These past 5 days, I've had massive problems with sticking to my plan. It started with bringing ice cream into the house, and has just kinda continued with a few days of eating out, desserts my mom has made(recently moved back into my parents home) and just not watching what i'm eating. I'm trying to count calories but have definitely been going over my 1500-1600 limit a day. What do you guys do to modivate yourself again after slipping up for almost a week? I hit the 200 number again this morning, which hasent happend for two weeks and it kind of discouraged me a bit -.-
At the risk of sounding trite, psyching oneself up (getting motivated) doesn't matter as much as actually just doing what one knows one should be doing. If you want to keep losing weight, then you know what choices you need to make, even if you don't feel like making them right now. It's okay, because if you make those choices now, I think it will actually help get you motivated to keep on making good choices. When I go off-track and have trouble getting back on, I think about my long-term goals and about what I've been doing that's keeping me from losing weight, and I make changes. I usually don't feel like making those changes, but I know that in a few days or a few weeks I'll be glad I did, when I start seeing lower numbers on the scale or my clothes start fitting better. I've got a list of goals and rewards, and there are some inspirational threads on here that I really like, but as "motivating" as they are, it's the conscious choices that I make to do things differently - regardless of how I feel - that really make the difference. I hope that makes sense and is helpful.
I've been battling weight related funk for months, on and off. The best advice I can give, and what I follow myself, is to narrow your focus. Plan your meal, eat it. Plan the next meal, eat it. Do NOT eat off that plan, one meal at a time. After a few days of this it becomes automatic again, and then you can *plan* in a treat or less nutritious food, but always be planning and intending and thinking about what is going in your mouth.
It is the spur of the moment, occasion-based eating that gets me into trouble. Every time I try to do it beyond one rare meal out (like a party) it bites me in the butt. So I just have to avoid it as much as possible and stick to what I know works. When I veer off plan it is that micro focus that gets me back on track.
I get on my bike or pick up my hula hoop or head to a yoga class. Exercise pulls me out of a funk more than anything. Even just a brisk walk can turn my mood around.
i agree with Seagirl. Exercise is the only thing that pulls me out of a funk. If I've been eating poorly, I will wake up early the next morning and force myself to workout. That way, when it comes time to make food decisions, I think to myself "I just burned 500 calories, why ruin a days workout now?" Works for me every time.
I took lots of pics during my weight loss. I look thru all the photos and ask myself if I really want to gain weight back and look like I did in those earlier photos. Brings back memories of how bad I felt at the higher weights. Or I'll go try on my new, slim clothes. Snaps me out of my eatty, funky mood.
Exercise definitely helps me. As does trying on the smaller clothes.
I also have a post-it note in my work cube that says "stop it." I use it to remind myself to stop indulging in the behaviors that make me hate myself, because that's what gets me discouraged.
You've gotten great advice here. I agree with the exercise comments - it's so much harder to eat poorly when you know it will wipe out a whole session in a class or on a bike or whatever.
I wonder if you're just "tired' of dieting? You're a new member here, but you've lost a whole lot of weight. I have a friend who is 6' tall and at 200 she looks good. She now weighs about 175 and looks fantastic. The progress you've made is wonderful. It's changed how you look and how you feel. My guess is that you look in the mirror and see a new you that looks really good. And you moved back in with your parents. No matter what the circumstance, that can put you into "child" mode. Just be aware of these this and try to get a handle on things. you're so close to your goal you should feel very motivated. Get your parents on board and push hard for the last 20 pounds. Keep the goal in sight and don't let one poor choice lead to another. Stop at one. Just do this, one choice at a time. You can reach your goal. Check in here often and keep us posted.
Join a challenge. That might be just the little push you need. It's obvious from your stats that you know what to do and have been doing it successfully. Just jump back on and keep going.
I say sign up for an exercise class with a friend. So you guys can motivate each other and you are paying money to attend the class so it will motivate you to go as well. Also, I say make a low-calorie meal plan and stick to it. Reward yourself with a treat at the end of the week if you stick to it. And if you don't, throw away all your sweets.
I've been battling weight related funk for months, on and off. The best advice I can give, and what I follow myself, is to narrow your focus. Plan your meal, eat it. Plan the next meal, eat it. Do NOT eat off that plan, one meal at a time. After a few days of this it becomes automatic again, and then you can *plan* in a treat or less nutritious food, but always be planning and intending and thinking about what is going in your mouth.works. When I veer off plan it is that micro focus that gets me back on track.
that helps me, and saying to myself, I can skip that this time, I had my treats.
and I agree that the exercise helps me too, it gets me back into a good mind frame.
this is a treat laden time of year, and advanced strategy can help sometimes too. and if you feel you need "treats", you can always plan treats that are non-food related, a shopping trip, going ice skating, or seeing decorations.
the scale helps me... and photographs help me too... I feel pressure when i have an event to go to where i know my photo is going to be taken... the holiday season especially i don't want to remember myself to look bad while i was actually trying to be the best i can at the moment.
Sometimes I think 'diet funk' is the same as regular 'bad mood funk' We all get them. But most of the time, i just decide that I'm NOT going to be in a bad mood LOL I'll wake up snarky and yucky and just breathe and think "this is not going to be my day" and deliberately seek out things that will make me laugh or be happy. I do the same with diet funk. I deliberately seek out things that will snap me back into reality -- tight clothes annoy me, make me feel like "what's the point" but BIG clothes make me all giddy, like "I used to wear this and it barely didi up, now I can wrap it around me twice yay!!"
And if those things don't work, think of it like work, like a job that just needs to be done, like scrubbing the toilet. It's not fun or glamourous but it has to be done like it or not!
trying to recognize the excuses that run through my head. They keep repeating themselves. I end up binging getting off plan then it coms to a point where in my head I just know I have to stop that pattern, and become aware of it. Cause then I fall into deep denial and start to believe those excuses. Like now, I should be exercising but in my head I'm tried.....do I CHOOSE to believe it?
What are you telling yourself in your head when your binging, what excuse are you buying into? Don't fall for it! Make a different choice, be kind to yourself and keep going. You have come too far! You can do this! You have been doing it!
Yes, the above advices are so true. Taking pictures of yourself and what you want to look like can definitely motivate you. It's also the winter weather that can put you in a funk.
I plan out my entire days food "allowance" . Portion it out, put it in containers, and pile it together on one side of the fridge. Every time you think you want a piece of pie go to the fridge and take a bite out of something that is in your pile.
It helps keep my mind on what I should be eating, plus as I see the food pile dwindle it makes me realize if I have a bite now then that will give me less for later...am I really hungry now?
How do you pull yourself out of a funk?
