i'm a little late in this thread...but i sencond what everyone says about keeping up the exercise...at least 4-5 times a day, increasing your water (it really does help..however it might do it...it helps), and incooperating more fruit/veggies.
another suggestion i might add is journal everything you eat. That way you are truely taking into account what you are eating..taht way if you have a few weeks where you didn't loose..you can go back and see why. It also helps if while journaling your food you also put how you were feeling..therefore noting triggers that might be a "challenge" to your weight loss jpurnal.

Also understanding that you are starting a process for life..not jsut a quick fix diet...therefore, you need to learn healthy habits that you keep and not stray from on holidays etc...even though we are all guilty of straying...but you will find that once you start incorperating some of the ideas...you will be better at party situation and holidays.

also ensure you are getting at least 5-6 servings of fruit/veggies a day...it really does help. They are lower in calories than most snack and add filler. It helps if you can increase the higher fiber veggies too.

hope that helped and good luck!

Thanks for the wooden spoon, Jay...

I trust tomorrow will be a better day, bnorah! You'll get into the gym and feel great! I am doing the same and I can't wait!! Love the feeling after a good workout!

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow morning!

Yes, I'm really looking forward to getting back in the gym. And as of right now, so far I've almost had 5 glasses of water today. Yay for me!

Ok so I had a relapse and ended up gaining back those 4-5 lbs that I lost. Ugh, I'm getting so frustrated!

Hey bnorah,

What happened to bring about your relapse? Maybe you can learn from this.

Jay

I think that tracking what you're eating very thoroughly is very helpful. Then you'll know on the days you gained that you had 500 more calories and perhaps that was why your weight went upward. At least, that's what I have been doing) Even on days I blow it I am committed (for once) to adding my food anyway. This discipline is changing me for some reason, not to becoming a super GURU dieter, which I can never be; but to someone more moderate ...and the metamorphosis is kind of slow, but it's definitely there because I'm seeing happy changes in my scale. So... maybe you could start with tracking your food? And try to do 1 thing everyday for exercize, even if all you feel you can squeeze out is a stretching video. This has helped me tremendously!

I've been hearing a lot about the idea of a food journal. Maybe I should start taking that advice? Anyway, I'm back down 2 more lbs. Can anyone give me any techniques to get me motivated in the early mornings to go to the gym? I'd appreciate it.

Hello,

I don't know if I can give you any technicique's but I can tell you what i did.

My weight had gotten to 188... I am 5' 1 1/2" I was tired of being fat and having nothing to wear. I made the decision I was going to get up. I wrote on a BIG POSTER Board my reasons of why I wanted to lose weight, then at the bottom I wrote. The decision is yours...What is your decision this morning. YOU are in Control!!! I put that poster board in my bathroom, where the alarm is. That morning I woke up at 4:20am... Went to the bathroom, hit the snooze, saw the poster board, thought about it for a few seconds, then got dressed. I am happy to say it has been 1 year, 4 days since working at in the morning. I have only lost 14 lbs.. but 17 inches. I should of lost more, but i'm not going to beat myself up about it. This past week I started on my eating better journey. I'm happy to say, i'm on day 5 of journaling.

I know it's hard to get up, but I had to, cause in my case, I work and when I come home I'm too tired and stressed.

You can do it. You just have to make that decision to do it.

14 pounds is still 14 pounds! Good for you, 1day!

Jay

I just have very much difficulty getting up at 5am to hit the gym. I work 2 jobs, and on some nights don't get in until 9:30-10pm. At that time, I'm still kind of wound up from the day so it's nearly 11 or so before I get to bed. That makes getting up at 5am a big struggle because I'm exhausted.

Don't give up, bnorah!!

I think you may have some good success keeping a journal of what you eat and how you felt that day. I use Fitday.com cuz it's easy and free. The key is to be honest. If you have a handful/sm. bag of M&M's, then log it.

Have you tried pre-planning your meals, too? I usually do that on Sunday and I am much more successful that way. I'm just starting to gain control again and I am having some planned cheats so I don't feel deprived (just once a week, though! )

Keep getting into the gym, eating clean and stay positive. You'll see changes soon.

But how do I motivate myself to get up at 5am? That's so early!! I honestly would rather hit the gym in the morning before going to work, so that I know I went and it's out of my way for the rest of the day. How do you early risers do it?

We just do it!

Really, you have to work psychologically to make exercise a priority in your life. You can motivate yourself by thinking of the calories you burn, or how great you're going to feel when it's over, but ultimately, you just have to force yourself to do it. After a week or two of making yourself do it, it will stop seeming like such a big deal and will feel normal. And great.

Tell you what--there are going to be days when you just can't make yourself get up at 5 a.m. So, you need a backup plan. For instance, you might be able to get some walking in between jobs, or on your lunch break or other breaks. Even 15 minutes of exercise is a good thing. Sleep deprivation is not a good thing!

Just be sure that you get some physical activity throughout the day, if you miss your 5 a.m. "appointment."

Jay