36 year old repetitive failure

Welcome to MFP!

Just start logging! you will soon see where you are doing well and what needs to change. This thread is a helpful introduction to logging if you need it: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

Lauw85 this is me too! I’m 34, 3 kids full time job and I always come last! I have been trying to loose weight for the last 10 years! Fancy being a weight loss buddy??

MerryMari3 wrote: »

hi! I am a 36 year old mom and have struggled with my weight most my life. I recently started my journey (again) when I reached my highest weight. I think just being here on this site is a great start!

Joining here is a GREAT start!. From my experience tracking your food really works and MFP makes it easy. Making small sustainable changes really helps too...you start small and as these small changes become habits, you can add more. You can do it!!!

I do not think you're old enough to qualify as a "repetitive failure" at 36. Now, ask those of us who have been at this 20 years longer than you are...

Draw a line in the sand. TODAY. The past cannot be undone. Failure to learn its lessons is a choice, and it's your right to make that choice. So is learning from it, and you have every bit as much right to make THAT choice. YOU are in control.

Trust the process. What works for me is remembering that 3500 calories is about a pound. Our bodies all work differently, so unless you're in a coma, hooked up to an IV, with someone measuring your input and output exactly, you won't see that loss or gain reliably on a daily basis. But it's true. If you BURN 3500 calories more than you consume, you'll lose a pound. Eventually. So consistency - not starvation or overtraining - is the key. Chip away at it, bit by bit by bit. (I have a spreadsheet that says I should be at my goal weight by next June. I am doing all the things I need to do, and I just have to trust the process. I have not lost or gained a fraction of an ounce in a week - BUT, I have lost 4-5% body fat over the past month. I'm gaining bone mass. I'm good.) I measure things as if I used to work in Quality. Oh - I did. Now I just do it for fun and personal info. Guess what? At a goal of 1.8 lbs. lost/week, I am EXACTLY where I projected I would be, a month ago, when I made the spreadsheet. Within 0.10 lbs. Last week, I was ahead - like racing ahead and feeling cocky. LOL But remember, "starvation" is never the goal. HEALTHY is.

I'm not going to show actual weight on this chart, but it's mine - can you guess the date on which I resolved not to be a "repetitive failure" and to go back to religiously tracking (every bite, no cheating!) and exercising? Bet you can!



Stop "struggling." Just do what you know you need to do, but have the patience and optimism to see it through the long haul. This is what I really "struggle" with, personally - having patience and remembering that what took YEARS to gain doesn't come off in weeks.

Crisps addict, eh? Make your own. Experiment with different types of veggies, from potatoes and sweet potatoes to other root veggies and kale. Bake, don't fry. Season, but don't oversalt. Have FUN. Remember that all the added "stuff" in most commercially packaged crisps is in there for a reason - to preserve, and to make you CRAVE. Find other crunchy snacks that at LEAST provide more nutrients.

Try my "game": How many nutrients can I SHOVE into how few calories? To win, you have to stay within your calorie range AND hit as close to 100% on all micronutrients as you can, every day.

Sometimes, you just have to make it a LITTLE more challenging, a LITTLE more interesting, and a LOT more fun. You've got this.