Okay a failure to plan is a plan to fail, but I would tell you I knew this week would be a fail week for me. The question for me is how not to let this week be come another fail week (next week is Birthday week which means lots of cake and meals out rationalization time )

So here I am ladies, pump me up!

For me, I remind myself each and every day why I am making these changes. I also remind myself that only I can control if I succeed or fail.

You can succeed. Believe in yourself. Be strong. Stay focused. Stay committed. Refuse to go backwards.

Hugs
Michelle

Kinda sounds to me like you didn't plan to fail. Sounds like you kinda planned TO fail. But I guess that wasn't your question. But, I certainly wouldn't go into the upcoming week with the same thinking....

I find I am much stronger going into these events if I have a strategy in place BEFORE hand. I decide ahead of time what I will and will not eat. This way when I am faced with "the food", I don't have to think about it, it's already thought out for me. Nothing to contemplate. So yes, have a plan in place!

Birthdays are a wonderful time. Try focusing on the people and NOT the food. It IS possible to have a great time while staying on plan.

You mentioned that you lack motivation. Well, where do you stand on commitment? Are you indeed committed to losing the weight and getting healthy? If so, don't let your convictions fly out the window just because you are faced with temptation. Remember what it is you want the most. The very, very MOST.

Don't tell yourself that this is "impossible" and that you CAN"T do this, because you CAN. You most definitely can.

why does birthday week have to mean lots of cake? it's not like it's the last time you can ever have cake and therefore need to eat all you can in one week. and how much of that cake would even be worth the calories and how much would be gross supermarket cake?

why not figure out what your favorite cake is and have one slice. an enjoy the heck out of it. and then celebrate your birthday in a way that really celebrates you!

Maybe buy some new fancy workout clothes for your favorite sport. or treat yourself to a personal training or private yoga session. or get a bike. rationalize those things, not meals out as though you are never going to have the opportunity to do that again.

and I echo Robin about commitment vs. motivation. If I was waiting for motivation to get me off my bum and to my zumba class tonight, I might never get there. But I'm committed to going, so I'm going.

rochemist - I look at your ticker and I am so inspired by the progress you've made so far - plan ahead, take some snacks with you, or eat before you go. Don't blow what you've already accomplished. Birthday cake and all the extras are around all the time - have some next year and really make it a celebration because you've reached your goal and are so much heallthier.

Ask yourself which is better- being the weight you want to be or wasting another week?

It's hard to not fail- after the comic con last week (which I did my best but we can't always be perfect- I only gained 2 lbs and have already come back down 1.5) I'm back to focusing on the main goal which currently is to get under 200 lbs

You can do it! Just keep telling yourself that.

And I agree on the cake issue- get a slice, enjoy it, and move on

I agree with allowing yourself one slice of cake and then moving on. My very, very, very favorite cake of all time is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting from Safeway. I love it. I would marry it if I could. Mom bought it for my birthday dinner and I had a slice. She sent the rest home with me, which I allowed because I didn't want to argue. I took it straight from the car into the outside trash can.

I tell you this not because I'm so wonderful and strong, but because I go to Safeway every weekend and they're always there. There is always another carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, so for this year, I chose to have just the one piece. There is always more cake, and I can always eat as much as I want later, but for now, I choose to have just one.

You can do this! Make wise choices, one at a time, and enjoy your birthday AND a nice big slice of cake! Happy Birthday!

What you said here makes me think of that quote (here I go again with the quotes ) whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

If you want a piece of cake or a "free" meal, have it and move on. You do though need a recovery strategy so that one meal/night doesnt lead to a week or month of "of oh well whatever".

If it doesnt mean that much to you to have the food . . . just focus on the gift of health and a fabulous arse that you are giving to yourself instead this year And focus on the time you are spending with people during Birthday Week rather than the food you are sharing.

And besides the world will always have cake

I don't know what eating plan you are on! Perhaps your plan isn't as flexible as you need it to be? Just throwing that out there, cause there ARE plans out there that allow you to work in occasions and treats without damage. And it seems to me that restrictive plans lead to the "failure" thought process -- you know "I've blown this week because I've eaten X, Y, Z which isn't on my plan". Which is a diet mentality, not a lifestyle mentality...because when you are trying to maintain, you gotta be able to work these events into your life without feeling like you've failed or blown it somehow.

I might be tempted to reevaluate my plan with respect to my lifestyle and sustainability so that I don't have to judge my "performance" so to speak...but again, I have no idea what plan you are following, so take the idea for what you think it is worth

Just a thought...

Kira

I knew I didn't explain myself enough from the get go, I just want to thank you for your kind words.

This has been one of those weeks where my partner and I have been running in different gears and amazingly enough I have eaten more meals at home than him, but still we have eaten out a lot (my calories have been high). Also exercise has been limited. This is all work, family, and church schedule stuff (switching shifts back and forth, he has had more custodial time with his kids which always gives me the free in clear in my head to work more hours, we both have made church commitments this week, plus we have the mysterious vacation planned for my birthday weekend). So I would have another maintenance week, no losses/no gains

The birthday thing makes me reflective, this makes me want to stuff the feelings down. Instead I want to face this week with my head high and my goals in place. I have a feeling what we do this weekend will be active and I am going to ride my bike for 2 hours tonight. Sunday will be a reset because we will fast for 24 hours (religious observance not a weight loss strategy).

So this said next Wednesday is my birthday. Thinking about my health goals for the next year.

I want to lose 20-30 lbs and get closer to that goal weight. When I hit that point I want to make an appointment with the surgeon to get this excess skin removed (its bad).
I want to make exercise a priority 3-5 times a week.
I want to add Yoga and weightlifting back into my program.
I want to drink 8 glasses of water every day.
I want to make a keep all my doctor's appointments for the coming year.

(My food plan is simple, I count calories. I weigh and measure my food, I could have them all for breakfast if I wanted because there is no boundaries, because when cheat or call it cheating or binging or whatever, you are just doing that to you).

Well said, ChunkyChic! I do that too!