Struggling

pavarottipastabar
pavarottipastabar Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi has anyone been so good for six months then started to struggle have you got back into it
What and how did you do it?

Replies

  • ToffeeApple71
    ToffeeApple71 Posts: 121 Member
    I found that eating at maintenance for a week or two every few months really helped.
    I also changed my exercise regularly...walking, running, cycling, weights, classes at the gym etc. I get bored easily so I need a lot of variety.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,133 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    I think you should investigate the reasons that you are struggling.

    Many people make drastic changes that are not sustainable in the long run. If you are making yourself miserable, then you're not going to stick with it. When people say they are "being good", they generally mean they are forcing themselves to do things they don't really like or want to do.

    Losing weight, and then maintaining that loss, is not something that you suffer though and do temporarily. You have to make changes that become a part of your everyday routine that you can do for the rest of your life. There's no end date.

    So, those changes have to fit into your lifestyle. That means including foods that you like within a calorie budget, not feeling guilty about having treats, not thinking that you're "being bad" if you eat something you don't consider "healthy", and staying active in ways that you enjoy.

    That's how I was successful long-term. I didn't ban any foods that I loved, I just became more aware of the amount of those foods that I was eating. I'm not a gym person, so I stayed active doing things I like...walking, hiking, riding my bike.

    Once you find what works for you, it becomes a habit, and you don't have to think about it as much.

    QFT.

    Invest energy in figuring out how to make managing weight easy, rather than trying to make it fast or perfect.

    I've been "good enough" for 7+ years now to reach and stay at a healthy weight, by seeking out and practicing relatively easy and generally healthy eating habits on average most of the time . . . after 30 previous years of overweight/obesity.

    Daily perfection is not essential. Seek reasonable balance, not perfection. Reasonably healthy habits that are easy enough to continue almost on autopilot: That's IMO a good route. Exactly what those habits are will differ for every individual.

  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,110 Member
    I have a history of doing great for 4-6 months, then falling off the wagon for a number of months, then getting back on the wagon....and because of that, have not successfully lost the weight I want to (or kept it off). It's easy for me to maintain at ~20-25 pounds heavier than I should be (in my case, I should be in the 128-135ish range, but find it extremely difficult to get within 10 pounds of that - but find it quite easy to hang out in the 150-155 range).

    I know part of it is I get sick and tire of tracking, BUT, every time I don't I start overeating. My hunger signals refuse to adjust unless my activity is high enough to offset the difference. So I pretty much have to track - and after a while, that gets time consuming an annoying, so I get lazy about it (generally when some kind of life stress starts to hit) and right back up my weight bounces.

    Part of it for me was understanding the underlying reasons and motivations. Typically I've been "motivated" to get ready for an upcoming race season, or the rest of my life was pretty stable so I had time and energy to dedicate to making it happen, but when those things changed, there went the motivation as well.

    Recently it hit me that I'm at an age (mid 40's) where I will make it or break it as far as being healthy, fit, and active into my golden years, or slowly deteriorate into what I see happening to family and some friends - and I don't want that AT ALL.

    It's a mind shift for me...but I'm also a little less focused on doing things quickly, or with an end date, but just a focus - with a long term, very real, reason to keep it, even when life goes sideways on me. I'm trying not to focus on "losing" weight but just on fitness and fueling my body properly and healthfully. My biggest struggle is it feels like a pretty lonely journey right now - most of the people I know who may have a similar mindset are much younger than me, or so far away there's not really much "community" there. Online is about my only connections for that purpose, which does make it more difficult - I may eventually look into finding a gym again once I feel I can afford one.

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