Giving up

coloradosurfer
coloradosurfer Posts: 4
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone! I need a little help here...I can't seem to keep myself on track, I try, and then I just give up. I don't even last a day anymore. I feel like I put so much pressure on myself that I just can't handle it so I fold before I even begin. I have tried every diet, every dvd, every new program and I usually don't even last a day before I give up and move on to something else, after going on an awesome binge of cookies, beer, and mozzarella sticks of course. This is killing me! I psych myself out before I even really begin.
I don't know why I do this and I don't know how to stop.
I have been fit in the past, twice, for about 6 months each time, other than that I have always been overweight and always eaten a ridiculous amount of junk food.
I am reaching out here hoping that someone else has been there or knows what I am talking about and can offer some sort of insight on the situation.
How can I break this horrible habit? How can I overcome this? Any tips or ideas? Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
    Hi everyone! I need a little help here...I can't seem to keep myself on track, I try, and then I just give up. I don't even last a day anymore. I feel like I put so much pressure on myself that I just can't handle it so I fold before I even begin. I have tried every diet, every dvd, every new program and I usually don't even last a day before I give up and move on to something else, after going on an awesome binge of cookies, beer, and mozzarella sticks of course. This is killing me! I psych myself out before I even really begin.
    I don't know why I do this and I don't know how to stop.
    I have been fit in the past, twice, for about 6 months each time, other than that I have always been overweight and always eaten a ridiculous amount of junk food.
    I am reaching out here hoping that someone else has been there or knows what I am talking about and can offer some sort of insight on the situation.
    How can I break this horrible habit? How can I overcome this? Any tips or ideas? Thanks in advance :)

    Ok, so I'm not a psychotherapist and I don't play one on tv, but I can guess that A) you use food for comfort and B) you are comfortable where you are, no matter how painful it is, the thought of changing it is MORE painful.

    Sometimes, the known is easier in the short run than the unknown, because it's something familiar.

    My suggestion would be to talk to someone like a counselor simply because I have a feeling this isn't just restricted to food, and you'll need someone to walk you through the steps of change.

    But if you don't see someone, my suggestion would be to take it one meal at a time. Plan out your day if you have to, log every bite, make sure you get your cals, and your macros set in stone, then the easy part, just follow it,. Print it out, put it on your fridge. Have someone help keep you accountable.

    It's going to take time to break the habits, but once you do, I swear, it's freeing, and not scary at all.
  • miss_september
    miss_september Posts: 153
    I can understand how you feel, and I have certainly been there. Angylisis78 had some good ideas, just wanted throw a few more that helped me over the past few years. First of all, you might not be mentally ready to lose weight, despite how unhappy with yourself you might be. I have been overweight/obese my entire life, and I could never bring myself to lose weight either. I became "comfortable," despite being unhappy, and because I was unhappy, i ate more (emotional eating). I wasn't able to start getting active or lose weight until I learned to accept and love myself for who I am, not who I could be (my husband played a huge role in that when we first met, but I also did a lot of soul searching, etc.). Then, I started small, simply by trying to get more active, and made it fun. I didn't "work out," instead I bought myself a bike and used it to go to the store and stuff. If my friends wanted to so something, I would suggest "hiking" (walking in the woods, not like up a mountain or anything). Then, I started jogging. When I first started, I would jog about 100 feet, then stop all out of breath, and walk the rest of the way around the mile long trail I would run on. As the 100 feet became easier, I started to add more. Then I started adding another area in my walk where I would jog. You can' see where this is going. Once I got up to being able to jog a mile, I decided to give myself a physical challenge--to compete in a sprint triathlon. Yeah, that sounds scary, but I believed if I could get up to a mile of running, I could do anything. So, I started training, and set my goal realistically, that I simply wanted to complete the triathlon and not be last in my age group--and I did it! That accomplishment ultimately prompted me to try to eat healthier, in the hopes I would lose weight. So, I started making small switches, like light cheese for full-fat cheese, frozen yogurt for ice cream, etc. Then I started counting calories and eating low-fat. It was the first time in my life I'd lost a significant amount of weight (20 lbs). Then, I stopped counting calories, but maintained healthy eating and kept it off for an entire year! Now I am back at the weight-loss, and I am very happy with my results.

    Hope my own story helps some. Hang in there, and do whatever you need to do to find a way to stay motivated. The first month truly is the hardest. When you are ready, focus on eating a lot of high-bulk, low-calorie foods to keep yourself feeling full, and if you can, drink unsweetened hot tea (it can really help you to feel satiated after a meal if you are still wanting to eat). Good luck!
  • mariajae
    mariajae Posts: 18
    I don't do this well, either. I lost some weight last year just by adding activity. Honestly, I keep myself under such control that food was the only place I felt free and I am still not willing to give that up. I now stay within my allotted calories, but on most days 100 of those calories are on a skinny cow ice cream bar. I try to work out so I don't have to stress as much about calories. You are not alone and you are not bad.
  • Livingbalanced
    Livingbalanced Posts: 84 Member
    I'd check out Intuitive Eating as it's really gentle and forgiving and is an approach that is patient. The pressure is off to explore and to figure out what your body is telling you.

    If you're sick of dieting and finding that it doesn't work, then IE may be for you. I'm still learning to live that way and it's not easy, but I find it super liveable.

    http://www.intuitiveeating.org/content/10-principles

    Best of luck!
  • spudlovie
    spudlovie Posts: 56 Member
    I know this sounds silly but get on Pinterest. Look at the motivational posts everyday. This is how I find my inspiration. I also spend a lot of time on the success stories board. Seeing all these people that have lost 100 pounds or more I think, I can totally do this. I have been to for two weeks. Quit putting so much pressure on yourself. Go at your own pace nobody else's. Track all of your food, everything just do it. Then you can start exercising to keep up with that. Once you start exercising you won't want to put that in your body any more. Trust me girl you can do this. Start slow and take baby steps. you are the only person holding yourself back.

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