I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to losing weight. Weight loss has been a struggle for me for as long as I can remember. I want to lose the weight AND keep it off once and for all, but I just can't seem to break the psychological barrier (if that makes any sense).

For example, I set my alarm at 4:30am in order to get 30 minutes of cardio before work (and I hear it's better to work out first thing in the morning). Every morning my alarm goes off at 4:30am...I hear it...and I hit the snooze about 10 times....and eventually I actually get up with just enough time to brush my teeth, shower, and get ready for work. No gym.

So how do you do it? Any tricks on actually defeating self-defeating behaviors?

Honestly, I don't really know how I got past mine. It just "clicked" - I started, I committed, and I didn't look back.

But I do know that it wouldn't have worked for me if I had to do things that made me miserable. Like working out in the morning, LOL. I'm a night owl, and that's when I have my energy... so I go to the gym at 9:30 or 10:00 pm, despite those who have told me that I really *should* work out in the morning because that's somehow better for me. Better is what works for YOU. Better is what you can actually do, and sustain. And it was the same way with the food for me - I had to do something that worked for me, despite what anyone else said or suggested.

So I don't know, maybe you just haven't found what works best for YOU yet. Maybe that's making small changes and adding more activity to your day whenever you can, rather than trying to get up at 4:30am.

I'm sure you've heard these before, but they are quotes from around here and other places that have really spoken to me on this journey:

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

and

Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Maintaining your weight is hard. Pick your hard.


Good luck in finding the path that works for you.

I commend you for even trying to wake up that early. I do have sleep issues so sometimes I wake up at that hour on my own and hit the gym, but I'd much rather do it later. Sure, it's great to workout first thing if you can and it works in your schedule but the very best time for you to workout is a time when you will actually do it. Just like you know you have to go to work, brush your teeth, floss, etc., that's what it takes to get weight under control. It has to be done. It may be a pain in the butt to have to count calories and think about what you'll have for your next meal/snack, or figure out when you can workout, but it has to be done. That's commitment. People often ask about motivation and that's something that comes and goes, but commitment is what it takes.

I struggled for a LONG time to get my head in the game and I've been trying this multiple times. I yo-yo and I hope I'm done with all that. Here is what I do:

1) I calorie count (using LoseIt app on my iPhone)
2) include lean protein + nutrient dense veggies with every lunch and dinner.
3) I don't eat breakfast or snack in the morning.
4) I stop eating after 8pm
5) I workout every single day. It's not for weight loss. It's for fitness and it gets my head on straight. I just got injured so I'll have to take some time off now, which is a challenge I must overcome.
6) If I fall off the wagon (I have a food addiction so there are episodes of binge eating), I try to get back on the very next day. Hopefully I binge at night and start fresh in the morning or else it's an all day extravaganza. After a binge, I don't weigh for at least 3 full days.
7) I don't keep trigger foods in the house
8) I drink lots of water
9) I chew lots of gum and drink lots of tea if I feel like eating and know I shouldn't.
10) I take it one day at a time. Sounds simple but it really does help. I also visualize how I'll feel when I get on the scale in the morning.

I hope you find it helpful. I think we have to sometimes go through a lot to really get to where we want to be. There is absolutely no reason why you can't do it. It's a mental challenge more than physical. Set up a meal plan and follow it 100% for just one day. Then do the same thing the next day....and so on....after a while, you'll get your confidence. You can do it!!!

Speaking truthfully, i have only overcome the food aspect of my weight loss, have not started trying to overcome the excersise part yet. Not because im lazy and i really do want to get fit but every single time I have tried doing both at the same time i just get overwhelmed and give up.

So if youre trying to diet AND exercise at the same time maybe its too hard for you personally to do both, theres nothing wrong with that! i only suggest you try to focus on one first and then the other

In your case, I'd just switch my work out to the afternoon or evening. The best time to work out is when you'll actually do it. I have friends who can get up at 5 and go to the gym. I know I'll never be one of those people, so I plan my workouts for the afternoon and then I get them done.

I agree with the advice you've already received. It has to work for you. I had a pretty easy and steady loss last year, but I can tell you for sure that it NEVER involved getting up at 4:30 to do ANYTHING! LOL. That would not work for me no matter how much I tried to tell myself it was good for me.

I think you will do just fine with working your cardio into your day at a time that's convenient for you.

Lin

You don't have to work out first thing in the morning. However, for me it's best because then I will actually *do* it, as opposed to finding every excuse in the book not to when I get home from work and I'm exhausted.

What I do is set the alarm on my cell phone, then put it in the next room. I'm a really light sleeper so even at normal volume I wake up and it annoys me enough to get up and turn it off. Once I'm up, I might as well work out.

Sometimes head issues come and go....but I think the best advise is 'don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good'. Also, realize that people get healthier a variety of ways, so if you're coming up against a brick wall with the AM exercising, try something else. Or if you don't like the gym, maybe you'll like pilates or yoga or some exercise dvds...many roads lead to the same place. If you get your diet straight (and I don't mean 'diet' in the negative way), you're more than half way there because you can't out-exercise a dirty diet....

Hi
A few months ago realized that it’s time to do something about my overweight. I’m only 22 years old and I don’t want to be ‘fat’ my entire life. So I got myself thinking of visiting the gym a few times in a week. But to be honest, I’m very unsecure about my body and afraid of the reactions of all those healthy, pumped up people. So I surfed the web and I found out that the Pronokal program works with personal trainers in specialized gym’s.
So I explained my problem to the Pronokal coaches and they encouraged me to get moving more. They also got me in contact with a personal trainer, Nicole. Taking up their advice, I started to move more. I’m now walking on a daily basis and instead of getting in my car to go to my friends, I’m riding my bike. At the moment I’m combining the diet together with personal training of Nicole, mainly focusing on cardio.

Agreed. If 4am isn't working for you then change it.

I barely make it out of bed to get to work at 7:30 and I'm PAID to do that.

But seriously, the reason I was finally able to lose 100 lbs after 20 years is I didn't try to follow any one else's plan. I reflected on what worked or hadn't worked in previous attempts and then just did what I was willing to do at the time and got more "disciplined" over time.