IS ANYONE ELSE REALLY STRUGGLING ?

For most of us, it is a daily struggle. You take it one day at a time.

Hang in there. Just focus on today, then do the same tomorrow. Before you know it, working out and eating well will become a habit.

You can do this. I have to take it one day at a time. I fall off several times, and this month has been really bad. But I keep telling myself I can do this right today!

I agree with others that if you look at your total weightloss it will be completely overwhelming. Have you heard the saying how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Thats it. Dont look at your end goal. Set a goal for a day. Start a journal. Write down your goal in the morning. Write down what you eat througout the day. At the end of the day you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you can see on paper you exercised and ate accordingly.

Also, I toally agree with changing one thing at a time. Not all smokers quite cold turkey. So why should that apply with people who are overweight. An addiction is an addiction. Cutting sugar cold turkey could be quite difficult as it acts like a drug in your brain. Try cutting just soda if you drink it. And switch all of your whites to wheats. Those 2 things in theirself can jump start weightloss. So if you eat white bread, eat 100% whole wheat. White pasta, whole wheat pasta. Potatoes, yams. Your switching simple carbs for complex which helps stablize blood sugars.

You can do it. YOu have do dig DEEP within yourself and say that your worth it....and just do it! Every day, no excuses, just get it done. Wish you the best of luck!

yup, sure am. I am a pro yo-yo dieter....over 15 yrs now. I have good weeks, bad weeks, even a few months at a time I can succeed. Since I have had a weight problems, never have I had a total 6, 9 mos, a *good* year. The ol' 3 weeks, 30 days and it's a new habit? Doesn't work for me. I have a library of weight loss books. They are all good books too...not the *quick-fix-extreme* unhealthy diets. I know what to do. Exactly what to do. I have been here almost 2 years and still struggling. I know MFP works too. My first run at it and I was down thirty-some pounds in 4 or 5 mos. I am within a few pounds of gaining that all back. For me, MFP is my #1 support system...social that is. None of my family or friends have the desire to live a healthy life. I have made very good friends here. I totally get the person who responded that they have joined a gym or have a personal trainer to report to. That is me. I have no motivation. I make excuses. If I don't get it done early in the day, it isn't gonna happen.

However...I love how I feel when I eat healthy. I love the energy exercise gives me. I **know** making good choices WILL get me to my goals. For some of us, this whole lifestyle change is **all** mental. I try hard to focus. I take one day at a time. Heck, sometimes even one meal, one hour. It's still a roller coaster of emotions...and I rarely level out. Lately, I've had more bad days then good days.

But, each day, I still get on here, whether I log food, exercise OR not. I don't give up. I know that someday...one day, it will click again. We just never, ever gotta give up. [You] matter and nobody knows YOU better than YOU. Try to remember every, single waking day WHY you are here. Think of your goals. Goals that are reasonable. Think of yourself healthy vs unhealthy. Who do you want to be? It's a choice. This may seem odd...but do what your ~body~ wants, not what your mind wants. Be kind to yourself. Love yourself. Keep hanging on.....

If nothing ever changes you will always get the same results.

I staretd out @ 298 pounds so i feel your pain. All i did for the first 6 months was walk 7 days week and a 1200 cal diet. The best CD Leslie Sansome@ Walmart about 10 buck. This CD plus walking on my lunch break help me to lose my first 50 pounds. You can do this take it one day at a time and educate yourself.

YES. It's extremely difficult for to me to loose any weight. I don't know if there's something medically wrong with me or what, but I never seem to make much progress, and then I loose all motivation and quit. MFP has helped me to stay on track and stay motivated better than every before. Try reading people's success stories if you're feeling down, knowing that other people have succeeded can be a huge help!
You can do it!

I would just like to encourage you to stay the course. You CAN do this!! No, it is not easy, but it Can be done.

I have been a part of a weight loss study this past year and they gave me a few fliers in reference to working out, creating a realistic workout goal plan and other stuff. It sounds just like what you need. Feel free to check them out here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/week-3-developing-and-implementing-an-exercise-program-90587

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/-being-active-as-a-way-of-life-103809

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/staying-positive-and-fighting-negative-self-talk-116663

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/setting-smart-goals-for-weight-loss-99338

I hope they help. Start small and Stay Positive! YOU CAN DO THIS!!

:drinker:

Hi, I'm Brittany! I am 20 years old, and a nursing student. I am struggling with my weight! Every single day is a struggle! I fall off the exercise wagon and then I get discouraged! I live with someone who eats less than healthy and makes it hard to stick to a healthy eating pattern! All I want is to look at pictures of myself and look at myself in the mirror and not feel disgusting! I wish you the best of luck along your journey! Its a struggle. Make a calandar, with goals, it may help!

I am still a work in progress. Off the top of my head:
Make exercise something fun! Dance, play games, hoola-hoop or just "hula" , play Rock Band.... anything that gets your arms and legs moving long enough to get your heart rate up into a burn zone. My ex-boyfriend plays Rock Band (drums) and ends up sweating his butt off ....and he's dropped nearly 70 pounds since this year.

Know your numbers. If you don't have one... you might like to consider the "Polar" series of Heart Rate Monitors. If you know what you are burning then you won't feel like you are failing if you go over on the MFP calories daily allowance and the deficite balance can be really encouraging.

Make it REAL - don't try to survivie on frozen Weight Watcher and Lean Cuisine meals unless you plan on doing that the rest of your life. They are full of sodium and eating those doesn't teach you about portion control. As soon as you stop eating them and haven't learned to measure, weigh, and cook real foods for yourself you will go back to your old habbits. PLUS -- if you look at those frozen meals... you can make them yourself for pennies compared to the prices they charge. And that goes for 100 calorie packs. If you are going to eat 100 calories of something - grab a piece of fruit, nuts, or yogurt.. not 100 calories of cookies. They are a trap

I'm a single Mom and I forget to put my own needs/wants first once in a while....especially when it comes to buying groceries and cooking meals. I rarely cook a meal that one of my children wouldn't eat so I tend to not make things with that in mind instead of just making something simply because I like it. I tend to think of me and the kids as a group instead of us as individuals so if one is craving carbs or chocolate after dinner... I fall right into letting their lack of self control get the best of them and suddenly it's my problem too. If I'm going to fix my weight problem I have to think more about "me" and still be a good caretaker for my kids.... and that's harder than it sounds.

I've watched my mom struggle w/ her weight and health my entire life (she's also close to 400 lbs.) When I noticed I was starting to gain weight and was considered obese, my health also started to decline. At that point, I knew it was time for a change. I started w/ my eating habits first (I hated the gym and working out). MFP was a blessing because I was able to record everything I ate and kept me focused. I started losing weight just because of that factor. It took me 8 months to finally join a gym. Now that I've joined, I actually like it. I still have my bad days but that's normal. We must crawl before we walk. Baby steps. You've taken the first one by deciding you want to make a change, the second step was joining MFP. Now it's time to take another one and stick to your calorie allowance. U can do it!