[tinkerbelll]

2011 was 1 of the worst years of my entire life. I never yo yo dieted so much in my life on top of having so many stressful events take place. Right around mid November, still being the same weight I was on JAN 1st 2011 ( a few lbs more actually), I decided screw it, I'm just gonna take a break from the non stop headache of dieting & failing then trying again & failing again. Plus I was going to stay with family for the holidays & they all eat whatever they want (& are all thin go figure) so I knew I wasn't going to be able to avoid temptation. SO I just ate whatever I want. A lot of Christmas cookies, chocolates, late night eating & just junk.

SO while all this was going on I was still telling myself that I have to do it after the holidays I HAVE TO! But I wasnt stressing myself out about it either.

SO I got back home last week and my boyfriend (whos always supported me 100%) told me that he was diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was gone & he needs to change his diet. I was surprised bc hes only 155lbs, & NEVER eats! When I say NEVER eats I mean he'll eat a bowl of cereal at like 9:30 am & eat a pop tart at 2pm and a turkey sandwich or something like that arround 6, but its hereditary in his family so I'm guessing thats why.

So when he told me it really made me nervous. I want him to be healthy! SO we both said that we will once & for all get healthy in the new year. He also made a bet with me & told me he will pay me $1 for every lb I lose by Easter & buy me entire new wardrobe when I reach my goal weight. He joined the gym I go to also & we stocked up on all healthy foods yesterday. Our start date is tomorrow.

I'm excited but I'm also really nervous and really scared. I'm scared of failing again. 2011 was one HUGE failure & I don't want that to happen again. I promised myself I will do it this time bc I'm so young, I don't want to wake up 40 & still be battling weight, I'm sick of my weight dictating my entire life & sick of spending my 20's cooped up in my house bc of my weight!

I'm also extremely scared of what the scales going to say. I gain weight at rapid pace & I'm terrified of being off diet & eating like a pig these past 2 months is really going to bite me in the tush. My b.f told me not to worry bc I will do it this time & who cares what the scale says bc it will the last time it will ever read that #. Thats really really nice words and really great advice but I'm still so scared . BUT I am looking at it as a lifestyle change & believing that I am going to be successful this time is helping too. But I'm still nervous.

SO is there anyone else that ate really bad during the holidays??
Wat are your New Years goals?

Thanks so much for reading and any advice or comments in general I really appreciate it.

[Pinkberrry]

Yes, the past 2 months were a food fest. In early November I found myself unemployed aside from a part time job that Ive always had so during the day I would mostly just sit around and eat. You would think that with all my spare time i would work out but nope. I just sat there eating, getting depressed, sitting around, and eating more. At the beginning of December I found a new job and started working out a bit more, but I pretty much ate a ton of candy and sweets on a daily basis.
Starting today Im limiting my diet to what it was earlier in the year. Eating more healthy and working out. Granted today I had a piece of cake since I clearly have a sugar addiction, but for my resolutions Im continuing my ban on sodas (I did it last year too and didnt drink any) and Im also giving up icecream and candy. I find that late at night I like to go for a bowl of icecream..so if I limit myself to putting it on my do-not-eat-ever list Ill hopefully eliminate that bad habit.
Heres to the new year!

[luckymommy]

I have indulged in a great deal of over-indulging in very caloric foods, so yes. I have stopped over the last 10 days and am feeling a lot better, but I know of the fears you speak of. What has helped me this time? Kaplods. She's an awesome part of this board and I highly recommend your look up her posts. She explains very well how to handle this journey and how your frame of mind can make such a difference between continuing and quitting. Another thing I can tell you is to just take one day at a time. Yes, it sounds cliche but it's so true. Don't dwell on the past (unless you're analyzing it so you can learn from it), and treat yourself with respect and kindness. Part of that respect is feeding your body with healthy foods, instead of empty calories. I'm so glad you have such a kind, loving, supportive man....that is a lot more than so many here have and will go a long way in helping you feel successful. Just put one foot in front of the other. Make changes that you can live with long term. You can do it!

[Scoot]

Yep. I've definitely been in a food free-for-all since shortly before Thanksgiving. I've even avoided the forums, because I decided I just "didn't want to deal with it." I didn't weigh myself, and I tried my best not to feel guilty and not to even think about my weight. I have been stuffing myself silly with pastas and gourmet chocolates for months and somehow haven't gained, which I consider miraculous. However, I certainly haven't lost, and I've spent this whole time avoiding all my friends because I don't want to imagine what they're thinking. So I can't say it's any kind of victory, or that I've enjoyed it.

Anyway, I'm trying again. I've never really tried the "New Year's Resolution" thing, but since the new year happens to coincide with a return to office work (after a year of working at home), I figure it's as good a time as any.

tinkerbelll: There's no reason to worry that things won't work out for you, this time around. Worrying does nobody any good, and I think it's fair to say that there are probably very few people out there - if any - who succeeded at reaching their weight goals on the first try. Almost everyone fails, and fails, and fails again, until one day, something clicks and they succeed. I'm sure they've all had their bad years, but once you get to the finish line, 2011's pitfalls will be a distant memory. I remind myself of this all the time, by reading "Goal!" stories. Perseverance - even in the face of repeated crushing failure - pays off. It has happened for plenty of people, and it can happen for you (and me), too.

PinkBerrry: I also thought I'd get tons of exercise done once I was at home all day. Exactly the opposite happened! I've been more sedentary than ever. I'm also trying to remove as much sugar from my life as possible - best of luck to you!

[audri8301]

I've been doing especially poorly with my diet since school started back up in September. At that point I ceased to have time to take care of myself due to teaching a new subject and all of the work associated with that, plus a second job at the mall. I had no time to plan meals, grocery shop, cook, or exercise and ended up gaining back about twelve pounds. I quit the second job just before Christmas, but then headed home to visit my parents where I started a non-stop sugar binge that's proved difficult to get a handle on. The plan for now is to plan ahead and then stick with it. We can all do this, we just have to decide how we are going to get there and follow that path.

[Pinkberrry]

Audri I work two jobs as well..and a few days a week Ill work 16 hour shifts so I dont know WHEN ill get exercise on those days..I suppose I could start walking on my lunch break again and at least burning a small amount of calories from that. Working two jobs does make dieting/exercise THAT much harder.

[Riestrella]

My dog passed away in November, I had a big stall for around 3 weeks. Then I got back on my exercise routine, but then Christmas came around with all the chocolates as presents and all the treats laying around the house. I've tried my best to only treat myself in tiny amounts, even on Christmas day I had the smallest portion of food (but that was honestly because I don't eat that much - it's just WHAT I eat that can be the problem!). I managed to maintain my weight, which is great but I also would love to lose it now!

As for your situation, I think dieting doesn't work for you. If you've tried loads of diets and just sprung back to the start then dieting and telling yourself you can't eat x, y and z just isn't cutting it. If you're at a gym then exercise 3-6 times a week for at least 20 minutes working up a sweat. Not just getting out of breath, actually sweating! Visit this web tool: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx - see how many calories you should be consuming based on all your stats and how much you exercise. You might be surprised at how high it is - I know a lot of people are but trust me, when you're exercising consistently the weight flies off you!

When I was training for a 10k I ate 2200 calories and I continually lost weight each week. Some people say eat 5 times a day, 3 meals and 2 snacks and divide the calories accordingly. Maybe this will help you feel more full so you don't get hungry? If your boyfriend is going to be eating healthier, then it will be easier to get your healthy food in there (I'm assuming you live together?).

Learn to love yourself too! How can you embark on a journey that requires you to love yourself and want to change your life around when you don't feel positive about yourself? Forget about your mistakes, they're there to be a lesson for the future. You need to find what's good for you. Ease your way into healthy eating, I only started eating healthily when I wanted to improve my performance during exercise. It's so easy to crave all the bad food when you've set strict rules.

Good luck!

[HeatherMcG]

I did! My son was born in july. I went back to work in august. Working full time with a newborn left little time for exercise. I told myself I'd be back in shape by the holidays.... that didn't happen. So, I decided the only logical thing to do was eat whatever I wanted. Boy, I'm sorry I did that.

I am a sugar addict and have decided to not eat any food with more than 2g of sugar. I'm eating these no sugar added fudge pops to keep me on plan.

[kimicat76]

i ate alot over the past two months =( i thankfully only gained 2 lbs BUT thats 2 more lbs i have to re-lose =/ my husband decided he wanted to bring home carrot cake and cookies MY WEAKNESS!!!

[glittergation]

Guilty as well. Too many calories. Not enough vegetables. I have vowed to make a change though. I've began the paleo diet, forsaking my beloved cheese and grains for veggies. Hoping this will work. We can all do it if we remain positive and keep pressing towards the goal.

[baker23]

I've been eating sugar non-stop since Halloween xDD Trying to resist and hoping now that the holidays are over i'll be able to lose weight more quickly...9 pounds in 2 months xD and i'm still a bit shocked to have lost that. I started a new job a few weeks back and and unfortunately eating a bit of everything is kind of required in the job decription xD...so i'm hoping once i've been there for a bit, and no more holidays to deal with, i'll be back on track xD

[sontaikle]

I think you might need to look at this from a whole different perspective before you can succeed. It seems that you view dieting as temporary, when it really isn't the case at all. To succeed at weight reduction you need to completely change your life—and it needs to stay that way. There is no "on" or "off" switch, you must remain vigilant even when you reach your goal weight.

Continuing to view dieting as a temporary punishment before reaching one's goal weight is just going to set up an individual for a cycle of losing and regaining


Back to the topic at hand. I ate what I wanted, but in reasonable portions. I didn't quite drink as much water as I should have and I didn't eat enough fruits and veggies but somehow I know I stayed within my calories—actually below my calories—because I wound up losing over the holidays even though I was trying to maintain.

I didn't really eat any sweets—I just can't stomach them anymore.

[aleksandra]

**** yeah I've been exercising almost every day, but i ate whatever and wheneever I wanted. I've had hot coccolate for breakfast, chocolate for a snack, chocolate after lunch and some before bed. i must admit i had enough for some time regrets? none!

[Mimzzy]

Actually, I have been really good this year. I told myself at the start of the holiday seasons that I would let myself eat what I wanted on Christmas eve, Christmas day and New Years eve. I actually did stick to this and continued working out my usual 6 days a week.