losing motivation. HELP!!

[littlehelen20]

Aaah been using my fitness pal to calorie count since the beginning of feb and started C25k back in Oct (bit random that way round i know!) went away for the weekend last weekend and knew it was gonna be a bad 1 but really struggled to find any motivation to get back to it all. Had lost half a stone in the first 4weeks but been ill and been away and stayed back at my parents and its all goin downhill. Though on the plus side i haven't put anything on aand had several people telling me am looking good and they can tell i've lost weight. Am heoping to get back on track this week but a general question, i've found myself gettin quite obsessive over everything i eat when using my fitness pal and not sure I want to go back to that. I've done well @ cutting out a lot of the stuff i used to eat, do i need to keep calorie counting? Plus i dont wanna spend the rest of my life like that!!

[Shellbell03]

Hi. I think generally you just need to be sensible about your choices of food if you don't want to continue calorie counting..

However I find it interesting to see what food I have eaten that week that has helped me lose weight.. But that's just me

Also maybe keep going with smaller sized portions?

Maybe try and be good every other day to get your motivation back? I feel that the comments and look of myself is keeping me motivated.

Good luck!

[RoRoMama]

Great isn't it when people notice your weight loss. So very well done on that score. I really liked MFP but found the constant monitoring tiresome and I wanted to be less obsessive about food so have stopped. I try to eat better than I used to (I'm far from perfect, but hey, Rome - nor this body - was built in a day!). And

I'm doing well with c 25k - hopefully graduating before too long. I'd rather obsess about getting my body exercising than count calories. Good luck !

[littlehelen20]

thanks for both of these replies. I think am gonna keep watching portion size cos thats quite simple and effective and continue eating healthier. Having broken a lot of the bad snacking habits i'd developed/ buying choc etc and eating my way thru it and calorie couting has made me more aware i think its do-able. Along with sticking to running more as am currently building up to 10k!! Have come so far on that 1 since October!! got another half stone to try and lose so fingers crossed. feeling bit better bout it all today

[pinkymoo]

Give yourself a huge pat on the back for getting this far. Revel in your new found figure and the fact that people are noticing it. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Look at how you've changed and how much better you feel for it. Remember that it took dedication to get there and that if that was possible then it's possible to do it again.

Give yourself some small goals to hit to get yourself back in the swing. In terms of calorie counting I've found it can get a little obsessive. I found of was eating well under what I should because I was paranoid of going over. I ended up talking to my husband about it and he now regularly asks me what the count is and makes sure I'm not trying to sneak in under too much. That said I have days where I'm lower and days where im almost at my limit. I think it's good to fluctuate a little so your body doesn't get too used to having the same thing every day.

You could try logging only the carbs and protein or high fats and sugars as they tend to be the high calorie items rather than the veggies?

[albionjen]

Well done of your success so far and not putting any weight back on! It is OK to have a bit of a break from time to time, especially if you are ill. Just get back on track as soon as you are ready.

Over the last year I stopped trying to lose weight a couple of times. The first was when I broke my hand in April and needed surgery to fix and so I couldn't cook for about 6 weeks. Once my hand was recovered I got serious again with trying to lose weight. The second I have no excuse it was just December and I couldn't be bothered trying to lose weight with all the parties and meals out etc. I restarted in January 2014, although I only had about 5kg (10lb) to lose at that point. (I started out needing to lose about 25-30kg roughly 4-5st).

If you think you are getting too obsessed over counting calories then I agree it would be good to stop and continue to control portion size and make healthy choices. That should be enough to kick start the weight loss again.

[GRUMPYA]

Everyone is different, I have to count calories I need the discipline, but that is me. I can't exercise so I don't have any other way of doing it. You might be different. I have a friend who cannot exercise either she bought a smaller plate and bowl for her meals and has lost 4 stone. Some people can control their eating by banning themselves from certain foods, never touching pastry or sweet stuff etc but to me I then want things that are banned, haven't eaten a pork pie for 10 years at least but tell me I can't have one and I will be down the Spar shop in 10 minutes. So work out what works for you. Try drinking water before you eat anything, it can do you no harm and sometimes we confuse thirst and hunger. I wish you luck, I hope you find the answer that is right for you