Need motivation

[FondofKoi]

Ok,

I normaly would not do this(i know that sounds cheesy!) but here goes. About two years ago I went on weight watchers and lost about 40 lbs. My wife went on it as well. She did it more for support of me. She was already rather tiny but still lost about 12 lbs. We went on a cruise last March and we were both feeling very wonderful about our figures. Well we had a little "too much fun" and was blesed with our little sovourneir in December. We have booked Freedom of the seas in Jan 2007. I have a problem. I got lazy during the last trimester of my wife's pregnancy and have gained all my weight back. I am desperatly looking to get back on the bandwagon, but am eating like a mad man. I think I have a eating disorder I eat so much! I will eat till I'm stuffed and then go eat more cause its there! I have five months till my next cruise and I need help! Not just for the cruise, but I feel so disappointed for gaining everything back. How do I get back on the bandwagon? ARGGGGGGGG

[Pop Tart]

Well, one of the best things you could have done was joing this group:)

My motivation went out the window about a month ago, but now I come and visit this site up to 6x a day. Just reading other peoples struggles and success stories have put me in a better frame of mind for losing.

You are absolutely not alone!

Remember to take not just 1 day at a time..... sometimes it's 1 morning, 1 afternoon and 1 evening at a time. There are days when I congratulate myself for just getting by for 2hrs without eating a piece of chocolate(my business!). Don't forget to pat yourself on the back once in a while either.

Hope that helps!

Pop Tart

[RachelD]

You know I have atendency to berate myself about not losing wieght and then grab a piece of pizza from the fridge or a bag of chips from the pantry. It's like my mind and my hands/ mouth do not listen to each other!

 

About 4 years ago I had lost about 20 pounds and looked great. I gained it all back, plus some. I think that we have to just try to get through each minute, and not worry about tomorrow. I try to look at it as every morning I wake up and I have choices to make. Do I want to enjoy that cookie right now, or do I want to fit into that great dress in my closet? I think once you start changing your thought pattern, it will make sense (I am talking to myself here too!:rolleyes: ). I think the hardest part is starting to lose weight. Once you start to see results, you understand the power of your food / excersize choices.

 

Just take it in baby steps... we will all get there!

[gerif]

Think of it as an addiction, because it is. When I look at a table full of goodies (as I do at least 2-3 times a week in my office lunchroom), I think to myself "just say NO" and walk out. Now, I could rationalize that one bagel (cookie, brownie, slice of pizza) won't really hurt - and it won't - but I've had to take a no tolerance view. Always be prepared with something you CAN eat if you get hungry (fruit, hard boiled egg, raw veggies - even a small can of tuna).

 

Yes, it takes planning - writing down everything you eat is also a huge help - if you know you have to log it, you might be less likely to eat it. When we're invited to a picnic, I always volunteer to bring the raw veggie plate and sometimes fruit - at least I know if there is only fattening stuff served, I can have a little bit and fill up on the veggies and fruit.

 

You need to think about what you eat as a "way of eating" (WOE) rather than a diet. Just think - this is the way I have to eat for the rest of my life - and then add some "treats" here and there rather than having them all the time. Be careful with portions - measure out a portion of chips if you need to have them rather than take the whole bag to the sofa with you.

 

Good luck - and stick with this board.

[sharonella]

Like Rachel said - baby steps. Don't worry so much about a total of what you "have" to lose. Make your goals the life changing steps that get you there. I've done the "eat til you practically burst" thing. Still have occasional days like that :o . Try to get the junk out of the house, so at least if you overeat, you're eating healthy. Take a multivitamin every day. Sometimes I get my worst cravings when I realize I haven't taken my vitamins lately. Wean yourself down to 1-2 (or less) caffeinated beverages a day. Drink more water instead.

 

Processed foods & "fast" foods, especially ones that contain high amounts of sugar, salt, fat and / or caffeine can set you up for "addiction" (I know - strong word - but it's true - the more you have the more you want!) which leads to overeating and cravings. (Of course, totally denying yourself certain foods that you really "love" can do that too. Everything in moderation!:p )

 

For me - packing all the food I'll eat during the day while I'm away from home - works the best. Then I try to eat a healthy supper (still having problems with portion control at supper - my BF cooks GREAT!) It's the planning ahead for what you'll eat that puts you more in control.

 

 

Good luck & keep us posted!

Sha

[sharonella]

Fondofkoi - just though of something else - how are your sleeping habits - still off kilter with baby feedings? If you can exercise (even as simple as walking 30 min a day (take the baby in her stroller!), it can help you sleep better. Bad sleeping patterns coupled with too much caffeine & other junk food during the day, just makes a mad, continuing cycle.

 

Sha

[sharonella]

Fondofkoi - just though of something else - how are your sleeping habits - still off kilter with baby feedings? If you can exercise (even as simple as walking 30 min a day (take the baby in her stroller!), it can help you sleep better. Bad sleeping patterns coupled with too much caffeine & other junk food during the day, just makes a mad, continuing cycle.

 

Sha

[FondofKoi]

Fondofkoi - just though of something else - how are your sleeping habits - still off kilter with baby feedings? If you can exercise (even as simple as walking 30 min a day (take the baby in her stroller!), it can help you sleep better. Bad sleeping patterns coupled with too much caffeine & other junk food during the day, just makes a mad, continuing cycle.

 

Sha

Still not getting normal sleeping patterns. I am so tired during the day that I "need " my sugar fix to keep going.

[WeirdEyes]

Still not getting normal sleeping patterns. I am so tired during the day that I "need " my sugar fix to keep going.

How about drinking a protein shake instead of getting your sugar fix? I promise, it helps. Good luck to you!!

[kalamari]

Most people "know" how to eat healthy, count calories, etc. We blame it on our horomnes, physiology, parents, culture, you name it. There's a reason I think why people keep dieting, want a quick fix, etc. In my opinion, it all goes back to the mind, and how we set ourselves up to fail by being impulsive and not stopping to THINK about what we are doing.

 

Like I've posted before, nobody "needs" to eat 10 cookies if a serving size is one. It's the difference between a want and a need. Some say, "well, my wants quickly become needs". That's a load of crap. That person didn't stop to ask themselves and take the time to think, "why did I NEED to have 10 cookies? was I bored? lonely? disgusted?". The food isn't the issue, it's how you think about food.

 

If you don't stop to think about why your doing something, you only give into your impulsiveness. It's all behavior management. When we deprive ourselves we only set ourselves up to binge. That's why it's better to say, "I'm only going to have a serving size of 3 cookies for the day, then I'm going to brush my teeth". That's a small simple change, that if you practice it enough, can help you change your eating habits.

 

The etiology of eating disorders, although partially medical, is also very psychological and is rooted in cognitions (how we think) and behavior. The crux of it is control issues.

 

Like I told one of my patients once, unless you change how you think about food, yourself, and your behavior, even when you're thin ,you're always going to think that "you're a big fat pig"

 

My advice, like the others said, is take it a small step at a time. Eat 3 cookies then do a crossword puzzle, or something to distract yourself. Ask yourself why am I doing this? or eat 3 cookies, then in 20 minutes tell yourself youre going to eat 4 more. I bet you won't eat the other 4...Menina

 

 

 

 

Ok,

I normaly would not do this(i know that sounds cheesy!) but here goes. About two years ago I went on weight watchers and lost about 40 lbs. My wife went on it as well. She did it more for support of me. She was already rather tiny but still lost about 12 lbs. We went on a cruise last March and we were both feeling very wonderful about our figures. Well we had a little "too much fun" and was blesed with our little sovourneir in December. We have booked Freedom of the seas in Jan 2007. I have a problem. I got lazy during the last trimester of my wife's pregnancy and have gained all my weight back. I am desperatly looking to get back on the bandwagon, but am eating like a mad man. I think I have a eating disorder I eat so much! I will eat till I'm stuffed and then go eat more cause its there! I have five months till my next cruise and I need help! Not just for the cruise, but I feel so disappointed for gaining everything back. How do I get back on the bandwagon? ARGGGGGGGG

[sharonella]

How about drinking a protein shake instead of getting your sugar fix? I promise, it helps. Good luck to you!!

 

Sheila is right - you really need to wean yourself away from the sugar. Once I started eating better & drinking more water, I pretty much stopped getting those major highs & lows throughout the day - you know, the ones where you just HAVE to reach for the candy bar or the soda? By eating more protein & complex carbs all day, at every meal, & less processed white sugar & white flour foods, you will be regulating your blood sugar a lot more evenly & experience fewer big dips in energy. And believe it or not, a brisk 10-15 minute walk is an energy BOOSTER - gets the blood pumping & puts the metabolism in a higher gear.

 

To start, include protein with your breakfast - 2T of peanut butter on whole wheat toast, a couple of hard boiled eggs, a couple oz of cheese, or lo-fat yogurt. Heck, have 2oz of yesterday's leftover chicken breast! Just have protein within an hour of getting up. I was surprised at what a difference this made for me!

 

Make sure you have fruit & other healthy snacks handy throughout the day to have instead of the sweets. (If it's not handy, you won't do it.) Even a 200 calorie slim fast bar is better than a candy bar - for a similar amount of calories, it has enough protein & fiber to help prevent the sugar low you get after candy is quickly digested.

 

Regarding cutting back on caffeine - except for that 1st cup in the AM, have 4-8 oz of water before any other caffeine during the day. Did you know that some of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal / cravings are the SAME as dehydration? - lack of energy, head-achy, sleepy, foggy brain... Sometimes just a drink of water will do the trick. Of course, if you have A LOT of coffee (or coke) every day, you may want to wean yourself slowly - get rid of 1 cup of coffee or 1 can of soda per week, until you're only having 1-2 day (or less) - but still have lots of water during the weaning process. Me - I don't drink coffee, but I LIKE my diet coke & diet Dr pepper, so I still have 1 in the morning & 1 at lunchtime - everything else is water or flavored seltzer water.

 

You CAN do this. Focus on the healthy changes first & the actual weight loss will more easily follow. You can worry about calorie counting or points or stringent portion control after you've gotten rid of most of the junk & started eating better. You won't see "quick results" on the scale during these first changes, but you'll already FEEL better, which will give you motivation to to the calorie & workout thing!

 

This is a process - a new WOE and WOEX - Way of Eating & EXercising - that will serve you well for the rest of your life. As well as help you better enjoy that Jan 07 cruise!

 

Sha

[adoptmom]

Still not getting normal sleeping patterns. I am so tired during the day that I "need " my sugar fix to keep going.

 

Whew! Can I relate to that! My youngest will be 8 months old on Wednesday and he still thinks he has to wake up in the middle of the night and eat!:eek: The other 3 were all sleeping through the night well before this. I can definitely tell a difference on the days when I sneak in sugar and the days when I don't. Sugar days have me dragging by 3pm and I'm much better on days I go without. It was hard at first but it gets much easier after a couple of weeks.

 

Also, you want cheesy? Oh, I can give you CHEESY! You can even laugh. I do, but it helped so WHATEVER! One thing that really helped give me motivation was reading Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution book. I'm not even a big fan of his but I saw it and figured "what the heck," or something along those lines. :D I swear, it really did help and when I start to veer off course I sit down and go through it again.

 

I need to do that right now. Somehow I'm having a hard time finding time to read at the moment. Every time I look away little man is into something. He learned to crawl at 6 months and pull himself up at 7! ACK!

 

Tami

[kalamari]

I think this is an excellent book..because it all goes back to behavior management and mind control (in my opinion). If it helps and teaches good lifelong habits, that's the right kind of diet!

 

 

 

Whew! Can I relate to that! My youngest will be 8 months old on Wednesday and he still thinks he has to wake up in the middle of the night and eat!:eek: The other 3 were all sleeping through the night well before this. I can definitely tell a difference on the days when I sneak in sugar and the days when I don't. Sugar days have me dragging by 3pm and I'm much better on days I go without. It was hard at first but it gets much easier after a couple of weeks.

 

Also, you want cheesy? Oh, I can give you CHEESY! You can even laugh. I do, but it helped so WHATEVER! One thing that really helped give me motivation was reading Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution book. I'm not even a big fan of his but I saw it and figured "what the heck," or something along those lines. :D I swear, it really did help and when I start to veer off course I sit down and go through it again.

 

I need to do that right now. Somehow I'm having a hard time finding time to read at the moment. Every time I look away little man is into something. He learned to crawl at 6 months and pull himself up at 7! ACK!

 

Tami

[sharonella]

I think this is an excellent book..because it all goes back to behavior management and mind control (in my opinion). If it helps and teaches good lifelong habits, that's the right kind of diet!

 

I have totally resisted buying this book because 1) I can never get thru more than 5 minutes of his show without saying to the TV "are they joking"? :eek: (my mom watches it & I see it at her house against my will, sometimes! :p ) and 2) At his size, it doesn't look like he follows the book he recommends.

 

BUT because you two ladies have recommended it, I may break down & get it. I think I'll get it used online, tho. (Still can't get my mind around a percentage of what I would pay for a new copy going to someone who doesn't seem to follow the plan he recommends...... But that's just me!)

 

Sha