.6
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Everyone is different what worked for us may not work for you.
Honestly I just got tired of being very overweight/obese and decided to seriously do something about it. Being diabetic wasn't even my number one motivator, squeezing into my clothes and getting up to a size 20 in women's clothes was just to much, I had a gut I could grab a handful of. All of this made me so un happy and also literally weighed me down mentally and physically. And the only person who could change that is me.I decided to get and stay on a healthy lifestyle path in Aug of 2020 and I've lost 35 lbs so far with 42 lbs to go.
You can do this, you have to find your why, your motivation, your mental center and use all the tools you know to lose the pounds but also enjoy your food for life not just weight loss and hopefully add in some exercise. Best of luck.3 -
Weight loss that lasts is slow going. Be willing to commit to the slowness. Over time you will get there. Rushing it will cause inconsistency.
Read the threads that others have written and already posted. There is a lot to learn here on these forums.
I try to read and write a little everyday. If I am feeling a snack moment coming on, where I would normally eat out of restless boredom or stress, I come to these posts to read and write. Thus, I am distracted with something positive and productive to my goals. I am able to keep my consistency.
Do not give up. Just keep going.
Give yourself non food treats when you accomplish mini-goals. This will also help you stay consistent.
Be willing to feel a little discomfort going through this process of finding consistency.
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Definitely aim for a small sustainable deficit instead of "fast" results with a large unsustainable deficit. If you can't stick to it then there's absolutely no point losing x amount of weight in a short period of time as you'll probably end up miserable, deciding it's too much work and put it all back on, often with extra. Don't put a time constraint on it.4
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do you set up your environment for success? Are the carbs, junk food, treats..sugar..chocolate and fatty foods that tempt you TOTALLY out of your home, car, and workspace? Have you made "rules" you stick by.. like no fast food or takeaway food? Do you have a great lunch cooler to pack healthy foods and snacks to keep with you so you never get weak and buy junk food?2
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Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
Good morning!
I think you need a mindset change. First, ask yourself this question. "What bad thing will happen if I don't lose at least 10 pounds by my sister's wedding in August?" Be honest in your answer.
I think, often, the mental struggle comes from putting pressure on ourselves and then berating ourselves when we can't stand up to it. Honestly, doing that just doesn't work and you have proven it for 9 months. You say you are 20 pounds overweight. I would say you are far from obese or any kind of health emergency. I am sure you will look beautiful for your sister's wedding even if you don't lose a single pound. I understand wanting to be bit thinner, I do too! Be kind to yourself. Food is not your enemy, it is there to feed you. The key is to choose foods that do that so you are healthy and feel good. I know that isn't always easy but the threat of punishment (in the form of self deprecating thoughts will not help you get there.
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Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
you say you stay in a deficit, but then you don't. What's happening when you don't? is it due to time of the month? stress at work? because you've been eating 'super healthy' and then binge chocolate?4 -
Step back for a moment and think do you want to be consistent or do you just want to achieve a calorie deficit over an extended period of time?
Don't confuse the tool with the goal. Just like calorie counting is a tool not a goal, consistency can also be a helpful tool for many but is it helpful to you?
Consistency for me comes with a price or making things harder, feels very restrictive and is simply more unpleasant for the same overall calorie allowance. If you have an erratic deficit interspersed with maintenance you still achieve weight loss over time.
I failed to lose weight many times because I tried to follow everyday deficit plans or limits that suited other people but didn't suit me.8 -
You likely have no set up eating plan. You could be thinking about just counting calories, think you have room to have a little more, then blow it and then think "okay, I blew this, so day 1 tomorrow". You have no plan of action. And until you do, you'll continue to procrastinate till a month before the wedding and then go into "crash" mode to try to meet your goal. Seen this scenario 1000 times over.
Make a plan for your meals. How many you'll eat in a day, allowable calories for each meal and then stick to it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Figure out what your triggers are, what causes you to stumble most often. That will be a good starting point... otherwise we're just throwing darts at a dartboard.3
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Like plenty of others mentioned, it's often not enough to just log everything and hope the math works out; have some semblance of a plan. This will look different for each individual. If you're schedule is very regimented, you may be able to come up with a template day that accounts for 75%+ of your daily needs and you can just run that plan over and over. If your lifestyle and/or preferences dictate that you need more variety, pre-planning and logging the night before can be a good strategy. However, notice I said "can" be a good strategy. Once you have a plan pre-logged you have to then stick to it. Where many users fail attempting this is that they don't stick to what they've logged once they get to that meal and/or the portions they consume don't match their plan. Personally, I no longer trust that my hunger cues and trying to eat intuitively only results in overeating, so I've eliminated that variable as much as a I can. Subsequently, my entire day is logged first thing in the morning or the night prior (to the gram of what I intend to eat) and my mindset is "I need to eat X amount of this food at this time" because that's what data says my body needs to support my goals, not what I feel like eating or "I'd like to eat X amount". Writing that out sounds robotic but decoupling the emotion of "ooooh, I could go for X right now" is very helpful to me to remain consistent.
Additionally, try to identify some easy contingency plans for when things don't necessarily go accordingly to plan. There are times when my wife and/or I forget to defrost something for dinner. Through trial & error we've identified things that we can make in that sort of scenario, that can either by quick-defrosted or do not require that level of forethought that mitigates a choice that is completely contrary to our goals. Our last resort is something like a frozen pizza. It's not perfect by any stretch but splitting a Digiorno or throwing some burgers on the grill every once in a while when we've missed the mark on planning/prepping for dinner is often better damage control than "I'll just pick something up on my way home" or scrolling through DoorDash or UberEats.2 -
elisa123gal wrote: »do you set up your environment for success? Are the carbs, junk food, treats..sugar..chocolate and fatty foods that tempt you TOTALLY out of your home, car, and workspace? Have you made "rules" you stick by.. like no fast food or takeaway food? Do you have a great lunch cooler to pack healthy foods and snacks to keep with you so you never get weak and buy junk food?
I’ve definitely been overeating on chocolate- Lindt, kitkat, dairymilk and it’s in my cupboards. I’ve definitely developed a sweet tooth over the past few months and I’m finding it hard to get my sugar cravings down. 🙈🙊3 -
Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
Good morning!
I think you need a mindset change. First, ask yourself this question. "What bad thing will happen if I don't lose at least 10 pounds by my sister's wedding in August?" Be honest in your answer.
I think, often, the mental struggle comes from putting pressure on ourselves and then berating ourselves when we can't stand up to it. Honestly, doing that just doesn't work and you have proven it for 9 months. You say you are 20 pounds overweight. I would say you are far from obese or any kind of health emergency. I am sure you will look beautiful for your sister's wedding even if you don't lose a single pound. I understand wanting to be bit thinner, I do too! Be kind to yourself. Food is not your enemy, it is there to feed you. The key is to choose foods that do that so you are healthy and feel good. I know that isn't always easy but the threat of punishment (in the form of self deprecating thoughts will not help you get there.
I’m trying to but I know I need to lose this weight as well. I guess fatloss more than weight loss though but thank you for the kind words 🥰2 -
thisvickyruns wrote: »Hey everyone!
So I haven’t been in a proper calorie deficit for over 9 months and I honestly feel like a newbie and so overwhelmed that I keep making excuses, being inconsistent and eating bits of food here and there. I’m basically procrastinating. I stay in a deficit and then I don’t and I’m just so annoyed with myself. What are some tips to make it past the mental struggles. On top of that I only have 20ish lbs to lose and my sisters wedding is in August so I know I need to lose atleast 10 lbs by then and get my act together. Any tips would be welcome!
Oh and I thought I’d add I already measure and weigh all my food. I don’t need help with the physical stuff (I know all that) probably just the mental part of it all.
you say you stay in a deficit, but then you don't. What's happening when you don't? is it due to time of the month? stress at work? because you've been eating 'super healthy' and then binge chocolate?
Well it’s normally stress or PMS. I’ve got these silly thoughts in my head always telling me to eat otherwise I’m depriving myself!1 -
You likely have no set up eating plan. You could be thinking about just counting calories, think you have room to have a little more, then blow it and then think "okay, I blew this, so day 1 tomorrow". You have no plan of action. And until you do, you'll continue to procrastinate till a month before the wedding and then go into "crash" mode to try to meet your goal. Seen this scenario 1000 times over.
Make a plan for your meals. How many you'll eat in a day, allowable calories for each meal and then stick to it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My meals are great but it’s when I snack on chocolate in between my meals and I just keep eating over my calories even with just a 250 calorie deficit. I probably need to rebuild discipline again.4 -
Maybe try including chocolate as a "finisher" to a meal instead of it being a stand-alone snack. I myself enjoy chocolate but when I eat it as a snack I'm not satisfied and keep on wanting more and more.3 -
You likely have no set up eating plan. You could be thinking about just counting calories, think you have room to have a little more, then blow it and then think "okay, I blew this, so day 1 tomorrow". You have no plan of action. And until you do, you'll continue to procrastinate till a month before the wedding and then go into "crash" mode to try to meet your goal. Seen this scenario 1000 times over.
Make a plan for your meals. How many you'll eat in a day, allowable calories for each meal and then stick to it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My meals are great but it’s when I snack on chocolate in between my meals and I just keep eating over my calories even with just a 250 calorie deficit. I probably need to rebuild discipline again.
I think there's a couple ways to go about this:
1. Go cold turkey and just don't buy it at all. If it's not there, you can't eat it. I've done this with several items I found irresistible. In most cases this is a temporary measure, once I figure out I won't really die without it it's easier to be reasonable.
2. Buy less at one time - only enough for you to eat a reasonable amount between now and the next time you shop. If you overeat it and it's gone, oh well, you have to wait.
3. In combination with 2, you could actually pre-measure it out into reasonable snack size portions. I try to avoid eating anything directly out of the container anymore because it's very tempting to go overboard. But this is another step that can help - you already know exactly how much you're having and you can empty the container you're using.2 -
When my stress was out of control, I was using food and especially sugar to regulate myself. I was having little bits of chocolate or something else all of the time because I was ALWAYS hungry.
This went on for years. I went from being a little overweight to gaining almost 20 pounds. I was well into the overweight category.
What finally helped me was being committed to controlling my stress and learning to regulate myself. I got trauma therapy. I started to do yoga. I stopped being responsible for others and stopped thinking about world problems everyday.
After doing that for a while, I am now controlling what I eat. The weight is coming off slowly.
Sugar is not your friend. You can use other tools to satisfy the chocolate craving.
Sometimes I drink double brewed batches of good earth non caffeinated tea. It's not the same but it gets me through and it's sweet from the cinnamon.6 -
You likely have no set up eating plan. You could be thinking about just counting calories, think you have room to have a little more, then blow it and then think "okay, I blew this, so day 1 tomorrow". You have no plan of action. And until you do, you'll continue to procrastinate till a month before the wedding and then go into "crash" mode to try to meet your goal. Seen this scenario 1000 times over.
Make a plan for your meals. How many you'll eat in a day, allowable calories for each meal and then stick to it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My meals are great but it’s when I snack on chocolate in between my meals and I just keep eating over my calories even with just a 250 calorie deficit. I probably need to rebuild discipline again.
If you struggle with discipline then you need to get that stuff out of the house...4 -
You likely have no set up eating plan. You could be thinking about just counting calories, think you have room to have a little more, then blow it and then think "okay, I blew this, so day 1 tomorrow". You have no plan of action. And until you do, you'll continue to procrastinate till a month before the wedding and then go into "crash" mode to try to meet your goal. Seen this scenario 1000 times over.
Make a plan for your meals. How many you'll eat in a day, allowable calories for each meal and then stick to it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My meals are great but it’s when I snack on chocolate in between my meals and I just keep eating over my calories even with just a 250 calorie deficit. I probably need to rebuild discipline again.
If you struggle with discipline then you need to get that stuff out of the house...
Totally agree. I know I buy these mini grandma's cookies by the case and am usually good with portion control but stress eating is screwing that up so it goes off my shopping list for now.
Also, OP, no one's said this and it may or may not be right but you seem to be pressuring yourself to lose some of the weight before that wedding and I remember reading how wearing clothes that fit right and make you feel good also helps.
Even if a person wants to lose weight, I think they should also be happy with who they are at that time. If that makes sense.
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Agree with not buying the food you cannot moderate. Salty chips are my downfall, I rarely buy them.5
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elisa123gal wrote: »do you set up your environment for success? Are the carbs, junk food, treats..sugar..chocolate and fatty foods that tempt you TOTALLY out of your home, car, and workspace? Have you made "rules" you stick by.. like no fast food or takeaway food? Do you have a great lunch cooler to pack healthy foods and snacks to keep with you so you never get weak and buy junk food?
I mean no to all of this but I sure am down from obese to a healthy BMI. Not really consistent, either, just within my calorie limit more often than not. Yet, here I am.
Weird.4 -
wunderkindking wrote: »elisa123gal wrote: »do you set up your environment for success? Are the carbs, junk food, treats..sugar..chocolate and fatty foods that tempt you TOTALLY out of your home, car, and workspace? Have you made "rules" you stick by.. like no fast food or takeaway food? Do you have a great lunch cooler to pack healthy foods and snacks to keep with you so you never get weak and buy junk food?
I mean no to all of this but I sure am down from obese to a healthy BMI. Not really consistent, either, just within my calorie limit more often than not. Yet, here I am.
Weird.
Yeah, all of this, plus what @sijomial said on the previous page. Consistency is what works for some people, but there are workable alternatives to "stick to your near-exact calorie goal every single day, logging and weighing every item" (if that's what consistency means).
It's really useful to understand your own strengths, limitations, and preferences, and figure out a way to game them. The easier and more natural (to you) the approach, the higher the odds of success.
For some, consistency and strict inviolable rules is that way. For others, it can be logging and averaging a certain deficit over the course of a week (with high and low days in there, formal like 5:2 IF or more loosey-goosey); doing one week on, one week off deficit (eating at maintenance on the off week); or even a rule like @wunderkindking seems to be running of just eating any number of calories that's at or under maintenance.
Me, I'm in maintenance, and calorie bank (eat a little under maintenance most days, periodically have an indulgent day above maintenance - but this same strategy can be used during loss, as long as the routine deficit with the banking included isn't too punitive). ETA: I don't prelog except once in a blue moon (something new and weird, or if I've created unusual calorie-budget constraints somehow), don't have any kind of structured meal plan (meal/snack count differs widely, don't know what I'll have for dinner until I make it, etc.). Seriously, inconsistent.
If logging is the problem, then maybe log long enough to develop a repertoire of meals you like (B, L, D, and 1-2 snacks, or whatever your preferred eating pattern is), each meal at relatively defined calorie levels, that you can mix and match most days to hit a reasonable calorie target. If you do something unusual or new, log that day, but otherwise just use the pattern. That could work.
If chocolate or sweets are a problem and it works better to eliminate them totally, great. If it works to have a small bit at the end of a meal, equally great. If you can convince yourself that Friday (or whatever) is chocolate day, and budget X calories of it then and only then, and that works . . . still great.
Consistency is not my jam. Discipline is not my strongest suit (to say the least). Nonetheless, somehow I lost 50+ pounds back in 2015-16 and have stayed at a healthy weight since (after years of previous obesity) . . . partly IMO because I'm old, understand my inclinations pretty well by now, and know how to be tactically wily.
Experiment with approaches, if you need to, for a week at a time. Keep the ones that help *you*, drop the ones that don't. If it feels like a forced march that goes against your inclinations, it's probably not going to work well long term. If you can figure out sustainable habits that are manageable, ideally even easy, and that get you to your end goal, that's perfect.4 -
elisa123gal wrote: »do you set up your environment for success? Are the carbs, junk food, treats..sugar..chocolate and fatty foods that tempt you TOTALLY out of your home, car, and workspace? Have you made "rules" you stick by.. like no fast food or takeaway food? Do you have a great lunch cooler to pack healthy foods and snacks to keep with you so you never get weak and buy junk food?
You can have an environment that contributes to success without this all/nothing mentality. None of the things listed here are prerequisites to "success". Sure, they may have a place in some individual's plans but moralizing foods and food decisions isn't beneficial to a healthy relationship and approach to food. I'm all for making the easy choice also the preferred choice but using these mental gymnastics and artificial restraints isn't a truly sustainable solution.6
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