150lbs + To lose. How to stay motivated for that incredible journey?

1992mittens13

Just wondering how some fellow 150lbs+ friends, who have lost or are on the journey to lose, have gotten, and stayed motivated? It just seems like such a HUGE number, and it will take a long time to reach.

snowflake930

I have lost over 160 pounds. Do not focus on the end, look at it one day at a time. Log everything you eat and drink and try to stay at a deficit. It will happen. Pretty soon you will see progress, and that motivates you to stay with it. Come to MFP and read the success stories for inspiration and motivation. Take note of all of your NSV's along the way. Every small victory will add up and move you closer to your goal. Patience and perseverance. Get support from where ever you can get it. If I can do this, anyone can!

sympha01

Just realizing that and knowing that you have to come to terms with it is half the battle, honestly. I have a fit and healthy friend who -- bless her! -- never used to judge or nag me about my weight, although I know it bothered her to see me so unhealthy at my "super morbidly obese" weight. Once I had lost enough weight for her to see it, we talked about it a little. I remember the look on her face -- a huge lightbulb going off, actually -- when I said something about how I can't even imagine what it must be like to need to lose just 20 lbs. "I mean, to be able to approach this without the handicap of knowing it's going to take YEARS. That was a huge obstacle to my getting started. Because I didn't think I could face years of this." It had never occurred to her what a huge issue that is for anyone who has a lot of weight to lose.

My advice is

1. Be gentle with yourself. When setting your calorie goals at the beginning, don't be too restrictive. Sure you're all motivated at the beginning and you think "the faster the better," but you'll burn out your motivation faster too. The more you're eating, the easier it is to feel committed to the program. If you feel like you're eating an enjoyable diet, you'll stay motivated much better. And frankly, none of us got 150+ pounds overweight by eating a reasonable number of calories -- getting the calorie count down to a reasonable number will be a big difference and it will work.
2. Give yourself lots of easy wins. Short term goals are better than long-term ones, because you'll succeed at them sooner, and over and over again. But don't get anxious because you don't lose weight one week or two. Bodies don't work like that.
3. And when setting your goals, focus more on the process than on results. By that I mean, try to focus more on the goal of making new healthy habits than on the pounds lost. Decide what habits you want to change, how you're going to change them, and make a plan for gradual improvement. Start by focussing more on the goal of tracking accurately, honestly and consistently every day than on meeting your calorie goal. Once you've established the tracking habit, then it's about meeting calorie goals consistently. Once you have a handle on your calorie goals, maybe it's about starting an exercise habit. Focus on these things more than on losing a certain amount of weight each week or each month. The weight matters, but really if you get your habits truly under control, the weight will follow. And meanwhile you'll be filling your motivational bank with win after win after win.
4. Learn to love to cook if you don't already. I've been losing weight for 16 months and I still get excited about cooking new healthy recipes all the time. My food is interesting and delicious, so I don't feel deprived.
5. Don't totally eliminate delicious food from your life. A lot of people make this mistake. They "give up" sweets or alcohol or bread or butter or all of the above, whatever. "Giving up" something you love will only make you want it more. You'll find yourself fantasizing about how you're going to love eating that stuff when your diet is over. And guess what? That kind of thinking leads directly to your diet being over a lot sooner. Instead, establish a plan for how to include your favorite foods in moderation as a treat while meeting your calorie goals. If you love pizza, maybe you get a slice of pizza (logged, of course) every other Friday for dinner. Sure you'll have to compensate somehow to accommodate the pizza, but damn you'll enjoy it.

TheSatinPumpkin

Its long term so just take it one day at a time. Also soak up the milestones and success threads for some external motivation.

mamadon

sympha01 wrote: »

Just realizing that and knowing that you have to come to terms with it is half the battle, honestly. I have a fit and healthy friend who -- bless her! -- never used to judge or nag me about my weight, although I know it bothered her to see me so unhealthy at my "super morbidly obese" weight. Once I had lost enough weight for her to see it, we talked about it a little. I remember the look on her face -- a huge lightbulb going off, actually -- when I said something about how I can't even imagine what it must be like to need to lose just 20 lbs. "I mean, to be able to approach this without the handicap of knowing it's going to take YEARS. That was a huge obstacle to my getting started. Because I didn't think I could face years of this." It had never occurred to her what a huge issue that is for anyone who has a lot of weight to lose.

My advice is

1. Be gentle with yourself. When setting your calorie goals at the beginning, don't be too restrictive. Sure you're all motivated at the beginning and you think "the faster the better," but you'll burn out your motivation faster too. The more you're eating, the easier it is to feel committed to the program. If you feel like you're eating an enjoyable diet, you'll stay motivated much better. And frankly, none of us got 150+ pounds overweight by eating a reasonable number of calories -- getting the calorie count down to a reasonable number will be a big difference and it will work.
2. Give yourself lots of easy wins. Short term goals are better than long-term ones, because you'll succeed at them sooner, and over and over again. But don't get anxious because you don't lose weight one week or two. Bodies don't work like that.
3. And when setting your goals, focus more on the process than on results. By that I mean, try to focus more on the goal of making new healthy habits than on the pounds lost. Decide what habits you want to change, how you're going to change them, and make a plan for gradual improvement. Start by focussing more on the goal of tracking accurately, honestly and consistently every day than on meeting your calorie goal. Once you've established the tracking habit, then it's about meeting calorie goals consistently. Once you have a handle on your calorie goals, maybe it's about starting an exercise habit. Focus on these things more than on losing a certain amount of weight each week or each month. The weight matters, but really if you get your habits truly under control, the weight will follow. And meanwhile you'll be filling your motivational bank with win after win after win.
4. Learn to love to cook if you don't already. I've been losing weight for 16 months and I still get excited about cooking new healthy recipes all the time. My food is interesting and delicious, so I don't feel deprived.
5. Don't totally eliminate delicious food from your life. A lot of people make this mistake. They "give up" sweets or alcohol or bread or butter or all of the above, whatever. "Giving up" something you love will only make you want it more. You'll find yourself fantasizing about how you're going to love eating that stuff when your diet is over. And guess what? That kind of thinking leads directly to your diet being over a lot sooner. Instead, establish a plan for how to include your favorite foods in moderation as a treat while meeting your calorie goals. If you love pizza, maybe you get a slice of pizza (logged, of course) every other Friday for dinner. Sure you'll have to compensate somehow to accommodate the pizza, but damn you'll enjoy it.

This is excellent advice. I lost 124 pounds and my husband 127. Yes, it can be overwhelming, but you just take it a day at a time, sometimes a minute at a time. Make sure you eat the correct amount of calories, this means also not eating too low, this will cause you to burn out and quit. Weigh and measure all your food, (get a food scale). Remember, there are no "bad" foods. Anything in moderation.

EndBlaze

Hey, I've also started a weight loss journey recently - been at it for almost a month now. Every day I feel more and more confident that I can achieve it, that I can stick with it, even though it'll probably be long and uphill. Here are couple things that seem to be working for me:

- Start slow - Don't try to turn your lifestyle 180 overnight. Very few people have the strength to make an instant, drastic change and succeed. I've tried it numerous times - started going to the gym, swimming, eating at a deficit, denying myself some foods - all at once. I'ld start seeing results, but my willpower would only last for so long. Eventually I'ld give up one of those for a day, then two, then a week, finally giving up completely.
This time around I'm taking it slow - over last six month I tried to slowly start eating healthier - didn't count calories, didn't deny myself anything, just a general goal of eating better. Now, I'm again steering clear from stuff like soda, sweets etc. Not because I force myself to avoid them, but because I don't really feel the urge to eat them. Walking past all those when shopping without any cravings feels awesome.
Once that became natural, I started slowly adding physical activity. Mid-October I started working out - first 3 days a week, then more and more. At first I had to force myself to do it, but slowly it started feeling like my body demands that, without any extra convincing. Now I'm in Week 2 of T25, really looking forward to each workout, every day trying to do it better. I'm also trying to be bit more active during the day.
My next goal is to properly count calories, but again I feel like starting it slow and easy will be better for me long-term.

- Ask yourself what's your REAL goal - I've decided this time my goal is not a certain number on the scale - At the end of this journey I want to be fit, healthy and happy, have a body that helps me live to the fullest instead of standing in my way. I want my weight, clothes I fit etc. to be additional benefits, not the goal itself.

- Notice small things - Don't let yourself obsess over a single number. Even if the scale says you're getting little to no results - don't let it discourage you. Take time to notice and acknowledge all the small positive changes - each one is a victory that will keep you motivated. If you notice you feel bit better, have more energy, want to be just a bit more active without forcing yourself to it - all those are already victories, no matter what your scale says. Today, for the first time in my life I decided to try salmon and loved it. Just a small victory that I'm very happy about.

I realize what I wrote here is very similar to what sympha01 posted, hopefully my perspective will help you a bit

chy82

I think one of the most important things is surrounding people that support your journey. This whole journey is long and trying and having people that respect your goals and that you can go to if you need reassurance or guidance is a lifesaver. I have been up and down on the weightless journey for the last few years. I joined a very supportive group that has kept me motivated and helps me feel more accountable for my own choices. I have done really well with my goals since I joined.

Good luck with your journey. Also here are some ideas that I came across earlier today.

http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/weight-loss/motivation/3-tips-stay-committed-goals?ICID=CT_BLOG_STAY_COMMITTED

lynder64

Some great advice... :-)

Sandra37405

Remember that you are establishing a new life style. The weight loss will follow. Even when I had weeks where I lost zero pounds I was happy that I felt good every day that wasn't spent stuffed and bloated. Hang in there day by day and there is a healthier you in the future.

radiosilents

I have 200+ pounds to lose, and have lost just over 50 of that so far. It does get overwhelming, doesn't it? But I'd like to echo what has already been said here. I want this to be the LAST time I have to do this after a lifetime of yo-yoing, which got me to 372 in the first place. I have a blog if you'd like to read along: http://amytenpercent.blogspot.com, but here's what my approach has been in a nutshell.

• Plan for the long haul – take it slow and steady. Like others have said, don't try to do everything at once. Establish new habits as you can handle them. I started out going to a gym for a while, and then adding on the food stuff. You could do it the other way around. You could start just going on short walks to start. It doesn't have to be huge.

• Don't deprive yourself. Make whatever you want to eat work within your (reasonable) parameters. I don't have any forbidden foods, except that I try to avoid true junk just because it is gross. I guess I side with Michael Pollan here. I read labels a lot (not just for cals) and try to avoid stuff that has ingredients I don't recognize. I have cut down considerably on the "white" stuff, though not cut it out completely. These are things important to me, but may not be to someone else.

• Log your food every day, and be honest.

• I weigh every day because I am a data junkie and it keeps me on track. Not everyone can remove the emotional value from this, though – it is still hard for me, sometimes, too, but in the end it's just data.

• Get support from your doctor, who hopefully doesn't fat shame and will be a team player with you.

• Take your measurements!

• Blogging really helps me process the process.

• Set goals, but not deadlines.

• Enjoy yourself and know that everything you're doing for yourself is benefitting you, even if it doesn't show up on the scale right away. Keep up the good habits – the scale will follow eventually.

Good luck! We can do this!

DevilsNegu

I love all this advice!! It has been hard to make a lifestyle change.