enough! what has happened to my willpower?

[StealthPolarBear]

Quite a few years ago I lost a lot of weight. I was over 16s and lost loads, at my lightest I was 10.5 s. However it's now creeping on, and I'm nearing a weight I said I'd never be again (13s). I know all this. I start these threads every few months. Why has my willpower deserted me.
I've logged back on to mfp and goals are to start logging and to do level 1 of the shred most days.
why am I struggling so much?

Stealthy, I just wonder if you are approaching this the wrong way round? You say that other areas in your life need attention right now and if you can get in control of your weight, then the others will follow.

I wonder if you shouldn't focus more on controlling or managing the other things that are making you stressed/unhappy and then the weight loss will follow?

I take your point but I really don't think so. I have a generally quite stressful job (no more tHan most other people's ) but at the moment it's fairly quiet. What is stressing me is my lack of motivation to eat healthily, to exercise , to get organised ib the housw, to study etc. Fundamentally and literally I can't be bothered to get up on the morning and when that happens it seems to set the tone for the day. I got up this morning and exercised for the first time in ages and feel as though my day has been much more productive. I procrastinate and drive myself deeper into lethargy and the trick is to yank myself out before I go too far!!

Yesterday I got up at half seven. Did nothing, felt utterly exhausted in the afternoon. Today I got up early and am tired but its a nice "could do with an early night" tired not "can't move". I've been to work, brought and additional child home, fed them all, cleaned the kitchen and now I'm going to sort through piles of papers - the ones I stated at yesterday!

I have gained weight once but it took me a long time to care and I was mostly worried I'd get refused my contraceptive. I'm not obese or anything. Im losing the weight slowly as I'd like to do it once. However, I don't think I'll make size 8 again.

I am not surprised by what a lot of posters are saying. I think we all have different life stages and I also think it's not necessarily a bad thing to be unbothered?

I exercise nearly daily and I like it but even I struggle in winter. Boredom at work is a big problem for me but I'm doing okay. I also have an issue that I think our culture is a bit food obsessed, I saw an ad - presumably for Xmas - for an indigestion product effectively saying "use this if you want to eat loads". It's no wonder we find it hard. I mean there's an entire cooking channel!

I also find I have to eat regularly so I can never save calories to eat a meal out and many peoples social life includes this as a norm. I work in central London, so do my mates, when we meet after work most of them want to eat, it's a pain money wise and a pain when dieting.

I tend to think "progression not perfection". But I really want to lose this weight once only, losing about half a pound a week at the moment which is very slow but I dont feel at risk of gaining again. I'm def at risk of being caught on MN at work but that's mostly how I handle work boredom now!

Ironically being less hard on myself has motivated me more, might that be better for some of you? I tried 1200 cals once and it was just not enough to fuel a workout. Also sat through Slimming World meetings but figured that was making too much of a deal,of it, for me. It needs to feel normal or I won't stick to it.

I nearly got junk food in for election night tomorrow but resisted the urge!

I got up this morning and exercised for the first time in ages and feel as though my day has been much more productive.

Than focus on this. Focus on getting the exercise and eating healthy things NOT the scales. You should be making choices that make you feel good. Find a routine, both exercise and eating, that works for you.

Right now I wake up at 5:30 am Sunday to Thursday. 3 days a week I do a 35 minute run, 2 days a week I do a 35 minute kettle bell circuit. On Fridays I do a run and some weight lifting. Saturdays off. I have coffee for breakfast, a salad around 11, dinner of meat, veg and/or pasta at 6:30, to bed at 8:30. Weekends I might have some donuts for breakfast. I have a bottle or two of wine, or some beers. I have some popcorn. I feel good. I feel that's the most any reasonable person can be expected to do to maintain their health. If I'm never going to get below 12 stone doing that, than so be it.

Oh, and if you are really feeling lethargic get your vitamin B12 and Vitamin D levels tested. I was feeling the same and putting weight back on and it came back that I needed supplements in both those vitamins. I'm feeling much much better now and way more energetic.

Also, part of this will be that it's just harder to get up and going in the winter. Sucks but true.

I like this thread. I feel like this too. I comfort eat. I haven't found a switch. I like to exercise.

I do let myself get stressed but I think I eat due to boredom mainly.

I think I'll sit down and look at a routine, including an early bed, and put the scales in a cupboard.

Yep there's definitely a seasonal thing I agree.
I'm not si much focusing on the scales but I know my stomach is bigger, my clothes don't fit etc. The scales were just about that alarm point.
I still consider my weight loss a success I am three stones lighter than I was at the vwry least. I no longer panic about a heart attack.
managed again today which is good, as tomorow I need to be up at 4.45! Was dreading thay when it was all I could do to drag myself up at 7 am.

The fitfatty said what I was going to- you mentioned sunshine in your op and I wonder if that was significant- I would really suggest just getting a cheapish vitamin d supplement and seeing if it helps (obviously prob better to go to the doc, but sometimes that is just more hassle!).

I've never lost as much weight as you did, OP, only a couple of stone or so, but I totally agree with sometimes finding the "zone" when it feels easy and other times just not getting off the starting blocks. And not really understanding why those times which are successful are different from the times which are not.

I'm currently trying something a bit different - not following a particular diet, not weighing myself, not obsessing about it - just trying to eat good stuff and feel good about it, and exercise a bit more than usual. It's working in that I've got rid of some unhealthy behaviours, but I can't say I've lost much actual weight yet!

My BMI is about 27 btw. I'd like to get down into the healthy range.

I think will power is just habit: once you manage to get it under control it becomes easier because you stop engaging with constant negotiations with yourself.

I was doing really well at Being Good Mon-Thurs in the run-up to my wedding this summer, but then in the excitement of the wedding and letting loose on the Honeymoon etc. it took me ages to get it back under control once I came back to reality. My Fast Days kept petering out halfway through and I kept randomly cracking into the wine on weeknights or spontaneously eating a pile of carbs.

Now that I'm back on it it's gradually becoming habit again, but taking my eye off the ball for those weeks completely shot my resolve for a while there.

I think if you can come up with a renewed enthusiasm, even just having one good week will make it more likely you'll follow that up with another.

5am starts for Shredding sound pretty grim too, obviously whatever works for you works, but I'd fall off the wagon straight away if I tried something like that!

Hi all, I'd like to join this thread please. I've been trying to lose weight but my willpower is non existent.. I'm 'good' all day but it gets to 8pm and I eat really random things I would never dream of during the day!? Just finished two mug fulls of coco shreddies for example

I lost 50+ pounds about 7 years ago and allowed myself to s l o w l y let it creep (almost) all back on :(
hubby convinced me to get back on the bandwagon; so as of late September I've been back to calorie counting. this time trying to get more of my calories (20%) from protein.
I've toned down the exercise from what I was doing back then hoping to get to 140.
i'm here lots stealth/queen etc. if you looking for support.

Definitely! Shred less day today as I'm on the 6 am train but determined to stick to the food goals

How is everyone doing? I've rediscovered how low cal omelets are

Well done Stealth. I have a cold and everything's gone on hold while I feed my cold.

Omelettes are a great idea. I'll get that sorted tomo.

I need to check in more often.

I've had 3 tolerable days - not much calorie deficit but I haven't binged and I have logged food. I have done my steps target every day. Small steps.

Stellar surely soups are your low-cal bezzie when suffering with cold?

I've eaten my meals today and desperately trying to avoid snacking. But I reeeeeally want these m&s cookies in the cupboard. Been trying to palm them off to DS but he doesn't have a sweet tooth (lucky him)

Freeze them. Then at a later date get one out to share with him

Hi!

I shocked myself earlier this year when I went shopping and saw the rolls of fat. I immediately joined slimming world and lost 4 kilos. Then kind of stopped doing it but maintained (I do a lot of exercise and I eat healthily it's all the alcohol and the snacks that I have on top of that). I bought a fitbit and lost another few kilos by keeping at the calorie deficit they suggest (logged all my food). Then again maintained. Then lost another 4 by restricting alcohol and snacks. I'm now doing the body coach to hopefully lose another 8-10 kilos and I'll be happy. I like the fact that he wants you to eat to keep your metabolism going but eating the right things at the right time means that you use it to build muscle etc and not to create fat. The exercises are just 20 minutes of hiit 4-5 times a week so easily doable. You do need to food prep but can bulk cook easily. The transformations of many people that have done it have been incredible.

This is me, I've lost and gained around 20stone in my lifetime, was 15st at my heaviest, lost then gained after both my pregnancies, a few months ago the switch came on, can't say it was easy the first few weeks as I wanted fast results.
I'd gotten into a habit of eating meals rather than constant snacking once kids in bed, forced myself to do shred and gym at least 4 times a week, only now am I getting the motivation to keep this lifestyle up as in seeing results. After my 2nd baby last year I watched the scales go up from 11.4 after giving birth to 13st a year after may leave, I'd had enough but took it slow now a few months down the line in hitting the 11's soon.
I have days when I go over 2000 cals on MFP but I make sure those days don't roll into weeks and still do gym regardless.
Good luck op, I've battled all my adult life with weight but I'm done with making babies so want to sort my body out once and for all.

Not an inspiring day over here :(. Didn't weigh my breakfast or lunch and have yet to exercise although I will very very soon.
The political melodrama has given me a headache as has my dh. Which puts me at high risk to nibble.

Don't do it! Have a small amount which you allow yourself then stop.
The amount I must bloat is amazing. I started this thread on Sunday (?) As I was nudging 13s. A couple of days of willpower and Im now 12s6. My "probably too high but no panic" weight was 12s4. Just shows how much isn't actually fat.
However I thibk this is where I can slip up...get despondent when I don't lose a stone every week or whatever. I know it's ridiculous. I know 1 or 2 lb is the way to go. But I can barely see that!

He Hads Stealth half a stone in half a week! Amazing!