I’m wondering how I can get into a diet and fitness routine that works well for me long term. I find it very frustrating because I know all the right things to do, and have plenty of opportunity – the gym is literally 5 mins walk away – all the barriers are psychological. I have a number of quite high-profile (relatively high profile, I mean, I’m not going to the Oscars or anything!) events coming up that I would like to look good for. But mostly I’m just fed up with my self-destructive eating habits.
I started putting on weight about 5 or 6 years ago when I changed from a physically active job that I walked to and from, to working from home, at a computer. I have also had a baby and my body shape has changed. I think a lot of the food I eat and enjoy is healthy – chickpea salad, stir fry etc. I rarely drink alcohol. However, I comfort eat all the time, so even if it is healthy food I’m eating too much of it. Also, if I’m working on my laptop in a café (I often do this) I will buy a pastry when I’m hungry instead of doing the sensible thing and going home for lunch. Or if I’ve had a bad day I will cheer myself up by buying chocolate or ice-cream. I currently don’t limit or count portion size at all, and have no idea what I weigh. (I am about 5:3 and a size 14).
Two years ago I started going to the gym. I really enjoyed the gym which I wasn’t expecting. For the first couple of weeks I went 2 - 3 times a week, and ate only lean meat and veg. I did sit ups and HIIT and got much more toned, went down a dress size, but after a month I hadn’t lost any weight or any fat, which was discouraging. The trainer at the gym was nice but useless at helping me set goals – I kept asking him, for example, to suggest a sensible weight I could aim for but to be honest he was a very young guy and I think his idea of ‘progressing’ at the gym was just lifting more and more weights. I also hurt my side so couldn’t do sit-ups any more. Without goals I started to feel as if there wasn’t any point, I dropped out of eating healthily and started going to the gym less, so I maintained (just) my size but didn’t lose any more which was even more discouraging. Then a woman made a (no doubt nicely-intended) comment at the gym that made me feel self-conscious and as if I didn’t belong there, and I felt completely discouraged and never went back to the gym after that.
I recently bought a fitbit and that is helping; for example, if it’s the evening and I find I’m nearly at 10,000 steps I will jog up and down until I meet the target! Once again it’s having goals that helps. So I’ve just ordered the Fitbit scales and I am hoping the two together will help. I find it very difficult to justify time to exercise though.
Currently I go to a hula-hooping class which I love, which usually runs twice a week, an hour each.
I would love to go back to the gym but I feel like a failure now because I stopped going.
I don’t want to run; it’s something that has never appealed.
I think giving up sugar would fix a lot of problems, but it’s hard because this is the only way I cheer myself up…
I’m also wondering about 5:2 because it seems simple enough to stick to. SW and WW feel very complicated although I really like the idea of group meetings and having someone to ‘report to.’
Any thoughts?? I don’t know where to start!
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Diet, exercise, where to even start? (Embarrassingly long, sorry!)
4 replies
scissormister · 22/05/2016 22:54
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