Well chicks..I feared this would happen..

Just when I am on the brink of crossing into seriously good territory- getting to the 150s- I start backsliding. It started yesterday with not going to the gym..then at night my mother and I had a foodfest after a particularly bad day. However it wasn't that horrible- I figured it was probably about 500 cals above my goal- which was 1400. Not the end of the world, I will get back on tomorrow and not too much damage done!

So I started off today great..but when it came time to go to the gym- I slacked and didn't go. Then I got the taste for sweets and caved big time. Overall BIG bad fail tonight with eating. I know I'm slipping and I don't know how to snap myself out of it.

I am really scared Im going to throw in the towel like every other time I have tried to lose weight. I thought this time was different because I have been diligent with going to the gym and counting my cals for the last 2-3 weeks. How can you stop when you see yourself getting out of control? Has this ever happened to anyone?? Any encouragement or advice would be insanely appreciated!!

Hey dragonfly21, I don't think you should beat yourself up over it! Everyone has bad days! We're not all perfect lol so don't be so hard on yourself. Go to the gym tomorrow!! You only skipped two days so far..

The not exercising part happens to me quite often, and it used to a lot when I wasn't on here and wasn't as serious and motivated about it. Now I just participated in two challenges for April and I think, okay, I've got to get off my lazy butt and work out so I actually have some good results to post!

Perhaps think of all the reasons you want to lose weight (health wise as well as others)? Motivate yourself, maybe set up mini-goals like so many people on here do. One small step at a time is better than none

I don't know if I was of much help but just wanted to basically say, don't stress too much!

thank you love! you're right..2 days off isn't 2 weeks or 2 months off. i usually have all or nothing thinking and it's hard to get away from that frame of mind and not throw in the towel if i mess up a bit.

Posting good results are a good motivation to keep going! You are definitely a help- I am very good at beating myself up!

Everyday is a new day and a fresh start. Don't worry about what you did, focus on what you're going to do and how to fix it. I agree with stargzr about throwing away the bad food... I cannot have junk food in my house because I lack in self control and know I will eat it. BUT, if I don't have it, then it isn't an option. You're doing good, so don't lose sight on your overall goal. It basically comes down to... would you rather have the sweets, or be thin?? Hang in there...

stargzr- you're right- i need to force myself to get up and go! it's funny you mentioned throwing out any bad food- i did that last night (but not before i thoroughly dug into the bag of chocolate chips) I can still feel myelf resisting- but hopefully I get back on after the gym! thank you!

thanks Amanda-I think I am going to need to repeat that mantra to myself every hour "would you rather have the sweets- or be thin!!!" I need to remind myself why I am doing this!

Speaking of throwing bad food away, lately I've been indulging in SmartBalance sour cream with soy crisps and the sour cream was so good... I've gone through a large tub of it already...today I looked at the back and realized that it was still loaded with saturated fat >_< So about 30 seconds ago, I pitched it. I knew it was too creamy and good to be true :/ Guess I'm going for a jog tonight!

dragonfly I can so relate to that feeling. I remember when I was around my heaviest(170s), I'd be able to lose 10 pounds quick. Then when I got to almost being in the 150s again, I'd start feeling like I wanted to binge eat and overeat. As soon as I knew it I would and be back to square one.

This time was different though. When I got to that weak point, I told myself to give it 2 more weeks, don't give up and it worked. I've continued to lose weight and for the first time, I can see myself getting to my goal weight and I am getting there.


I know this sounds cliche, but don't give up. You can do it.

thank you energie- thats a good idea to say "just two more weeks" and then hopefully be motivated by results to keep going. i was off today againnn, but you motivated me to actually track the calories and I was still in my the recommended range for my cals- so i actually didn't throw the day. idk why i am just struggling with being lazy and not wanting to stay within my cals. it's like i want to rebel. but against who! myself! GRRR. thanks for your kind words!

Is there something about getting into the 150s that scares you? The reason I ask is that getting into the 160s has been an issue for me. In fact, I have stalled out in the 170s for about four months and I think that I have done so on purpose, albeit subconsiously. When I get below 169 pounds it will be my lowest weight in 20 or more years. The 170s are also where I have stumbled before. I think I am working through it now and am finally losing again.

So, is this happening to you, too? I have seen other people post about this same behavior and know from personal experience that it can happen... I am just throwing that out there as something to consider.

I wish you the best of luck with your continued weight loss journey!

Cheers,

J

this post is going to be quite late, lol. ive been having some crazy nights doing schoolwork til midnight and being too wound up to go to bed, but here i am. dragonfly, i am right there with you right now. this kind of behaviour stalls my weight loss for MONTHS...i really think, for me at least, that its due to all or nothing thinking.

When i do something, i do it right...im kind of a perfectionist that way. so as soon as i slip up, i find myself feeling like a complete failure, thinking things like 'why do i bother anyways', 'ill never be able to achieve what i want to', 'ive failed every other time, why should i think ill make it this time'...this sort of negative self talk prevents us from achieving anything in life, be it getting good marks in school, getting the job you want, and especially losing weight. it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. personally, once i start thinking this way, i quickly believe that i wasnt going to get to my goals anyways and whats the point in trying when all the effort doesnt deliver results.

i think that for ladies that go thru this (most of us!) the key is to turn around our attitude towards achievements, success, and failure. it has to be our point of view, not simply our willpower, that makes us fail time and again. The real question is, how do one go about changing the way the they think about something, if that's been their perspective their whole life?

if i figure it out, ill let you know! lol i guess the first step is recognizing the problem...and i know that the opinion of the other ladies that posted here is right on point, the only thing you can do is get back up, cuts your losses, and move forward! weight loss really is more of a mental game than a physical one!

J- I don't know if there is something about the 150s that scares me. I know I want to be there, but the only thing I can think of that is holding me back from breaking through- is my weight loss history. I always bounce into the 150s for a few days then fly right back to the 160s and give up! I feel like my body loves to be in the 160s. Even if I am eating HORRIBLY- I manage to stay there (with only one brief foray into 170s). I dont' know why I can't stick to my plan for long periods of time. I am doing some serious self-evaluation right now though! I'm glad to hear you are losing now after the same type of struggle- I hope I will be doing the same soon!

Wannabenurse- I'm glad someone else is a late-owl like me! Your post is exactly what I have been thinking. If I don't get past the thoughts of "Oh, well forget it- I messed up so I'm never going to lose weight- might as well quit" I'm never going to succeed at losing weight! I think you are right in that the first step is recognizing the problem. This is the first time where I have kept coming on the forum and talking through the problem, rather than giving up and forgetting about losing weight entirely. Reading everyone's advice is definitely keeping me from going completely off the grid!