If you go off plan, don't let it turn into something worse. Get back on plan THAT MINUTE...not tomorrow or "Monday" or whatever you used to tell yourself. Don't let an unplanned overindulgence turn into a week or worse of overeating. Analyze what happened, forgive yourself, learn from it, and move on.
Last edited by Frances123; 01-07-2015 at 07:23 AM.
Green tea - when I have it, i'm not as hungry. (Some people say it works others don't)
Slip ups/life happen - get back at it ASAP.
Give it time, changes are slow sometimes. People you see daily won't see changes much. People you see one a month or less are usually the ones who see the difference. (Take measurements, don't just use the scale.)
These are great, definitely seeing a theme about being careful and honest about intake as well as ensuring that a slip does not derail the whole effort.
For me it was learning to love myself, in all honesty. That's still something I have to work at daily, but for me I'm an emotional eater.. as I think many of us are. There was a lot of negative self-talk before this particular attempt at getting healthy. Past diets have been about losing weight because I was ashamed of myself, they included scolding myself really bad for going off plan even a bit, and tons of negative inside my head comments. I also use to think I couldn't do certain things until I got down to a certain weight.. such as visiting with friends. It prevented a lot of stuff in my life.. had deepened pre-existing depression.. and all the shame and guilt would eventually lead to more binging. So.. getting rid of all that has helped me actually stick to a plan for more than a month (going on 4 months now, which is major for me).
It doesn't mean that eating unhealthy is completely okay, but it does mean I don't get hang-ups on that one day I ate a donut. I focus on what I did good instead and that actually makes it easier to get back onto plan. That means focusing on a lot of goals that aren't weight related. Things like just tracking my food, getting in exercise, making healthy meal choices instead of unhealthy ones. Each little thing is a daily goal, so even if I have that donut, I can still celebrate being healthy for two meals out of the day, or under points goal (I do WW), or just tracking my food. Keeping the experience positive overall, basically.
Also a big help - Scheduling exercise, even when working out at home. Doesn't have to be a time schedule like 4pm, but it does have to be a set time in the day. For me it's about an hour before lunch, that way I have about 20 minutes to wind down before making food.
Choose nutritious food as much as possible over 'low calorie/low fat/low carb'.
Sugar is not necessarily the worst thing in the world, but it's sneaky and is in everything. The sooner you start looking for sugar and cutting it out of your life the better. This includes white bread.
Treating yourself is ok though, don't panic if you decide to eat something 'bad'. Food isn't good or bad, but some has more nutrition per calorie and will be good for you and make you feel good. 300 calories of apples and 300 calories of doughnuts is not the same in your body.
The 80/20 rule is legit. Do well and eat healthy 80% of the time and do whatever you want with the leftover 20%.
Exercise is absolutely awesome for self-esteem and fitness but diet comes first. Just because you ran 30 minutes does not mean you can just eat 5 slices of pizza. Unless that's your 20% then do whatever, but you can't regularly do that kind of thing.
Basically, eat real nutritious food 80% of the time, exercise a bit, sleep well, eat food you like, cook a lot and avoid sugar.
Oh and the most important thing is to love yourself RIGHT NOW. Love your legs that carry you everywhere. Love your eyes that let you see. Love your skin that let's you feel and your heart that pumps blood, your amazing circulatory system, the fact that you're alive, love your mind. Dress up, take care of yourself. You are important. You are worthwhile. The weight loss will be good but it won't change who you are, it won't fix all of your physical flaws(as you perceive them) and it won't make you suddenly happy. There might be loose skin, stretch marks, tough days and lonely nights but in the end the only way you will fail is if you completely stop trying.
Be kind to yourself. I think we can be our own worst critic. If we slip up, it is total failure. That isn't true though. Progress, not perfection. A cookie is a blip. A binge is a learning experience.
Don't starve yourself, feed yourself. Focus on foods you like and that are good for you but work on adding new foods if you can. Try new recipes. If you are starving, then something is wrong. Try to fill up on high volume, low calorie foods. Evaluate your calories to ensure you aren't eating too few and work on playing around with macros and calories to find your sweet spot where you lose weight and fill satiated.
Be realistic about what you can do. If you don't have time to cook for 2 hours/day, don't pick out recipes that are time consuming. Look into making foods in large batches, make simpler recipes, buy frozen veggies. There are meal delivery services and what not if you really have no time or inclination. There are even meal plans that utilize frozen meals. If you don't have time to workout 2 hours/day, focus on working out 10 minutes, 3 times per day. Fit it in where you can. Park further away. Increase your intensity and length as you can.
Be nice to yourself no matter what you eat, no matter what you weigh, no matter what kind of struggle you are having on any given day. You are deserving of your own regard and kindness.
Food is not the enemy, your weight is not the enemy, your body is not the enemy. I think those mindsets can be harmful in the long run. Be gentle with yourself.
And keep posting at 3FC -- when things are good, when things are bad (never hide when you're going through a rough patch, it never helps, reach out!), when things are blah. A quick daily check in just seems to help me stay on track, no matter what. I don't think I would be maintaining if I didn't keep checking in.
I have a calendar I got free from my bank. And for each week on the calendar i wrote down my projected weight for that week if I stay on track.
So every time I feel hungry or think of doing anything off my plan I look at that calendar and flip ahead to my birthday or my son's scout campout or other big events coming up and see what my weight will be on the scale if I stay the course. That future number helps me visualize why I am doing this and that it is attainable and will be very visible in the very near future It gets rid of any desire or motivation I would have to go off my plan or cheat or skip an exercise.
I'll add one more vote about being kind to yourself. Try to tune into what works for you as you are right now, rather trying to become someone else. Feed yourself well.
Your body loves muscle, don't be afraid of weights they will transform your body in a beautiful way - you will feel stronger in mind and body. But increase your weights incrementally to avoid injury.
Eat healthy, eat sufficiently, and don't starve yourself or restrict yourself so bad you just end up undoing it all because you can't stand the pressure - it's not worth your sanity.
Most importantly, try not to go more than 3 days in a row without working out! Get addicted to exercise, it's good for you (but don't be silly and do too much).
Don't workout when you're really sick. You'll only prolong your illness and you won't get much benefit out of it anyway, punishing yourself is not the answer.
If you can, workout with a friend or family member, it's a great way to encourage each other and strengthen relationships.
Whats your best TIP from 2014 to help others
It gets rid of any desire or motivation I would have to go off my plan or cheat or skip an exercise.
