figuring it out - for MFPers needing a little motivation

Hi guys and gals,

I just wanted to stop by the forum and post a little bit about my weight loss journey so far - I hope it helps you if you are struggling & frustrated!

I am an emotional eater. As a child I used food to cope with situations in my home life that were too much for a little girl to bear... and this turned into a life-long love affair with food (especially sweets!!).

They say this is one of the hardest habits to break, and I'd have to agree - it is very difficult and I still struggle with it; however, there is hope!

I am also in the habit of pushing myself way too hard, too fast. I used to be in the Marine Corps, which I'm sure contributed to this habit. I am (slowly) learning to pace myself - both in the gym and while eating! (those who have been to bootcamp know what I'm talking about - inhaling our food was mandatory).

Here is my list of realizations that I've had along my weight loss journey. Nothing is an absolute and different things work for different people, but if you're frustrated, you might try thinking about/researching some of these:

1. Ease into it - you want to change your lifestyle, not go on a diet. This is not an all-or nothing endeavor: start making small changes that you can live with first. This is true for eating and exercise.

2. Don't expect miraculous results. My first time on MFP, I immediately signed up for the lowest possible calorie count/highest weight loss possible per week. This mega-backfired on me. Not only did I suffer and feel like a witchy-witch all the time, but I went into starvation mode and didn't lose any weight. The lack of weight loss demotivated me and made my witchiness intensify until I gave up. (After I gave up I ended up gaining an additional 7 pounds, on top of my starting weight.)

3. All calories aren't created equal. There are lots of folks that disagree on this. I say try eating as healthy as possible (for your situation) and gauge how you feel. I definitely feel a positive difference in my energy levels and overall feeling "good" when I eat lots of fresh veggies, use fruits as my "sweets," and up my levels of protein, healthy grains, and lower my fats. When I eat more refined sugar, I feel a temporary "high" and then crash, which leads to cravings for more refined sugar. I also tend to have better results on the scale when I avoid refined sugars.

4. Listen to your body. This is related to #3. I am a huge culprit of ignoring my body's cues (the Marine Corps attitude of "suck it up" is at work here ). Slow down. If you are tired, try to get more sleep. If you are hungry, eat - but try to choose something with low fat and high protein to keep you satisfied longer. Wait for your tummy to growl before you start munching, eat slow enough to give your body a chance to tell you "I'm full!" Everyone is different, but my body LOVES when I eat about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours or so. I am much more easy-going when I do this (see "witchy-witch" above, lol).

5. You don't have to kill yourself doing "Soul Crusher Z-90 Craziness" videos. Those videos are fine (I actually like P90x and Bob Harper) but you need to do them at your own pace. I've found that I can push myself too hard, easily. This led to injuries (which led to a lot of down-time recovering, and less weight loss overall). I noticed when I keep track of my heart rate to stay in the right zone and also listen to my body (see #4) I feel GREAT after my workouts, and have much better weight loss. (and heck, I don't have to sleep with ice on my shins, lol).

6. Watch that sodium! I had NO idea my "healthy" meals from some of the fast food chains were LOADED with sodium. One week I lamented a 2 lb weight gain and put out a very frustrated post. After another MFP cohort commented that I should watch my sodium intake and add it to my Food Diary, I took it to heart. Once I got my sodium in check, that bloated weight practically fell right off! My body thinks extra sodium means "try your best to look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Woman." So I try my best to be careful with the stuff. Even Panera Bread has tons of it.

7. Number 7 is still a work in progress for me - you might want to try it too: measure yourself. For me, this is humiliating. I just don't like putting a tape around my chubbiest parts (especially when one of my family members walks in on me doing it). But I am trying it because I've heard so many folks say that when the scale gets stuck, the measurements don't. Hopefully this will come in handy later!

Finally, I've seen lots of folks on MFP with a great motto - "slow and steady wins the race." This is wonderful! It's my new motto. As much as I'd LOVE to lose my extra pounds "pronto," it just isn't realistic for my body.

So far I've lost 7 pounds and am back to my starting weight from my previous MFP attempt. My average loss is 1 lb per week, and I feel great! Do I look any better yet? To myself, not really - but I'll get there. Oh yeah, I'll get there!!!

If you've made it all the way through my post, thanks for "listening." :-) and hey - you're doing the right thing, when you need a little encouragement, just look to the forums real quick - don't be like me and quit!! You'll regret it!!!