Staying Motivated for the Long Haul

Posted by LindaF @fessmom, Jun 29, 2017

My biggest obstacle to maintaining a healthy weight is a seemingly invisible "switch" that goes on and off in my brain. When it's "on" I am in the zone and can avoid the most decadent temptations and will exercise faithfully. But, about a year to 15 months into my healthy lifestyle, the switch turns to "off" and I lose focus and revert to my bad habits of poor food choices (both in what I eat and how much I eat) and I become more sedentary. I am at that point now and I feel a slow panic building as the number on the scale inches upward. I know what I should do, but I am at a loss as to how to get my mojo back. Suggestions, anyone!?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Healthy Living Support Group.

@rosemarya

@fessmom, I just came across your message. I am attaching this link and I encourage you to have a look.
http://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/success-stories
I rely on the book as my guide. I am learning to make better food choices. And also how to incorporate some healthy habits into my daily routine. The Mayo Clinic Diet is actually a life long path to healthy eating, and weight loss/management. I am motivated to stick to it because I like the positive effect on my own health.
There is also a newsletter that I think that you might especially enjoy!. It offers encouragement, as well as suggestions for how to keep on going when veering off course.
@fessmom, After looking, what did you learn that might help you?
Looking forward to hearing from you, Rosemary

Jump to this post

@rosemarya - Reading your link and the few posts above I think what I need to get me through the long haul is someone to keep me accountable and preferably someone who eats well and exercises regularly - a heath mentor.

REPLY
@rosemarya

@fessmom, I just came across your message. I am attaching this link and I encourage you to have a look.
http://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/success-stories
I rely on the book as my guide. I am learning to make better food choices. And also how to incorporate some healthy habits into my daily routine. The Mayo Clinic Diet is actually a life long path to healthy eating, and weight loss/management. I am motivated to stick to it because I like the positive effect on my own health.
There is also a newsletter that I think that you might especially enjoy!. It offers encouragement, as well as suggestions for how to keep on going when veering off course.
@fessmom, After looking, what did you learn that might help you?
Looking forward to hearing from you, Rosemary

Jump to this post

@fessmom - I was just watching a video on the Mayo website about obesity and the doctor described it as a chronic condition and that really hit me. I think of my kidney disease or diabetes as a chronic condition but those who constantly struggle with eating and exercising as we should might have a chronic condition with obesity (whether it is being obese or keeping it at bay). That does not solve my problem but it does change how I think about myself being overweight.

REPLY
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@contentandwell - Not that I am a specimen of health but I have heard that when you make a mistake (don't eat well or exercise) realize that tomorrow, or the afternoon, or the evening is new and you can get back on track. I used to think that I blew it one day so I'd keep eating poorly until the next day. I just need to acknowledge the mistake and not write off the rest of the day but start over immediately . I know it is easier said than done but it did help me to think all was lost and give up for the remainder of the day.

REPLY

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

REPLY
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung - I'm just getting involved in this conversation. I use MyPlate app to record food but I assume they are all quite similar. You will find that at first it is cumbersome to record but you will also learn that you probably tend to eat the same things (especially breakfast and lunch) and my app remembers what I ate previous days. This feature is helpful because my most recent foods pop up and I can just check the box instead of recording again. Also, MyPlate has a feature to scan the barcode which is great for a breakfast bar for example.

REPLY
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@JustinMcClanahan - thanks for sharing! I have never heard of BMR and that lack of knowledge might explain some, certainly not all, of my plateaus.

REPLY
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

I should mention that I am definitely no expert and it is always best to consult with a professional nutritionist, trainer, or physical therapist. A personal tip for overcoming plateaus is to switch up your routine from week-to-week or every few weeks. I was taught that our bodies adapt to the same routines so we see great initial returns and gains but then slowly plateau. Finding ways to switch up your exercise routine is helpful to avoid plateauing!

REPLY
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@JustinMcClanahan - I'm aware switching routine is good but I struggle with that because I have a few things I like, or are comfortable with due to my weight and plantar fasciitis, so I'm in a bit of a rut. I know there is more I can do but it is a matter of taking the time to find new things and the courage to try. I really like lifting weights but I can't do too much due to cysts on my kidneys. Instead I try to use lighter weights and more reps and sets. Lack of consistency is my biggest downfall. Seems to be a theme here...

REPLY
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung The disinterest of your physician regarding your weight issues is surprising to me. My experiences have been much different. I agree that few physicians offer concrete, useful suggestions for losing weight. Almost every physician I have ever seen has commented on my weight, most to tell me to reduce to avoid negative consequences. My current long-term physician was the first one to just treat me for my illness without bringing up excess weight on our first meeting. That is a big part of why he has been my primary physician for over 30 years. I now understand that weight issues are rarely a huge focus of their training. His area of expertise is not weight loss and he refers to those who are experts for that. He has always noted my weight without lecturing and we have a good working relationship. He listens to my concerns and we work together toward my best health. Everyone should have such a physician in their corner.

I don't know what your weight goal is, but what you have already lost is impressive. Congratulations on your good work. I am glad to see that you are not using a fad diet, chemicals or starvation to reach your goals. I must admit that I am resistant to the technical aids now on the market. I become overwhelmed with all the entries, numbers, counting and research I need to get started and maintain these programs. I don't enjoy it and prefer my simple guidelines of: appropriate food lists, portion size, frequent small servings, appropriate exercise and chemical/preservatives limitations. I check my weight every morning. I know this is controversial but works for me, as I clearly and quickly see if I am off track within 2-3 days. If I wait a week, as some suggest, I may have been gaining for 6 days before getting that visual reminder. The scale is my honest friend now.

God bless us all as we walk our paths.

REPLY
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

Thank you Justin for putting all of this in context and words that make sense:-)
Rosemary

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.