Please help I have fell off the wagon and can't seem to get back on
Hi!
Sorry to hear about your train jumping the tracks. I saw I was quoted above - I'd just like to add that a good thing to do is figure out a simple thing you can do to just get headed in the right direction, and write that action down on paper. For example a good next step, in my opinion (and someone mentioned it above) would be to LOG everything you eat for 5 days. Don't worry about even changing anything! Just commit (on paper) to logging it.
I think you'll see with your own eyes what you can do to make some changes then - once you have the log written down. It's a known psychological trick to get back on track. Don't try to wrestle the train back on the tracks... instead build some tracks that will lead from where you are back to the right track - much easier to move the train that way :) Simple steps. Write it down. Commit to it. Do it. Reap the rewards.
You can do it - just take your time, and build some small successes.
Tom
Heaviest: 313/VSG Pre: 295/Surgery: 260/Maintenance target:190 - Recent: 195 (08/15/19)
1st 2015&2016 12-Hour Time Trial UMCA 50-59 Age Group
1st 2017 Race Across the West 4-Person 50-59 Age Group
4th 2019 Race Across America 8 Person Team
1. Don't say you will do better tomorrow, instead focus on making the very next choice a better one. Take it one choice at a time.
2. When you make better choices, take a moment to reflect on how it makes you feel physically and emotionally- even small improvements should be noted and appreciated. The idea is to rewire your brain to reinforce what you are doing well, and not dwell on bad choices.
3. Get very clinical about noting when, why, and what your bad choices are. Look for patterns to identify, and then you can develop specific interventions to break those patterns. For example, if I have junk food in the house (even now) I overeat with it, thus I rarely have any in the house. If I eat steel cut oatmeal (a fairly good choice) I struggle with cravings and hunger the rest of the day so I don't eat that now. When I am stressed, I want to eat- so I had to be mindful to use exercise to help with the stress and avoid eating. I posted a list on the fridge of a 100 different things to do instead of eat, because I realized I eat when I am bored. The most important one for me though was recognizing (finally) that my husband and I are totally co-dependent and can derail one another something fierce. We had to sit down and have a long talk about it and agreed on some vocabulary to help back the other person off. (Conversation: Please stop asking me if I want to have ice cream- I don't, or at least I am trying really hard not to. If you do, than you may pursue that but by your asking me repeatedly it is making this really hard!)
4. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It just doesn't do anything positive for you.
5. Develop the habits that have been proven to work: track all food intake, weigh everything, exercise, go to support groups, get therapy if needed, go to your NUT appointments for tweaks on what and when to eat,. It truly makes a difference.
6. Identify your trigger foods and stay the heck away from them, and keep them out of your house!
7. Surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Distance yourself from others that do not fall into this category.
8. Instead of eating, try drinking instead.
9. This is one that works great for me- I always, always have better days when I use protein shakes. I don't know exactly why, but it is try even this far out. At least one a day (breakfast) helps me to manage and maintain. Two or three a day if I need to drop a few pounds. It stops cravings (I am pretty sure because it naturally manages carbs- not too many at one time for me) and seems to encourage restriction so when I do eat meals I eat less. I HATE paying for the darn things now, but they make a huge difference for me so I buy them. Powder doesn't work well- I am too lazy to make them. SO I find it worthwhile to pay the extra for the RTD because if I am going to grab something to eat and I have to chose between a crap choice that is right there or taking the time to mix the shake, I almost always go crap.
Anyway, my point is take the time to know yourself and do not bother trying to bull**** yourself. Identify your problems and make a plan to intervene- a specific, detailed plan for specific trouble areas!! PM anytime if I can help.
Surgeon: Chengelis Surgery on 12/19/2011 A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!
1Mo: -21 2Mo: -16 3Mo: -12 4MO - 13 5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6 Goal in 8 months 4 days!! 6' 2'' EWL 103% Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5 150+ pounds lost
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Thank you I appreciate all of the advise you have given me! I will use it and I'm going to book mark it so I can go back and read and re-read it as much as I need to. I was self pay so I went to Mexico so I don't have a follow up plan just the plans that I have seen on the boards. Keith had the same surgeon so I have reached out to him and he has been so good to me and has helped me out a lot. I wish there was a support group that I could go to, but unfortunately there isn't one here where I live.
(HW) 326 (CW) 189 (GW) 170
on 12/6/13 1:48 am
Not carrying cash to work used to keep me legal around those vending machines, but now the ones where I work take credit cards.
Going off of your plan is usually just a matter of being bored with what you have been doing for the last ten months. I am going to go a bit against what others have told you and suggest you cut yourself some slack for the next month. As corny as it seems, a New Year's resolution has always been a good move for me. It gives me some leeway during the holidays and knowing that I am soon to be on track again relieves some of the guilt and makes the bad choices less tempting.
During this time, I do concentrate on high protein meals, sugar-free treats, and know that there might be some indulgences this month. While this is going on, I am planning my New Year's diet plan. This year, I might do the JJ Virgin diet for a month or so. I have had the book on my Kindle audio app and listened to some of it.
Right now is not the time for me personally to make drastic changes, but I am interested in seeing what happens with my body in the seven or twenty-one day Virgin diet plan. When I "do" a new plan, I go all the way, so will probably invest in her shakes, vitamins, online plan and whatever else it takes to keep my enthusiasm up and boredom down.
It is a gift to myself to do something positive for my body and my life. It may end up being a waste of money, or I may end up discovering things that will make the journey easier for me.
Personally, I will not start a new diet plan right before Christmas. After New Years everyone seems to be on a diet and it just works better for me.
Hi,
You've gotten some great advice from some great VSGers, but I wanted to check in with you and ask you how did it go today? Was there something you did really well today food wise that you need to celebrate? Getting back on track can be tricky and it's very important to acknowledge the good things you do each day. It is so easy for us to focus on what we did poorly and on the things we believe derailed us for the day.
Today for example, I ate some peanut M&Ms. I should not have eaten them because I had not planned on eating them and I started to get upset with myself. Instead, I went to the computer and logged it in and made myself accountable. That was a good thing and I'm proud of myself for being accountable. And it turned out to be not as bad as I thought - I'm still under 1000 calories for the day and have plenty of calorie give for dinner.
Remember, sometimes getting back on track requires baby steps. Sometimes we can just jump right back on. Either way is just fine. So, let me hear something wonderful you did today! Maybe you did a lot of wonderful things.
Hoping your day was a positive one!