23 WEEKS - reach your goals! (TODAY-Sept 1st)
 

i was going to make a thread about how i cannot lose weight... and then i thought about what i would write on it and realized, that it is true, i have not really been losing weight... but it is also true i have not tried for over 1 or 2 days at a time!

so the problem isn't that i cannot lose, the problem is i do not find the motivation to do it. not because i don't want it, but because i feel i can't... i give up before i even start.. and so many people here have lost SO MUCH, and i keep seeing posts on the "goal" forum... why can't i succeed too? and i only have 20 lbs to lose!!!

so that is the truth: i have not tried hard enough. i am not taking it seriously...

so here it is:

i will not weigh-in compulsivelly every day. i will do it once a week. i will organize my meals and don't put excuses. i will set fitness goals... and work hard to reach them.
setting other lifestyle goals is also important... and be realistic about the whole thing!!!


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this 23 weeks thread i am creating is intended to be a support team for those of us struggling maybe, or those who want to improve their eating, fitness, or any other goal, and work into making changes and seeing results in the end of these 150+ days.

the point is to share ideas, plans, goals, and hopefully victories, but also be there for each other in the long term for support when it gets hard.

chose which ever day of the week you will be weighing-in, i am not going to enforce that to anyone. set a plan and share it with the team, maybe mini goals? any kind of goals!

hopefully people will join, if not... it will be a bit lonely! ( challenge is suppose to end by September 1st but JOIN ANYTIME!!)

NO EXCUSES!!!!


:carrot:

hi loser59,
i'm in the exactly same boat ...i've been trying to relose the same 20 pounds for the last 2 years but i just can't stick with it like i did for the first time i tried. :/
as i write this i'm actually binging on cookies...
see i was supposed to be at my goal weight by the end of july but i know i won't do it...next month the exams start and i'm already panicking and soothing myself with cookies.
i want to lose this 20-25 pounds because there is also a wedding in august and my birthday is in september and i want to look good.
i don't have many temptations food wise bcs everyone around me eats very healthy...i'm the only who hides cookies in her room and eats them in secret as if anyone cares. i know it's all in my head but here's to trying to change that.

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I'm struggling as well. Nearly two years ago I was almost at goal, but have since gained some weight back and struggled to relose it. Things have changed in my life but I won't use them as excuses. Instead, I want to recognize that change happens because in the end I've chosen to change my life and life is filled with change. This isn't a "diet" per se. So while I am frustrated that I can't seem to recapture the "magic" of my weight loss from two years ago I am grateful that I have maintained overall good eating habits and a regular exercise regime. I'm a regular on the monthly exercise challenges which has kept me honest and accountable about my physical activity.

Of course I use the term "magic" facetiously, but when I was really successful losing weight I seemed to have been in a wonderful sweet spot. Exercising without need for motivation which led to consistent weekly weight loss, which led to consistent good decision making. Oh, what a beautiful time in my life :carrot::carrot:

I don't have an answer, but I do appreciate your support and will be checking in with this thread regularly. Again, thanks for starting this up.

Move thread
 

Hi loser59, maybe you should see if you can move this over to challenges. I might get more eyes on it over there. I think you'll have plenty of folks interested.

curvynotlumpy - i will check into moving it to challenges.. i am just not sure i want this to be a challnge, just more like a support group for those of us struggling..
hope to see you around :)

missunshine - i understand you completely. i don't have much time to write as i need to leave in 5 mins, but i suggest, maybe, not to hide the cookies. that has helped me (and i hid food and ate food alone for at least 10 years or more). eat cookies with other people. 1st you won't eat as many and 2nd it will take the huuuuge weight off of the kind of "dark" side of bingeing... if that makes any sense. i felt better thinking "yes, i am eating cookies, but it is not really a binge, hiding in my room"

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me.. i still need to figure out a plan. foodwise, i am having trouble. the conditions around me are not helping me AT ALL. but i cannot use that as an excuse. i need to take what i have and work for it.

these 4 months are a period long enough to see changes, but not too long (like a year) to feel like "eh, i can start next week, i have a whole year ahead of me"... change starts NOW. with little things.

for instance the first change this morning: i took a driving lesson (failed my driving test a month ago, and when i took a class on monday, i was so nervous i drove REALLY bad, so bad that today i woke up feeling sick, dreading this class).. today it went GREAT! my next step though is to rent a car (long story why i CAN rent a car but need to take a driving test). i have never ever driven, only these about 20 classes, 40 minutes each, and many of them wer just me crying on the wheel...
so anywhooooooo, first success: i drove good today.

DRIVING: my goal is 1) renting a car and 2) passing the test!!!
i need to at some point rent a car, because the 40 minute lessons are good in the sense that theres a teacher there and that makes me feel safe, but on the other hand, it's a short period of time, i haven't really had time to practice many things (like parking)... and its ridiculously expensive. so yes, RENTING A CAR. overall goal is to trust myself more.

RUNNING: last year i was on my way to run a 10k... when i injured my foot. maximum i got to actually run was 4k (taking a tiny break in the middle). that was last september. since, i can't run much. i don't know why i lost willpower. i run 0.5k! what a mess... i have though, succeded to do 1.5k but it's rare. so my goal is to put my effort into that. in fact, the reason why i created this thread is because last year the race i was preparing for was in the end of october... and i am assuming -although i could be wrong- this year it will be too. so i want to train for that. and like i just said: TRAIN. not randomly go and try to run, but have a training program. i will follow the c25k program. i think i can skip right into week 3.
so TODAY i will go running after work.

will add other goals later. food is a business i still need to figure out :/

Hi loser59--support group, got it and it makes perfect sense that you might not want to go the challenge route. I'm running today after work as well. We got this!

support group indeed... because i keep failing :(
i keep saying tomorrow,... when i say today it doesn't last longer than 10 hours... what is wrong with me!!?? :(

Aww, there is not one thing wrong with you! Losing weight is tough and overwhelming at times, just peruse the boards if you don't believe me ;) Maybe you're trying to do too much at one time. I know when I began to lose weight it started with small "streaks" of good behavior. Power walk 30 minutes a day and drink 8 glasses of water. That's it. Maybe it's pre-planning and organizing your meals and cooking ahead. Or cutting out the cookies, soda, or whatever your "poison" is. It can be anything. Motivation is such a slippery thing to grasp isn't it? But I know from experience I can't wait for motivation. The times I am most successful are when I stick to my plan (however small). There is a sense of pride that builds when I remain consistent. Like I've kept a promise to myself. That's important to me because for so long I kept promises to everyone but me.

And I think it's important to know why you want to lose weight. I got tired of my joints aching, breathing heavy, and lying in bed with a belly that was as big as pregnant woman's. I wanted to know what it was like to try on normal sizes even if I never bought them. I wanted to walk in a room unnoticed, because before I lost weight, I walked into a room avoiding eye contact because I was sure all eyes were on me and my weight. The ONLY way I could achieve any of these things was if I got control of my eating and exercise. I was the only one who could do it.

I have no doubt you can do this. PM me if you'd like but always know there is great support here. And again, thanks for starting this great thread!

thank you very much for your reply!!
you are right, maybe "no motivation" is another bad excuse... maybe i am so afraid (of trying? of succeeding? of feeling good about myself? all of them?) that i sabbotage myself...

friday i woke up thinking good. i weighed and i was actually down a pound! (and i haven't even really tried to lose, i don't know how it happened)... at noon my bf invited me for lunch... and couldnt say no (or saw a good way to again, sabbotage myself). i didn't eat that much, i didn't try to overeat... but i guess it set up this bad attitude for the rest of the day, and also saturday.

i don't even want to analyze it. i am so tired of it. all i know is my bf today told me to go to the beach, and i don't even want to get close to the beach :(
this thing has always interfeered with my life (cause i never feel comfortable to go out). yup, classic "armor" theory. when i was alone, i was kind of not losing anything. but now that i have someone, ...i am ruining the relationship. cause i don't want to go out, i sound depressed, i don't want to do things...
and reality is i feel down and like hiding.

i feel stupid saying "i am starting tomorrow" because i have said this every day for the past 15 years!!!!!!!!!!

i say i am starting tomorrow, almost convinced i will say it again next week :(

so maybe yes, i need to make small changes.

so tomorrow... i need to do things right: eat a god breakfast. take fruit to work. stick to salad and cottage at work (and if we are not eating together, make a salad for myself). get back home and either eat a fruit if i go running, and if i don't, eat yogurt (i say this cause i am supposed to get my period, and i am not so keen on running while on my period :/ )

i want to reduce carbs and eat more protein. i think maybe i have not noticed but we sort of eat too much carbs and not enough protein... so def want to start eating one yogurt a day, and some meat at night... although it should be at lunch,... maybe i REALLY REALLY need to bring my own lunch...

anyway... we will see...

no surprise... i did bad today :(

maybe i need to eliminate the two things that are leading me to fail: carbs in the form of crackers, bread and rice crakers, and sweets.

bread i can do without. question is sweets... i need to replace them with fruits, or dried fruit, sugar free drinks or yogurt...

sigh...

there is this slight chance we will be going to a hotel in 9 days (this means swimming pool and bikini)... so i need to start getting serious!
so i though of dividing these 9 days into sets of 3. at the end of each set, i will weigh in. today i started at 153 lbs :/
i am not putting any goals, i don't even want to think about numbers... any loss will be great.
today so far i am doing good. thinking about the possibility of the hotel helped. i finally decided to go out running, and did the c25k program (never did it, first time today) and was able to start from "week 3"! i did it, it was tiring but not too bad so i am thinking i will do week 3 one more time and then skip to week 4, that seems more challenging. goal is 10k, that i believe is achievable (i have 20 weeks to the race)
anywhoooo... i only have dinner left.
today i avoided chocolate at work GO MEEEEE!