Struggling with motivation : Hi all I am... - Weight Loss Support

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Struggling with motivation

cherryll profile image
3 Replies

Hi all

I am trying to lose the 2 stone that I have put on since starting my stressful job 4 years ago. I joined SW in the summer but gained weight which was totally humiliating. I have since managed to lose a stone but it has taken me more than 6 months. I have increased my exercise but have not lost anything for a while.

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cherryll profile image
cherryll
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BridgeGirl profile image
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone

Hello cherryll and welcome to the forum 😊

Motivation comes from within and is unique to each of us so take a little time to think what yours is. Why do you want to lose weight? What will be different. Remind yourself of those things and have confidence that you can change.

I'm going to give you a link that might suggest a different way forward for you and I don't want you to take offence at the title as the information in it applies to all of us healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

This Welcome Newbies post explains how the forum works and will help you find your way around healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Please take your time reading it so you get the best out of your time here.

A good way to start would be joining today’s weigh in team. You'll get to know a very supportive bunch of people who will appreciate your support, too. Click on this link and read the opening post which will explain all (DON’T click on Write) healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

We also ask that you read this information about internet privacy and security healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Please be aware that if you leave your post unlocked, it can be seen on Facebook, Twitter etc. This is a particular concern if you have a username that may identify you. Some of our members will not respond to unlocked posts as they value their privacy.

Take your time exploring and come back with any questions.

Wishing you all the best and I hope you become an active member of the forum 😊

doglady2 profile image
doglady2

Hi CherryllSorry that you have a stressful job and are feeling demotivated in terms of your diet. But - you have lost a stone and even if it took 6 months or so, so what - it's gone and it was down to you, well done.

If your weight seems to be sticking, you could try some tricks like always having a bottle of water with you to stave off hunger pangs, and always having some healthy snacks available. Do you think you are eating the wrong things or just too much in terms of quantity? Calorie counting is not for everyone but it does help judge portion size.

Give yourself non eating, de-stress treats - a hot bath with nice oil or bubbles, a massage or just a bit of you time with a book, dvd or tv programme. Enjoy these things.

Keep going, that's the main thing. Here's to the next stone that you lose. We all know what you feel like.

xx

Pineapple27 profile image
Pineapple27

cherryll I failed with Weight Watchers and Slimming World, but calorie counting has worked for me.

If you want this to work for the longer term, you need to think about it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. That lifestyle change will need to happen a bit at a time and will involve many things : changing your behaviour around food, portion control, emotional eating triggers, increasing your activity levels, trying new foods, making healthy food swaps, etc.

Commitment to diet/lifestyle change and resistance to temptation doesn't just happen! It has to be worked at.

The only way I have succeeded this time is to change how I approach food and eating it. I have learned to resist temptation! BUT please believe that this has taken a LOT of hard work and practice. 

It's about "normalising" or "modifying" behaviour around food... and I think that with enough "practice" it becomes more and more easy until you get to the point where a behaviour is modified to the point of it becoming the only way.

I am sure that even some people who are not over weight do sometimes over indulge - but the fact is they don't do it very often...

Those of us who are over weight have been used to "treating" ourselves, eating portions that are too large, eating the things that we know are calorific because we can!

It's been a combination of changing all of those aspects of how I behave around food that has meant I have been successful this time.

I have developed a respect for the food I eat. Not everyone has the ability to eat as well as we in the western world eat. We should not abuse the privilege.

I rarely eat "on the hoof" any more, I rarely eat between meals. I take time to sit at a table and present my meals nicely. I take a moment or two to really look at my plate of food before I pick up my knife and fork.

Almost daily I say to hubbie "Aren't we lucky to be able to enjoy such lovely food". I really mean that too, I am not saying it for anyones benefit but his and mine. We should never take for granted having easy access to delicious food stuffs and our ability and love of cooking!

If you log your food - keep track of how many calories some of those "treats" contain, after a while they kind of stay in your head (medium egg = 70 cals, slice of white bread 100 cals, meringue nest 57 cals, 30g (matchbox size) of cheddar, 122 cals)

I do have sweet treats, but I buy my own choice, so things like 2 finger Kitkat, single finger Twix, Club biscuit... these are all around 100 calories. I keep them in a tin and I can have one whenever I want to, but I limit it to no more than one a day and usually with my afternoon cup of tea. That's not to say I eat one on a daily basis (usually about 2-3 times a week). They are always logged into my diary.

If you don't keep a log of what you are eating and the calories foods contain, then it's a bit like trying to travel from one place to another without a map! You might get there eventually BUT it's likely to take you much longer than if you planned the route and used a map PLUS you might take a few wrong turnings and end up going back on yourself!

I have also learned not to plan each trip out of the house to include food. Once upon a time, I'd have included lunch with a trip into town, coffee and cake with a visit to the garden centre.

I now plan or even prepare a meal BEFORE I go out (usually a salad) so that I know exactly what I can eat as soon as I walk into the door... and don't turn to "what I fancy" (usually high calorie carbs that don't keep you full for very long...)

Make a list of the reasons WHY you want to lose weight. Keep it somewhere safe (stuck to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door?) and look at it from time to time, especially when you are raiding the kitchen for treats!

I always ask myself before eating something really calorific "Do I really want to eat this thing more than I want to lose weight this week?". It's called "mindful eating" - being aware of why you are considering eating - real hunger? Boredom? Temptation? Feeling fed up?

Have a glass of water, wait 5 minutes and consider whether you still want the food. Once it's been snaffled down, it's too late and you may end up feeling cross and angry with yourself....

....and that feeling (guilt, failure) lasts for a long time, much longer than the temporary enjoyment of whatever treat you ate....

Oh, and I always remind myself how good the feeling is of seeing a loss on the scales at my weekly weigh in! That wonderful feeling lasts for days! Don't forget how that feels - you need to remind yourself of that feeling next time temptation strikes!

I’m healthier and fitter now at the age of 56 than I was 20 years ago…..

I am writing this as someone who had struggled all of my life (since the age of 9) to lose weight. I have a significant disability that affects my mobility - use a wheelchair outside of the house. I am also very short (4ft 8”). It wasn't until the age of 49 when I started to log everything and kept track of the calories I was consuming that the truth hit me between the eyes. I was eating FAR TOO MUCH for a short sedentary person. I changed my whole approach to food and eating it that everything else clicked into place :-)

Just wished I’d found what worked for me years ago.

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