Off the wagon

bigplayclay34
bigplayclay34 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 11 in Motivation and Support
Okay, so I just finished day 3 of poor eating and going way above calories. I did not exercise today because I was "tired.". I know what's going on....it's that place where I go back to old ways for a few days....then a week ....then a month.....then back to where I started.

I have lost 17 pounds in 6 weeks, and was doing great. It felt good to not log my calories and/or exercise....well it did at the time, now it's depressing.

How do I put a stop to this backslide NOW?!?! Please help.

Replies

  • saxnviolin
    saxnviolin Posts: 129 Member
    You can stop the bad cycle right now. Yes! you can! I had 2 'cheat ' days and followed it with 2 good days. I'm back on track.Believe in yourself. Close your eyes and think about your ultimate goal. Do you use a pedometer? That's an incentive to walk/jog a little more. Once you get started with the exercise, you go through with it.
  • nkziv
    nkziv Posts: 161 Member
    Stop eating for the rest of today. Stop the binge if you are in binge mode. Leave the kitchen or whatever and just get away from the food. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, make a gym bag, set your alarm early, set the ingredients out for your breakfast, and tomorrow morning, get in a morning workout and a healthy breakfast. Prove it to yourself that you will make tomorrow (even if just tomorrow) really great. And then see how long you can continue the streak. GET BACK ON THE WAGON. Just do it. Do not try. DO.
  • SeaStar
    SeaStar Posts: 113
    Do you have a gym membership? If so, get yourself over there asap! If not, go to the store and pick up a new workout dvd, anything that looks interesting and fun to you. The best way to get out of the slump is to exercise, so force yourself to do it! The good eating habits should hopefully follow. It's okie to indulge every once in a while. I know I do. Whenever I do, I am sure to remind myself that tomorrow I must get back on track because while food indulging and laziness is fun, it's a short lived pleasure that keeps you up at night as you second guess yourself. If you get back on track by exercising, while you release endorphins and remember how good it feels to take care of your body, the days get better again, and you wont feel depressed.
  • itsgood
    itsgood Posts: 85 Member
    Just go forward, Don't beat yourself up or dwell on what's done. Go forward and see how good you feel when things are back in place. It really will happen.
  • Totally agree with this. Forgiving yourself, being positive, and moving forward are the important things.
  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    you have to stop yourself ... you have to decide what is important to you ... start fresh, don't beat yourself up or get sucked into a pattern of guilt ... just get started again
  • kfunkyfresh
    kfunkyfresh Posts: 4 Member
    This happened to me last week and I forced myself to get back on track. I waited two days after my binging to weigh myself and I had evened back out (so I wouldn't get discouraged all together). A week later I am losing weight at an increased pace because my binging raelly boosted my metabolism... it might be a positive thing. You just have to remember to keep pushing forward, do not let this ruin your success.
  • ltlhmom
    ltlhmom Posts: 1,202 Member
    You set daily goals, baby sets, tell you MFP friends you plan for the day. I think when I do this I'm more appt to follow through. Meal plan! You can do it! Think about how good you are starting to feel!
  • LolaGotThin
    LolaGotThin Posts: 111 Member
    I wouldn't say stop eating for the day. It's up to YOU though to make the conscious choice to stop the cycle and get back on. Just remember, it's not a total loss when you fall off! One bad day will not ruin your weight loss goals! I've fallen off the wagon a few times and I just get back on, say, "I got this" and change it right then and there.
  • christabeltoria
    christabeltoria Posts: 129 Member
    Stop eating for the rest of today. Stop the binge if you are in binge mode. Leave the kitchen or whatever and just get away from the food. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, make a gym bag, set your alarm early, set the ingredients out for your breakfast, and tomorrow morning, get in a morning workout and a healthy breakfast. Prove it to yourself that you will make tomorrow (even if just tomorrow) really great. And then see how long you can continue the streak. GET BACK ON THE WAGON. Just do it. Do not try. DO.

    THIS IS GREAT ADVICE!
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Honestly the poor eating choices make you to tired to exercise...Just take small steps to get back on track. When you start seeing changes in your clothes and body....you will be more motivated!
  • BPayton27
    BPayton27 Posts: 626 Member
    You just STOP. I know it is tempting to stop logging exercise and food, but if you've only been at this a couple weeks you may not be ready. You're aware you're sabotaging yourself, which is half the battle. Focus on why you started this to begin with! Find what motivates you and zero in on it. I tend to reward myself for every "mini goal" I reach to keep me excited about the process.

    You can accomplish anything. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
  • rumsuck8
    rumsuck8 Posts: 59 Member
    You just stopped the backslide, when you asked for help!!!! Now, the ball is in your court. You can do it. We have all been lead astray by temptation......rely on your friends here, support and experience.
  • Gwenski
    Gwenski Posts: 348 Member
    I find the best thing to do is something fun and physical. Go for a walk.. dance around your livingroom.. anything. but don't call it exercise.. simply 'fun'.
    Once you get energized again, you'll feel able to turn your mind patterns around to the healthier way!
    All the best...rooting for you!
  • mrschappet
    mrschappet Posts: 488 Member
    get up and exercise..... no excuses! don't even think about..... it just get up get on your workout clothes and get er' done!!!
  • Like the others said... start right now. Not tomorrow. Now. Forget the past few days and look forward.
  • openskybeach
    openskybeach Posts: 294 Member
    How you stop is you act. Tonight reaffirm with yourself that you can , will, and have to do this. Then start tomorrow with your proper breakfast, exercise when it is your time to do so, but be sure and do that. Then, even if you have to have an extra snack or two to get you through, do so, feed yourself but dont go overboard. Most important thing is to exercise. I was so tired today, finishing up a sickness, didnt exercise all week (when sick), and last night I wanted to binge and continue today, but I didnt because I know I have to do this. I have to get this weight off. Satisfy your urge, but on a smaller scale. You can so do this. PLEASE do not give up.
  • tnrunningnurse
    tnrunningnurse Posts: 549 Member
    Okay, so I just finished day 3 of poor eating and going way above calories. I did not exercise today because I was "tired.". I know what's going on....it's that place where I go back to old ways for a few days....then a week ....then a month.....then back to where I started.

    I have lost 17 pounds in 6 weeks, and was doing great. It felt good to not log my calories and/or exercise....well it did at the time, now it's depressing.

    How do I put a stop to this backslide NOW?!?! Please help.
    Sounds like you need some motivation....there are several things you can do...Write down some short term goals and hang them where you can see them everday. Go to websites about fitness and read articles and look at pictures of fit people. Pick out an item you really want. like a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes attach them to a goal, when you reach that goal...go get it. Make your short term goal attainable...like I want to lose 1lb this week, or 5 in a month. Friend me if you wish.
  • toque88
    toque88 Posts: 113 Member
    when I fall off the wagon, I remind myself of why I am working hard. For me, it's revenge against my hubby :angry: (hey anger is a great motivator for me...and who wants to be angry with yourself?) and a picture of Tina Turner. I also allow myself to cheat and go over my calories once a week. I pick the day and plan on eating a great lunch or dinner and get really FULL.

    In the end, there is always tomorrow to try again.
  • I am right there with you. I did well for a couple of days, then the weekend hit. I didn't log Sunday, and now Monday is at an end and I know that I went over my calories again. Plus I feel so drained that I just don't want to exercise. So tomorrow will be a better day. I know that if you have already lost some weight, you will continue to do so. Good luck to you.
  • ast219
    ast219 Posts: 8 Member
    Everyone has those bad days! Force yourself to get off the couch! Maybe call a friend to be an exercise buddy! My workout buddies and my friends on MFP help get me back on track anytime I'm about to fall off the wagon! All it takes to get started is to put on some comfy workout clothes and get moving! You can do it!
  • Isn't that easy to day. I was nearly there myself again... then I reached out to this community. It always seems to get me motivated to finish my day for the better.
    That last bite you took, track it and MOVE ON. The next bite you take counts. TRACK IT and move on. Falling off the wagon is easy and staying off is even easier cause it's moving at light speed and it seems impossible to catch back up. You have to just say, no.

    JUST SAY NO.

    Put on some music. Stretch. Plan a great day for tomorrow. Go shopping in the morning and only buy what's on your list. Throw away anything bad in your house. Start over, yet again.

    I also think that 17 pounds loss is fantastic but that's a lot in only 6 weeks. Try to just maintain for a week or two.
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
    i've been on a stress induced binge myself. i just remind myself that tomorrow is a new day and that i really want this. that a day (or week) off the wagon doesn't completely derail my ability to succeed. is it a setback? damn right. but what's done is done - you can't undo it. but you do have the power to change tomorrow. positive self-talk. i have to do it all the time otherwise i fall into that trap myself. you can do it!!!
  • econut2000
    econut2000 Posts: 395 Member
    When you wake up tomorrow morning, start at step one. It's not all lost - not by a long shot! They say it takes 2 weeks to form a habit, well you've been at this 6 weeks and only slipped a couple days! Those good habits are still there :-) What happened is in the past and it's done. Even if you have to start by adopting the one good habit you started with, start with that and the other good habits you have adopted will follow. Don't beat yourself up and certainly don't give up! You can do this!

    The next time you have "bad" days log your food anyway!!! Even if you're eating out and don't know EXACTLY the number calories you ate, you can still figure out about how many calories you had using info from the database. Let's face it, it might not be as bad as you think or it might very well be and will help to make you accountable to yourself. Even if you eat a whole bag of chips, log the whole thing (I've done it, and I have logged it!). It will make you see how many calories you actually ate - this isn't an exercise to try to make yourself feel bad, it's so you can take responsibility for what you are doing. It's super easy to get out of the habit of logging and before you know it, those 17lbs will be back.
  • Daphnemomof9
    Daphnemomof9 Posts: 113 Member
    Being on this site has taught me that a couple of bad days will not undo all of the hard work I've done up to this point. If I don't put a stop to it right away when I realize that I don't like where I'm heading, I know I will go back to where I was and probably add some extra pounds to that. What's your choice? You can do this, you can get back on track right now!
  • Aviendha_RJ
    Aviendha_RJ Posts: 600 Member
    Well. Stopping the Backslide? Easiest way?

    Step on the SCALE. DAMN, that thing is terrifying after you've been away from it a while.

    I went through about 2 & 1/2 months of being well & truly "Off the Wagon". I went from 143lbs to 155lbs. I was VERY stressed out & freaking about being out of work, having problems in other areas of my life. I just... stopped caring for a while.

    Now... I'm paying for it. Two weeks, & I'm down to 149lbs... I still have 6 more lbs of WHOOPS to take off.

    Learn from my mistake!
  • bigplayclay34
    bigplayclay34 Posts: 22 Member
    You guys are all so great! Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to start tracking again. I have breakfast planned and WILL be under my calories. Thank you guys so much for the support.
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
    You can't change what you have already done, but you CAN change what you do from here on out. MFP is a great tool, utilize it. Plus there are tons of people to support you if you need it!
  • AntShanny
    AntShanny Posts: 359 Member
    You just have to remember each day gives us a new chance to start over...so don't beat yourself up!
  • floweringcurrant
    floweringcurrant Posts: 112 Member
    I know everyone is saying "get yourself to the gym asap" etc. but for me, I usually just ride out the rest of the day, make the best of it (as in, eat what I feel like eating in reasonable quantities and enjoy it) and start fresh the next day. There's nothing worse than eating food you don't usually eat and feeling bad about it. If I'm gonna do it, I'd rather enjoy it and take advantage of it. That way I won't move into the next day feeling distressed and bad about myself and deprived, but truly ready for a fresh start.
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