Almost everyone quits losing weight
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I AM strong.
Don't care why others quit, its not my business.
I WILL stick with it, because I kick a**!0 -
Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Why do you think others quit?
What makes you different?
1. It's not about being strong - it's about focusing on what matters. Took me to age 53 to figure it out. It is all in the daily / hourly minute by minute focusing on my goal of better fitness.
2. I don't know about others. For me, it was just being in denial.
3. What made it different for me for the last three years and counting (maintaining a 46 pound weight loss)... is I want to live and feel good about life. And not comparing myself to others, just being me.
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GuitarJerry wrote: »I think most people fail because they rely on motivation. Motivation is fleeing. In the end, those who make it, and keep it off, tend to be people that are disciplined. Discipline and habit tend to last a lifetime. Motivation comes and goes so quickly. No one is motivated to get up everyday at 4am and go to the gym, however, some people are disciplined enough to do it, even when it's the last thing in the world they want to do. It's really more of a habit and complete lifestyle change...and when I say lifestyle change, I mean a real one. Not just a change for a couple weeks. But, where you stick to it, basically, for the rest of your life.
this x10. do the ish you need to do...no bellyaching - remove the emotion - just get it done.0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »I AM strong.
Don't care why others quit, its not my business.
I WILL stick with it, because I kick a**!
Yes, that's the spirit! To be strong, resolute, super motivated and focused at all times.
And to have a firm plan in place for the post weight-loss period, i.e a cast-iron Maintenance Plan. In 2006, I lost 55 lbs but gained the weight back within 18 months because I had no firm MP in place. In the first part of 2014, I lost 80 lbs (from 223 lb down to 143) but have managed to stay at the same weight in the last 6 months thanks to a solid MP.
I'd also like to stress that a big weight-loss prog, say over 40-50 lbs, should be viewed as a big chance to change your lifestyle for good, especially your eating habits. To be successful (after having been obese/grossly overweight), one should completely rethink their rapport to food (and to health - and, to a lesser degree, to exercise).
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I'm too addicted to how good exercise feels and how good I feel with a smaller and toned body. Plus seeing people with health problems because of weight/made worse by weight is enough to put me off ever being overweight again!0
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Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Because sticking to it doesn't require me to be strong.Why do you think others quit?
Because they never address their behaviour and habits on a fundamental levelWhat makes you different?
because I have addressed my behaviour and habits on a fundamental level
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Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
I don't feel like I'm strong, I've just learnt a new habit and I'm happy with it so I'll keep doing it.
I don't focus on losing weight any more as I've got my logging and eating patterns down and I'm on 0.5lbs a week loss now - my goal is currently to master the pull-up, cos I've got push-ups down now and can take my 13 year old on... OK I still lose but he's pre-pubescent and pushing zero body-weight (maybe a minor goal is to beat him).. I still rock it.Why do you think others quit?
Don't know, I assume because they get tied up in the minutae, with gimmicks and fads and exclusions and it becomes a great effort of willpower rather than a 'this is just me'What makes you different?
I'm a special snowflake
always have been, always will be 0 -
quit because of lack of knowledge or the fact that iam just really not ready ,but now i have the knowledge and i am fully ready so the pounds are just poppin off losing between 5-8 lbs per month0
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Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Why do you think others quit?
What makes you different?
I was pretty sure I'd fail but that was 10 years ago. Over two or so years I lost 100 pounds and 8 years later I have kept it off. I think most people quit because they aren't really ready, I know I quit more than a few times. I have the right mindset and determination to stay healthy and happy. Maybe what makes me different is I never looked at this as a diet, I knew it was a life change I was making. People have often said well now that you're done but the fact is I'll never be done. After getting to my goal I simply transitioned into maintenance which is a whole new journey. I think maintenance is where it gets truly hard and a lot of people simply aren't prepared to tow the line.0 -
Its hard to really nail down what was different this time - but I think it boils down to realizing a) I'm lazy by nature and b) once I admitted that to myself it became a choice. And I choose to be a more active version of me - I'm liking the results. Not just in terms of being at a new weight, but my energy level and feeling better overall.Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Why do you think others quit?
What makes you different?
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Many quit because they over complicate the HELL out of their weight loss journey. It becomes to much and it's easier to quit.0
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I don't know if I'm different, or if I will be different, I don't know if I will regain the weight or not, but what I know is that I have found my groove and for the first time in my life have been able to lose weight. 100 pounds down and 2 years later I'm still losing. I don't know what that means in terms of my future weight, all I know is that I like it so far!0
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There's no way to say I won't, or you won't, or anyone won't slip back in to old habits. I got to the size I was by having incorrect information and understanding of food, and by failing to take care of myself and control depressive/anxious episodes.
I have the right information now. And I understand how my self-care ties into my anxiety. So I just trust that it'll be enough to keep me in control.
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joaniee2003 wrote: »I'm so scared I will lose motivation and quit or quit because I hate compliments from strangers.
I have found I self-sabatoge myself due to this. I've been at this for 2 years, have lost 70 lbs, and am half way to my goal but have been sitting here for a year because of the unwanted attention it draws. I don't like attention, I would rather not be noticed but people have noticed and it makes me uncomfortable. As soon as I can deal with those issues, I know I will be able to complete this journey.
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Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Why do you think others quit?
What makes you different?
I have no doubt I will quit losing weight, otherwise I would die.
But, I also don't have high hopes for keeping the weight off long term without having to 'diet' again. I am not giving up on the idea, but I'm older and have done this several times. In fact, the only way I've avoided obesity is by periodic dieting. I am only different from those that gain back more than they lose.0 -
1. I don't think I'm 'staying strong'. I think that I've learned many things about health and weight loss that I didn't know before - which is why I've managed to actually lose and maintain a healthy weight.
2. I think others don't manage to stick with it because they haven't learned the things about health and fitness and weight that they need to make themselves successful... and most don't know that they don't know, so they aren't looking for the information. Once they find it, they'll be successful too (I hope).
3. The thing that makes me different is the fact that I actually know what I'm doing with my health now. I have goals and I actually know how to achieve them. I am so thankful I found MFP. Once I actually started using it, losing weight was easy, maintaining a healthy weight was easy, getting into fitness was easy... because so many people here have BTDT, and are incredibly willing to help others. I'm grateful for the 'mean' MFP users who share their information - even if it feels like a kick in the gut sometimes. They are the reason I have succeeded, and the reason I know the things I needed to know in order to maintain better health.0 -
This is my first time trying to lose weight, so I have no yard stick to measure my success or chance of failure by. So far I've lost almost 65 pounds. I feel like I'm going to be able to eat how I'm eating for the rest of my life, so I don't really see a huge issue there. I enjoy my exercises, so that's good. I understand a lot more about nutrition and my body than I did before I started, which is another plus.
I guess I'm not really allowing failure to be a option in my future. I don't want to become a statistic. I'm going to be the girl that decided to lose 85 pounds, and then did. And kept it off.0 -
Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it? I have already lost more than half the weight I want to lose....NOT giving up this time!! I know that food and body image will always be somewhat of a struggle for me, but I've come so far and become so strong that I know I can certainly maintain my new healthy lifestyle.
Why do you think others quit? Not patient enough-- losing weight isn't something that happens overnight, in a week, or even a month. Its takes time. You have to work for it- exercise and eat healthy!!
What makes you different? I am ME!! Doing my own thing!! They say eat 3 meals a day, or 5 small portions!! I'm breaking the rules...lol...just listening to my body and eating when I'm hungry and snacking on veggies and fruits if I feel I need it!!
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I've stuck with it for years, so I don't see myself changing. I had a temporary blip when I was 26/27 when I did my teacher training and I was so busy and stressed that I slacked off from the gym for a bit, but I got back into it, and I didn't exercise much in my 2nd pregnancy, but I exercised through my first and third pregnancies, and I was back at the gym 5+ times a week after my 6 week check with all 3 of my babies. My youngest is now 7 months and I have no plans to quit anytime soon!
I've always had to exercise a lot to be slim so it's a good thing I enjoy exercise. It's just part of my life.
I suppose others quit because they're not really committed to it, or because they restrict calories too much. Not everyone is bothered if they put on a little weight. Just because I love exercise I don't assume that everyone is the same.
I don't know what makes me different. Very strong willpower?0 -
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I will keep it simple! Failure to change daily habits and create new ones. If a new person comes to MFP and uses all the tools provided to them to develop a life style change based knowledge gained by studying what constitutes a healthy body they will stick with it. It seems a good majority of those who come to MFP have one objective in mind and that is to lose weight only.**
The successful people are those who have made a permanent modification to their life style in the areas of sleep, exercise, mental rest,water, nutritious food and a positive mental attitude toward healthy living with moderation.
**Assumption based on the various blogs.0 -
I'm 40. I've been on and off diets since I was 8. With a few bouts of various sorts of disordered eating in there too for good measure. So this is not my first ride on this pony. But I think I might stick with it this time. I lost quite a lot of weight a few years ago, and never went back to anywhere near the weight I started out at. That's pretty encouraging.
THIS time round, I've learned to have a meal off, not a day off. This time round I've learned to start again immediately when I fall off the pony. This time round, I've found a way of exercising that I enjoy and look forward to, instead of it feeling like punishment. And it's become such a part of my routine that no matter how blergh I feel, not going to the gym is going to make me feel worse than staying home. ( I usually tell myself on blergh days that I'll just put my kit on. After making that effort, I find I might as well go lift some damn weights.) This time, I'm at a point in my life where I've learned to accept myself, with all my faults, but still constantly strive to do better. I'm also wiser and less stupid, so I'm approaching this with kindness and a sensible attitude.
Also I'm sort of competing with someone else, for the first time ever, and it turns out that I'm pretty damn competitive. :-)
And I'm not even more motivated than I've ever been before - I started with just moving more about 18 months ago, and I've built up a comfy momentum that feels easy to sustain.
I think others quit because they want quick fixes. So they make it way too hard on themselves. I think there's a perception that dieting has to feel like suffering - if you don't hate it, it can't be working.
Now that I've worked out that eating lots of protein stops me wanting to overeat, I can see how the way I ate before, both on and off diets, was very like feeding an addiction, kicking it, and then getting hooked all over again, every day. I think lots of people who will start in January and fail will not be paying attention to their macros, will be trying gimmicky diets that aren't sustainable. They'll beat themselves up when they fail, and decide, even unconsciously, that it's easier to just not try. Then there's that whole "start again Monday" mentality that leads to binges, and the yo-yo dieting cycle.
I'm not different from anyone else. If I was, I wouldn't have been trying to get fit and healthy for 32 years. But I've learned and developed so that I have a better chance of getting to where I want to be. This time.0 -
We're finite beings. Almost everything we do ends sooner or later.
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dangie2002 wrote: »You are right, in the past, I'd get only so far and quit. I'd get frustrated, tired of depriving myself of what I wanted. What makes it different this time? I've come to realize I'm an emotional eater and binger. I'm learning to love me which means I need to show myself I love myself by making choices that will help me and not hurt me. So far, I'm in uncharted territory, most weight loss ever, longest consistent commitment to exercise ever, learning that all foods are permissible but not necessarily beneficial. If I want chocolate, I have a piece, not the whole bag. Everything in moderation. I've also discovered a joy with exercising, especially weight training. I've come to realize that this is my life, not a temporary fix. If I stop, I will be right back where I was before I started this journey 2 years ago.
Yep. This. All of it. I have chocolate in my house. Some of it has been there for weeks. WEEKS!! I can have one piece and walk away. For someone who has never had disordered eating, this may seem like a silly thing to get excited about, but bloody hell, this is exciting me. It's like I've developed a super power!
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I think people quit because they're simply not ready. I've quit countless times before. This time, even though I'm only a couple of months in, it just feels different. Feels like a lifestyle change, not a diet, and I feel like it's just obvious that I'm going to stick with it, no question.
All those times in the past, I think I wanted the result but I didn't want the process. This time, I've turned the process into the goal, and it just feels like it's working.
But ultimately, motivation comes from within. I couldn't tell you why I wasn't ready then or why I'm ready now. And I couldn't apply it to anyone else's experiences. Just my own.0 -
I am one of those people that quit...a couple of times. It was always for a different reason. Once it was because my diet was too restrictive and made me miserable. Another time it was a vacation trip that disrupted my routine and turned into weeks of mindless eating. Yet another time, it was loss and grieving that disrupted the routine (and all that food people bring to the berieved.) Despite the fact that the way I was losing weight didn't seem all that restrictive, it apparently wasn't sustainable enough to bear up under life's unexpected events.
I'm back at it again. I'm now doing things in a different way (a type of IF) and I have the added incentive of a health scare (or more accurately, a health epiphany.) It early days yet, but it may be that the "health first" motivation mentioned by a previous poster may be the thing. That and the fact that at my age, I'm running out of decades to repair the damage already done by careless consumption.
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Because I'm not "almost everyone." I'm me, and I'm awesome. I do what I want, and I want to be fit and healthy.
I don't THINK I'll maintain my goal weight. I KNOW I will, because I've already been doing it for going on 4 years, and at this point, I know what it takes (not that much, really, once you know what to do and you've got your mind truly set on it.) It's just an easy habit for me now, and I've got NO reason not to. The alternative is not even in my mindset.
Everyone CAN do this. I know YOU ALL have it in you, so go for it! (*)0 -
I don't think I'll quit because I worked on my mental health before/during this "lifestyle change". A lot of people lose the weight, then realize they still don't like what they see in the mirror, or see things they didn't notice before like wrinkles (none of that pudge to fill in fine lines!
)... so they say screw it, I don't like what I see now, so why not go back to how I was before, not liking what I see but at least being able to comfort myself the way I'm used to?
I'm not going to be like that. :]0
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