Can't seem to stick with it
lguderjahn
Posts: 3 Member
Hello,
My name is Lindsey. I started myfitnesspal almost 2 weeks ago. I did pretty good the first week. I was motivated and I had the same thought I have had dozens of times in the last 9 months, "This it is. This time I am going to do it. I just know it." Then, a few days later things start slipping and I end up where I am today, feeling guilty over eating a gigantic high calorie lunch. I just dont know if i have the mental/emaotional strenght to diet more than a few days. How do you guys do it?
My name is Lindsey. I started myfitnesspal almost 2 weeks ago. I did pretty good the first week. I was motivated and I had the same thought I have had dozens of times in the last 9 months, "This it is. This time I am going to do it. I just know it." Then, a few days later things start slipping and I end up where I am today, feeling guilty over eating a gigantic high calorie lunch. I just dont know if i have the mental/emaotional strenght to diet more than a few days. How do you guys do it?
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Replies
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I am so right there with you. This is my first time on this type of site...I am desperately trying to add friends to help hold me accountable. I am hoping to really show off some results and serve as inspiration for one another...0
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I've officially started to count calories about a week ago and for a long time I was an On and Off counter. I always found though that if I always logged no matter if it was good or bad food it would put me back on the right track because I would see how many extra calories I consumed and it would get me motivated to go at it again and stick to the calorie range. Sometimes I always try to pre-plan for the day ahead so I can see where there might be a bit of extra. So my advice is to always track even if you had a slip of the day (or 2)0
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Take it one day at a time. One hour at a time, even. I had a bad weekend (3 whole days of overeating) and I just woke up the next day and got back on track. I ate a good breakfast, put on my shoes and went for a long walk. Now I'm feeling better than ever.0
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So you ate a big lunch. Unless it was over 3500 calories it didn't put a pound on you and you won't even notice it. Just shrug it off and do better tomorrow. We all need to allow a cheat here and there. I just ate a Spicy McChicken(I know FRIED fat). I did take off the bun but, I know it was not a wise choice. But.,..it was so damn good. And I am definately gonna have to work harder at the gym tomorrow but, it doesn't make me want to quit. And it shouldn't make you want to quit either. Life isn't always salads and fruits. Sometimes you have to live a little...kwim?
Erh0 -
Hi, Lindsey. Finding the right motivation to get your bottom firmly planted on the wagon, is always the most difficult part of weight loss. Once, you are committed and on a roll it is much easier.
So start making a list of all of the upcoming occasions where you really want to look good--weddings, class reunions, trips, parties--anything that matters to you. Then just start focusing on those goals. What will you wear? How will you look?
Then, sit down and make a list of all of the upcoming occasions where you really want to be fat. Get the picture?
There are so many reasons to lose weight, especially as we get older and our bodies start complaining about carrying around extra weight. We look better, feel better emotionally, and have a lot less aches and pains when we are slimmer.
Right now I have 4 well-spaced goals. I need to lose 10 more pounds by April 28th so all of my beautiful clothes will fit and I won't have to go naked on our cruise. Then I need to lose another 5 by July 21 so I will look good on the dance floor when all of my relatives will attend our niece's wedding. Then I need to really tone and sculpt and lose the last 5 before my 50th class reunion on September 21, so I can wear something totally sexy and age-inappropriate. On December 5, we will be taking a cruise with an old boyfriend and his wife, so maintence is a must until then.
So on and so on and so on, we just need to maintain one target after another to keep us slim and heathy.
One thing my almost 70 years has taught me is that if I ignore my weight, I will rapidly gain. Oh we grow so soon old and so late smart. :drinker:0 -
It's a gradual process. Many times we are just so stuck in our unhealthy routine of diet and exercise, yet we expect ourselves to dive into a healthy routine with ease. No one is perfect in the beginning, but you have to overcome the guilt and come back to your routine. I have found that if I fall off for a few days due to sickness or changes in my sleep pattern that it is harder for me to fall back into my health routine. Now, if I am feeling lazy about making healthy choices, I will cut my exercise in half, so I can still have some type of sustainability and stay in the game. I hope this helps, and good luck with everything.0
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I just started walking and dieting 2 weeks ago. I have a friend who is also doing it with me which helps tremendously. What is keeping me motivated is how much I realized I wasn't living. I was just going through the motions. (faking it) I haven't been this happy since I was a child. i love the ocean air. I try to walk with the dog everyday. I first started walking (with my friend) around the neighborhood but after walking on the beach I don't want to walk the neighborhood anymore. It's so energizing! Maybe try to go and walk where you can look at pretty things like a park or garden. (just some suggestions) I have been hating the way I look for over 10 years and am embarrassed sometimes to go out in public. I don't know if this helps but I wish u lots of luck hun.0
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You guys are amazing! Within 10 minutes I already feel so good. Back on track I go, and I am definitly going to add visiting these message boards to my plan. Who knew there were such awesome people in here?!0
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Lindsey, way to go on starting! Brush off the slip up and let tomorrow be a new day. If every day you get up and try, then you're already doing better than you were a few weeks ago when you weren't trying. Simply logging in the calories is going to be a wake up call for you. Log everything, good or bad. It will get easier, and you will find a normal. Be patient with yourself. I'm still new in this process too. Today was a bad day for me too, but somehow I stayed below the calorie goal and still got a workout in. So even though it wasn't a GREAT day, I can still call it a success because I did better on a bad day than I would've two months ago. Two months ago I would've eaten my way through a bad day (and two weeks ago, you probably would've just eaten more after feeling guilty).
Also, I think the bad days (and how bad your body feels after eating poorly) give you great motivation for sticking to those healthy foods that make you feel so great.
Keep with it! You CAN do this, and it IS your time!0 -
So far, all the previous posts have had some good suggestions. Part of the problem is figuring out what your individual hang-up is. For me, a big problem was "missing" all of those delicious foods (my good friends). I'd eat healthy foods for a few days then miss my old pals and want to go back to them.
So one of the things I did right away after finding this wonderful website was to start researching new recipes. I tried so many new things and found SO many delicious HEALTHY foods and I was amazed. I rarely ever miss the old "bad" stuff anymore. And like others will attest to, it's okay to sometimes take a day and eat something "bad" because of where you are or who you're with. It's not going to kill you. Then, go back to your "new" friends the next day.
Also, find exercises that you enjoy doing. Then, when you log them in and see your calorie allowance go up, you'll realize that you can actually have more than you once thought you could while eating healthfully. I love logging my exercise! It might be best to get a heart rate monitor so that you can accurately count those calories burned, though.
Finally, look around this site and learn all you can from the other members. That has helped me so much. There's a lot to this weight loss thing. It's not rocket-science, but there are a few basic rules to know. Add some friends. Read the recipes section of the message boards. Check out skinnytaste.com or eatingwell.com. Do exercises you love. Get up and try again tomorrow. You can do it.0 -
Hello,
My name is Lindsey. I started myfitnesspal almost 2 weeks ago. I did pretty good the first week. I was motivated and I had the same thought I have had dozens of times in the last 9 months, "This it is. This time I am going to do it. I just know it." Then, a few days later things start slipping and I end up where I am today, feeling guilty over eating a gigantic high calorie lunch. I just dont know if i have the mental/emaotional strenght to diet more than a few days. How do you guys do it?
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
To answer quite simply, this very site has been the fire lit under my *kitten*.
Trying every day to be honest with myself, and log in every piece of food I eat, initially proved to be an eye opener.
In due time, I shifted my eating habits and increased my exercise habits, all in order to make sure I came in under my calorie goal every day.
Do I have days when I go over.....of course I do.
I remind myself that tomorrow is a brand new day, and vow to myself to do better.0 -
I could have written this post...my thoughts exactly! I, too, am struggling after just a couple weeks of careful dieting. I don't know what caused me to fall off the weight loss wagon again. Frustrating! But I just read a helpful blog that suggested NOT having any cheat days or cheats whatsoever because this keeps the cravings alive. If we can resist, it will get easier, but each time we give in we strengthen that giving-in muscle and we will keep repeating it over and over. Some people can eat treats in moderation and are fine, but others can't must abstain completely or set themselves up,for failure. So sad........:(
Good luck to you on your journey!0 -
Take baby steps to get & stay on track....It's not easy but it can be done. Nothing tastes as good as you will feel when you have this down....and your losing your weight. When you can feel it in your clothes, and have to buy new smaller ones.
You can do it!! Good luck0 -
add friends and people who will motivate you the support system is everything0
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I'd glad you've found some support here, it really is a great place to help you stay on track.
You have had lots of good advice already but I'm going to add one more:
Don't set unrealistic expectations.
If you are trying to stick to 1200 cals a say and work out on the treadmill for 2 hours every day, chances are, you're not going to be able to keep that up.
Set your weight loss goals at something moderate (one pound or 1/2 pound a week) and eat the calories you burn when exercising. It may seem like weight loss will take forever if you go slowly, but in my opinion you have a much better chance of sticking with it if you aren't making it too hard for yourself.
This is not a race or a competition. You need to find a way of eating that you can sustain for your whole life, not just a "diet" that you will try and fail (again!) just like so many of us have done time and time again.
I also second the advice to keep on logging no matter what you eat. You'll proablyl find that even with a big lunch you still have a calorie deficit for the day. And if you don't - well, one day isn't going to derail this whole process - unless YOU let it!0 -
I think we all have been where you are. I have so many reasons to loose these extra pounds, but I am finding it hard to loose. One thing I will mention, however, is that it DOES help when you keep track of every little or large morsel you eat. Even when I was on weight watchers, if a person did not track their points, you did not loose--that's the same thing with this program except this program is FREE. So, hang in there--write down everthing and pretty soon you will see where the majority of your calories are coming from and then you just have to start making wiser choices in your eating habits. Just hang in there.0
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If you plan your meals, it makes it a lot easier to not go over.
I eat a lot of veggies with my meals so there isn't as much room for the higher calorie foods.
You can do it; all you need is to get into the habit. It takes awhile for some people to learn to log everything and then not overeat. This time, make it the real deal. As others have said, take it one day at a time, and one hour at a time. Eating one high calorie meal doesn't mean the day is blown.0
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