Procrastination halt. Mercy meet Mercy.

[MercyMe101]

Hey I'm Mercy, 

 

Currently a big procrastinator.

I've been up and down on my weight for the past 7 years.

In high school I was very active, played basketball, walked everywhere I went, bike riding, running, you name it I was doing it. I tore my ACL and that changed everything. Now it feels scary to do any type of physical activity I don't want to have to go through that again.

 

When I got to college, the beer, alcohol, fast food, late night studies... they all contributed to my "FRESHMAN 15," which over the years has turned into a 72lb weight gain. 

 

I've tried to start working out and clean eating but it seems as though procrastination always wins. 

If I do start it ends within a month. 

 

I've tried a couple of things, and I don't think these were things I should have tried to begin with:

• Nuts & Fruit diet w/ 2 hours cardio every day (College Freshmen, worked for 1 month, lost a lot of weight...almost sickly looking)
• Herbal life diet w/2 hours cardio every day (lost 20lbs, ate minimal amount of food)
• ITWORKS wraps (it didn't work!)
• A bunch of different diet pills (can't name them all.)

So... I think we can all agree that its time to move past the gimmicks. 

I'm hoping that the Rebellion can help me, I would love to meet new people, that are interested in improving their life like me. 

Hopefully find people in my area that I could also workout with (Not in a gym, I really don't like being in gyms) but, in other ways like bike riding, rock climbing, Muay Thai, all that fun stuff. 

 

I really need to lose the weight, and experience new things. 

I want to find myself, you know the real me that's been hiding under a rock. 

SO this is my journey to meet myself.

 

Look forward to meeting you all, and hopefully being able to provide a support system for others as well.

 

[BarrensChat]

I empathize with you about wanting to turn things around and have new experiences. While I don't necessarily think being in good physical shape is mandatory, it's part of not being a dissolute wastrel.

 

Most of my adult life, I had more than procrastination - severe avolition. It's been a lifelong companion because I'm a hedonist and nihilist at heart and don't put much stock in things like raising a family or making a lot more money than I need. But I'm also very set in my habits, good and bad, and put a lot of value in order and sameness. When I realized I'm going on 27, have achieved little and won't be young for much longer, it was an 'oh shit' moment. I'm using that angst as an impetus to make some significant changes. I've decided to give a more active lifestyle a chance until age 35, so there's a definite deadline which makes it easier to push through in the short and long term. If on my 35th birthday I'm disappointed at how my efforts turned out, I can go back to my binging ways. Maybe you could use the same method - and of course, don't start tomorrow. Start today, if only with something small. Not just planning, that doesn't count.

 

If like me you have a very rigid mind that values stability above all, you can use that to your advantage, again with some mental techniques. Once you've established some good habits, they'll work for you and you'll never dare to change them for fear of sliding back into depravity. Personally, I find I have to be extra-strict with myself to make this work. It starts in the morning and ends when I go to bed, because temptation is everywhere. Just don't bite off more than you can chew at first, that's how you cook up a hard crash. Remember, every morning is a new chance to get it right. Black-and-white thinking is mandatory, as is punctuality. You must eat exactly this much, and no earlier than exactly that time. Anything else invites temptation, which is always a slippery slope.

 

When it comes to dealing with slips, a bit of catastrophizing is useful - be genuinely afraid of failing to meet your goals for the day. If you slip, whip yourself mentally by thinking of how much you have been set back. Then resolve to get it right the next day. Above all, avoid 'it's ok this time, I'll make up for it by fasting starting tomorrow' type of thinking. It's the worst kind of procrastination. Anyway, if you have a set schedule with fixed goals, changing it drastically to make up for previous days is not an option. Once you mess up, some of your potential is gone forever. Remember that, make it a mantra. 

 

That's what I'm using right now and it's working; I'm seeing results and there's no chance of regression because it's not making me miserable. I'm not crazy enough to quit sugar cold-turkey and sweets still make up a large part of my caloric intake. But everything I can do, I do, and I'm seeing results on a daily basis. Not only on weight, but more importantly, on discipline and self-control. It's getting easier and I know that if I stick with it, it'll become an entrenched habit that is hard to break. I can't say how many people are as hardcore rigid as I am, but if you are, this is probably the way to go. It may be stressful at first but once the habits are established and you're sufficiently averse to changing them, you'll think nothing of it anymore. Bottom line, the key is psychological manipulation. Play on your fears and hopes, make failure unthinkable, do whatever it takes to set up those habits and then cling to them for dear life.