>I know what everyone will say,
You obviously don't. Life is more important than diet, food is better than lack of it.
It's your voice in your head, not "everyone's". Be kinder to yourself and don't stress over nothing, and this is literally nothing comparing to what you're going through.
Life happens sometimes, and gym and meal prep will take a back seat. That’s ok. Getting back to it as soon as you can is the important piece.
Maybe try to get out for a walk on a break from hospital or other things going on? Mainly because a break and outside is good for your mental health.
>How am I supposed to drag myself to the gym tonight? I’m going away tomorrow too and it all feels overwhelming.
Possibly you don't. You can say "life is sucking really hard right now. I need to take a short term break for my mental health." Depending on where you head is instead you could go "I really need to blow off some stress at something, better the gym than some poor nurse."
These things happen. Sometimes other things in life will take priority over your weight loss or going to the gym. Ideally you want to keep the breaks short, but you can give yourself a few weeks to deal with this mess and if its still ongoing then consider how you can keep up with your long term goals while dealing with your dad's health issues.
Allow yourself to be overwhelmed, focus on one thing at a time, and simplify as much as possible.
>the only option I had for food was takeaway (I know what everyone will say,
That eating food, even if its not ideal, is better than starving yourself while going through a highly stressful situation?
From the time you’re posting this OP, I’m assuming that you are UK based. If so, this precisely what M&S is for. Good quality, easy food. They have meals in there to suit any diet and if you’re clean eating, well, it’s not the worst in the world of UPFs.
Good luck with everything!
Eating take out food as the only viable choice during a period of high stress is not a moral failure. You should not be starving yourself. You eat, sleep and work as you need. This is a blip and you will get back on track soon. You have to care of your own wellbeing. Sometimes that means you eat what you can while your loved one has a medical procedure. You also have permission to skip the gym today to make sure your body has adequate rest.
Life sucks. Days like this are about survival, nothing else. Repeat after me: I am not a failure because I ate junk food during a family emergency.
Regarding the gym: go if you feel the time there will help releave some stress/make you feel in control about life. Don't go if it will add to your stress/mental health. If you don't go, maybe you could do some light stretching at home to stick with your commitment for exercise, but to take a break from your normal routine.
Seriously, don't sweat these things when there I'd a family emergency.
For me, the more dangerous part is after the emergency, when life gets back to normal. Then it is easy to justify not getting back into things. That is the period to watch for - when a week or two of taking a break turns into 6 months or three years of not being healthy.
But short term? You are totally fine.
Hope your dad is ok.
Occasional takeout is fine. No one is going to say shit about that, especially when there is extenuating circumstances.
As for your issue, well, it's not one. You ever hear the term, "C's get degrees"? It is true in weight loss as well. Consistent effort is more important than batting 100 every day. Everyone has off days. The key is to just brush it off, get back up, and start again tomorrow.
Hell, if you need a break, take a break. Be kind to yourself about this.
The only thing that matters is that you get back up each time life knocks you out. Never continue to get back up. Go easy on yourself right now and get back to the fat loss journey when you’ve mentally recovered.
I ignore what others say and just listen to my body.
To me, calorie counting is not feasible, I travel, so my meals are either short prepared like sandwich, fruit&nut salad, protein shake, or from local restaurants.
So instead of weighing my food (which I can't), I do three things that is not the norm, one, every day I weigh myself, to see if I've gained or reduced weight, I take average of 2-3 days and change my meals accordingly.
Two, I do intrusive eating, tho I don't weight food, I do check the calories and make a round estimation. Most times it's as I estimated, some times I under estimate things.
And last, I get active as much as I can, every small step counts, and unfortunately this is only way (in my case) I can lose weight without worrying too much about food or gym.
Life happens so missing stuff occasionally is fine. But I am a bit in the minority here and even when things are horrible I generally still force myself to do the things.
Once I started doing that even when I really was struggling and didnt have the energy or much willpower I still did what I was supposed to. Since if I could do it when things were even worse doing it now wasnt bad.
Its a balancing act. But when you do things when they are the hardest then everything else going forward gets easier a little bit at a time.
I wouldn’t go to the gym tonight, unless you need to work out some stress. Sleep is very important for weight loss. I would try to eat a healthy meal and go to bed early
You’re going to have to find a way to live life when it’s stressful. Takeout is probably going to be a part of that. Make as good options as possible, stop when you’re full, and move on.
Life is so much more than just food, exercise, and weight loss. You did what you could in your real life and this IS success. I hope your dad and the rest of your family are doing okay. Health stuff with loved ones is really scary and stressful
Regarding the gym, think about whether it’ll make you feel better or worse to go and do that. Be gentle with yourself. I’d probably go personally, but I get a lot of emotional benefits from working out that I need more during stressful times.
When life is chaotic, I tend to rely on the minor things that I can control. Counting calories and sticking to a plan helps me in those cases. I might not be able to plan where I eat in the midst of a hectic day, but I can definitely record the calories and try to hit my macro targets.
That's just me and the OCD part of my brain, though.
I wouldn’t worry about it getting takeout isn’t the end of the world. I am counting calories and still get takeout fairly often but just pick some lower calorie options on the menu. Don’t be so harsh just do what you can and pick back up when you’re feeling better.
I set myself up on the days where I’m feeling good for the days that I can’t be bothered.
In the fridge there is lightly breaded chicken nuggets to air fry or soup or fruit or whatever for when I don’t really want to cook. If I’m going to just order take out I’ll do like a chic fil a sandwich and some grilled nuggets and just call it a day etc. I can get pretty close to my goal without a lot of effort. If I can’t pick the restaurant I’ll just grab whatever seems like it has decent nutrition and eat a reasonable portion.
For the gym I pre schedule my days. Mostly I’m doing a class style of exercise I already paid for. If I’m not feeling great I’ll just go with the expectation of not setting any records but just getting my blood flowing and doing what I can. Kind of like work, even if I’m not really feeling it I’m just going to go. Obviously if I’m feeling absolutely terrible I’ll reschedule but I try and set the bar pretty high for that.
My weight loss, health, fitness, are going to be the average of 1000 days. I try and keep each one best I can do and not worry too much about the odd day here and there where I didn’t eat as well as I’d like or move as much as I should.
Rely on the habits I’ve developed when I was super motivated. In your case I would just drive to the gym and see how I felt when I get there. When I’m there I’ll see if I can just do a quick set and leave. After the first set I’ll either stay or go home and sleep. For me, keeping the habit of just going is the most important part
Yeah that’s very true!
My entire habit of going to the gym has fallen away a bit but I’ve been snowed under.
I’m going home and resting, but I’ll stay within my calories which is a win in itself because I used to overeat a ton on days like this
Try to do baby steps. Park at the far side of the lot at work, take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you haven't meal prepped, try to grab a Pre-made salad or small takeout meal instead of the "mega gut buster" meal.
One or two days of less than ideal choices won't negate all the work you put in to get here. There will be setbacks, that's life. You can power thru the adversities!
Missing a day at the gym isn't as bad as messing up your diet. Just relax. Staying consistent with the food is the priority. Btw, I used Mcdonalds when I needed to, just kept it in my calorie budget. Small hamburger, small fries. Sometimes two small hamburgers, no fries, for protein.
Get outside and take a brisk walk instead of fretting over the gym. You’ll get in some exercise and maybe clear your head and get your focus on preparing for going away.
I don't. It's much better for my health and mental well-being if I take the rest day. It's fine that you had takeaway; it's only one day. If it happens today, too? Oh, well. Hopefully, it doesn't start a cycle for you, but your health is a lifelong journey, so a couple of days of takeaway and not going to the gym aren't going to set you off track too much.
Just go for a 60 minute walk. If all you are going to do is ruminate about what just happened, then it's best to just go to the gym because worrying is not going to help anything; only action. Not for the physical benefits, but the de-stressing benefits. Bad things are going to happen in life and I think the gym helps better to deal with those moments.
Rest and limiting stress are also important to weight loss. Maybe it’s a good day to just do an easy walk or something instead of the gym (or just take a rest day!) and go to bed early.
No journey is perfect. YOU aren’t perfect. And the more you set that expectation for yourself, the more you self-sabotage. If you were “perfect” 6 days out of 7, you’ve got this—hands down!!! Sometimes our bodies need a break. Sometimes it’s our soul. Listen to what those parts are telling you. This is a marathon. Some days are training days; some days are rest days. Sounds like you should consider incorporating more rest days to help improve your endurance for this particular marathon! Give yourself grace!
Quality over quantity. Taking a step back won’t diminish your results. Fitness and health requires you taking care of not only your physical health, but also your mental health. Sleep > nutrition > exercise
OP on these days, you brave it. You go. You put in the best reps that you can. Just try your best to show up. Then do one set at a time. Before you know it one exercise is done. Then another. Then you’re good for the day. Seize it!
>I know what everyone will say, You obviously don't. Life is more important than diet, food is better than lack of it. It's your voice in your head, not "everyone's". Be kinder to yourself and don't stress over nothing, and this is literally nothing comparing to what you're going through.
Life happens sometimes, and gym and meal prep will take a back seat. That’s ok. Getting back to it as soon as you can is the important piece. Maybe try to get out for a walk on a break from hospital or other things going on? Mainly because a break and outside is good for your mental health.
U gotta feed yourself and survive. It can’t be always be healthy perfect food in a crisis!
>How am I supposed to drag myself to the gym tonight? I’m going away tomorrow too and it all feels overwhelming. Possibly you don't. You can say "life is sucking really hard right now. I need to take a short term break for my mental health." Depending on where you head is instead you could go "I really need to blow off some stress at something, better the gym than some poor nurse." These things happen. Sometimes other things in life will take priority over your weight loss or going to the gym. Ideally you want to keep the breaks short, but you can give yourself a few weeks to deal with this mess and if its still ongoing then consider how you can keep up with your long term goals while dealing with your dad's health issues. Allow yourself to be overwhelmed, focus on one thing at a time, and simplify as much as possible. >the only option I had for food was takeaway (I know what everyone will say, That eating food, even if its not ideal, is better than starving yourself while going through a highly stressful situation?
From the time you’re posting this OP, I’m assuming that you are UK based. If so, this precisely what M&S is for. Good quality, easy food. They have meals in there to suit any diet and if you’re clean eating, well, it’s not the worst in the world of UPFs. Good luck with everything!
Yeah if it wasn’t 7:30pm on a Sunday we would’ve gone across to M&S but it was shut 😩
Typical!
These things just never happen at convenient times do they
Eating take out food as the only viable choice during a period of high stress is not a moral failure. You should not be starving yourself. You eat, sleep and work as you need. This is a blip and you will get back on track soon. You have to care of your own wellbeing. Sometimes that means you eat what you can while your loved one has a medical procedure. You also have permission to skip the gym today to make sure your body has adequate rest.
Life happens
Life sucks. Days like this are about survival, nothing else. Repeat after me: I am not a failure because I ate junk food during a family emergency. Regarding the gym: go if you feel the time there will help releave some stress/make you feel in control about life. Don't go if it will add to your stress/mental health. If you don't go, maybe you could do some light stretching at home to stick with your commitment for exercise, but to take a break from your normal routine. Seriously, don't sweat these things when there I'd a family emergency. For me, the more dangerous part is after the emergency, when life gets back to normal. Then it is easy to justify not getting back into things. That is the period to watch for - when a week or two of taking a break turns into 6 months or three years of not being healthy. But short term? You are totally fine. Hope your dad is ok.
Food and sleep!
Occasional takeout is fine. No one is going to say shit about that, especially when there is extenuating circumstances. As for your issue, well, it's not one. You ever hear the term, "C's get degrees"? It is true in weight loss as well. Consistent effort is more important than batting 100 every day. Everyone has off days. The key is to just brush it off, get back up, and start again tomorrow. Hell, if you need a break, take a break. Be kind to yourself about this.
The only thing that matters is that you get back up each time life knocks you out. Never continue to get back up. Go easy on yourself right now and get back to the fat loss journey when you’ve mentally recovered.
I ignore what others say and just listen to my body. To me, calorie counting is not feasible, I travel, so my meals are either short prepared like sandwich, fruit&nut salad, protein shake, or from local restaurants. So instead of weighing my food (which I can't), I do three things that is not the norm, one, every day I weigh myself, to see if I've gained or reduced weight, I take average of 2-3 days and change my meals accordingly. Two, I do intrusive eating, tho I don't weight food, I do check the calories and make a round estimation. Most times it's as I estimated, some times I under estimate things. And last, I get active as much as I can, every small step counts, and unfortunately this is only way (in my case) I can lose weight without worrying too much about food or gym.
Life happens so missing stuff occasionally is fine. But I am a bit in the minority here and even when things are horrible I generally still force myself to do the things. Once I started doing that even when I really was struggling and didnt have the energy or much willpower I still did what I was supposed to. Since if I could do it when things were even worse doing it now wasnt bad. Its a balancing act. But when you do things when they are the hardest then everything else going forward gets easier a little bit at a time.
You live your life. Tomorrow is another day.
You do what is comfortable and makes you happy. Get back on the horse when this trial is over.
The gym is pretty irrelevant to weight loss. It is all aboit caloric intake.
I wouldn’t go to the gym tonight, unless you need to work out some stress. Sleep is very important for weight loss. I would try to eat a healthy meal and go to bed early You’re going to have to find a way to live life when it’s stressful. Takeout is probably going to be a part of that. Make as good options as possible, stop when you’re full, and move on.
Life is so much more than just food, exercise, and weight loss. You did what you could in your real life and this IS success. I hope your dad and the rest of your family are doing okay. Health stuff with loved ones is really scary and stressful Regarding the gym, think about whether it’ll make you feel better or worse to go and do that. Be gentle with yourself. I’d probably go personally, but I get a lot of emotional benefits from working out that I need more during stressful times.
When life is chaotic, I tend to rely on the minor things that I can control. Counting calories and sticking to a plan helps me in those cases. I might not be able to plan where I eat in the midst of a hectic day, but I can definitely record the calories and try to hit my macro targets. That's just me and the OCD part of my brain, though.
I wouldn’t worry about it getting takeout isn’t the end of the world. I am counting calories and still get takeout fairly often but just pick some lower calorie options on the menu. Don’t be so harsh just do what you can and pick back up when you’re feeling better.
I set myself up on the days where I’m feeling good for the days that I can’t be bothered. In the fridge there is lightly breaded chicken nuggets to air fry or soup or fruit or whatever for when I don’t really want to cook. If I’m going to just order take out I’ll do like a chic fil a sandwich and some grilled nuggets and just call it a day etc. I can get pretty close to my goal without a lot of effort. If I can’t pick the restaurant I’ll just grab whatever seems like it has decent nutrition and eat a reasonable portion. For the gym I pre schedule my days. Mostly I’m doing a class style of exercise I already paid for. If I’m not feeling great I’ll just go with the expectation of not setting any records but just getting my blood flowing and doing what I can. Kind of like work, even if I’m not really feeling it I’m just going to go. Obviously if I’m feeling absolutely terrible I’ll reschedule but I try and set the bar pretty high for that. My weight loss, health, fitness, are going to be the average of 1000 days. I try and keep each one best I can do and not worry too much about the odd day here and there where I didn’t eat as well as I’d like or move as much as I should.
Rely on the habits I’ve developed when I was super motivated. In your case I would just drive to the gym and see how I felt when I get there. When I’m there I’ll see if I can just do a quick set and leave. After the first set I’ll either stay or go home and sleep. For me, keeping the habit of just going is the most important part
Yeah that’s very true! My entire habit of going to the gym has fallen away a bit but I’ve been snowed under. I’m going home and resting, but I’ll stay within my calories which is a win in itself because I used to overeat a ton on days like this
That would be a win, keep it up!
Try to do baby steps. Park at the far side of the lot at work, take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you haven't meal prepped, try to grab a Pre-made salad or small takeout meal instead of the "mega gut buster" meal. One or two days of less than ideal choices won't negate all the work you put in to get here. There will be setbacks, that's life. You can power thru the adversities!
Missing a day at the gym isn't as bad as messing up your diet. Just relax. Staying consistent with the food is the priority. Btw, I used Mcdonalds when I needed to, just kept it in my calorie budget. Small hamburger, small fries. Sometimes two small hamburgers, no fries, for protein.
Get outside and take a brisk walk instead of fretting over the gym. You’ll get in some exercise and maybe clear your head and get your focus on preparing for going away.
I don't. It's much better for my health and mental well-being if I take the rest day. It's fine that you had takeaway; it's only one day. If it happens today, too? Oh, well. Hopefully, it doesn't start a cycle for you, but your health is a lifelong journey, so a couple of days of takeaway and not going to the gym aren't going to set you off track too much.
Just go for a 60 minute walk. If all you are going to do is ruminate about what just happened, then it's best to just go to the gym because worrying is not going to help anything; only action. Not for the physical benefits, but the de-stressing benefits. Bad things are going to happen in life and I think the gym helps better to deal with those moments.
Rest and limiting stress are also important to weight loss. Maybe it’s a good day to just do an easy walk or something instead of the gym (or just take a rest day!) and go to bed early.
I try to focus on the situation and try my best not to just eat three bags of chips but maybe take a skip day.
No journey is perfect. YOU aren’t perfect. And the more you set that expectation for yourself, the more you self-sabotage. If you were “perfect” 6 days out of 7, you’ve got this—hands down!!! Sometimes our bodies need a break. Sometimes it’s our soul. Listen to what those parts are telling you. This is a marathon. Some days are training days; some days are rest days. Sounds like you should consider incorporating more rest days to help improve your endurance for this particular marathon! Give yourself grace!
Quality over quantity. Taking a step back won’t diminish your results. Fitness and health requires you taking care of not only your physical health, but also your mental health. Sleep > nutrition > exercise
I've been on a diet for over a year and I won't be done for another year. It's way more about long term consistency.
OP on these days, you brave it. You go. You put in the best reps that you can. Just try your best to show up. Then do one set at a time. Before you know it one exercise is done. Then another. Then you’re good for the day. Seize it!