Sticking with it
 

Hey Everyone,

I am new to fit day. I have tried diet and exercise plans before and i do fine in the beginning, but I always give up. I DON'T want to give up this time. I want to get in shape! Do you have any tips on how to approach getting fit in a way that is sustainable over time? I suppose it all comes down to sheer determination in the end.

Be diligent about logging into Fitday everyday to log all your foods and activities. It helps to keep me on track or give me a slap in the face sometimes.

Use the forums to your advantage!

Actually, I would respectfully disagree. While a good helping of determination is involved, I think it all comes down to a commitment to making changes you can live with and sustain over time (maybe you mean the same thing; we just put different words on it?). You can be determined as all get out to stick to a diet, avoid this food or that, or exercise, but if the things you choose to change come more naturally to you, you are making a permanent change for your health that takes a lot less effort to stick with. So I guess my best advice would be to see what small change you could make first (cutting out soda or a really evil food, perhaps, or starting a nightly walk after dinner). Once that becomes a habit, make another change, replacing old bad habits with better ones. Many folks on here will attest to the fact that the new lifestyle becomes second nature and is just as enjoyable as the old one. My vote is for a gradual process; if you change too much too soon, or try to go "cold turkey," you have a greater chance of falling off the wagon. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the advice. I think I will begin by committing simply to get myself to gym. I am in college so gym membership is included in tuition. I just want to show up and do something, even if it is just walking on the treadmill. How hard to you recommend pushing yourself in the beginning? Right now, my plan is not to worry about how many calories I am burning or the fact that I am way less capable than nearly everyone else there. I want to take a few weeks to get into the habit of going than I can start ramping up the actual exercise later. I am afraid that if I start by pushing too hard in the beginning I will hate it and scare myself out of it.

Excellent start!

You start where you are, then go from there. You have a great mindset and it's fantastic that you have that resource right there. I would say to keep it moderate at first; without knowing what kind of shape you're in at this point, it's hard to tell you where to begin, though. Do what you feel you can do (maybe 15, 20 minutes; hard to tell) and then tell yourself to do one or two minutes more, maybe. Then tomorrow or the next day, try to add a minute, or a few. 2.0 mph is a slow stroll; 3.0, 3.5 is more moderate; 4.0 is a quick walk, and 4.5 is more like race walking (at least for my short little legs!). You will be amazed at how your body adapts to exercise. Any type of exercise gets the endorphins going and that makes you feel good.

For me, the biggest hurdle is starting. If I can make myself start, I'm on a roll. I have never started a workout and said, "Nope, just not feeling it, gonna stop." So sometimes I play a trick on myself and give myself permission to stop after five minutes if I start off really tired or not motivated. I never end up taking myself up on it. Also, promise yourself a little reward (not food!) at the end...like a new nail polish or a half hour of guilty pleasure TV or reading...you've earned a pat on the back!

Hiya ekcasey! Welcome to FitDay =).

The way I stay motivated is by reminding myself everyday about my goals. I know that if I get some movement in -- whether it's walking, dancing, extra housework, whatever -- it's more than I have been doing, and will help!

I also try to approach this weight loss as a lifestyle change, one that I've been attempting to make for many years. I know it won't happen overnight, but I'm ok with that now. I do weigh myself regularly, but I'm not worried about the scale. I'm more focused on my daily choices.

If you put forth the effort, you will reap the results! Anything worth having is worth working for... so best of luck to you! YOU CAN DO IT!

Most people will tell you its easier to make small changes one at a time and thats true, but it really depends on the person and how much change you are capable of at one time.

I went from eating anything whenever I wanted, and made basically an overnight change to meal planning, calorie counting, portion weighing, and eating right, along with my exercise routines.

I wanted to jump into this with both feet, not just put a foot in the door. I feel that if I was to only make minor changes week by week or day by day that I am not giving it 100% of my effort.

Its really up to you to make it work, you have to do what is best for you. If thats taking it step by step, or jumping in head first, you have to want it.

My advice is to make this weight loss journey a passion, not a chore.

I fell off the wagon a few months ago. It happened gradually, as I neglected logging things in here and there. I ended up gaining eight pounds in two months. That was a real wake up call. I had worked really hard for months to lose a few pounds, and then I stop paying attention for a little while and POOF! suddenly I'm heavier than ever before in my life (aside from when I was 9.5 months pregnant.)

Now I'm back, and it'll be at least another month before I've lost all of those eight pounds. I don't ever want that to happen again. In fact, that's exactly what has been happening to my mother for decades, and now she's well over twice her ideal weight. She's only 5' 1".

I don't think I'll be falling off the wagon this time. This time I've got the added focus of physical fitness. I decided that while I'm losing fat, I want to gain muscle. So I'm working real hard on that, and it's helping me to stay motivated. When you lift weights, you have to focus, and be in touch with your body, so you don't get injured. Then, for the rest of the day, you have more of an awareness of your muscles, and it helps to keep you caring about being diligent and honest about what goes into your body. At least that's what I'm experiencing.

Also, I don't know if this will happen, but I might be able to go to NY and see my favorite actor in a play in January. I keep having fantasies about wearing something nice, and looking fit and healthy while I'm there. I had begun to accept my self-image as "dumpy middle-aged housewife", and the idea of traveling to NY as a strong, attractive woman sounds very appealing and exciting. I might not be able to make that trip, because it'll cost an arm and a leg (and I'll have to go alone), but it's still possible enough that the fantasy of looking good while I'm there keeps me going. :)

everyone was pretty much spot on here. There's only one thing that's going to make you lose and that's you. No website or exercise equipment is going to do it for you. It's your commitment and hard work thats going to get it done.

Hi ekcasey,

I'm also new to this website, although I have been trying to change my lifestyle by food-tracking and increased exercise since March. I can say that for me personally, tracking food every day has been a major hurdle but also a major factor in my weight loss so far.

In addition to the good advice I've seen above, I think that finding a support system is really important in getting - and staying - motivated. Whether that's finding people in your life that are going to keep you pumped up about your weight loss journey or finding a supportive website (this one?), I think it's really key to keep a positive mindset.

I'm very much in agreement with cjohnson, but that happens a lot. For me to make the changes I needed to live healthier, I had to make those changes one or two at a time. There wasn't really a day where I woke up and said "today is the first day of my new healthy lifestyle forever - Amen", although I've had those days in the past, it never worked long term for me. Basically what I did was to write everything down, study myself and then look for ways to improve my life one habit at a time.

The first thing I did to get started was to write down what I ate, when I ate, where I ate and what I was thinking while I ate it. I didn't actually diet I just tracked my eating habits. I know that sounds extreme, but it really helped me pinpoint problem calorie areas. As it turns out I was eating breakfast like 3-4 times every morning. None of it bad, but like 1,500 calories BEFORE lunch. So definitely an area for improvement.

Another area for improvement was my amount of workout time. Before I got serious about my healthy lifestyle, I got myself to the gym 1-2 times a week for an hour, and took a 1 hour line dancing class every week, so 1-3 days of workout and 4-6 days off. Now I workout almost every day for an hour and even on my "off" days I take a long walk up to the grocery store to pick up the paper, so I've reversed it 5-6 days of workout and 1-2 days off. It also occurred to me that I was DRIVING 1.55 miles in each direction to the gym so that I could walk 5K on the treadmill. How stupid is that? So now I run/walk up to the gym and lift weights for an hour and run/walk home.

So I say making changes one at a time is a good approach, but if you want to jump in with both feet and go hog wild and that works for you, I say go for it.

Almeeker, your comment about having breakfast three or four times reminded me of an episode of The Simpsons. Someone asked Homer the secret to his success, and he proudly stated, "I discovered a meal between breakfast and brunch!" :D

THanks for the advice and encouragement everyone. I went to the gym last night and did 20 minutes on the elliptical. I was basically on the easiest setting but, whatever, I went! It actually felt good. I don't know why overcoming the inertia to go for the first time was so hard. I am going to listen to everyone's advice, go slow, and keep it up.

Way to go!
 

Pat your self on the back and then make your plans for tommorrow. (Which given that I am on the west coast and you may be on the east coast you may have already done.)

The key to exercising, as all these wise folks will tell you, is finding something you enjoy. The gym can be a fun social environment for many of us, or it can be the place where we can really focus on our progress. If it doesn't work for you there are lots of other options like walking, team sports etc.

Keep it up!

Great job! I'm very proud for you. Keep up the great work :D

Consistency is key. As the saying goes, if you fail, try, try, try again.