[KittyKat1465]

Ever since the 4th of July weekend I am finding it harder and harder to get back on m diet and exercise routine. This past weekend I went on a mini roadtrip and completely pigged out. I haven't exercised since before the 4th of July. I am having some serious motivation issues!!!!! Anyone else having problems getting back into the routine?

[sheramama]

I'm doing better now, but I had this issue a few months ago. I swore up and down that starting Jan 1st, I would stick with a plan and lose. Well, after a couple weeks in, I gave up. I didn't pick it back up until June.

I am doing better bc I think I really want it more now. The only thing stopping me was me. What also helped was keeping a food diary to see when I was I eating and what.

You can overcome this.

[mamakat]

I can totally relate. I ducked out of dieting (eating properly and exercising) the Saturday before the 4th and then I went down hill fast. I gained back all my hard work. But yesterday I just snapped back and said I feel better when I'm doing the right thing and I'm tired of not feeling good.
I changed my eating plan to low carbs even though the counting calories was working. I too do a weight loss diary and am accountable to it and the daily check ins. It's hard because sometimes it's just easier to say forget it, but in the long run doing the right thing always feels better. I hate to sweat but I know it's good for me.
I hope things get back in the swing for you. Try telling yourself you don't want to gain all the weight you've already lost back. Besides it's really good for you. And believe it or not, exercise actually makes you happier. I know that I always feel better once I've accomplished at least 45mins a day. It's a great boost to my ego.
Good luck!

[Purrfect]

Oh yes, I can relate. I used to have a slogan 'for every diet there is an equal and opposite binge'. I want to forget that completely.

I really keep doing this to myself to discover THE SAME THING over and over: when I eat healthy, on plan, being kind to my body I feel great. Emotionally better, too. Alot.
when I fall off the wagon, I always realize the "good food" is not so great after all, I feel lousy, gain weight, sleep worse, and wonder why I can't get it together.
I read someone's quote I loved: if hunger isn't the problem, eating isn't the solution.
I need that and maybe you do too.

[LGW]

Just try to avoid the "all or nothing" mentality until you are back on track...do not give up...if you have 1 bad meal try to make the next meal, NOT the next day, a healthy one
LGW :-)

[SunnyJee]

This is my biggest fear... Something disrupting my routine to the point where I find it difficult to get back on it!

I've been doing a rigorous training schedule for the past 6 months (bootcamp 5 days a week and cardio 5-6 days a week).

As per my trainer's suggestion, I have now cut back to bootcamp for 3 days a week, and cardio to 5 days a week. The guilt is already starting to set in, and I've upped my cardio durations... Oh well

I figure that once I am in maintenance, I can stick to a less rigid routine, but I realize now that exercise will always have to be a part of my life. ALWAYS.

OP, keep on track! Don't be too easy on yourself! I wish someone had said these words to me in the past. This work is supposed to be hard (in my opinion). I am NO fan of exercise, but there I am every morning doing it. I don't know how, I just am always there.

I guess being thin is just too important to me at this point.

Take care!

[KittyKat1465]

I started keeping a food diary today. At the front I wrote a lot of motivational quotes and at the back I wrote my goals. Today has been my first day of no junk food and I have started carrying a 2.5liter jug of water to drink every day. I think that writing what I eat down is going to be helpful because it will make me feel more accountable. Time to get back on track and get this weight off for good! Thanks for the support everyone

[zoodoo613]

Originally Posted by Purrfect

Oh yes, I can relate. I used to have a slogan 'for every diet there is an equal and opposite binge'. I want to forget that completely.

I really keep doing this to myself to discover THE SAME THING over and over: when I eat healthy, on plan, being kind to my body I feel great. Emotionally better, too. Alot.
when I fall off the wagon, I always realize the "good food" is not so great after all, I feel lousy, gain weight, sleep worse, and wonder why I can't get it together.
I read someone's quote I loved: if hunger isn't the problem, eating isn't the solution.
I need that and maybe you do too.

I know this is true for me too. I'm better emotionally, less tired, more energetic, feel healthier, when I'm eating well and getting some, even minor exercise. And it makes me wonder: I'm going through a pretty rough time right now, and I'm not dealing all that well, truth be told. I wonder what sort of heap I would be in if I weren't taking care of myself? I shudder to think...

[zoodoo613]

Originally Posted by KittyKat1465

Ever since the 4th of July weekend I am finding it harder and harder to get back on m diet and exercise routine. This past weekend I went on a mini roadtrip and completely pigged out. I haven't exercised since before the 4th of July. I am having some serious motivation issues!!!!! Anyone else having problems getting back into the routine?

It's going in fits and starts. The 4th weekend was pretty bad. Did a little better during the week, but not great. This past Friday and Saturday were bad again. I seem to be pulling it together the past 3 days, although today isn't over yet.

I'm not much a creature of habit, but I guess I do better in certain situations. When I'm super-motivated, I can also do well in out-of-the-ordinary situations, whereas when I'm less motivated I fall apart in these. It's a little easier to go through the motions in my daily routine and do OK even if my heart isn't really in it.

[darius]

When I fall off the wagon it is usually a 2-3 day event and I slowly get back onto the plan.

[mamakat]

Good for you KittyKat, I find journalling it all down really helps. I've got an exercise journal, a food journal, I put my weight for the day on my calendars and I have a regular journal. When I'm feeling that this isn't working (not seeing much of a change) I can look back and see that it is or see what I need to change up. Sending you all the best

[tricon7]

You can only start from where you are now. Forget what you've gained or where you've failed - decide to move forward from today.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucious

[KatieC87]

I can definitely relate! Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon for about a week when our power went out and we resorted to restaurants to sustain us. (Yes, the power was out for an entire week! Ugh! I'm so attached to electricity!) I gained two pounds, but as soon as our power came back on, I went grocery shopping and started my food log again.

I don't know if you're anything like me, but my problem is that I'm too all-or-nothing about things like personal finance and weight loss. I'm either going 150% or I'm going 0%. I think it's important, especially when "starting again", to start slow. Don't beat yourself up for not going to the gym every day like you did before. Decide you'll be happy if you go for a short walk around the neighborhood. Or you'll be happy if you replace your morning trip to Starbucks with a healthy bowl of Raisin Bran.

You can do it! You just have to remind yourself that whatever damage you've already done is done, and if you wait to get back on the wagon, it'll be even harder. Do it today!

[lin43]

Originally Posted by KatieC87

I can definitely relate! Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon for about a week when our power went out and we resorted to restaurants to sustain us. (Yes, the power was out for an entire week! Ugh! I'm so attached to electricity!) I gained two pounds, but as soon as our power came back on, I went grocery shopping and started my food log again.

In all fairness to yourself, it is really difficult to stay on plan when going out to eat. I read a statistic somewhere that indicated that people who eat out regularly consume 20-30% more calories than if they eat at home. It's easy to figure out why: We just don't know how much fat is going in our food when we eat out (unless you go to a chain restaurant, in which case, at least you can find the nutritional info. online). The other thing is, when I eat out, I find that to get something comparable to what I would want to eat at home, I have to "spend" at least 200 more calories. For example, the other day, I went out to breakfast and ordered an egg and cheese sandwich. Doesn't sound too bad, right? However, the bread they used was way bigger than my slices at home, they used more fat to fry the egg, and they definitely used more cheese than I do. So my guess is that my harmless egg & cheese sandwich ended up being 500 - 600 calories. I ate 3/4 of it to try to offset some of the damage, but believe me it was hard to stop eating it (I poured ketchup over 1/4 of it just so I wouldn't eat it).

[KatieC87]

Originally Posted by lin43

In all fairness to yourself, it is really difficult to stay on plan when going out to eat. I read a statistic somewhere that indicated that people who eat out regularly consume 20-30% more calories than if they eat at home. It's easy to figure out why: We just don't know how much fat is going in our food when we eat out (unless you go to a chain restaurant, in which case, at least you can find the nutritional info. online). The other thing is, when I eat out, I find that to get something comparable to what I would want to eat at home, I have to "spend" at least 200 more calories. For example, the other day, I went out to breakfast and ordered an egg and cheese sandwich. Doesn't sound too bad, right? However, the bread they used was way bigger than my slices at home, they used more fat to fry the egg, and they definitely used more cheese than I do. So my guess is that my harmless egg & cheese sandwich ended up being 500 - 600 calories. I ate 3/4 of it to try to offset some of the damage, but believe me it was hard to stop eating it (I poured ketchup over 1/4 of it just so I wouldn't eat it).

Thanks for that, lin43! I beat myself up about it because we *should* have prepared for the worst instead of thinking, "The power will come back on any time now." So our food went bad because we waited too long to move it. And because we kept hoping it would be cut back on every day, we didn't buy any more groceries, thinking it would be a pain to keep them at my parents' home (30 min. away, where we stayed and commuted for school/work) and cart it back and forth every day. (Seriously, we'd pack up to stay with them at 9 p.m. once we realized they weren't going to fix our power line. Then we'd pack up the next morning to drive back home and cross our fingers all day. Lather, rinse, repeat.) UGH! That's the only thing about dieting... It just takes one disaster to throw you off the wagon.

But you're so, so, SO right about restaurant food. That's why one of my healthy eating goals has been to avoid it at all costs. I even gave up our "Free Lunch Fridays" at the office in favor of a 300-calorie brought-from-home lunch. I wonder what the heck these restaurants are putting in their food to make it so bad. For instance, most salads at the places our office frequents (chains, so we have the nutrition info) are over 1,000 calories! In a SALAD! How is that even possible? There's got to be some shady stuff going on with their food preparation, and I ain't having none of that! One of my guilty pleasures (::cough, cough:: Cracker Barrel ::cough: doesn't even post any nutrition info - even though they are a chain! - so I've had to give it up. However, I do get one "treat meal" every month where I don't count the calories (but still try to be reasonable). Guess where I'll be August 27? (If you guessed Cracker Barrel, you get a gold star!)