Tips to staying on track?

laroyla · February 2023

I'm 24 and have been trying to lose weight since I was a teenager. I'll start to count calories, or begin to eat healthier, but ultimately I always fall back to bad habits. How do you keep going? I lack self-discipline.

bonniethao · February 2023

Best is only allow healthy food in the house. Get everyone on board. Easier to say I know then to do but I'll keep trying! Good luck!

Staypositive35 · February 2023

One reason i love intermittent fasting is just to shrink the eating window. Fasting 16-19 hours has tremendous benefits and is very helpful for weight loss. But dont think you need to start that high, 12 hours and work your way up if this is something your interested in. Just because you lack discipline today doesn't mean you cant start building it tomorrow. To get jumped started, try eating simple ingredient foods to start (easier to track). See how that helps!

Logan290917 · February 2023

Don't be disappointed with yourself if you start to fall into old habits, the way you look at yourself has a massive impact on how you treat your body. It's fine to have the odd snack now and again but recognising that you may be eating more than your body needs to keep you energised is the first step and then consciously making the decision whether your eating because your hungry or eating out of boredom is the second. We are creatures of habit so if you shift your mental focus to wanting a healthier and more fulfilling life it will become the new normal for you. One thing that helped me is staying well hydrated as a lot of the time we feel hungry when we're just thirsty. I believe in you and remember it's it's a marathon not a sprint take your own time with it and enjoy the process

nossmf · February 2023

There's a million ways to develop discipline, and NOT every way will work for everybody. Try an idea, see if it helps, don't worry about it if it doesn't. Some things people have tried:

Don't try to change a hundred things at once; try to change ONE thing at a time. Keep diligent about it for a month before you add a second thing. In month three, add a third. After three months of practice, a new behavior becomes habit and much easier to maintain.
Tell your friends/family about what you are trying to do, ask them to check on your progress. Even better if they agree to join you in your goals.
Post every day how well you adhere to your new standard. Whether in a private paper journal or online for strangers to view, the posting helps hold people accountable, if only to avoid embarrassment of failing to meet your standards.
Write your new behavior on sticky post-it notes, located where they can remind you. A sticky at your bathroom sink asking if you drank a cup of water; a sticky on your fridge door reminding you to wait until dinner to eat.
Preposition as much as possible. Before you go to bed, prepare your gym bag and set it next to your bed. Whatever canned/boxed goods/seasonings you need for tomorrow's dinner, set together on the counter.
"Out of sight, out of mind." Remove treats completely from your house, or at minimum move them somewhere you won't see them easily. Having to reach past cookies to get to the oatmeal keeps temptation front and center; putting them above the fridge you know they're there, but may not see them all the time.
Reward yourself for adhering to the new you. Achieving a small goal deserves a small reward...30 minutes of exercise lets you enjoy 30 minutes of TV guilt-free. Medium goals get moderate rewards...for every 10 pounds lost, you can shop for a single shirt or pants which better fit your new size. Large goals beget large prizes...25 trips to the gym earns you one day at the spa getting a massage.

There's a multitude of other methods, but don't forget the absolute single most important key to them all:

If you screw up, forgive yourself and try again.

You ate too many calories, you skipped a workout, you forgot to drink water...breathe in, breathe out. You didn't hurt your long-term chances of success, you've only delayed yourself by 24 hours. You didn't kill anybody, it's ok. Just start again. Maybe you need to try a different technique to hold yourself accountable, or try multiple together. Maybe you were just human, and we forgive you. Now forgive yourself.

mtaratoot · February 2023

If you can find a way to take the long view, that can help. It's harder in our current world of instant results.

Do you remember the infamous "Marshmallow Experiment?" In 1972, a teacher gave children an option. She left them unattended (but watched) for 15 minutes with a marshmallow or a pretzel and told they could have it any time they wanted; no repercussions. They were told if they waited until she got back, they could have two.

It was very hard for the kids to think about that pretzel and not eat it even though they knew if they did, for JUST A FEW MINUTES, there would be a better reward. It's hard for us humans to get better about delayed gratification. Doing it, though, will serve you well in your journey.

I'm rooting for you to succeed!

JaysFan82 · February 2023

Game plan

I log all my meals days in advance. Just my meals, not snacks. But that allows me to easily know how much room I have if I want a snack during my day. It's become a Sunday night routine.

Pintrest has TONS of healthy recipes.

cmriverside · February 2023

I had to be really ready. It's not easy to change everything around when it comes to food. It's pretty hard at first.

There needs to be an inner motivation, and I just had it at the time I was 80 pounds overweight. I set a goal and I was determined to get there. It took a long time and it was frustrating at times, but I didn't give up. The only way to fail is to stop trying.

It does get easier after a while though. You kind of have to stick with it and make little changes when you can. I didn't completely overhaul the way I ate at first but I still lost the weight. It's about calories, and then working to make the food enjoyable and tasty while staying at lower calories - forever - because there's no going back to pizza/wings/cheeseburgers and fries with an Oreo shake every day and a huge bowl of buttered popcorn before bed five days a week. That ish has to be managed.

Whole foods, three meals and a snack. An hour of walking every day. Saving treat food like ice cream for Special Occasions - and then buying only enough for one or two servings.

Tips to staying on track?

Replies

Categories