[Dizneymama]

Hello Everyone! My name is Crystal & I have been on the weightloss roller coaster for years & years! I am only 4' 11'' adn 170 lbs (again). I reached this point 4 years ago when my 1st DS was 6 months old I joined LA Weight Loss that taught me portion control & I got down to 140 lbs was so happy, eventhough I was still overweight, I stopped trying to lose and maintianed for 6 months & then spent the next 6 months gaining it all back. I had my 2nd DS 4 1/2 months agao & I have tried to get back on the weight loss track for the last 2 months. With two very large failures. One being only a week ago. I had lost 5.4 lbs in my first week & for some reason as soon as I tell someone about my weight loss something happens & I am off the band wagon again.

SOOOOOO I suffer from depression & anxiety and the first 2 weeks of weight loss is always tragic & exsahusting for me because it is such a mental battle. I have to mentaling say you can do this every minute of the day & I get tired of trying really quick & want my instant gratifiction in junk food.

How do you do it. What helped you get into the routine? Do you have any phrases that you chanted to yourself? I am looking for suggestions. I am very frustrated & wish I could be Healthy & Happy & Fat but I know it doesn't work that way. I have a very supportive husband who will eat whatever I need to eat. I know I just need to do it but I need some tools to help me stay focused. I've tried mini goals & don't ever make it. Please any & all suggestions welcomed.

TIA

[bonnnie]

I had to find out where I was going wrong, so I kept a detailed list and found I was eating between 2000 - 2500 calories a day of good whole foods.... which was okay for maintaining a 170 figure, but not for losing. In a nutshell, I cut out the unnecessary butter, sugar, alcohol, and snacks after dinner. The bulk of my food is fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, tofu. I count calories and shoot for 13 - 1500 a day. It was hard (particularly the first week) until I started learning how to focus on eating bulk, filling foods.... like oatmeal, cauliflower, salad. Now I don't notice that I'm restricting my calories, because I'm not eating 'small' food. Good luck.

[seagirl]

For me, just starting with a 1/2 hour walk once or twice a day gets me off to a good start. And walking or any aerobic activity is really good for anxiety.

[thesame7lbs]

I find that planning out my entire menu for a few days really helps. If I plan my meals and snacks and enter each and every one of them into my online calorie counter (I use myplate but there are many good ones out there), then I can STOP thinking about it. I don't have to think about what I'm going to eat next and obsess about it, because it's already decided. It is the number one thing I can do to get on plan and stay on plan, and to release my mind from thinking about food all day long.

Another crucial thing for me is positive thinking and positive self-talk. You CAN do anything. You REALLY can. Is it always easy? No. Is it always fun? No. Are the rewards well worth it? YES! You hold the power in your hands. For me, that was a tremendous realization. I had wanted to shed weight for years, and that whole time, I held the power in my hands. It was entirely up to me. I just had to decide to do it.

I also like Seagirl's suggestion -- get some moderate exercise in nice and early. It will perk up your whole day.

[Eliana]

I always find that the first three days are the hardest. If I can knuckle through three days of good clean eating with zero sugar intake and zero refined carbs intake, then I'm good to go and it no longer takes will power. My will power gives out on me pretty quickly too.

I suggest a multi-vitamin for fatigue and a diet rich in vegetables and lean meats and maybe tell yourself to give three days. That's it. Just three days. And after three days I bet it will get easier.

As for snacks, think hard boiled eggs, string cheese, roasted veggies, yogurt (I like Greek), half a sandwich, leftovers from dinner, slices of deli meat, handful of nuts, small salad...those are my go-to's.

[airbear]

^^^I agree with the zero sugar and zero refined carb intake. That is what I HAVE to do! I felt absolutely awful and I promised myself I will not let any food come between me and being healthy and happy. I tried the fat and happy thing. It never worked for me. Make a list of the things that you HATE about being overweight. Even if it's just a mental list. My list was long, and had very little to do with my looks. My health is my motivator this time. I think you just need to give yourself one good day and you'll remember how good it feels. What plan are you following this time?