[Ponnu]

Hi everyone,

Quick introduction. I'm 5 feet 4 and in my late 30s. I weigh 185 pounds. I need to come down to 130 pounds. Plus both my parents are diabetics and have high blood pressure. So I need to really watch my weight. I've tried dieting since my 20s and going to the gym and had some success numerous times but then would revert to old habits and would eat a lot (I work full time with two kids) or not eat healthy. I do have a stressful job as well. The thing is somehow it seems I don't have the motivation to get going now. I don't have the motivation to exercise and eat well. Does anyone have any suggestions? I mean deep down I know I need to eat healthy and lose the weight. What can I do to jump start my weight loss plan? I've tried downloading the my fitness app to help and am
Using Fitbit tracker but I still don't feel the urge to stop and take this seriously. I may be motivated for a few days and then I stop and go back to eating unhealthy food..What's wrong with me? What can I do?

[piyu]

Hi Ponnu, I wasn't taking weight loss seriously, I used to eat a lot and on top of that I used to drink all 750 ml wine at night for past few months. I was around 128 or 130 or maybe more, didn't have scale, never checked. I went to a marriage recently, I kept hearing from relatives that I gained weight, it was all visible to them except to me. When I came home and downloaded the pics from our camera, I was so shocked to see how ugly I looked in all the dresses, had tires around my belly :-( that gave me enough inspiration.

I stopped drinking wine/soft drinks/junk foods/sweets and anything I could think of causing problems, read 100 articles on healthy diets, weight loss, exercises. Took a kind of fast for first three days i.e only fruits and water. In just three days I could feel the difference, I started going gym without miss for at least half an hour everyday.

Those three days affected my cravings, I eat very less now (I know that's not a good thing and I am trying to increase my daily calories again) .
But the point is, it takes just 1-3 days to affect how you eat. Start healthy for a week and in no time you will become obsessed about what you eat/how much you eat/how healthy is your life style. Obsessing about something is not good, counting calories is not good but it's all good if you reach your goal.

Please don't do what I did, I am not expert but I would suggest search the dieting plans online, check what suits you and do it strictly just for a day. In no time it will become habit. I am a vegetarian and that helps me a lot. To motivate yourself, I would recommend taking a picture in your favorite dress or a fit sleeveless dress, zoom it and feel bad for a while. Sorry to say harsh words, I don't mean to say that people who are over weight are ugly, they are very pretty actually but to achieve your goal you gotta be a bit hard on yourself :-)

[Inkrid]

Hi Ponnu,

You actually are on a diet, if you think about it ~ the typical go-to foods you eat ARE your diet! I would make a list of the tope 20 to 30 foods you would come across and eat. Then, simply replace them with a different go-to food. For example, grab a piece of fruit running out the door. Order a salad instead of a sandwich. Bring Nuts in your purse and eat those when you say "No thank you" to the donuts in the office. Cook with real foods (nothing fancy) and keep the kids' food in the kids' food cabinet that's just for them. Water as your only liquid....

The point is not to THINK about it ~ you are stressed enough!!

When out and about order "The Best of the Bad" at the restaurant. Pick the "Best of the Bad" at the buffet or party. At someone's house sitting down at the table? Maybe grin and bear it! That is your cheat day! LOL!

Again, the trick is not the THINK about it too much!!! Motivation is hard!!

[Ponnu]

Thank you so much Piyu and Inkrid.

I'll try my best and thanks for the advice. Will keep you all posted.

[piyu]

You're welcome. Let me know what changes you did in your life style. Keep posting your goals. I am also struggling and past two days became my cheat days :-(
I found an ab exercise at youtube that's really helpful. Keep me updated on your plans. Good luck.

[Wannabehealthy]

The two things that always get me motivated are seeing pictures or going clothes shopping. Seeing yourself in that 3 way mirror is always an eye opener,

[jeminijad]

Reddit fatlogic.

They tear apart the sophistries, rationalizations, poor understanding of loss etc that hold so many of us back.

Seriously, I was stalled for months until I started reading there.

[midnight12]

I know it's difficult to get and stay motivated to lose weight and get healthier, but it sounds like you should have at least 2 very good reasons... your kids and the serious health issues your parents have. If you don't have serious health problems yet you're lucky right now. Complications from diabetes are no fun. You still have a good chance of preventing a lot of problems that could occur in the future. Getting healthy now is the best thing you can do for your kids, loved ones, and yourself. It's easy to take the course of least resistance by not setting good priorities. I did that myself for years, but I waited to do something about it at the point where some of my health issues are not reversible. Don't wait. You might sit down and write out a list of your priorities/goals vs your unhealthy habits. Seeing it written out helps put a perspective on what's important in your life. Keeping these things in mind as the driving forces in getting healthy can be good motivators.