I believe the key to succeeding in any challenge life throws at you, is a sturdy support network. The BF (who runs a gym) is always telling me that group excercise classes are far more effective at encouraging gym members' attendance than if they were left to their own devices on a treadmill. It's the community spirit, the collective encouragement, the natural aversion to letting people down and even the friendly competition that works. It's also knowing that no matter how hard it gets, there are numerous other people who are suffering as much as you are.
I think it's the same with diet and weight-loss, and this is why Weight Loss Resources is so successful in what they do. They offer a forum to post questions, rants and successes in a virtual community who can support and encourage, and sometimes even tell you off.
I'm not an active member on the chat boards, but I read them daily and find them inspirational when I seem to lose all hope and enthusiasm. One specific post today was particularly encouraging, and also very informative. I wanted to post it on here so I have it to reference every time I feel myself wobbling off the edge of reason. So thank you, SMTFHW, who has lost almost 100lbs since 2006 and is now blessing the rest of the slimming community with her knowledge and wisdom.
1. Be in the right frame of mind. YOU have to want to do it, and you have to want to do it for YOU, not for anyone else, not your partner, your Mum or your best friend - YOU. If you try to do this and your mind (and heart) aren't in it, you'll probably give up.
2. There's no quick fix. You didn't put the weight on overnight; it isn't going to go away overnight. The only way to lose substantial amounts of weight overnight is to have body parts amputated! It's going to take time, but anything worth having is worth waiting for. To put it in perspective, even if you "only" lose 0.5lbs a week, that's 26 lbs (nearly 2 stone) gone by the end of the year.
3. Be completely honest with yourself. Look at what you eat AND drink, and weigh things so you can count calories accurately. Keep a check on portions. I threw out what little processed food I ate and make my own meals from scratch. It's cheaper, it doesn't need to take long, and you have control over the quality AND the calorie content.
4. Eat all of your calorie allowance and AT LEAST half of any calories you gain through exercise. Don't think that by going waaaay under your allowance you'll lose weight faster. You won't. Eventually you'll go into starvation mode, your body will desperately cling to any fat reserves you have, and your weight loss will stop. Don't believe me? See this link...
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fu n/core_march_8.htm
5.Drink plenty of water - it's important to keep your body properly hydrated if you expect it to work properly. That way it will cope with the other changes you are making so much better.
6. Get active. Walk. Run. Swim. Whatever. Most of us can do this and if you move more you burn off more calories. It doesn't matter what you look like in your kit. What matters is to get that body moving. No one else cares what you look like in the gym. They're not there to laugh, point or stare at you. They're too busy concentrating on their own fitness. If possible, vary what you do. It doesn't matter which form of exercise you do; if you're not sweating, you're likely not working hard enough. An exception to this is swimming, where the water in the pool counteracts the sweating so you won't notice it's happening. In that case, if you're not breathing hard at the end, you're probably not working hard enough. Commit to at least three 40-minute sessions a week if you can. Make exercise part of your regular schedule. If you aren't prepared to devote some time to YOU, maybe you need to look at your priorities.
7. It's not a diet, it's a change of behaviour. You don't have to give anything up (though I would recommend not eating processed food for all sorts of reasons quite apart from the amount of calories contained in it), but you almost certainly need to eat less of it. You also have to count it. I'm not about to give up Champagne or meals out, but I know that if I want to eat duck or whatever, I have to do extra exercise to earn it, and I'll also plan for it.
8. Plan your day's eating in advance so you know you can stay inside your calorie allowance.
9. If you have a "bad" day and eat everything in sight, it's not the end of the world and it doesn't make YOU a bad person. It certainly doesn't negate all the good days that went before it (and you'd have to overeat by 3,500 calories over your maintenance level to put on 1lb), though it's also not a license to keep right on eating for England (or the country of your choice). Falling off the wagon once or twice is human. Using it as an excuse to do it repeatedly may suggest a lack of commitment on your part. You may want to re-assess whether you're really ready to lose weight.
10. Personally, I avoid setting date-related targets; they can set you up for failure if you miss 'em.
Original post can be found at http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/member/viewmessage.htm?messageid=2861367
PS I'm not even being paid for this blatant endorsement, I just really believe it works!
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