What do you do to stay consistent and on track?
 

Hi all,

I am just beginning this journey (again) and am dealing with alot of feelings of possible failure (again).

I have about 50 lbs I need to lose. I have tried several times to stay on a diet/exercise plan and usually make it to about 10 lbs lost then stop and gain the 10lbs back.

I'll cheat and maybe have some ice cream or a candy bar or skip a day of exercise and before I know it, I'm totally off the diet. I know from several attempts at this that if I slip once, I have such guilt and feel like I've failed that i just give up.

Anyone else experienced this? If so, what did you do?
I am a perfectionist in this manner and I know it's not healthy, I cannot be perfect. How do I actually get through those thoughts?
Seeing others who have lost 50-100 lbs inspire me, yes. But everytime I fail at losing weight, I remember those people and feel like such a big failure. It's really tough.

Right now to keep myself consistent, I have:
-joined this site for support
-set myself up a blog to journal the whole experience
-have got a food/exercise journal that i plan to set by the week
-offered myself "awards" for reaching every 10 lb goal

What do you guys do to stay on track day by day? Any advice would be awesome or if you have been able to overcome the feelings of perfectionism/feelings of failure, what did you do?

Thanks!

Hey Boatgirl! :)

Well, I am into Day 19 of no binging, so not too much, but I can share what has helped me so far!

First of all, ALL the things you listed (blog, journal, etc) are definitely things that have helped me these days!!! Those are all great!

I think an important thing to do if you do have a candy bar, or if you overeat one day, that you HAVE to get up and keep going the next day, and not just let yourself keep going downward. It's probably the hardest thing to do, but also the most important.

Don't set yourself up for failure, and only set mini-goals (or even daily ones if you have to). When you see yourself meeting and exceeding those goals, it's a big boost!

When I am having a binging urge, I will either come on here, go for a walk, eat a piece of gum, drink water, or write in the journal. Lately, I have been actually writing down in my journal not only what I DO eat, but what I WANT to eat. Then, when I look at it and read it, it makes me feel good that I didn't eat it.

I also look at my 'before' picture that I took on the first day I started to eat healthy. It's in my phone, so I always have it, and just looking at it snaps me back to reality and all of a sudden I DON'T want that tub of peanut butter. LOL

Ok, hope some of that was able to help you some!!! Just keep telling yourself that you CAN do it. Because, you CAN! We are all here for you, too!! :)

[QUOTE=boatgirl16;3861353I'll cheat and maybe have some ice cream or a candy bar or skip a day of exercise and before I know it, I'm totally off the diet. I know from several attempts at this that if I slip once, I have such guilt and feel like I've failed that i just give up. Thanks![/QUOTE]

Have you tried changing your mindset when it comes to "cheating." I eat icecream. I eat candy bars. I don't exercise every day of the week. I do not cheat. Sometimes I eat too much, most of the time I do not. I make allowances in my calories for treats most days of the week.

"If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got." Change your way of thinking. Allow yourself your favorite foods. You can't eat all your favorite treats in one day, but you can eat foods you love every single day, every single meal. Don't cheat- eat, live. You will eat too much of something you wish you hadn't along the way, you can choose to let that be an excuse to totally derail your path to your goals, or you can choose to see it for what it is a teeny, tiny bump in your path and begin again.

The guilt sounds like it's messing you up. Why not encorporate a "cheat" into your plan one time a week? So if you count calories you can allot for that scoop of ice cream then continue on your journey?

Eating out on the weekends is one thing I allow myself a meal out with hubby- I don't go crazy but I enjoy myself :)

Boatgirl--the things you mentioned, the journal, blog, this website, and rewards for mini goals are all things I have noticed the successful people on this website do and use. You must set up mini goals and think about your weight loss goals from week to week. If you don't make your goal that week, you need to adjust your meals and exercise. Going week to week will keep you motivated since you'll be seeing results, even if they are small. After losing those 10 lbs, something happens o you and you gain it back. Try to figure out why you gain it back and be proactive to not repeat that problem. Maybe you feel entitled to eat more or exercise less after losing 10lbs, but it shouldn't be that way. You just need to keep the momentum going. The people that I have talked to here on this site seem to be hard on themselves and do not give up even if they've lost 10, 20, 30 lbs and still have more to lose. The other important thing is that they do not give up. They keep going and find new ways to make the weight loss goals. They make many readjustments to diet and exercise.

I hope you find this helpful. I have also been struggling and have asked others the same thing.

Also. In my opinion, you should not allow cheat days. I think cheat days can get out of hand. Instead have healthy snacks like peanut butter and carrots, greek yogurt and frozen berries, or other healthy stuff which tastes really good, and make those your "dessert" or save them for "cheat days". Or like add croutons to your salad when you've been good. I thin this way of eating is more likely going to keep you on track, rather than allowing cheat days that will derail you, and make you feel guilty.

Also. In my opinion, you should not allow cheat days. I think cheat days can get out of hand. Instead have healthy snacks like peanut butter and carrots, greek yogurt and frozen berries, or other healthy stuff which tastes really good, and make those your "dessert" or save them for "cheat days". Or like add croutons to your salad when you've been good. Or have a sandwich or full fat cheese. I think this way of eating is more likely going to keep you on track, rather than allowing cheat days that will derail you, and make you feel guilty.

Thank you for the encouragement. I have changed my mindset and have kept telling myself that so what if i mess up a bit? to stop, is not going to get me anywhere.
I read somewhere it's kinda like in school (im a full time college student) that you can make an A in a class but that doesnt mean you have to get an A on every assignment to get that overall grade.
I can't let excuses get in my way. I'm always not going to get there if I do that. Everything I stick in my mouth is a choice. I'm getting into the habit of thinking this when I do eat. I did it all day yesterday and today so far.
In fact, I didn't follow what I wrote down I was going to eat today and instead of getting upset about it, I was okay. I said so what i'll change it? it didn't kill me. In fact, I guess I'm losing some water weight already cuz yesterday I began diet and today when I weighed myself this morning, I was down 2 lbs. It was a boost. (i know it wont stay that way 2lbs down everyday lol wouldnt it be awesome though? haha)
Nicole, I loved your idea about posting a before picture...I added one to the blog I started. I started craving something sweet yesterday around 3pm and was soooo tempted, but instead i got a piece of gum and added the picture. the craving went away.
Anyhow, thank you everyone for the support. I truly appreciate it and take it all in. I'm really glad I'm here! We can do this!