What are you going to do the next time you gain?

I've only gained once in the 3+ months that I've been eating healthy but I was surprised at how that affected me. I felt truly depressed about it, like a failure, kicking myself in the butt and not in the good, inspiring way.

I've got a long road ahead of me as I lose my weight. It should take 2-3 years all total and I'm sure that I will have some gains along the way. I've been trying to come up with a plan of positive action for the next time that scale goes up. (Note: I am not being pessimistic about this. Since I have 200+ lbs to lose it's just logical that I will have some weeks that the scale isn't kind.)

Do you have any advice on what has worked for you to turn a setback into a positive learning experience? Any suggestions for activities I can be ready with when that happens?

Thanks in advance, PTers!
Trish

Mon. Feb 27, 12:58pm

I first want to say that you should be proud of yourself for thinking ahead about the amount of time it will take to get to where you want to be, and that you're planning ahead for how to handle frustrating times. This is a great sign about your potential for huge success, so congratulations!

Ways to handle frustration from weight gain or plateaus:
Work out that frustration at the gym. Turn any anger about it into fuel to help you work out, but keep it at a healthy level.

If it makes you upset and you feel like eating... then eat something more healthy, and maybe something crunchy (that helps me) like carrots, celery, pretzels, or popcorn.

Remember to sit back and see the big picture.

Log onto peertrainer and ask for positive reinforcement whenever you need it.

Keep a journal. Read through your entries about how proud you are, write about the times that are tough. The writing process can be cathartic.

Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Sometimes an increase might mean you're building muscle.

Remember also that you will reach plateaus and to push past them, you will need to vary your patterns. Do more intervals, do different types of workouts, change some eating and workout patterns to kickstart your metabolism again...

Set up goals along the way and celebrate your successes. Don't just set it up that you have one goal, to lose all the weight you plan to lose. Smaller goals give you more concrete things to work towards and allow you to do positive things for yourself - like a relaxing bubble bath, a massage, etc.

Consider talking with a therapist if you truly feel depressed. Unfortunately, there is a stigma about only talking with therapists when things are really screwed up. Remember that you're making huge changes in your life and if you really want to talk to someone about it or how it makes you feel (in addition to friends and family), there's nothing wrong with that.

It sounds like you're off to a great start, and I hope you get lots more helpful comments. Keep up the good work!

Monday, February 27, 2006, 1:21 PM

Here is what helped me so far

After you make the small changes in the diet, like substituting sugar for fake sugar, switching brand names and keeping friut and water in the car, no fast food, it is hard to think of other changes to make. I made those basic changes a year ago and went from 178 to 149 currently. I also excersized of course 20 mins a day. Now I am saying hello pounds, why are you not coming off anymore. I believe in the theory that eventually you hit a stand still. That is when your body needs more to lose more. The substitutions are no longer an issue. It is time to step it up a notch. Add 10 mins, slowly to the routine. Cut back on snacking on the weekend, find other ways to treat yourself for a good week like reading self help books, online searches of places like this, etc.

I hanve stopped gaining weight, and losing it too. I believe the only way to lose more, is adjust my body to more excersize. Do some research on metabolism. A good book at the library is "the fat burning bible" And look for low-glycemic foods. Im working with these ideas. I also looked at most of the diet books in the library and found commonalities within each book. If they all talk about vitamins and minerals intake, pay attention. If they all talk about the same way to reduce fat and not muscle, pay attention. Good Luck to you- hope I was helpful!

Monday, February 27, 2006, 1:37 PM

I find that I get "comfortable" in my diet, and then things start to slip a little from the best I could be. I use gains as reminders to get back on track. Additionally, I weigh myself every day, but I only "count" what happens on Fridays. That way, I can kick myself into gear if I find that I've gained over the weekend, and by Friday, I'm usually down or back to where I was the week before. It helps me stay on track.

Monday, February 27, 2006, 3:37 PM

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