I read somewhere that people tend to sabotage themselves when they get close to their goal weight because they are using the weight problems they have to cover up emotional and personal problems in their lives. Perhaps you might want to sit down and think if this could be the reason behind your self sabotage.
OKIEPAPA 3/13/06 7:41 P
It's up to you,eather your going to make changes. a)put the food out of site b)dont buy bad foods and drinks c)do start to exercise,even if it's nothing but a short walk.Be commited to making a change for yourself. Or just keep complaining,did you think weight was just going to fall off?
GRAMMYPAT 3/13/06 1:54 P
I think the problem comes when you have the mindset that this is a diet and as soon as I'm done with it I can go back and do what I did before, eat what I did before. You have to look at this as a lifestyle change. I eat whatever I want to. I just don';t do it all day or every day. If I want pizza the I plan it for Tuesday. I weigh in at TOPS on MOnday night so Tuesday is my "specail Day". I can have pizza or Chinese food or cake or lasagna etc. and I just enter in my calories like normal. If I have a craving for McDonalds Quarter Pounder and fries then I have that although I havent really craved that in a long time.By not depriving myself of the foods I love I can stay on plan the rest of the time. If we go out to eat I order whatever I want and then I just eat half of it or 2/3 of it whatever I fell will keep me in my calorie range. I am not a big dessert person but I did have cheesecake on my birthday. Its all a balancing act. We have to learn to live our lives in a healthy way. Parties are going to happen, evenings out, cravings. Learn to adjust so we can include all the food events and not sabotage a months worth of effort.
VICKIDAZZLE 3/13/06 1:14 A
Connie is right! Most of our "failures" come from months of what we consider "behaving" ourlelves when it is actually deprivation. This is a lifestyle change and no food group should be the absolute enemy. Moderation is the key and just because you have a meal out now and then does not mean you have to throw in the towell. I still eat Mcdonalds but not Big Mac and fries, swithched to one hamburger. Sounds like a piddly amount but I now eat about 6 times a day 200 to 300 calories at at time instead of twice at about 1100 a pop. And I'm more satisfied than I ever have been before. Even on my off days when I feel like I've really blown it, I am still way under my old totals. I may not lose 2 lbs in a given week but most likely wont gain 2 lbs. Stay positive. I know you can do it.
CONMOST 3/12/06 1:04 P
You CAN do it. Simple changes that are really not noticable in the beginning will help a lot. Switch to a low-calorie whole wheat bread, rolls, buns, etc. Change from butter or margarine to a low-fat low-calorie spread (my favorite is Brummel & Brown yogurt Butter Spread, absolutely no difference in taste). If you now drink whole milk, switch to 2%, then later switch to 1% & you will not notice the difference. Use spray on olive oil or Canola oil to prepare foods that need them. Don't be afraid of eggs, I have one of them 3 times a week, either in an omelet w/ onions, green peppers, Candian Bacon, & 1/2 slice cheese, or boiled w/ whole wheat toast & cherry tomatoes, or scrambled & wrapped in a whole wheat flour tortilla w/ shredded cheese, onions, green peppers, & salsa. Cook using fresh foods as often as possible to reduce the sodium & fat content. DRINK THOSE 8 GLASSES OF water every day! You don't have to take anything away, but make sure you add at least 1 fruit & 1 vegetable to your daily diet (you'll find there isn't any room for the other stuff anyway). Each week add another serving of each (try to vary the color of the vegetable in order to get as many different vitamin & minerals as possible each week). Try to incorporate one serving each of the following types of lean meats each week - turkey, pork, beef, chicken, fish - and the other 2 days have a vegetable lasagna (I like Michael Angelo's) and a chili or spaghetti made using ground turkey (there is really no taste difference when lots of seasonings are used like in these 2 dishes). Using the pie-chart at the bottom of the screen you get when you click on the "Print Today's Full Report" button at the bottom of your "Food Tracker" page, try to keep your ratio of carbs, fats, & proteins within the ranges they recommend & you'll be a winner for sure. If you don't do any other exercises but these, MAKE SURE YOU DO AT LEAST 4 of the CORE exercises in the "Add another exercise" part of the cardio page. My favorites that really bump up my energy are the SUPERMAN, the PLANK, the STANDING SIDE BENDS w/ TOWEL, & the AIRPLANE. I also try to add at least 3 from each of the UPPER & LOWER BODY EXERCISE groups. Also, do the exercise that call for hand weights (I used cans of soup in the beginning, then switched to larger cans of vegetables, then to a cheap pair of handwieghts. Toning your muscles helps to burn fat & calories. Don't be discouraged when you don't show a "weight" loss in the beginning, because muscle weighs more than fat, so you may even show a weight gain, but STAY IN THERE, it is a good gain. Be faithful to yourself in doing these, because nothing but a COMBINATION of healthy eating, water, & exercise will work. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a punishment, so do not deny yourself a taste of things you love or crave. Just control the portion size, while still working within your allotted ratio's. As far as snacks go, have veggies more often, but when you need salty snacks, try a serving of Sun Chips, Baked Lays, Pretzel Sticks, Popcorn, Orville Redenbacher's flavored Corn Cakes, or Quaker Rice Cakes (Quaker & Orville also make a great caramel snack for your sweet cravings). When craving something sweet have fresh fruit mixes or lite yogurt w/ fruit (my favorite fruit mix is strawberries/ blueberries/ & bananas w/ a teaspoon of vanilla yogurt tossed in, or strawberries on a piece of sponge cake topped w/ fat-free whipped cream, or just a mixture of every kind of fresh fruit (grapes, watermelon, cherries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberreis, apples, peaches, etc). Another good sweet snack is fat-free sugar-free jello w/ or w/out fruit. Try to get the recommended servings from each category of foods in the daily food pyramid. There are many foods that will keep you healthy that you will absolutley love, so it isn't hard at all. When you feel hungry between meals, eat a cup of cabbage soup. Another thing I found that helped me stay satisfied all day, was to make sure I ate or drank at least something that was hot at each meal (if having cold cereal for breakfast, then have a cup of green tea with it, or a boiled egg)(if having a cold sandwich for lunch, add a cup of hot vegetable or tomato soup). BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY! DON'T SKIP IT, have a great one! For every hour you spend sitting, get up and walk or do jumpimg jacks, or step-ups, or dance an equal amount of time. GET YOUR 8 HOURS straight SLEEP. GO for it! It is really easy. Read the required amount of articles they provide us with on Spark People, you'll learn a lot. Read the postings in the Message Center & don't be afraid to ask questions. The staff on here are great & are experts. None of us mind helping each other & I have found a lot of interesting ways to prepare my food & new recipes. Well, I'm finished rambling on. I hope this helps you. It has helped me a lot. I have lost an average of 10 pounds each month with no plateaus, and one incident where I felt weak (I had not gotten enough fat & proteins in my diet that day). And only once did I feel frustrated, and that was a day I did not vary the taste & texture of the foods I ate. A green tea toast to your new lifestyle, Connie
JANETMONGILIO 2/9/06 8:14 A
Hi Worzel,
I'm going through kinda the same thing right now, but I'm getting remotivated by spending more time on the message boards and talking with people.
I went through a tough spell starting in August where I tore my calf muscle (was off my feet and in physical therapy for about 8 weeks). Then we moved from CT to WV which involved alot of eating out at restaurants and not alot of time to exercise.
But I'm getting remotivated by spending more time here on the message boards and making baby steps again (like in the beginning). My 2 goals are getting 10000 steps per day and cutting out french fries for now. Little steps, but they're making a difference in my attitude.
Don't give up - just think about how far you've come and how well you've done. And having a baby is SUCH a huge life-changer !! Children are such a joy but they also bring alot of stress.
Just keep posting here - it really does help.
Take care, Janet
WORZEL 2/9/06 4:52 A
hiya, i wonder if anyone can give me motivation to cont. with my diet... i keep messing up my diet, whereas im so so close to my target ...since august i have been dieting and have done really well, i kept motivated and strayed away from junk food, and even would go out to dinner with friends and watch them all eat while i just sat there with a glass of water only!! thats how determined i was ...but now , that im near the target i keep on messing up!! and this is now getting me down. i would have reached my target by end of jan if i had been good, and then tried a maintenance program now!! but instead i just want to eat stuff i havent had like burger king, pizza, nando's ! etc Nando's i feel is my healthy option to eating out? how right or wrong this is i dont know!!?
everyday i start off thinking i be good as i have been for so long and yet i falter each time, i get tempted for a chocolate or cake or other stuff - i really wanna just get to my target weight and then eat sensible thereafter but looks like im just heading for the wrong foods!! mostly its cos its easy i have a 8mth old baby and dont get time to plan meals and as hubby not on a diet what we have bought for him, i end up eating - he is supportive but i cant ask him not to get those things in ... he not on a diet i am!
Full blown pregnant weight (june 2005): 13st 8lb after birth(6th june 2005) 13st 2lb
Diet from 18th Aug 2005-present day weight now: 9st 10lb
