Ive been really busy and stressed out with alot of school stuff. I havent kept count of my calories, Ive been eating junk non-stop!! How in the world do I get back on track?? Its been so long, but as my stomach keeps getting bigger I know this needs to stop soon. And advice/suggestions on how to get back in the flow of things?????
Some people get back on track by just leaping back into their programs. Other people baby step it back, one thing at a time until they are back in it. I would say if you feel overwhelmed pick ONE THING to do right tomorrow -- exercise or eat all your veggies or not eat a trigger food -- and then keep adding.
Sometimes changing habits back isn't enough. I wrote myself a letter to myself (my "future frustrated self") for just such an occasion if I ever needed it... to remind me of how much better I feel healthy and in control. I wrote it early in my weight loss journey.
I've posted it below!
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Well, hey there Future Self!!
You did it, didn’t you? You’ve ditched the plan and fallen off the wagon, haven’t you? You’ve maybe gained back some (a lot?!) of the weight you lost, and you’re feeling out of control right now. You can’t help but war with yourself over the food you feel you shouldn’t have, and you quit exercising. Or worse, maybe you’ve just totally given up, again. In fact, I know you pretty well, and I bet you’re feeling kinda sorry for yourself huh? Poor thing…
But that attitude will get you nowhere. QUIT IT!!!!!
You. Can. Do. This!
I want you to think back to why you started this whole journey in the first place. Recall, if you will:
• You weighed just under 300 pounds by your scale, and probably over 300 on any other scale. That’s a lot of you!
• You had a bad fall and were in a lot of pain and had trouble moving – do you want your weight keep you in stiffness and pain?
• What about your dad and his diabetes? Your MIL and her back? What about not being able to stand up from the floor with any kind of grace whatsoever because of your weight? What about just feeling like a hippo all the time?
• What about being able to do the things you want to do and buy the clothes you want to buy? Remember the great feeling of shopping in your closet? Don't you want to shop in normal stores? Take trips without worrying about flights and seat sizes and accomodations?
• And while we’re at it, let’s talk about food. I know you think that those Cheetos and Fritos and especially that Ice Cream and Macaroni and Cheese give you comfort, but they don’t. No one’s saying you can’t have them – you will have to moderate them. And believe me when I tell you that you LOVE fruit! And yummy veggies, and Kashi bars!!! You’re not giving up foods you love, you’re finding new food friends. And I bet you miss that feeling of control you had about those trigger foods too. Remember: you could walk away from the candy on the secretary’s desk EVERY DAY!
• And exercise! You didn’t always like starting, but you really liked walking to the music, releasing some stress, feeling what you body could do!
• Oh, and what about how you feel at the end of the day? Are you tired? Taking naps again? Well, when you ate better, you didn’t get so many low blood sugar dips!! You can be that way again!
• You’ve been in control of your health before and loved it! You can love it again!
Okay, I know, it’s not so easy. The problem is you think it’s all insurmountable. Something little happened, and you got off track, and then something else, and then it snowballed and pretty soon there went all the good habits right out the window. I know all about it, because it’s happened before!
So, how can you get it back? Baby steps! Remember?
• If you’ve stopped journaling your food – get back to it ASAP! Remember how it helped you learn good habits? And quickly! Get back to counting calories and fats and all. It’s easy and you actually liked it!!
• Take back your attitude about food. Keep asking yourself: is this worth it to me in the long run? Sometimes the answer will be yes, but often it will be no, and you’ll feel proud of yourself when you resist!
• And get moving again. You may not love it all the time, but it helps you so much!!
• Remember, you don’t have to make changes all at once. Gradually build in more healthy behaviors. But don’t wait for some mythical “better” time in the future. Take control now!
• Finally, go back to reading 3fc! You were inspired by those stories, and talking about your story helped keep you going too! There’s support there for you.
Remember your pledge to yourself: to be healthier at 50 than you were at 39 (or the fast approaching 40). That’s what’s important, not the taste of that food or the TV shows you're probably watching too much of.
And you can do it. I, more than anyone else, know you can!! It's easy: Eat Less. Move More.
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Your healthier and thinning past self.
Heather, what a fantastic idea! What better way to nudge yourself when you've fallen and can't get up than a letter from an old, 'thinning friend'. Since this is my third time in 5 years down this exact same road, I think I might just do this too. Hopefully I'll never need it but if I do . . . . Thanks for sharing this!
Hey Countrygirl - the first thing to do is start planning how you're going to get back on plan and then actually do the things you plan.
You can't really eat better by accident, or work out without some planning so tackle one goal at a time.
If you want to stop eating junk and eat better - get rid of the junk and go out and get some healthy foods. Make a plan of what you're going to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks for a week. Use the internet to look up great recipes. Write down a list. Go out and get ONLY the stuff on that list. Do as much prep work as possible to make your life easier - pack lunches, cut up vegetables, put fruit in a pretty bowl on your counter. Have healthy snacks ON HAND so you are not as tempted by junk. If you are going to a snack machine - leave your cash/coins at home. If you go into the gas station to buy junk while you get gas - pay at the PUMP don't even go in.
Make sure your workout clothes are clean. Buy something to motivate you - like a pretty new workout shirt. Go to iTunes and buy 5 great work out songs (my two new favorites are Check Yes Juliet by We the Kings and Shake It by Metro Station). Buy an armband to hold your MP3 player. Do something to MOTIVATE YOU. Plan what time of day you're going to work out and how that will fit into your life. If necessary, pack a bag with everything you need to make your life easier (extra shampoo/conditioner/hair products, soap, deoderant, hair dryer). Be ready to GO.
Now, think how will you reward yourself if you stick to your plan for 1 week. The first week is the most important, so it has to be something good. Can you afford a nice massage or a haircut in a fancy salon? Or something a little smaller - a fabulous pedi to get ready for summer (get some flowers painted on your big toe or something), new sandals to show off your pedi. Treat yourself to a maid service cleaning your house, treat yourself to a day for just YOU.
So. Make a plan. Implement the plan. Eat well. Work out. Drink lots of water. Go to bed on time. Reward yourself. Repeat for week 2.
Off track for a while now, where do I start?
