Okay, so my current goal in life is to actually lose weight over the next 3 months instead of gaining it like most do during the holidays. But boy I need help, I have such a hard time getting motivated.
So my first question, I know everyone always preaches about the quantity of what we eat. But seriously I just had way too many strawberries for breakfast. But their strawberries, and since thats all I ate should it really matter that I ate more then I should have.
Anyways, anyone have any tips on staying motivated?
The only way I truly stay motivated is if I go to Weight Watchers meetings every week. They give all kinds of yummy foods you can eat and talk about exercising and stuff.
That's about it! otherwise I just start a diet and give up, over and over again.
Trying to eat healthy just never works for me. I have to write every thing I eat down and even then I get bored with that.
It's just really hard. Sorry I couldn't be encouraging. But I've been trying to lose 8 pounds for years now.
I am trying to buy foods with less sugar, and no high fructose corn syrup, also I am trying to buy everything whole grain, pasta, bread, etc. and brown rice.
Shelly, I wish I could offer you some advice or tricks on this one, but alas, I can't. I've been on a "diet" all my adult life and my body just does whatever it wants. Ugh.
One thing, though. My health coach taught me that often times when we think we're hungry, we're actually thirsty. If we even feel thirsty, we're already at the point of dehydration. So I started pouring myself a huge glass of water first thing in the morning and keep it filled up all day long. At first I could only manage a couple of glasses a day. Now I drink about 5 of them. (I use a 12 ounce glass.) A couple of slices of cucumber in the glass makes it taste fresh and after a while, delicious.
Years ago I used a nasty diet that throws the body into ketosis (? - I think that's it), a state that burns the body's fat very quickly. You pee like ten men as soon as the diet kicks in, lose weight very quickly. It messed me up quite a bit, but I was so happy to be down to 105 pounds (I was beyond stupid back then). The diet had almost zero carbs in it, lots of meat, butter and oil. Atkinson diet, maybe? Anyway, don't do that, lol.
Ok i just started my diet thing back up. I have a few tips that worked before i got prdgnant. First off make it a family affair. If everyone is eating healthy then it's easier to stay on track. My big thing find anything in your house that could be a pit fall for you and just get rid of it. For treats for thd tots stick with something that won't blow the diet if you have some. All natural fruit chews rock. Portions are most important when dealing with your higher fat or calories food. Normally we don't get enough fruits so you're probly good. Second, try to use more olive oil than other stuff. Kill all soda and non 100% fruit drinks. Switch to splenda for baking if you have to bake. For holidays use angel food cake or the like. Oh my gosh my thumbs tingle
I think that this first week I am going to try and go all fruits and veggies and then try to work in meats and later on breads. I cant give up soda, though I have gone down to diet caffeine free. Its my drug of choice. I dont drink alcohol, I dont smoke. Diet Pepsi is my vice of choice. Im working on giving up my coffee, but with school and the need for caffeine its hard
thanks for the advice. With the holidays looming Im starting to worry about gaining weight instead of losing it
Shel, it really is about the quantity. I had a coworker once who literally pigged out on fruits and veggies, drank water, and was still as big as a house. She ate too much! You can never totally cut out fat, sugar or the other things, becuase if you went back to them, the weight would just come flying back on because your body isn't used to it.
The last time I lost about 20 pounds, I ate less of what I normally ate, stopped the soda drinking, and excercised. After my first car accident, I stopped excercising because of my injuries, and just never took it back up.
I'm totally with you if you want some motivation. I need some too. We can do it together!
One thing that encouraged me was when my sister-in-law would say that Weight Watchers was stupid, and I wanted to show her that it was working! Made me not eat those extra bites, haha
Those diet rackets that sell you prepared meals AND charge per week are ALL about portion control, no question! The portions are really quite small compared to what you get in a restaurant, for example.
The protein part of a meal is supposed to be no larger than a deck of cards, and a half cup of vegetables is one serving.
thanks kae, yeah I know all of the rules of dieting. I just have a hard time being motivated. And with my hubby never home it doesnt help. And this damn rain stinks too, makes me want to go back to bed instead of exercise somehow
It's the same old thing: Add exercise (even just a little helps, and then it becomes easier), count calories, and drink plenty of water. Try drinking a glass of water thirty minutes before eating. Also, try exercising (like walking around the block) a half hour before eating. Exercising usually makes you feel LESS hungry immediately afterwards.
If you drink, cut out the booze. A couple of years ago, my husband and I went on the South Beach diet, and cut out all wine. The pounds just dropped off! Well, I'm back to drinking it again, and I can tell that those empty calories are taking their toll. I'm going to have to get back into our earlier routine!
I'm also out of the habit of going to the gym, and I need to get back to it. When I was going regularly before, I HATED it the first few times, even though I was a bit proud of myself. Then, I began to look forward to it, and tried to think of it as the equivalent of going to a spa. No really! I would exercise (formed a routine) for about an hour. Then, I would soak for ten minutes in our club's hot tub, and "dry off" with ten minutes in the sauna. Then, I'd take a quick shower, and head home. I can't tell you how relaxed I felt, but invigorated at the same time...
We should form an online board-committed diet/exercise club here. Maybe we can motivate each other, and hold each other accountable!
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I'm thinking about joining a gym again, to tone up. I feel flabby. All three kids will be in school for at least 2 hours, 2 days a week.
Watch your labels, you don't want the first ingredients to be sugar, high fructose corn syrup (will only make you more hungry), enriched, or partially hydrogentated soybean oil.
In other words, packaged foods
I don't drink and I walk 30 minutes a day, and I watch what I eat, but I don't know.... I still don't lose a pound.
Although my waist is under 30 inches which means I am healthy. Over 30 inches and your over all health is at risk for diabetes, heart disease, etc.
see the problem that I have is that I know all the dieting rules, I have had to see dieticians numerous times. But what I lack is motivation. I need to find someone who lives by me to call me and say hey lets go walk or lets go to the gym. Thats what I miss about the Navy is that I had no choice but to lose the weight. And you know what, before I had Jolene I had NO problems losing weight, now I cant lose it for nothing...ARGH...Anyways, I think I am going to get up and go walk to the pharmacy. Thats like 10 miles all together
Motivation is a tricky thing. We beat ourselves up when we eat too many cookies and say we had no will-power, but there is so much more going on.
For example, a diet soda will actually make you crave the bad stuff. And then there's the whole Mood thing. We eat when we are depressed, angry, bored. But again, don't beat yourself up. Your brain is looking for seratonin.
My latest idea is to find happiness when I feel bored or depressed and trick my body into releasing the seratonin.
Maybe that is why that "Faith Diet" works. Some people pray to God when they are reaching for food, this might make them happy, therefore satisfying what the brain really wanted.
How's that for deep!
See if you can find You on a Diet at the library and the one about praying.... Reading keeps you from eating too
yeah I walked today like 6 miles or something, and the good news is that my legs dont actually hurt at all. But tomorrow my aim is to find a path with less hills. My walk today included almost a mile all uphill. At like 35 degree angle...ugh. And I did well eating wise but then we had pasta night at church. My doc suggested making saturday my cheat day but I think i will make it Wednesdays instead because thats when we have dinner at church and its rarely healthy food.
Anyways, I have heard that about diet soda making you crave things..but it really doesnt for me. I dont really crave food, I only eat bad stuff because usually I am either depressed or bored. And my doc gave me a prescription for WelButrin so that will take care of that. And once we reenlist my stress will decrease a little.
I think I am going to try a diet on ediets. Havent decided which one yet but will pick onw where they give me a menu for the week and I am actually going to try and follow it to a tee.
My latest motivation came after watching the Biggest Loser last night, a man in his 60's lost like 32 pounds in a week. I figure if he can do it in a week I could do it by the end of the year. So thats what I will try to do
YAH me, I woke up this morning and right after I dropped off Jojo I went for a walk and did a little under 4 miles in a little over an hour...And just so yall know, I am going to keep posting this update as my hope that it motivates me to do more since you all know what I am doing.
Posting your routine here is exactly what I meant when I said that we should use this as a means to motivate ourselves, and be accountable to each other. If you decide to post what you've been eating, and how you've added exercise to your routine, the feedback ought to help you with the motivation issue.
Good job!!!
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I need some motivation, too!!! I have been trying to eat better, I do the Smart Ones/Lean Cusine thing for lunch, and I have started eating breakfast (which they say is important). I have also heard if you drink a glass of water as cold as you can stand it 1st thing in the morning, it speeds up your metobolism b/c your body has to warm itself back up. My thing is the exercising, I just HATE it.....I want to lose about 15 or 20 pounds and its so hard. It is really frustrating for me b/c I have always been really small and over the past year or so, its been hard to keep my weight where I want it. I have to make myself exercise, but I hate it if I had somebody to go to they gym or something with I think it would be better. UGH!
