Help me with my 10-week barrier please!

judith55

Silver Member
I have dieted on and off for nearly 40 years since I was in my early teens and I have a real problem staying motivated past 2 months. It typically goes like this:

First week: saintly, big loss
2nd/3rd/4th weeks: smug, steady loss, "this is so easy, I'll easily reach my target",
5th week: a bad day sneaks in, only 1lb loss,
6th week: fiddling with the diet, missing meals to compensate for the fiddles, no loss.
7th week: determined to get back on track, still fiddling a bit and feeling guilty about it but trying hard. lose 1lb.
8th week: sts, looks back on last 4 wks and feels demoralized at only losing 2lb in a month, beat myself up, comfort eat, promising to start properly "tomorrow".
9th/10th week: re-run of week 8.
11th week onwards: "dieting is a social construction to make women feel bad about themselves and I will not bow to this. I'm sure if I just eat sensibly and don't obsess about it, the weight will come off naturally. I'm fed up of watching everything I eat. Who cares anyway."

I really don't want to do this again, so help me please. Tell me what you do to stick at it long term and help me crack my 10 week barrier and keep with it for the next 20 weeks. :break_diet:
 
Hi Judith, I think because you've recognised the pattern it should help a bit this time. I don't have any great words of advice except to remember you're doing this for you. You need to stick with it past 10 weeks and if your will is strong enough you can do it. We all have weeks where we want to admit defeat and 10 weeks is probably about a similar amount of time for alot of people. By then we feel we know what we're doing so possibly relax a little and let the bad habits slip in. Maybe treat each week like a first week so trying new foods, figuring out exactly what's in what you're eating etc will mean you're still feeling quite excited and new to the diet even after 10 weeks. Or maybe I'm talking rubbish lol.

Anyway, good luck. Focus on how wonderful you'll feel this time getting past the 10 week mark and you might find it helps.
 
Thanks for the advice, Laura - its helpful.

I've just found out that I'm going to Vegas on my own for a week in 4wks - eeeek. So yesterday I decided to do as you suggest and I am on a "new diet" for 4 wks in a bid to lose 7lbs. I WILL NOT GO TO VEGAS OBESE!!!!! So I am drawing up a chart for calories and exercise and will be very focused. I've never had such an explicit short term target before and I have to be able to get into my white trousers. Wish me luck. x
 
Ooo how exciting. A trip is always nice and really gives you a short term focus which can help. Well done drawing up a plan, no reason you can't stick with it and enjoy your trip healthier.

Good luck and have a great time.:D
 
Are you trying different diets and you struggle with them all at 10 wks? I think you need to change how you think about diets, IMO before you start a diet you already think you will struggle once it's week 10 & therefore you do! You need to change the way you think about diets. Think about the positive, you've done well so far therefore you can continue. Tell yourself you are starting to look/feel much better, just think how well/feel/look you will be if you continue to target weight. Are you afraid of what will happen if you get to target? How will you feel? Make sure you give yourself plenty of treats, you don't want to deprive yourself.

Or
Is it the same diet, if so you need to look at this & think about what you want out of a diet. How does it fit in with your lifestyle. You need something which you can continue for life not just a few weeks. It's not just a 'quick fix' it's a longterm change you are making.

Good luck you can do this:D
 
I have dieted on and off for nearly 40 years since I was in my early teens and I have a real problem staying motivated past 2 months. It typically goes like this:

First week: saintly, big loss
2nd/3rd/4th weeks: smug, steady loss, "this is so easy, I'll easily reach my target",
5th week: a bad day sneaks in, only 1lb loss,
6th week: fiddling with the diet, missing meals to compensate for the fiddles, no loss.
7th week: determined to get back on track, still fiddling a bit and feeling guilty about it but trying hard. lose 1lb.
8th week: sts, looks back on last 4 wks and feels demoralized at only losing 2lb in a month, beat myself up, comfort eat, promising to start properly "tomorrow".
9th/10th week: re-run of week 8.
11th week onwards: "dieting is a social construction to make women feel bad about themselves and I will not bow to this. I'm sure if I just eat sensibly and don't obsess about it, the weight will come off naturally. I'm fed up of watching everything I eat. Who cares anyway."

I really don't want to do this again, so help me please. Tell me what you do to stick at it long term and help me crack my 10 week barrier and keep with it for the next 20 weeks. :break_diet:

Oi you, youv'e been doing fab!

Every mistake you have made you have acknowledged and Im well proud of you :)

I posted the link from youtube on the challenge thread now get your booty on it hun and those 7 lbs will go, dont beat yourself up, us ladies/gents have to stick together and as I keep telling myself 'we are only human afterall'!

Im going to try and do the video thing everyday and if I can hack it maybe twice then walk my dogs for min 20-30 mins daily and see if it helps as I know exactly where your coming from STS just aint fun

xxx

PS cut out the beer too hee hee
 
Michelle - my problem is that I have already made a lot of "lifestyle changes" over the years which is why I'm not 30 stone. There are so many things I don't eat and ways that I control my weight but still bits and bobs slip in and I have binges. The novelty of a new diet does work for me and I think that's a good thing. I first did WW in my early 30s and it was great but I have never had much success since then despite several attempts. It is a good point about me expecting to fail at 10 weeks - now being the heaviest I have ever been I was very aware that I had too much weight to lose to do it in the magic 8 - 10 wks and that made me nervous. I'm going to give this some more thought.

Nee, if you can do it every day, then I'll give it my best shot too. I'll find the link and have a go. You're right about the beer - should be once a week at absolute maximum. I'm out tonight and I'm stocked up on diet Dr Pepper and coke.

To give myself extra motivation I've gone through my wardrobe and pulled out all the clothes I want to wear in Vegas - the white trousers fit but they're size 20! I remember now buying them to go to Florida and deciding to go up a size to be comfortable in the heat. I have no probs buying another pair if I can knock off these pounds.

Thanks guys for the support. x
 
Believe me hun, you are definately not alone.

Not sure if it helps or not but I have been overweight since early teens and I think i have litterally tried every diet going - WW, SW, Cabbage soup, atkins - lasted about a day ha!, Hoodia, Xenical, Veg only - that was not good, I do my own diets, I tried that syrup thing and so on and on and on hee hee

I think the first thing is mind over matter, when Im on it - I just dont slip up but then one tiny thing will send me into binge mode and I struggle to get out of it, hence my last 2 plus weeks of being a total monster

I know you can do it and im sure Ill get there too, dont be ashamed or anything because all your doing like me, is finding what does and doesnt work

Now lets kick some BUTT and hit our targets YAY xxxx:D:D:D
 
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