Reached acceptable weight... Loss motivation. Help?

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BeSkinnyBeStrong
BeSkinnyBeStrong Posts: 33
in Food and Nutrition
In July, I drastically changed my lifestyle and exercise habits and it worked out well. I went from 170lbs to 145lbs. I stopped eating any kind of junk food and started exercising 3-4 times a week. Now that I've reached a weight I'm satisfied with, I feel myself going towards junk food again. I keep telling myself "Oh this one cookie won't hurt, Mcdonalds won't hurt, fajitas won't hurt, etc" and I'm finding it harder and hard to stick to healthy foods. On top of that, as soon as I eat something I know is bad, I don't log it into MFP because I know I will have gone over my 1200 cal limit. I weigh myself everyday so I know I haven't been gaining anything but I'm not losing anymore and ideally, I still want to lose about 15lbs.

Has anyone been in this situation that can help me get through it?

Thanks!

Replies

  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I think this is typical for anyone who drastically changes their eating habits like you did. It works for a while but eventually, (especially if you're a foodie like me) you're going to want to have them again and may even think of them as a reward for how well you've done so far. Been there, done that!

    Instead of going back to your strict lifestyle, how about trying to incorporate some of these foods you enjoy once or twice a week so you don't feel like you're losing out. Eventually when you hit goal you're going to want to try to eat normally and maintain anyway so you might as well start learning now how you can enjoy what you like and still be at a healthy weight.
  • binky40
    binky40 Posts: 3
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    I am experiencing the same exact thing. I am trying to get motivated and tell myself I will get back on track next week well that mentality has cost me 5 lb weight gain so take it from me get back into the calories in calories out mode and do not eat the junk because I did the same thing oh this one cookie won't hurt and then I stopped weighing every day and this got me into a bunch of trouble. I am going to try and tell someone who will help me stay accountable this way I will not want to eat poorly and want to exercise. Hope this helps just don't want you to end up 5-10lbs heavier like me. I am fighting to get it back off.
  • dreamgurl2324
    dreamgurl2324 Posts: 191 Member
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    I am quickly approaching that stage in my weight loss. And i feel I will hit it exactly at the weight your at 145 will still some more to lose. I'm not sure what will help maybe just having a friend to motivate you and keep you accountable? Feel free to add me if you think we could help each other!
  • prrizza425
    prrizza425 Posts: 43 Member
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    Same problem here. Lost about 30 lbs and now I look good so I'm not feeling pressure to lose anymore. Combine that with all my friends and family telling me I look great and I've just fallen off the wagon. I want to lose 15-20 more lbs. I'm also exercising a ton more now so I'm not really gaining even though I'm eating garbage and not counting anymore.
  • skemery
    skemery Posts: 100
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    That's how I've been the past few weeks, and, really, it didn't stop until I got on the scale and saw that I had gained a few pounds. That was the wake up call I needed to get back to it, at least for the past few days. Hopefully this new bit of motivation will carry me through losing a few more pounds, though it certainly didn't carry me to the gym this morning!
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,396 Member
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    Oh, honey, we've all been there! You need to look from within and find the motivation that started your healthy eating and weight loss in the first place. What made you want to lose weight? Do you want to weigh that much again? You've lost quite a bit-do you want to gain that all back?

    Also, take a look at what you've been eating. Have you been "dieting" and depriving yourself? Nobody can sustain that forever. If you are so close to goal you probably need to eat more than 1200 per day anyway. Have you updated your goals on MFP since you've lost the weight? Are you eating your exercise calories? If you're hungry or your body feels like it's being deprived, those treat foods seem that much harder to resist.

    What I personally do to keep myself on the wagon (besides all the above) is imagine everybody who has made comments to me about how great I look now seeing me if I gain it back. Not to mention, those folks who say "oh, you're doing such a good job keeping the weight off" and they say it like they wish I hadn't-don't want to give them the satisfaction.

    Good luck!
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    Hey, super trooper. If you're at the weight you wanna be, you should put the program in maintenance mode. Just because you eat more than 1,200 calories doesn't mean you'll gain weight. You'll probably have to eat somewhere around 1,800 calories daily to actually start to gain some weight.
  • Pinkdueces2
    Pinkdueces2 Posts: 48 Member
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    I started myfitnesspal at 172, and I'm currently at 139. I have had plenty of times in the past month or so that I have eatin something that I know I shouldn't have. I always regret it but never seem to gain. After a few weeks of eating a few chips here and there, I realized that I could have lost 3 lbs instead of staying the same. I have stopped with the junk food and lost another 1 1/2 lbs. I think that we have to make the decision on our own of how we want to look and feel. You have worked extremely hard to get where you are now. A snack isn't going to ruin your hard work if you do it sparingly, or use portion control. I have found that eating my favorite snack, buffalo pretzels won't hurt me if I eat the correct potion which is 1/3 cup for 140 calories. My problem is that I want to eat the whole bag which is over 1,000 calories. Also, I find it easier to eat healthy when I have done it for so long. Once I eat one bad thing, I craze all bad things. I would just recommend make the healthier decision. It's not always easy, I know that first hand but our health is number one priority. If we allow junk food back into our diet, we may eventually go back to our bad eating habits and find ourselves back at our starting weight. Good luck!!
  • BigMike75
    BigMike75 Posts: 2 Member
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    This is the part most dieters struggle with. You eat all the correct foods and work your butt off, and then you get where you wanna be and because of previously learned behaviors, gain all of it back. The part that you are struggling with is a learned behavior. The junk you are starting to reach for was a behavior you had before you started your lifestyle change. Keep your lifestyle change mentality and change those behaviors.

    Step 2: Do not deprive yourself. Everything is ok in moderation. ONe cookie is fine, Not 5, one fajita is fine, not 3. If you continue to tell yourself you can never have any of these things you like to eat, it will make you want them even more. I had a nutrition teacher who was a dietitian who had to have chocolate on a daily basis. She ate one and only one dark chocolate a day. This helped her not deprive herself of that chocolate, but also not to overdo it.

    You have stuck to your lifestyle for a few months now and avoided all these things and now you want them again. Have them a little, but just dont overdo it. Dont let it make you feel guilty. Most people that diet feel guilty when they eat foods they think are bad. You didnt lose that weight in a day, and you wont gain it back from one cookie. Just make sure your one cookie doesnt turn into 5 and then 5 a day.

    You seem to be motivated to be healthy. Keep your head up and dont let one cookie get you down

    Mike Veronie
    Dietitian
  • GemmaRowlands
    GemmaRowlands Posts: 360 Member
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    Maybe set yourself a day each week where you can eat anything you like? That's what I'm going to do when I'm at my goal weight, as I don't want to deprive myself forever!
  • KattKitty
    KattKitty Posts: 17 Member
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    Complacency is a very bad place all the way around. Get out of there quickly. Then choose moderation over deprivation. Unless it is a bonafide addiction, one cookie shouldn't hurt. Nor should the OCCASIONAL pizza, fast food, chocolate, etc. In my experience, deprivation leads to an internal warfare which in most cases leads to longterm defeat. As soon as you rid yourself of the internal conflict and accompanying guilt, you should be able to make wise choices and will probably discover that you didn't really want that cookie after all.

    Keep on keeping on! Don't settle. You were made for more.

    Blessings!
    Kathy
  • BeSkinnyBeStrong
    BeSkinnyBeStrong Posts: 33
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    Thanks so much everyone! Everything you've said will help. I really need to look at why I wanted to lose in the first place and focus on that.

    I had a healthy eating partner at home (I still live at home) which helped a lot but my mom is now in the philippines for the next month and a half and my dad doesn't eat healthy.. at all. He tries to help me be more accountable but our schedules are so different that we barely see eachother.

    I'll keep logging and fighting the cravings (while having the occasional treat here and there..) and see how that works out.

    Thanks for all your help and support!
  • Lose2live2014
    Lose2live2014 Posts: 3 Member
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    Lean on what you already do well. You don't speed in front of the police, you don't stay up till 3 each morning, and you don't drop you dishes on the floor when you're finished with them. Why? The consequences are more than you're willing to pay. Remember that the consequences for eating food, and not logging it, are too great. Eat those foods a couple times, and you'll pay the consequences by running out of calories before the day is over. The truth is that you can eat anything you want, but there are consequences. Likewise, you can speed, stay up too late, and shatter dishware. But, eventually, you get tired of paying the piper. Same principle here. Pay the piper a couple times, by stopping eating when your calories are gone, and you'll make better choices througout the days.

    Congratulations on your accomplishment! You can do it. It's the new you... learn to love her!

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