Don't quite know what happened, was going right along and lost my motivation, fell of the wagon and it ran me over, and can't get it back together. I do breakfast good, lunch got really boring, vut can usually be ok, than proceed to blow it at supper....Maybe voicing this outloud will suffice to kick my own butt. Worth a try!!!

Thanks for listening.

Hi there.
I'm new to this - so pls excuse me if I make any blunders.
I have recently lost 18kgs (39pounds) but I hit a stumbling block. My husbands best friend died suddenly and it has been very upsetting for us all. It has been 6 weeks now and I have been yoyoing in my weight, gain some one week and then loose a little the next. Very frustrating but I am still very emotional and respond to that with eating. Also had the routine interupted and still can't get back into going for regular walks. Does anyone have any ideas how I can kick start myself again? I still want to loose another 30 kgs, so still have a long way to go but just can't get moving again.
Any help from anyone is welcome!
thanks guys

I slowly started to realize many months ago that motivation is not all it's cracked up to be. You know what weight loss has really taken? Dedication. Commitment. It can't just be motivation, because motivation is fleeting and fickle. Motivation is a fair-weathered friend. Gritty, dirty commitment is there with me when the going gets tough. Commitment is there with me when I have to dig down deep to stay on that treadmill. Commitment is there with me when I have to refuse that cake offered to me time & time again.

Diva - Our meals should rarely to never be "boring". Do you really want to eat a boring meal once a day for the rest of your life? Part of the reason you may be "blowing it" at supper is because you have an unsatisfying lunch. Give us a daily example of what you're eating & when. We might have some tips & comments that will help you move past this. Don't give up!

Mandy - I'm very sorry for the loss of your & your husband's friend. You must be going through a very difficult time. The food is not fixing your hurt though, is it? In fact, it seems to be causing more pain and frustration. I wish with all my heart I could give you fantastic advice about getting back into your routine. Unfortunately, the only real way to do it is to just do it. Decide today, that you will take that walk. You remember how it felt to take those walks? To get out and move around & work through some thoughts in your head? Much better than eating through them. You can do this. You've come SO far! Continue on.

Hey you, don't sweat the small stuff. We all lose motivation at some point. Find something/anything that will give you that feeling of wanting to jump back on the wagon. For me, it's what today is. THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING! What could be more exciting than that? The weather will be warmer which means you don't have to be stuck in the house doing workout tapes or at the gym surrounded by fit bodies! You can go outside and enjoy the fresh air as you talk a brisk walk in the park or in your neighborhood. Also, spring means summer is right around the corner.

Don't forget too, the pounds you've already shedded are gone! They are gone! And you don't want them back. No matter how slow your weight loss is going, those are pounds that have already melted away, and you will do yourself no justice putting them back on. Keep going. You are getting closer to your goal weight! Best of luck to you!

diet diva,
I just want to say I'm so sorry for the loss, that you and your husband are going through right now.
One thing I've learned on my journey so far is, this is not easy, if it were, well you can guess, none of us would need this. We all have our struggles, but only you can decide how to climb out, and start making the decisions, that you know will, get you back on track. You might need to start small, like get rid of all the stuff that you can't have in the house, a new recipe, this site has some good ones, or maybe just get out of the house,for a bit, take a walk. One more thing I do, is I talk to myself, do I really want this...
Good Luck and Hope to hear from you soon, take care

Sorry got my members crossed, thought I was responding to diet diva, but it was mistress mandy, that had the terrible loss, I'm truly sorry for my brain freeze, I should of went to bed, instead of reading more posts. Sorry for the mix ups. Have a great day

Listen to the Faerie!!

dedication and commitment great words. Absolutely true, sometimes we lose our motivation, that's part of the journey, learning how to get through those times when the motivation is lacking, when there's no party or no looser clothes, no big losses, we still have to soldier on.

It's easy when the scale cooperates and the clothes cooperate and the hills are easy to climb, it's hard during the not so exciting times, but that's how life is exciting at times and not so exciting at times.

Mistress Mandy, I'm so sorry for your loss, I hope you can find strength to take some small steps, instead of a regular 30 minute walk, say just try for a 10 minute one, or 5 minutes if that's what you need.

Diet Diva, you need to find ways to eat what you like. This is for the rest of your life, what are your favorites? Don't feel funny saying you like pizza or wings or chocolate or whatever, you need to figure out how to work with what you like. It might mean eating less of some regular foods, or learning some substitutes that will fulfill your craving, I have a snack that fills a couple cravings, sweet, crunchy, peanut buttery, it's a chocolate rice cake spread with peanut butter then all fruit spread. Also, dark chocolate has helped me with that craving, I can eat a smaller amount, it's rich and satisfying. You might have to experiment a little to find what you like, but like I said, it's long term, so don't be afraid to try some different things.

It also might mean finding what I would call a transition food, for a week I had a snack size bag of sun chips every day. Then the next week, not every day, then I got out of the habit, I had one snack bag last week, that was the first one in a few weeks. Sometimes you have to wean yourself off something, then you can have an NSV (non-scale victory) and be proud of yourself for kicking a bad habit!

Hope it helps. Oh yeah, there's a whole forum on WW recipes, check 'em out, maybe you'll find a new favorite!

All day long I'm thinking about my post, did I sound too harsh? did I unmotivate instead of motivate.

I just want to say, I've never felt as good as I do now following Flex, I feel stronger and healthier, happier. It's the best thing you can do for yourself, taking care of yourself.

Best to all

keli - No, you weren't harsh at all, imho. I think what you said was spot on!

faerie - wow, that's really something to think about! Thank you for sharing that.

Faerie,
THANK YOU!!!! I can't say it enough. I've never heard it put this way before:
You are so right! I lose my motivation on a daily basis!! I do exactly what diet_diva does, EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!
I've been on WW for 4 weeks now and it's been like this:
Week 1 : lost 3 lbs
Week 2: lost 2 lbs
Week 3: gained 4
Week 4: gained 1

So as of this morning's weigh-in, I'm right back where I started! But I did figure out my problem, and diet_diva, this may be your problem too: the reason I blow it at supper, is because I'm not eating enough earlier on in the day. I'm afraid, for some reason, to eat foods that are higher in points, so I munch of 1, 2, and 0 point foods that aren't really filling or satisfying, then by the time 5:00 hits I'm absolutely ravenous and practically blind with hunger and can't reason with myself. So, I end up shoving food in my face and I track, but I nearly always go over, and I just can't stop! It's like one giant supper-time binge!
My leader today suggested that perhaps I need to eat more protein for breakfast and lunch, because it's more filling and gives more energy than carbs or vegetables, and maybe having a protein snack to eat at 3:00 before I leave work would help too.
(Also, I clearly need to exercise, since I've let my gym membership gather dust over the past month!)

Anyway, in light of all my "lightbulb" moments today, I commit to tracking and not going over my points this week, and exercising at least 3 times. To **** with motivation! I have none.

Mamba You are not back where you started, because you are right now much wiser about how your body works. You know now that you need to switch things up a bit to feel satisfied while at the same time losing weight. I would've suggested the same thing as your leader did.

I actually make sure to have a little bit of protein at each meal. Usually that means some cheese, or a hard boiled egg, even deli meat on a sandwich. Then after my work out I eat a protein bar. Definitely helps keep the cravings at bay, and makes for a much more satisfying (and smaller!) dinner when I get home.

You can do this! You ARE doing this! Please definitely let us all know how this week goes for you! We'd love to hear

I remember a lady years ago at WW who followed a kind of backward meal plan, it worked great for her. She ate her supper when we would normally eat breakfast, it's basically eating more of your points earlier in the day. You're also more active, so you'll burn off more of those points than if you eat a big meal at night and then go to sleep 4 hours later.

It was funny at meatings people would think she was so strange when she'd say she had chicken or beef whatever for breakfast, but she was used to it and it worked for her.

Like Faerie says (I'm always saying that ) it's figuring out what works for you that brings success. Everybody's body's a little different.

My brother and sister-in-law are doing Medifast, he lost a huge amount of weight since January (and needed to) and freely admits that he's scared s***less about gaining it back. I'm scared for him, too...that's why I'm doing this slow and steady, it's just my lifestyle now.

Good luck with Easter tomorrow everybody, and remember whatever happens it's just one meal (or one day) we get back on program as soon as we can after!!

WW is for the long haul, no easy quick fixes here. I look at this as a "Rest of Your Life Plan". Finding what works for you is the key. I no longer have to tell myself I can't have something, nothing is off limits, I just have to be accountable, no more mindless eating, those days are gone forever. Now I can enjoy that....whatever, and not have to beat myself up about it, if I do go off program, my leader says you have 21 meals each week, don't sweat it over one, and don't throw in the towel either. Posting here is one of the greatest things I've done. You can get some wonderful ideas, and helpful hints, like planning your whole day down to the smallest detail, like if you know you have a party or going out to eat, you can plan your whole day around that meal, or activity, this way you get to be in control, not the food.
mamba, sounds like you know how you might of gone down the wrong track, and ways to get back on where you should be. I totally agree with Faerie, you are not back where you started, you just need to put all that stuff in you past, that's gone, you need to just start from here. Good Luck this week

I took kelijpa's advoce, and I decided to try something new today: I ate most of my points at breakfast, and I'm going to see how this works for me for the rest of the day. (I have 24 pts/day)

Breakfast:
sausage: 7 pts
2 slices WW bread: 1 pt
3 tbsp Quark soft cheese: 1pt
1 tomato: 0 pts
1/2 red pepper: 0 pts
mustard: 0 pts
coffee: 0 pts
iced tea: 0 pts

I figure, if I play it right, I can have soup for lunch, some fruit for a snack, and still save 8 points for some sushi and a glass of wine for dinner!.... I do feel really good though, and not hungry for once, so I think I might make it through the day without blowing any points on junk.

*Can I just say, though.... I realize this is the wrong attitude to have, but I can't help it. I feel REALLY ANGRY and frustrated, because my friend joined WW at the same time as me, and she's 'allowed' to eat 10 more points than I am every day. I realize how the points system works, and I realize it's because she's 100 lbs heavier than me so she has more energy requirements, but that still doesn't change the fact that I am still used to eating the same food that she is! And I find it extremely unfair that, while she is sometimes struggling to eat all her points, I'm struggling (it seems) to stretch all my points as much as humanly possible.
And while we're on the subject, let me just say for the record that while I am (for the most part) a vegetarian, I really dislike vegetables. I eat them all the time because I know they're good for me, but I can honestly say that if it made no difference to my body, I would eat chocolate for every single meal for the rest of my life and would never even THINK of anything from the vegetable category. So there.

Wow. I feel much better getting that out.

I utterly agree. Do you know how much stuff I do every day that I am not in anyway motivated to do? That I have to make myself do? Get up for one. Then shower, cook, walk to the train, work, shop, and on and on and on. There is very little in my day that I rely on motivation to get to done.

So why do we look to motivation for dieting? Or perhaps it should be taking care of our food needs? I think food should be a large part of our lives forever. As big as showering or using the facilities. Every day we are going to spend on it, motivation or not. Your just going to do it, no matter how you feel about it. Look at it as retraining yourself. Or training period. Do professional athletes need motivation to run a 3K daily? No, they do it anyway. Perhaps look at yourself as a professional "fathlete" who is in training every day no matter what you feel like doing or eating.