Restarting after falling off the bandwagon and desperately need motivation!

Khovde07

Hello! My name is Kayla. My husband and I joined MFP before our wedding to lose weight. Our lives were very hectic immediately after the wedding and we both fell off the bandwagon. I gained back all the weight that I lost and now I feel like the amount I want to lose is too staggering to comprehend. Any support would be really, really appreciated.

CoachPriscilla

Hi - I hear you! It is so hard to stay on track. Having an accountability group to check in is critical to your success! There are days when I totally feel like skipping my workout but I know that if I don't, my group will get on me!! I belong to a group right now that posts a weekly workout challenge for all its members (140+) as of today. We all cheer each other on and hold each other accountable. FR me!

wolverine66

it probably is staggering. i know mine was. So i started with small goals. Not "a pound a week" or anything. it was more like "15 pounds however long it takes."

this worked for me because I didn't have an end date. Not having an end date allowed me to, pretty much, not feel like a failure if i didn't hit it at a certain time. i was up and down and it took a while.

i was 225 and got down to 210 eventually.

Once I was at 210, 200 seemed really close.

once I got to 200, i wanted 190 to give me a cushion so i didn't go over 200 again.

once i got to 190, i thought it would be great to get down to my high school weight of 185

once i got to 185, i was like - you know if i got down to 175 i would be off the "obese" area of the BMI.

and that went on until i got to 168. i have since move up to 172 and have maintained that through the holidays, and am ready to get going again.

i don't have an end date, because i am teaching myself how to eat and be fit for forever.

Khovde07

That's a great way of thinking about it! My hubby and I are trying to lose weight together and we just joined a different gym hoping that this gym will help our motivation. We previously were members of Snap Fitness but it was hard to stay self motivated and, frankly, I get bored just running on a treadmill or lifting weights while staring into a mirror. This new gym has classes several times a day and a pool for low-impact stuff (I've had some ortho surgeries so I need that).

We're both struggling to change our food mindset. I've always been a salt lover, and I'm finding it hard to cut back. But hopefully once I get into the new mentality and my body starts feeling better, it will get easier.

Thanks for the support!

BeastField

Don't let the number scare you. You did it before, you can do it again! As far as support, feel free to add me if you want. You also have your husband. Maybe you two could work on it together again... maybe set a goal to be back to where you were on your anniversary? Having people hold you accountable definitely helps, as CoachPriscilla mentioned. Just remember - you've got this!

paradi3s

You have my support! :-) Just count your calories, find an exercise fun to do together and keep being motivated!

terbusha

Don't be hard on yourself. It certainly happens. The fact is that you are back and ready to get after it again. You rock! Accountability groups are the best. That's what helped me drop my 64 lbs. Start making small changes that over time will add up to some big progress. Eat a healthy diet and be consistent with exercise and you'll do great!

SueInAz

Khovde07 wrote: »

That's a great way of thinking about it! My hubby and I are trying to lose weight together and we just joined a different gym hoping that this gym will help our motivation. We previously were members of Snap Fitness but it was hard to stay self motivated and, frankly, I get bored just running on a treadmill or lifting weights while staring into a mirror. This new gym has classes several times a day and a pool for low-impact stuff (I've had some ortho surgeries so I need that).

We're both struggling to change our food mindset. I've always been a salt lover, and I'm finding it hard to cut back. But hopefully once I get into the new mentality and my body starts feeling better, it will get easier.

Thanks for the support!

Good for you for making the decision to get back on track. However, keep in mind that weight loss is much more about your diet than what you're doing or not doing in the gym. Cardio is good for burning more calories so you can eat more, and of course for improving your endurance, but you can't out-elliptical overeating.

There's nothing wrong with eating salty foods, unless you have a condition which prohibits it. Eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. It's almost always as simple as that.

For motivation, perhaps make a list of the reasons you want to lose weight and post it somewhere you can see it every day like the bathroom mirror or the fridge. The good news is, you are doing this with your husband so you can motivate each other. Perhaps a friendly competition to see who can lose the highest percentage of starting body weight (not simply pounds because odds are he's taller and he's a guy so he'll lose more than you)?

Khovde07

Thanks for the advice. Actually what spurred this was the fact that my office is doing a "Biggest Loser" competition based on percentage of pounds lost. I don't think I'll win because some of the guys in the office had some horrible eating habits (6 Mountain Dews a day) that they are completely cutting out. But I'm hoping that losing a few pounds for the competition will be a good starting point for continued weight loss and for a healthier lifestyle.

Both hubby and myself have diabetics and heart issues in our family so we need to start developing a healthier way of life. Changing our diet will be a big challenge for us. We both tend to love convenience and quick foods. But we're both looking forward to the change so bring it on! Haha!