1. < Healthy Living

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!?

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JK | @contentandwell | Sep 7, 2017
In reply to @2011panc "I am currently upset with my weight, as I have gained 4 pounds in the last..." + (show)
@2011panc

I am currently upset with my weight, as I have gained 4 pounds in the last month. I know that does not sound like much, but it comes off so hard and has come back on so easily. Just today I finally put together my weight gain and the steroid shot put in my back to possibly reduce pain. I was hesitant about taking the steroid, and they made a big deal out of the fact that it could throw off my blood sugars and downplayed the possibly of weight gain. Maybe because I am no longer grossly obese they don't think it is much of an issue, but for me that is a huge issue. So now I'm back at eagle-eyeing everything that nears my mouth. Hopefully I can get my back surgery done soon and relieve some of my pain and the ensuing depression. I am working as hard as possible to build my core strength before the surgery and increasing my fluids as much as possible. I must say, though, those big lunches, sandwiches and peaches were very tasty. I do have to say tata for now and go back to the rice cakes, tuna and summer veges. I forgot the farmer's market Tuesday, so I have to make sure to hit up the next one on Saturday.

Jump to this post

@2011panc I had to smile at your post, I think I could have written it myself. I have also had a slight weight gain after a major weight loss and it is difficult to take it off. I gained about 8 and have managed to lose 3 but am at a plateau now despite being very careful of what I eat, tracking it all on myfitnesspal, and going to my health club to exercise almost daily.
When my son, a fitness addict, was home during the summer and he saw me indulging a bit he reminded that the rewards of eating something tasty but fattening are short lived but taking the extra weight off is not. Of course easier said than done. He is my motivation though, he is so proud of how well I have done, and is dumbfounded that his mother goes to the gym!
I also missed the farmer's market this week. I tend to forget a lot but I love going to the one in town here, it's almost like a social occasion and the veggies are so nice and fresh, plus a seacoast fish business has their refrigerated truck there selling their great fish and even lobster meat.
So, remember what my son tells me, yes it's tasty but those extra pounds will not be fun to lose.
JK

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 7, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty of exercise using my fitness tracker to keep me going but for the last three days despite keeping my calories low and doing plenty of exercise I am at a plateau. I find plateaus are very discouraging and tend to make a person want to "throw in the towel" but I am staying positive, as difficult as it is, and hoping to see things budge tomorrow. When I see the my weight slowly decrease it keeps me motivated.
I lost quite a bit of weight and recently gained back about 8 pounds so that is what I am trying to lose. I have lost three so far. I may have mentioned this before, I am sure I did in one of the forums, but we are going away two times in the next few months, once on a vacation, and once to NYC to enjoy the city at Christmas but primarily because my daughter is getting married there. I am finding VRBOs (or airbnbs) to be a Godsend. I can eat more appropriately staying in that type of accommodation. Of course something like the Marriott Residence Inns have kitchens so you can do the same there. Initially I balked at the thought of having to prepare my own meals because vacation for me has always also meant a break from cooking but now I am glad that I will have that control. Of course we will eat out a few nights.
Obviously the other advantage of VRBOs is the cost. We are staying right in the center of Manhattan in December, in what looks like a beautiful condo with a doorman and a gym in the building, sharing it with my son and his girlfriend, all for about $500 a night total, which is cheap for the city. Of course you save money by preparing your own meals also.
JK

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung Thanks Colleen, that is taking a very positive attitude. I am hoping for tomorrow. I did mange to get through the day without straying off course, and I did go to my club today and spent time in the gym, rather than the pool. I think I do better in the pool but they say it is good to mix it up. The pool is definitely good for some of my muscles - knees and triceps and biceps, and it is good cardio. The gym equipment is, as I understand it, good because you are using weights. I also do the treadmill and elliptical there.
Just about to head to bed so I can get up early and get to the pool aerobics. Love the class on Wednesdays and Fridays, the instructor is the best. She is vigorous and keeps us going constantly. She herself just turned 70 today! I kid her that she must have had too much coffee some mornings.
JK

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Sep 11, 2017
In reply to @2011panc "I am currently upset with my weight, as I have gained 4 pounds in the last..." + (show)
@2011panc

I am currently upset with my weight, as I have gained 4 pounds in the last month. I know that does not sound like much, but it comes off so hard and has come back on so easily. Just today I finally put together my weight gain and the steroid shot put in my back to possibly reduce pain. I was hesitant about taking the steroid, and they made a big deal out of the fact that it could throw off my blood sugars and downplayed the possibly of weight gain. Maybe because I am no longer grossly obese they don't think it is much of an issue, but for me that is a huge issue. So now I'm back at eagle-eyeing everything that nears my mouth. Hopefully I can get my back surgery done soon and relieve some of my pain and the ensuing depression. I am working as hard as possible to build my core strength before the surgery and increasing my fluids as much as possible. I must say, though, those big lunches, sandwiches and peaches were very tasty. I do have to say tata for now and go back to the rice cakes, tuna and summer veges. I forgot the farmer's market Tuesday, so I have to make sure to hit up the next one on Saturday.

Jump to this post

@2011panc - Well I have never taken steroids myself but I have watched a family member take them - both via pills and injections. The side effects are not pleasant but they do work wonders. There is no doubt that steroids increase your appetite so eating as healthy as possible is important. I don't think gaining weight with steroid injections is as common as gaining weight with the pills. Much of that weight with injections is fluid that your body eventually, and slowly, gets rid of on its own once the med is stopped. Hang in there!

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Sep 11, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty of exercise using my fitness tracker to keep me going but for the last three days despite keeping my calories low and doing plenty of exercise I am at a plateau. I find plateaus are very discouraging and tend to make a person want to "throw in the towel" but I am staying positive, as difficult as it is, and hoping to see things budge tomorrow. When I see the my weight slowly decrease it keeps me motivated.
I lost quite a bit of weight and recently gained back about 8 pounds so that is what I am trying to lose. I have lost three so far. I may have mentioned this before, I am sure I did in one of the forums, but we are going away two times in the next few months, once on a vacation, and once to NYC to enjoy the city at Christmas but primarily because my daughter is getting married there. I am finding VRBOs (or airbnbs) to be a Godsend. I can eat more appropriately staying in that type of accommodation. Of course something like the Marriott Residence Inns have kitchens so you can do the same there. Initially I balked at the thought of having to prepare my own meals because vacation for me has always also meant a break from cooking but now I am glad that I will have that control. Of course we will eat out a few nights.
Obviously the other advantage of VRBOs is the cost. We are staying right in the center of Manhattan in December, in what looks like a beautiful condo with a doorman and a gym in the building, sharing it with my son and his girlfriend, all for about $500 a night total, which is cheap for the city. Of course you save money by preparing your own meals also.
JK

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung , @contentandwell - I must say that being patient with ourselves if often the hardest. If we were listening to a friend or son/daughter about their plateau what would we say? We would probably praise their efforts, tell them to be patient, and maybe go for a walk with them to keep them company as they try to burn some calories. Why don't we take our advice and apply it to our own situation? We are often our worst critics... so maybe stopping the negative self-talk is just as important a lifestyle change as exercise and healthy eating.

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Sep 11, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty of exercise using my fitness tracker to keep me going but for the last three days despite keeping my calories low and doing plenty of exercise I am at a plateau. I find plateaus are very discouraging and tend to make a person want to "throw in the towel" but I am staying positive, as difficult as it is, and hoping to see things budge tomorrow. When I see the my weight slowly decrease it keeps me motivated.
I lost quite a bit of weight and recently gained back about 8 pounds so that is what I am trying to lose. I have lost three so far. I may have mentioned this before, I am sure I did in one of the forums, but we are going away two times in the next few months, once on a vacation, and once to NYC to enjoy the city at Christmas but primarily because my daughter is getting married there. I am finding VRBOs (or airbnbs) to be a Godsend. I can eat more appropriately staying in that type of accommodation. Of course something like the Marriott Residence Inns have kitchens so you can do the same there. Initially I balked at the thought of having to prepare my own meals because vacation for me has always also meant a break from cooking but now I am glad that I will have that control. Of course we will eat out a few nights.
Obviously the other advantage of VRBOs is the cost. We are staying right in the center of Manhattan in December, in what looks like a beautiful condo with a doorman and a gym in the building, sharing it with my son and his girlfriend, all for about $500 a night total, which is cheap for the city. Of course you save money by preparing your own meals also.
JK

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung , @contentandwell - I am also learning that going up and down half a pound to a pound during the week is normal. What you should focus on is what your overall trend is. Did you go up on Monday and stay up a pound by Sunday or did you go back down? If you went back to the Monday weight than try looking at that as you stayed stable vs you gained and then lost a pound in a week. Small ups and downs are normal due to water retention and not necessarily what you ate. Look at the overall trend. If the one pound increase gets you down maybe just weigh yourself once or twice a week vs. daily.

I have also learned that even an hour or two can change my weight. If I weigh myself at 6am and go back to bed I can weight 1/2 pound to a pound less in two hours if I go to the bathroom before I weight myself the second time. Part of that might be from the meds I take so that might not be the case for everyone. All I'm suggesting is to try watching the trend, how your clothes fit, how you feel and not just the numbers. It is hard but I find it keeps the discouraging thoughts away.

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 11, 2017

@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants were changed last week and I am now taking one that had been discontinued. I have gained @ a pound a day since the change. I did not notice this when I was first on this medication (tacrolimus) after my transplant but then I was still so filled with fluid that I probably just did not notice, and as the fluid went down my weight probably was going up. I have been eating very healthy, keeping my calories down, and getting plenty of exercise. Has anyone else experienced weight gain from tacrolimus? I am really upset about this but hoping that as my body adjusts this trend will stop.
JK

REPLY
13 replies
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 11, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@colleenyoung Colleen, I have been doing well with my own diet management and getting in plenty of exercise using my fitness tracker to keep me going but for the last three days despite keeping my calories low and doing plenty of exercise I am at a plateau. I find plateaus are very discouraging and tend to make a person want to "throw in the towel" but I am staying positive, as difficult as it is, and hoping to see things budge tomorrow. When I see the my weight slowly decrease it keeps me motivated.
I lost quite a bit of weight and recently gained back about 8 pounds so that is what I am trying to lose. I have lost three so far. I may have mentioned this before, I am sure I did in one of the forums, but we are going away two times in the next few months, once on a vacation, and once to NYC to enjoy the city at Christmas but primarily because my daughter is getting married there. I am finding VRBOs (or airbnbs) to be a Godsend. I can eat more appropriately staying in that type of accommodation. Of course something like the Marriott Residence Inns have kitchens so you can do the same there. Initially I balked at the thought of having to prepare my own meals because vacation for me has always also meant a break from cooking but now I am glad that I will have that control. Of course we will eat out a few nights.
Obviously the other advantage of VRBOs is the cost. We are staying right in the center of Manhattan in December, in what looks like a beautiful condo with a doorman and a gym in the building, sharing it with my son and his girlfriend, all for about $500 a night total, which is cheap for the city. Of course you save money by preparing your own meals also.
JK

Jump to this post

@lcamino, as I just posted, my weight is going up and up. I had gained some and was working on taking it back off, had managed to lose three or four of the eight pounds but now it is back up and no matter what I do I feel like there is no stopping it. I really do not want to have to purchase yet another wardrobe. 🙁
JK

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Sep 12, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants were changed last week and I am now taking one that had been discontinued. I have gained @ a pound a day since the change. I did not notice this when I was first on this medication (tacrolimus) after my transplant but then I was still so filled with fluid that I probably just did not notice, and as the fluid went down my weight probably was going up. I have been eating very healthy, keeping my calories down, and getting plenty of exercise. Has anyone else experienced weight gain from tacrolimus? I am really upset about this but hoping that as my body adjusts this trend will stop.
JK

Jump to this post

@contentandwell - What does your transplant team say about this? Is it a common side effect to the med? Is this the med you had to switch to since the other was impacting the health of your kidneys? Sorry - I have more questions than answers.

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Sep 12, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants were changed last week and I am now taking one that had been discontinued. I have gained @ a pound a day since the change. I did not notice this when I was first on this medication (tacrolimus) after my transplant but then I was still so filled with fluid that I probably just did not notice, and as the fluid went down my weight probably was going up. I have been eating very healthy, keeping my calories down, and getting plenty of exercise. Has anyone else experienced weight gain from tacrolimus? I am really upset about this but hoping that as my body adjusts this trend will stop.
JK

Jump to this post

@lcamino They switched me from tacrolimus to sirolimus because the tac was effecting my kidneys. Now they are gradually switching me temporarily back to the tac because sirolimus tends to hinder healing and they do not want it to effect my TKR. They will be very watchful of my numbers as always. I still be having weekly lab work done here, analyzed by the main lab in MA and handled "stat" so the results are there in the afternoon. They actually have my blood sent to MA by a courier immediately!
JK

REPLY
Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Sep 24, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@lcamino I am not on steroids except for a tiny dose of prednisone but my immunosuppressants were changed last week and I am now taking one that had been discontinued. I have gained @ a pound a day since the change. I did not notice this when I was first on this medication (tacrolimus) after my transplant but then I was still so filled with fluid that I probably just did not notice, and as the fluid went down my weight probably was going up. I have been eating very healthy, keeping my calories down, and getting plenty of exercise. Has anyone else experienced weight gain from tacrolimus? I am really upset about this but hoping that as my body adjusts this trend will stop.
JK

Jump to this post

@2011panc, @lcamino, @contentandwell - I am enjoying reading your comments about the meds! ...I am allowed to say that because, I am right there with you! The funny (not ha ha funny) thing is that almost every transplant patient that I talk to has shared the same concerns and questions. I love being able to share with all of you dear friends:-)
I try to seek comfort in the fact that my labs have been good, and that I feel good, and mostly that my organs are "happy". (that is an actual term used by one of my transplant team docs)
Group hug!
Rosemary

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