Tips for sticking to a diet and exercise routine?

[shl1997]

Hi all,

 

I'm a nineteen year old female and considered obese for my age. Around 220-230 pounds. I've been trying to lose weight for about five years now only to get bored of the routine I was doing and/or the craving for a certain food is strong. A part of it also contributes to genetics from what my family has said.

 

I'm desperately trying to find a trick to help stick to my goals so I'll actually be healthy and happy. I'll start a routine and talk about long term and even feel that way inside. Then in two weeks something happens then boom I'm back to my old habits.

 

Anybody have any tips? Thank you so much!

[JewelD]

Everybody falls off the wagon at some point. It's okay as long as you get back on.

 

What will help is finding a routine that works for you. I get up early and jog for 30mins because I know I won't feel like exercising after a long day. I switch up the type of exercise whenever I get bored. Sometimes I will lift weights or do the stairmaster.

 

I also make sure to have cheat days every now and then. Mostly on the weekends. If you don't treat yourself to a small treat at least a couple times a week, you will go crazy and completely fall off.

 

You could also have prizes for yourself when you reach a new goal. For example, when you hit your first goal, you can buy some new workout clothes.

[Satu]

I find an activity tracker very helpful.

 

It tracks my activity and gives me reminders.

 

If I look like I'm not going to meet or exceed my targets it warns me.

 

I get a lot of pleasure from setting targets and beating them.

 

I use a

, but there are lots to choose from.

 

Take care.

[shl1997]

Thanks to both! I definitely know how you feel JewelD lol! Satu I may look into one of those I'm the type of person that likes to follow rather than lead in non-social situations.

[thefooloftheyear]

-Take a selfie of yourself either almost or fully naked(if you live alone) or with as little clothing as possible and plaster it on the fridge and the cupboard door.s..even put a copy above the sun visor of your car or maybe the medicine cabinet, so you can see it, but no one else can...You can also place a photo of someone famous or someone you know who may have the look you feel you want to achieve next to yours.....Make it realistic, though.....

 

Set up a weekly weigh in with someone you know...You will keep the motivation, because you know someone else will be there to witness it...set up a chart that shows how much you weighed and let the other person enter the numbers..

 

-Another technique is to take a full on selfie(again with as little clothing as practical)...and do it every week....print and place each photo next to the other one...

 

-Another thing to consider is enter yourself in some "competition" ....Like maybe a fun run/walk....Or one of those milder mud runs..Ask a friend or something to join you , or there are clubs and groups for these things..Set it up for sometime next year, so you don't put too much pressure..Now you have a purpose simply beyond just the usual wanting to look/feel better....

 

These things may be considered harsh by some, but they usually work very well......Its not about where you are, but where you want to be...Most people fall off the wagon or can't sustain it because there is no goal other than what you set for yourself in your mind...Once it becomes real....well that takes it to another level entirely...

 

There is a saying....

 

"People wont do what you expect, they do what you inspect"

 

I wish you well in whatever means you take...

 

TFY

Edited September 27, 2016 by thefooloftheyear

[bebe23]

Get a collection of your favorite upbeat music. Don't listen to the playlist unless you're walking, dancing, or doing housework. It's 'exercise music only!'

 

If you have a Wii, get a few copies of 'Just Dance' or a Zumba DVD. It's a lot of fun. Do that a few times a week, just say you'll do it for 15 minutes. It's usually so fun that you end up doing it for 30-45 minutes, even an hour!

 

Buy some fresh spinach leaves or spring mix, and cut up apples, strawberries and make a fruit and green leafy salad. Throw in a few walnuts and raisins, and pack that in your lunch with a banana or more apples.

 

For breakfast, try oatmeal with cut-up peaches. Cold cereal is okay sometimes, but every day it makes your blood sugar plummet so you get hungry too soon again. Oatmeal or an egg and cheese omelet makes you eat LESS for lunch.

 

Buy a little bag of caramels, and have 2 little caramels a day, whenever that need for a sweet treat comes over you.

 

Buy a good digital scale with nice big numbers, and chart your weigh ins once a week, in the morning. A good website for charting is 'SparkPeople.com.'

 

Good luck!

[Tinie]

Hi all,

 

I'm a nineteen year old female and considered obese for my age. Around 220-230 pounds. I've been trying to lose weight for about five years now only to get bored of the routine I was doing and/or the craving for a certain food is strong. A part of it also contributes to genetics from what my family has said.

 

I'm desperately trying to find a trick to help stick to my goals so I'll actually be healthy and happy. I'll start a routine and talk about long term and even feel that way inside. Then in two weeks something happens then boom I'm back to my old habits.

 

Anybody have any tips? Thank you so much!

 

I understand how you feel.

 

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) so I have to have big restrictions on my diet because sugar gives me severe acne (I used to look like I had the plague), screws big time with my periods (I can miss 6 months worth) or sometimes they are terribly heavy, and I have cysts on my ovaries.

 

Are you craving sweets? I found that I stopped craving them when eating more fruit. I eat low glycemic food (you can read about the glycemic index) such as apples, citrus fruits, berries. I find that I also eat when I'm bored, like I need to have snacks when I'm doing homework for example. So I replaced candy with nuts, seeds, fruits, berries, hummus on Ryvita crispbread, celery sticks, etc. Something to have in my mouth that isn't sugar.

 

It also helps if you stay away from the candy aisle while shopping. Do not even go down it!!! Do not buy any candy, so that your cupboards at home won't be filled with junk food and that way you won't be tempted to eat it. If you're eating out, try to go for restaurants that serve healthier options like salads or sushi instead of burgers, fries, milkshakes and the like.

 

I spent a lot of time researching when I was diagnosed. I watched about a dozen documentaries about what causes weight gain, PCOS, and a host of other problems and its sugar. The one I liked best you can google, its free. Its called Sugar: The Bitter Truth, but I also liked Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and Hungry for Change. Mind you, some of these documentaries really push their own agenda, so keep in mind your life should be about balance, but they have things in them that are helpful to get you started. Don't get too extreme about dieting because that's hard to stick with, and go slow with introducing new things to your routine.

 

Keep refined carbohydrates in your diet to a minimum, substitute things like white rice for brown, white pasta for brown, eat more healthier options like quinoa, kasha, and oatmeal. Try to eat at least some veggies and fruits with every meal. I personally haven't experienced the "afternoon slump" anymore when eating like this, and I feel way more energetic these days. I find that a generous use of spices (especially Indian) makes things taste great. There are a lot of recipes online.

 

As for exercise, I find that starting little by little helps. Don't force yourself to spend 2 hours at the gym if you don't feel like it. Go for a 20 minute run, or if that's too much, even just a half hour walk around your neighborhood is a good idea! Try to cut transportation if you can- walk to the grocery store if possible instead of taking your car. Eventually you can start increasing the amount of exercise you do. Bring some music with you, I find exercise is a bore if I don't have my favourite playlist on. If you exercise at the gym, there are classes you can join like bootcamp, cardio, yoga and things like intramurals. You're 19 so probably a university student so you should be able to have access at your campus gym.

 

Good luck!

[Buddhist]

If you don't buy it, you can't eat it. Binges are the product of food availability and craving. Remove one form the equation and the craving will pass before you are motivated to buy it to eat.

[AMJ]

Maybe share what diet/exercise routines you've tried specifically?

 

Knowing exactly what hasn't worked will help us to offer alternative ideas.

 

In general, I think you'll be more successful if you start small in both diet and exercise. Give yourself time to adapt to small changes, and then begin introducing bigger changes.