How do I stay motivated?

[misscloey]

I have been trying very unsuccessfully for YEARS to lose 40 lbs. I know exactly what I need to do, can tell you the calories in most foods, know I should avoid simple carbs and sugar, know I should exercise- cardio and weight training, know I should journal my daily foods and activities. I know all this, and I can do it for a short time. After I lose about 5 lbs I let myself go and do all the things I KNOW I am not supposed to do.
HOW do I continue the progress? I do not have a problem maintaing my weight, just cant stay commited enough to lose it all at once. Why? What is my problem? I have tried every imaginable program thinking that this one will be different, I cannot even begin to calculate the amount of money I have WASTED. I KNOW that eating healthy and exercising is the key to long term weight loss. I know that all this other stuff is a money pit yet I fall for it. I know it is a mind thing, my question is how do I get my mind wrapped around the idea that I can control it and perservere? The sad thing is I enjoy eating healthy, I enjoy taking vitamins and supplements and I love to exercise (more for stress release than anything) but I truly enjoy it. So WHAT is my problem? Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.  

[cheffie]

Thanks for your tips and congratulations on your weight loss. How great is that!I find the colonix fiber great. I have been using the cleanse every year as a "tune up" and maintence keeping all systems running at it's peak.
Great idea about rewarding - will definately keep everyone motivated.

[anom12]

ok girls-

i'm going back to the old days of motivation- rewarding myself.
first- a food journal must be kept- this makes you think twice before over eating...
find out what your calorie intake should be- mine is about 1200
then keep track of your food each day.  ask a friend to look at the journal or participate with you so that you have some support- but also have a bit of guilt of knowing it is being looked by someone else. if you go over your calorie intake or find that you used all your calories to eat ice cream instead of protien! ha
now the fun part is the rewarding- don't reward yourself in the normal ways- like i lost 5 lbs... keep it simple.  If you followed your calorie intake for the day- you get a happy face- if you go off of it- you get a sad face...or whatever you want to do.  Pick a time frame and a reward.  Say its June 1st and you have a part to go to  August 20th...  you want to look good for it.  So you say to yourself, If I can go from june 1- aug 20 and have less than 3 sad face days, then I will go get a massage....i will buy that ipod, i will get that dress...whatever your "want" is.  But don't put your "want" as food.  You have allowed yourself 3 times to cheat- that's your food allowance, so you reward with something else....that is unrealated, but that you would like to get...
By the time your party comes, you'll see results just from a normal diet.  then you'll also get the bonus of your reward if you stick to it.  on top of that you can add in exercise- like if i do cardio 3 times a week everyweek- I'll also get that car set up to go with my new ipod...or whatever... you get what i mean.  your rewards don't have to be expensive, just desireable so you feel fulfilled.  I like bras and underwear- so if i met my goal- i get to go to TJ MAxx ans buy $50 worth of sexy nonpractical underwear! or  a new pair of shoes that i totally don't need.
make a friendly wager with your friends- not whoever loses the most- whoever sticks to it the most- that's much better.  start a small pool- each pitch in $ and whoever has the most happy face days wins...but days that had exercise count double- something like that, you can create the rules...anyway the winner takes the pool $ for a pamper yourself day!  pedicure, manicure, etc...
this can be fun.  
what do you think about my "game"?

[anom12]

Hi All,
I just wanted to fill you in on how I lost weight after gaining it from Paxil.
I also suffer from IBS, so I find that I can't follow a lot of diets because my stomach just can't handle them.
I used a lot of supplements that I first thought were a joke, but then noticed they got my body "working" again.  I started feelin better...
My list of supplements my seem a bit much and if you don't agree- that's fine, but this is what I did and my results were great.  I was over 143 and went to 108- i also didn't exercise.  Which was wrong- i should've.  I am now.
I follwed the doses on the bottle, but since my stomach has issues, i usually took less than supposed to- sometimes just half dose....
Fish Oil, L-Cartenine, ALA, CLA, Creotine, green Tea vitamins, Psyllium Seed, papaya, multi vitamin for women, glutamine )powder you add to any drink- make the carb cravings go away- at least for me it did- i started craving meat and i am not a meat eater, all ofa sudden a steak tips were more appealing to me than a pasta dish)
I think that's all I took, couldn't been more.  but these were the main ones.  the psyllium seed helps keep you regular, the green tea give your metabolism a jump (be careful if you are sensitive to caffiene), the other vitamins all work together to help you manage your weight.
I also suggest a myoplex lite brand protien shake each morning for breakfast and half a protien bar durn the day along with a large lunch and small dinner.  For me, once I seemed to get my digestive system back in track, my body seemed to work lie it should!!!
I lacked a consistent source of protien since i swayed more towards a vegitarian lifestyle- just because I didn't lie the taste of meat...
I also need to add a fiber suppliment- i have taken everything and even right now I need to add more fber because my body doesn;t react to the psyllium anymore.
i think i just need to go for colonix!  ewwww

[cheffie]

I can totally understand your frustration as I have fallen victim to the fitness fads and weightloss crazes. I have spent many dollars and know that none have worked successfully for me. I have come to the realization that I have spent my time and energy on trying desperately to lose weight therefore I will continuously struggle with losing weight. I have recently decided to throw out my scale and concentrate on just being healthy and giving energy only to those things that will help me become healthy. I know that when I give attention to the struggle of weight loss I will never attain my ideal weight. I have changed my thinking and by doing this I have lost weight. I have noticed that my clothes are fitting loosely and I feel totally energetic. I enjoy walking in the park and am feeling so free from getting off this weightloss roller coaster. It is working for me. I am giving attention to healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle it seems to be working and I am only concentrating on that. Good Luck you will find what you need to help you attain your goal.

[godesrizzo]

Hello all.  I have been reading through all of your postings and I have read some great advice.  I however would like to ask anyone if you know of a way to not eat alot of animal products and stay low carb?  I have recently done a cleanse (2 day master cleanse) and would like to stay as toxic free.  I have not found any weight loss plans that incorporate little animal products as possible.  I have done the low carb and have also done it for over three years.  I went from a size 18 to a 6 in 8 and 1/2 months.  I since have given birth.  During child birth I broke my tail bone so I was unable to excerise.  I am sure you can all imagine that I got depressed because the wieght didn't really go any where.  I now sit at a size 14.  It will be two years in Oct.  Have a new little one that has given me a new look at food.  I now have three childern and my focus has changed to see how our food is pumped full of chemicals.  So I would like to lose wieght with being as organic and as meat free as possible.  Does anyone have any ideas that may help me?  Also a way to stay motivated enough to keep exercise in my daily plan.  I really am hoping to get any advice.  Thanks in advance for all your responses.

[barn babe]

Congratulations on the weight loss - nice work!  

First off, is there ANY seafood you will eat? Some people like fish, but don't eat bivalves, like mussels. Some people like the crustaceans, like shrimp, but won't eat fish. What about squid?  I also have a friend who won't eat any fresh fish but he will eat the tuna and salmon that are in cans and foil packs.  Make absolutely sure there are no water creatures  you won't eat.

You have done so well after two weeks - please don't give up!  Instead of looking at how your menu is "limited," change your thinking around. Start looking at how much you actually CAN eat.  There are so many things to do with chicken, yeah it can get tiring, but use different parts of the chicken on different days. Eat chicken breasts, then switch to thighs or legs, cook some quarters or chicken halves in different spices. Chicken takes on the taste of whatever spices you give it, and that is endless, depending on your tastes. I tend to like things spicy, so I use jerk seasoning, chili seasonings, like that.

There are other fowl besides chicken - try some Cornish game hens, they are small and can be one meal per hen. Bake them whole and serve with veggies if you are eating veggies. Try turkey parts or bake an entire turkey and cut it up. You can get some soup out of that, too.  

Lamb is a nice meat if you are not used to eating it. Lamb chops tend to be cheaper than many meats as well.  They are delicious broiled with a little sage or rosemary.

Try eating your meats in soups, just for something different. These don't have to be complicated or difficult - you can buy ready-made broth or use bouillon cubes. You can add veggies, spices, bits of meats, and add cooked sliced eggs on top. You can stir a beaten egg into the broth and add ginger and garlic or vinegar and pepper for hot and sour soup. Some evenings I just stir  an egg into a couple of cups of chicken broth that has garlic and ginger in it for an egg drop soup. Put in a dash of chili oil or a splash of soy sauce.

Also, if you are not eating eggs, start adding those to your diet. You can cook them many different ways and snack on hard-boiled eggs.

Burgers - try turkey burgers if you are sick of hamburgers. Throw a slice of cheese on top of your burgers, add lettuce and tomato, and it's a whole meal.  Make a meat loaf  out of ground lamb or ground hamburger and eggs. Meat  loaf slices also make great snacks you can take with you.

You may need a recipe board for inspiration. I recommend the Active Low Carber website. You'll have to google it - if I post the website, this message will be deleted.  They have an enormous recipe section - anything you want, most of it really easy.

Good luck - keep us posted!

[Deneciee]

I started low carb 2 weeks ago and I have lost 10 pds. I also started walking 1.2 miles everyday but I'm getting tired of meat already.. There is only so much meat you can eat. I don't like seafood and not a real big pork fan either. So I'm limited to chicken.. But I have eat so much chicken (I feel Like) I'm going to grow feathers pretty soon! So any suggestions? What types of food do you eat?

[frazz]

am struggling to gain weight.i exercise at least twice a week and i also play basketball oncea week.I had been on creatine for close to 2 yrs, i had bulked and since having stopped using it i have shrunk.my weight hasnt really gone down but my size has.am looking at a creatine free growth plan,as my creatine contatc in my blood is too much as per blood test. am 6ft tall and 161 lbs and would like to gain 10 lbs.whats can i do.........

[misscloey]

Thanks, I will check out the website you suggested. I have also checked out the HIIT website I saw you suggest somewhere else, very interseting. I am trying to shake up my workout a little by using this training method. I will keep you posted.

[barn babe]

Well,  you might want to look into some 5K or 10K races and see what's going on in your local area. You can call a running shoe store around there or go on-line and google "10K races Houston" and see what comes up. I don't know what your running capacity is at the moment, but generally you want to work your way up to a marathon, start by having successes in shorter races and  just going from there. If you already run about 25 miles a week, you can start  preparing for a marathon. That's about the minimum amount of weekly mileage that people recommend to BEGIN marathon training. Otherwise, if you are not there yet, you can just start running or walking/running to work your way up to that and in the meantime get into some smaller races, which are really a blast to run. Lots of friendly people, especially at the shorter races where they combine walking with running.

This is one of my favorite low-carb blogs, it's written by a medical doctor who wrote a low-carb book, Protein Power, and this guy really knows his stuff.  If you want more information about the health-promoting effects of low or no carb, this is the guy.  He rips apart the traditional high-carb  low-fat diet at every turn.  Anyway, the link below is to one of his essays on  ketosis and metabolism. It's fascinating stuff.  

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=719

I don't really know a lot of the detailed science behind  low and no carb, just been doing it for about 18 years now, so  I'm used to it and will stand by it as a healthy way to eat. I'm not  a scientist so I can't really talk THAT talk at all. : )

I hope you keep posting here on your progress. I'd love to hear how you're doing.

[misscloey]

Wow, you really know your s***. I know you and I have disagreed on several issues in previous forums at times but, I always understand your point of view and although I choose to believe what I believe I admire you in so many ways. You are always very upfront and say what you mean. I agree with you on EVERY other point you have made on this forum in every section. I trust your advice on this matter. I feel like the low carb thing is really the only thing I have done that has ever really worked for me.Talking to you about it has made me realize this. I am sure you have read my posts before about how big I am on natural products (again we disagree it seems) but the low carb thing was so controversial when I was doing it and I was really afraid for my long term health I suppose. But, the more I read about it and hear people like you talk about how great it has been for them, the more I wonder where these bogus reports come from. You alone have inspired me to be strong in my goal and find something to train for. I will let you know what I find and how it goes. Do you have any suggestions or ideas on good events that are nationwide? I am from Sacramento California and absolutely love S.F. What a beautiful city to enjoy outdoor activities, you are very lucky. I am now in Houston (yuck) and being outside is nearly intolerable (for a California girl). But, I have adapted somewhat, anyways let me know if you have any ideas on marathons or half marathons. Any ideas on dealing with constipation with no veggies?

[barn babe]

I myself don't eat fruit. When I did Atkins, I ate berries and occasionally apples.  Berries because they were considered the "lower carb" fruit, and apples just because I liked them so much.  : )

Here's the deal with "stamina" and low or no carb:  The body is more efficient at burning fat than carbs (glucose). But there is an adaptation phase that occurs when we switch over from glucose burning to fat burning. For some people, it might  be several weeks. For others, it might be several months.

If you start knocking out the carbs  again, yes, you should actually back off of exercise until you are past the "flu-like" symptoms that  take place while your body is switching over from glucose to fat burning. That is the "feeling like sh*t" phenomenon that people get in the beginning of the diet. There  are physiologic mechanisms that must make the switch from carb burning to fat burning, and it can cause physical symptoms like headaches and lethargy. That's fine. What you want to do is bust through that, which it sounds like you did when you were  on Atkins before. During  that phase, cut back on exercise, for sure. Walking is fine, maybe light weightlifting or bike riding. But nothing more than that.

After you are past that phase and your body is in full fat burning mode, you will probably not be able to go out and do the same level of exertion that you were used to before. You need to work back up to it. This is because fat burning requires different physiologic mechanisms and simply requires an adaptation phase. It's not a  good or bad thing, it's just physiology.  Again, several weeks to several months. Don't worry about the time it takes. Just keep on the diet and keep exercising, and the weight will literally fall off of you.  

If you want to knock off the weight even faster, stick to low-fat animal products during no-carb. Chicken, fish, eggs (whole eggs are fine, a perfect food in many respects), shrimp, broth is fine--you can make a lot of low-fat soups--and lean cuts of beef with the fat trimmed off. Pork loin is also fine. You can snack on hard-boiled eggs or small servings of cooked meat. Take a multivitamin every day, which we should all do anyway no matter what diet we are on.

If all you eat is low-fat animal products and NOTHING ELSE, you will be blown away at how quickly you lose. You could easily knock off your 40# in a couple of months or less. No question.  And 30 minutes of exercise during this phase is fine. I'd opt for weight training over aerobic to preserve your muscle mass (it's being preserved anyway due to the high protein intake).

Once you lose the weight, you can start slowly adding back in veggies and fruits, and moving up the carb ladder depending on your exercise goals and your  ability to keep the weight off.

I haven't eaten any carbs for about 3 years now. I feel great. I'm highly active, run half-marathons, marathons, training for the Alcatraz Triathlon, and pump iron. I haven't needed carbs for any of  my workouts except very long runs.
When I run marathons, I start taking carbs at 18 miles. I can run purely on body fat for 18 miles or so. After that I ingest enough carbs to get me through the rest of the run.  Since I don't run 18+ miles very often (not more than once every two weeks in training), I don't worry about the low amount of carbs needed for this. They are burned off during the run.  I've been at this level for 2 years. I want to work up to running a full marathon only ingesting protein and fat during the run, but I'm not there yet. I'm close! But still not there. But this isn't a high priority for me, because I like other sports as well.

Keep us posted on your progress. I'd love to keep up with you here and see how you're doing. This forum is, for the most part, anti-low carb. I've been flamed here before for mentioning it. Different things work for different people. But there is more and more research  coming out indicating that low-carb is in fact a healthier diet than a high-carb one. I think the obesity and diabetes epidemics clearly speak to that. The high-carb low-fat diet has been a nutritional disaster for the last 30 years. It's not doing anybody any favors.

Good luck!

[misscloey]

Thank you for your input and advice. Barn, I have always heard that you need some carbs to maintain a good workout (stamina wise). But, on the other hand, if you are not consuming any carbs, logically your workouts would not need to be as long or intense, is that correct? I will start working out 1st thing in the morning, and completely eliminating carbs for several weeks to see what happens. I also did Atkins phase 1 several years ago and lost about 10 pounds almost immediately. The first several days were tough, but after that I had so much energy and felt sooooo much better. Everyone told me that it was unsafe and should not continue this way of eating. I don't eat alot of carbs now, and I do eat every 3-4 hours about 6 times a day. It is always protein and vegetables and maybe a low carb whole wheat tortilla or a cup of brown rice.
I like your idea about training for a marathon or something similar. If I invested some money in something like this, I do believe I would be more motivated to succeed and be able to participate in this event.  
Barn, do you eat any fruit at all? I know on Atkins phase 1 it was not allowed. That is what I really missed more than anything. I love fruit and always stick with the ones lowest on the GI scale. L4F- Do you have any input on the fruit thing? Thanks agasin for your help and ideas.
  

[barn babe]

Can't you ditch the carbs completely and see if that makes a difference? It'll definitely change your energy levels for the better.

Carbs are not a necessary "nutrient." You can do perfectly fine without any carbs. As a matter of fact, you may do even better. I haven't eaten any carbs in a couple of years. Before that, I was on Atkins (induction to OWL level) for about 15 years.

Set a goal for yourself - whether it's training for a marathon or a triathlon, riding in a century or half-century, or preparing for a bodybuilding competition. You are more likely to stay on track with  a goal.  If necessary, pay for the event in advance. A lot of these races are not cheap, so if you shell out the bucks to do the event, you'll be even more motivated to continue with your program.

Ultimately, weight loss is about 95% mental. You are either there, or you aren't. If dropping 40 pounds is important to you, you'll  find a way to do it. But you need some metabolic advantages as well  - meaning get rid of the carbs  and start SERIOUSLY working out, preferably with a goal. You'll be amazed how quickly the weight drops off if you cut out all the carbs in your diet. Quick weight loss is motivating - it will keep you on the road to wanting to continue doing it.

Good luck.

[live4fitness]

if you work out early in am then workout on an empty stomach. Do some type of cardio before bed 3-4 days a week. Eat every 3 hours small meals. One thing that really works for me is I have a cheat day some say to olny have a cheat meal. this does shock your system but it also helps me ALOT mentally. there are so many yummy foods out there and I could never imagine NOT being able to them. I hope this helps. As far as food I don't anything out of a box and the only package food is plain rice cakes. I eat LOTS of vegs, fish, chicken, some beef, and a very little fruit

[misscloey]

Thank you for your reply. I do weigh myself every AM and I do track my inches lost. How do I continue my progress without letting my mind slip into another mode? Do you have a particular diet plan that you follow in general that is fairly easy to follow? I basically try to eat mosty protein and vegetables. Before exercise I usually will eat a little carbs with protein for energy  ie..apple with peanut butter or something like that. Someone suggested that perhaps I am not eating ENOUGH protein. I have recently started adding more protein to my shakes and eating bigger portions of fish or chicken with my salads or veggies.
Anyways, I appreciate all your help and I will keep trying until I accomplish my goal!

[live4fitness]

What I do is I weight myself every AM and PM and on sat. AM I measure myself. This keeps me on track and honest with myself. Good luck