Why cant I just do this (VENT)

Start by logging everything. This will help you see where those calories are going.
If you are anything like me and hungry all the time, more small meals a day helps, I've been known to order something and eat half and save half, that way you get some and 3 hours later, Hey! More food!
Drink alot of water, it helps with hunger.
Just do it every day and, I know this is hard, be patient!!

I wasn't motivated til my husband left me... for other reasons (some mutual)... I wish I had been motivated for my health (and many other things) long before. But it is what is.

I read somewhere, "Do something today your future self will thank you for". Think about yourself in 6 months, a year. Where do you want be, how do you want to feel and what do you want to accomplish. And if you don't pursue your goals, imagine that in a year. That sort of visualization does help me to get going since time just keeps passing by.

I so agree with wanting this will make you push on! Girl....I also have 2 girls who I DO NOT want to be self conscious about their weight like I have ALWAYS been. I got up to 265lbs with my last pregnancy and she is now 18 months and I have been on here since she was 3 months....lost 58lbs.....slowly very slowly. But I refuse to fail. I am gonna get to goal if it takes another 18 months! I suffer with food choices....I got the exercise thing perfectly...I work out 5-6 days per week BUT I love food and this is so hard for me! How one can only eat 1200 calories per day is beyond me! With MFP....meeting some awesome people who struggle with the same stuff you struggle with you WILL be motivated. When I look at others busting butts and eating clean this makes me re-evaluate what I do. You can do this if you REALLY want it! You have to have the willpower to want this change! I am here for you if you need support and motivation!

Instead of some lame patronizing comment (there will be many to come), all I can really say is this:

You have to want it.

Yes, everyone WANTS to have a model or a gymnast's body. Or a bodybuilder's body or whatever. But 99% of people just don't have the dedication and willpower to put in the hard work.

Until you're really ready it's going be next to impossible. It's like quitting smoking or drugs. You have to really want it or you're just going to keep relapsing.

Once it clicks, there's no going back.

My only real suggestion is to try baby steps. Don't try to uproot your whole way of eating or exercising. Do one thing. Cut out sugary drinks and/or soda. Just try that. In a month, try walking for 15 minutes a day, every day. Everyone's got 15 minutes right? Keep progressing and slowly substitute crappy snacks for better snacks, crappy meals for better meals, and sitting on the couch for meaningful exercise. I'm 14-15 months in and I'm still making improvements to my diet and exercise every week. Baby steps. No one just changes their entire way of life in a day.

Great advice!!!

Thank you for posting this. Like many of us, I have gone up and down in weight. The difference is that I don't have children, which sometimes makes me feel worse because I don't have baby weight....just lazy weight.

It is one day at a time and the desire to want to change. Seeing the good in the small challenges and really defining why I want to do this. There are so many of us out there coping with the same issues...and for that I am thankful.

The only one holding us back is ourselves.

I'm late to this party; but I just wanted to second (or third, fourth, ...) the concept of baby steps. I set up a weekly mini-NSV goal and focus on that. Once you've claimed your non-scale victory, set up another mini-goal. It's amazing how the little things add up!

FYI, my own mini-NSV goal this week is to make sure all my meals and snacks are at least 3 hours apart (but no more than 4.) I know it's sounds silly and/or arbitrary; but in my case, it's helping me avoid grazing throughout the day and, keeping my cal intake/energy steady :-)

Slow and Steady wins the race every time :-)

Please feel free to add me as a friend! I know that slow & Steady requires a little more patience and support than those going for the dramatic weight loss!

I have read a lot of articles on getting started, and I was in the exact same boat a couple of months ago. I was talking to a friend a little over a month ago who does personal training, and he made it plain when I was getting on myself about my weight gain, and he had just lost 50 lbs. He was very straight forward and said, it will be a priority when you make it a priority. It was like a light switch. I had spent a lot of time focusing on everything else in my life, and I wasn't making my health a priority. I was obsessing over my weight gain, and the stretch marks, and being tired, but I wasn't making my eating right, or exercising, or stress reduction a priority (for various reasons/excuses).

Two years ago, I was 80lbs lighter than what I am today, and, in many ways, I felt devastated about the gain. 40lbs ago, I had a personal trainer and worked my booty off with no visible results. I mean I was sweating, and working, and stressing. I didn't want to step on a scale because it always showed the same number. I quit and gained another 40 lbs. I watched documentaries on food, and how we process it, how it's made, cooked, farmed, success stories. I bought a juicer after watching Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead, thinking that I was going to just juice everything, but life got in the way (and juicing really wasn't the answer for me). AND, there was always some form of temptation and it seemed easier to "give in" to the temptation.

3 weeks ago, I started eating paleo. Last week I started P90x. This is not an endorsement for either, just things that have changed for me in the last few weeks. I kept a food journal for the first week (until a friend turned me on to this site), and now it's not a chore. I LOVE food. I always have and I always will, so I made peace with it. Up until these last few weeks, it was a struggle to figure out what were right choices for me, and what works for my lifestyle. I need meals that are quick (and single person friendly); I need to be able to keep track of my calories without feeling like it's a chore; and I need to eat tasty things. So far, I've been sticking to it, and I don't feel deprived. It's still new to me, but I think this is the turning point because I made an affirmative choice about what's important to me.

I think the hardest parts about starting new habits are: (1) we are results driven, and if we don't see the result that we expect by a certain time, then we feel we have failed which makes us less likely to attempt again; and (2) that we think in terms of success and failure when it comes to our health. Food, and living, and existing is not a test we pass or fail. It's an experience. It's about how we want to live it. It took a lot for me to reach a point where I was ready to stop wanting, and start doing, and once I made the personal choice of how I want to live, and what I was willing (or not willing) to sacrifice, there are little to no temptations.

I'm sorry if this was too much information, or if it's out in left field. Good luck with everything, and if you want support, feel free to add me as a friend. I will say that this community has been very helpful for me thus far.

At the risk of going against what some of you have said, studies actually show that people are more likely to stick with a change when it is DRASTIC, rather than doing baby steps. I agree that something has to "click", you have to really decide that you're going to make a change no matter what, and then make one, a BIG one, and you're more likely to succeed.

I need to read in detail later. Great ideas from what I have read so far and YES...it is definitely baby steps!

You can do this! Just start by eating whatever you like and just measuring out 1 serving size according to the nutritional guide on the box. Drink lots of calorie free liquids to fill up on and start there. I know diet sodas are "bad" but start there. Slow and steady wins the race! For example, when I started, I still ate my beloved potato chips daily. I ate 1-2 serviings (160 calories each). I know it's not healthy but I had to have it! This is a way of life, if you're planning on doing this for the long haul, you have to eat foods you love, just in the proper portion sizes. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO! and you can have everything you want, just not at the same time
Add me!!!!! I would love to help