Time to be honest.

thedandylion
thedandylion Posts: 40
in Motivation and Support
I started my "diet" a few months ago with such high hopes and determination but the truth is I never really started or tried to make a change. I tried to convince myself that I was but I wasn't, the biggest thing being my lack of exercise and continuation of eating 'bad things' . I have made a ton of excuses (have done all my life) for my lack of effort and today I feel a great disappointment in myself.

For a month or so, I was checking in everyday and keeping within my calories, I was feeling good. Then I moved out of my mums home with fiance and used our new flat as an excuse (too tired from the move too cook healthy food) and all the bad eating has stayed. I haven't really checked in for ages.

Then we come to today, I feel positive again. Luckily all the above hasn't helped me convince myself into thinking I should give up, I don't want to give up but I'm not going to make an false promises to myself either.


I've been wanting to lose weight since I was 13 and with every year that goes by I get sadder and fatter. Somethings got to give, I'm fortunate enough to have never gone passed a certain weight but I am still noticing the toll it's taking on my body. I don't want to be like this anymore. I want to today to be the day I start a new.

P.S. Sorry for this rambling post, I just needed to get it out there.

Replies

  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Start making some small changes in your life. Track your calories (even if you are way over). Start incorporating 15-20 mins of light exercise every day (no excuses). Set yourself some weekly goals (non-scale ones) to help you eat better and move more.

    This is a much easier lifestyle to get into and stick to if you take your time and give yourself a little incentive beyond just the scale movement.

    Good luck to you. I know you're feeling down now, but you CAN do this and improve your life for good. Just don't give up.
  • sunnie326
    sunnie326 Posts: 721 Member
    I started with the Leslie Sansone walk at home videos. The first one was only 30 minutes of walking. 2 miles. It wasn't long before that just wasn't enough and we bought the 5 mile video. Then we moved on to Billy Blanks and Jillian Michaels. As our endurance progressed, we bumped our workouts up to continue to push us. They are all dvd's that you can buy at Walmart or Target. LOVE IT!!!!
  • wcasie
    wcasie Posts: 299 Member
    Welcome to the "i have a million excuses club." My name is casie and I am the president lol. Seriously I will roll alongl, loose 10-15 lbs then just suddenly stop trying. I don't know why other than it has always been that way. So I am picking one thing at a time to focus on. I am getting on here every day and reading the motivation blogs and looking at success pics. keeps me pumped up. I am working on cutting down my soda in take from 5-6 a day to 1 a day. Small moves with eventually equal big change! goood luck~
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    Sometimes it helps to get everything out there in the "open". I know I tend to vent a lot to a specific group of friends when I'm having a rough time staying focused and that helps me get my head on straight. Just remember that you aren't perfect. There are going to be days that are better than others. The thing you have to remember is that one "mistake" doesn't ruin the entire day or diet. You pick yourself back up and get back to it immediately! :)

    I don't post in the message boards often, but your post caught my eye because I went through the same thing this past winter. I had done really well losing weight before my husband came home from deployment. I had gone from about 235lbs when he left to 174lbs when he got home. I ate my way back up to 190lbs very quickly. I wasn't focused. My excuse was how busy things were now that he was home and he hadn't eaten fast food or at any of his favorite restaurants in about a year! I regained my focus when I saw the scale. I refused to let myself get back up to 200 + lbs.

    Hang in there girl! You are definitely not alone!
  • speediejane
    speediejane Posts: 496 Member
    small changes=big results long term
  • gypsykitchen
    gypsykitchen Posts: 34
    For a long time, I was where you are - unhappy with my weight but lacking motivation to do anything about it. What finally motivated me to make real changes was my doctor telling me she wanted to put me on meds for high cholesterol. The biggest gift you can give yourself right now is to NOT wait until the point of doctors giving you ultimatums.

    My main piece of advice for you is: don't try to make too many changes at once. The more drastic things you try (like deciding to work out for an hour every day and eat only vegetables, or something like that), the more chance you have of abandoning the whole thing and reverting back to old habits. Be patient with yourself while keeping your goals in mind, and make small changes - give up sugary drinks one week, then once you've gotten used to that, cut something else out of your diet. Take more walks and gradually build up to more intense exercise.

    I wish you the best in your journey!
  • sandown12
    sandown12 Posts: 648 Member
    To do this you have to

    CHANGE YOUR HEAD-WAY OF THINKING

    DROP THE WORD ''DIET''

    EAT ENOUGH CALORIES

    FIND AN EXERCISE YOU ENJOY

    If you dont do these 4 things it will be years of yoyoing x
  • HotMamaByVday
    HotMamaByVday Posts: 343 Member
    I get it. I have been there. I have the t-shirt, and once in a while I wear it again. Remember "you can have excuses or results, not both." I don't like the philosophy of starting small. If you are like me the motivation comes from getting reults. Start medium. Don't just cut out a couple things. Make a plan to exercise and cut out a couple things. Oh, and drop diet (although everyone else in your life will still call it a diet). Dieting are for people who want to lose weight but find it again. A healthy lifestyle change is for those who want to get rid of the weight and have no intention of finding it agin. Good luck. You can do this!

    Feel free to add me for support.
  • Charlottejogs
    Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
    Hello! It sounds like you are taking the first step by deciding you are actually ready to do something- great start!

    I think it is helpful to track calories initially- I thought I was pretty healthy, and I was but once I started writing it down and becoming aware of my portion sizes it was pretty surprising. Also that was motivating to see what I needed to change.

    Exercise wise, perhaps try something you enjoy to get started. Walk with a friend, walk to a place you enjoy going, play frisbee, walk on a beach (other pretty or enjoyable place), swim. When I got started I enrolled in a few fun classes with my community center so it was inexpensive and less commitment than a gym membership but I still paid and wanted to attend- I did it with a friend and that helped. Anything fun to get you moving; I also replaced my study breaks with walks and started walking while I talked on the phone with my friends and family. Walking while I talk to my mom adds about an hour of walking per week alone:)

    I hope some of these help! Good luck! One more thing...the community gym, a friend, or even just starting to talk with someone about these goals may help create some accountability.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    Oh dear! I have been worrying about you a bit.... Anyway, it's great that you're in your flat, think of that as a new start? Support always here if you need a kick up the @#*#} sometimes!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Start making some small changes in your life. Track your calories (even if you are way over). Start incorporating 15-20 mins of light exercise every day (no excuses). Set yourself some weekly goals (non-scale ones) to help you eat better and move more.

    This is a much easier lifestyle to get into and stick to if you take your time and give yourself a little incentive beyond just the scale movement.

    Good luck to you. I know you're feeling down now, but you CAN do this and improve your life for good. Just don't give up.

    I agree right here. Small changes really are key. Also, don't think of food as good or bad or something you need to feel guilty about. There are just foods that fuel your body better and fill you up better. Please, don't hit yourself with this 'I have to eat 1200 calories a day' nonsense either. Play around with your calories and your exercise until you find a level that you feel good, not deprived, and are able to lose weight. It isn't a race. You don't have to do it overnight. It has taken me a year to get to where I am now. I haven't lost much, but I am stronger, faster, and mentally, much more ready to lose the weight. You'll get there!
  • Ralphrabbit
    Ralphrabbit Posts: 351 Member
    Welcome to the club!
    Start by making one change at a time.....
    My way was:
    1. I logged it all for a week - ALL of it (not public at the time!) When I saw how bad it was I started
    2. Changing the food to healthier choices in places. Eating fresh but still going over a lot!
    3. Keeping busy so I had less time to think about food & eat! This led me to
    4. Swimming! You can't eat in the pool & was born to be a whale so worked for me!
    So now I am at the place where if I am exercising often, & I do now get to the gym too, I can cover the food that I am eating & cutting down a little is less difficult!
    It's working though.........15lb since Christmas!
  • wrecktechno
    wrecktechno Posts: 145 Member
    Get rid of all the crap food in your pantry. Get rid of the chocolate, ice cream, biscuits, sweets, crap. Throw it out. Take GLEE in throwing it out, it's not wasting it. Putting it into your body is wastage. Wastage of a HOTTIE!!!

    Buy rolled breakfast oats, a tonne of bananas and fruits, vegetables, skim milk, low fat/low sugar yoghurt, cottage cheese, high grain crispbreads, free range eggs and lean meats.

    Set one Saturday or Sunday, borrow or buy a Jillian Biggest Loser whatsherface book and use some of her recipes to cook up an absolute storm of healthy meals. Freeze them into the correct sized portions. Alternatively to buying all that up there -^, use the Jillian Biggest Loser whatsherface book because generally they have a shopping list of food to buy and just buy up from the list they provide. (I assume Jillian BL whatsherface has a book because the Australian Biggest Loser PT Michelle Bridges does...)

    Make a public announcement on Facebook that you are going to change. Put on your weight (if you dare) and what you want to weigh. Make yourself accountable. Get your friends to send you encouraging messages and ask them to check in on you.
  • chell53
    chell53 Posts: 352 Member
    I know how you feel, I to have signed a while ago and I am still yoyo.......I have read the comments and yes now since reading all of the these it may have sunked in on me that I am the only one who can make the chanages.....so thanks to this post I am going to reconfirm why I am doing this.........Yes need to start back at the beginning, reevaluate what I really want for myself.....the key is do this for ME..............thanks for this post and thanks for the peoples comments.................

    If I can do this then I know you can as well..............good luck
    As for exercise I love Leslie Sansome Walk Away the Pounds for Abs............nice place to start
  • svwb
    svwb Posts: 3 Member
    Dandy,

    I read a magazine article once where the author wrote, "I weigh myself to see how much I should hate myself that day." ACK! I realized I was doing the same thing and maybe you are, too. The problem is that, just as you describe, you set yourself into that downward spiral of depression. Every comment I have read in response to your post has been fabulous, but don't forget to catch yourself when you begin to beat yourself up about what you ate or what you weigh. When you hit a bump at work, do you fall apart and quit? Of course not -- you deal with it the best you can at the moment and try to do better the next time. Of course I admit this is easier said than done, but just being aware of your habits of mind can be as important as being aware of your habits of eating.

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