How to stop 'starting again'

This is my third time trying to lose weight, and I really have no desires in going for a forth time. I think you have to have the right mindset in wanting to lose weight and keeping motivation. The first two times were more influenced by my mum, but this time I've decided that I wanted to

I have a weight loss and motivation blog: http://beingmotivated.tumblr.com/

I was thinking about this and the conclusion I came to was that if I had stuck with it one of the times before I would be closer to where I want to be today. I also ask myself 'what would a thin person do?' and I try to do that. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Why not commit to logging bad days? There's no need to start on a perfect day or at a perfect weight. Maybe seeing how badly you're eating and having your numbers in the red will make you think twice about giving up. I mean, we can't all have diaries that are consistently under and being able to look back at yours, seeing the bad days and watching the changes that take place could be a big motivator.

<-- says she whose diary is 540 calories in the red this evening!

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen

Present (“Now”)
“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” ~Spanish Proverb

“Now is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don’t need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating.” ~Barbara Sher

“The future is always beginning now.” ~Mark Strand

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” ~Thomas S. Monson

“Fears over tomorrow and regrets over yesterday are twin thieves that rob us of the moment.” ~Anonymous

Great post! I have been doing the same thing!!! I found that logging EVERYTHING even on the bad days gets "rid" of that feeling!!!!!!! Like yesterday for example, I ate cheetos and ice cream and just logged it. I was even down this morning!!! TRY IT and friend me for support!!!

Its all in the mindset. Start with stopping to do diets forever. What you need is a 'lifestyle change' as this can be permanent. A diet has a start date and a finish date, and whether you make them or not getting to the finish date means so does the weight loss and when you stop the diet, the weight loss effort does also. You gain all of it back plus some.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

You need to write down your goals and aims. Write them down on a poster and stick it up in your room where you'll see it every day. Put a mantra in the middle, a personal saying that empowers you. Even if you dont believe it at first, saying it over time works wonders. Mine is "I am a strong, independent and beautiful woman" and by gee I believe it now. And I haven't even reached my physical weight loss goals yet! But my mind is there ready and backing me up. Put your goals where you can see them. Put on the poster a goal weight and small weight loss goals as well so you can tick those off as you get there. Mine was to lose 15kgs, so there is a 5kg, 10kg and the 15 kg goals. 2 have been ticked so far. I have pictures of other personal goals. A car I want, a holiday, a savings amount, a career goal, an education goal and I got that one with returning to uni in my 30's.

You need to see what it is you want. Put up motivational pictures of womens physiques you like. It can be motivating! Changing your mindset is where it needs to change or you'll just go round and round in circles of repeated failures. Stick to you goal chart, read it every day, believe you will get it and the positive changes that come from this will amaze you. Even if you dont see or believe it right now, change has to come from the heart and mind and this can really happen best with making a goal you can see, not just 'imagine'.

Best of luck my dear. It isn't easy. Or we would all be super fit and healthy people at our goals. Life isn't meant to be easy. Going the rough road teaches us life skills and strength. Take what you can from past failures and put them into action with a new plan. A plan to succeed. And if you do have a binge day, Absolutely do not let it stop things. It is just one day. Get over it, let it go and start that very next day with your focus on goals again. Dont worry about how many times it takes you to start over. That will happen repeatedly, as it has in the past, as it has for me also. You will get there in the end. Start with the mindset and the body's determination will take over.

cheers!

For m-o-n-t-h-s I've been attempting to diet and fail. Everyday it seems like I'm starting again the next day, then that day comes and I don't want to start that day because I weigh heavier purely because of a binge day before etc. Anyone any advice? Apart from just get on with it as for some reason I can't seem to 'make myself'. If I do, I manage say 3 days before the start again cycle begins, again!

I wish you would have filled out your profile and shown your diary. It helps when other people are trying to help you.
It might be the type of food your eating. If your eating high sugar, high carbs or high fat it may send you on a hunger roller coaster. You get a ton of energy then boom, huge crash that makes your body tired, groggy and hungry again. Again, I dont know what your eating but eat cleaner smaller meals. It will level things out and youll find yourself not craving as much high cal food.

Okay, I'm going to be straight forward here. I know you dont want to hear this but you have to power through it. It sucks, but it will get better. When someone says "diet" it makes me think they may be looking at the situation all wrong. Its not about an "all or nothing" attitude and depriving yourself so much that you end up bringing.

If your eating under 1200 cals a day...even under 1400 IMO, not exercising, eating ONLY low cal foods, not allowing yourself free days/meals...you might not have enough balance. If you dont have a food diary you can live with for the rest of your life then you should change it to something you can. Having one you hate or that makes you feel bad and one that you dread is what I call a "diet", not a lifestyle chnage. Okay, now that I said the advice you dont want to hear...haha

I am QUEEN of binge, binge, binge...........I'll start diet again on Mon.....

July 15th I realized DIETS DON'T WORK! They NEVER work and it has to be a lifestyle. I've committed to making LIFESTYLE CHANGES that will help me lose 1 POUND per week. Nothing drastic.

I committed to LOGGING ALL FOOD- good or bad. This past week I enjoyed a small hot fudge sundae, spaghetti and meatballs and yes, even pizza! 2 SLICES! I logged it and kept my daily totals in check by cutting back in my other meals. And I've lost 3 lbs THIS WEEK! I can't give up my favorite foods and stick to a diet. I feel restricted and then binge! I also committed to somehow burning at least 250 calories per day working out.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION is my new motto! Oh, and there are no RESTARTS to my plan just like there are NO RESTARTS IN LIFE! Make slow, lasting lifestyle changes!!! Baby steps!!!

I am so going to print your reply out!!!! great words of wisdom!