Slow and steady with 50lb to lose - how did you stay focused?

carlyp79

Hiya.

I had some success last year and lost about half of what I need to, then life took a turn and I put MOST of it back on.

I am trying to build better habits, and am not used to losing so slowly but know it will probably work out better for long term habitual behavior. I am not creating a huge deficit and so am aiming for .5 kg a week (so, a lb a week).

So when you have a lot to lose, you don't see the changes so fast. Well, that's how it works for me that's for sure. I'm fairly tall at 5'10" so it's a pretty even spread of excess weight, but it's a lot in my hips and tummy so that's the last place that I shrink noticeably.

I'm only 2 weeks in and have lost 1kg, which is great but frightening in that I could have a really bad week and undo that so fast. At the moment I mainly working on diet, and exercise will fit when it fits.

How did YOU stay focused?

Oi_Sunshine

Someone on here wrote something to the effect of "you may as well keep trying because the time will pass, anyway." This really resonated with me because I have these age milestones where I thought I'd hit my goal weight by 30. Then I had some health issues spring up and I'm now 33, going "goal weight by 35!"

I will keep going because even if it takes until 45 until I get to goal, I'll be healthy at 45, rather than heavier than I'd like and self conscious and having to overthink clothing to minimize my belly and other lumps. Future Me is worth it, no matter how long it takes for me to finally meet her.

Sharon_C

I'm a pretty stubborn person and it suddenly clicked with me. "Why shouldn't I be stubborn about weight loss too?"

So I decided that no matter what I was sticking to this and I used that stubbornness, refusing to allow myself to give up. It's all a mind game when it comes to willpower. Whatever trick works, use it.

BWBTrish

I decided to lose the extra weight and so i do. Why should i fail myself?
I have no excuse to not lose weight.

I am a very determent person and indeed stubborn too. And the more weight i lose and the closer to goal weight the more determent i am.
I am a positive person and there is no good and bad in my eyes. I just do it..simple. Like brushing your teeth. Its a habit now, habits i had before but lost for some time due to personal circumstances.

Nobody can help you with that. It is how you stand in life. Its how much you want it and want to work for something. If you dont change anything, then you can't expect another outcome.

So focused yeah maybe, but i see it more like i created and designed my life the way i want it to be. And yes things can change, life can get a total other direction. But that is life...you have to make the best of your situation and bend and knit it the way you want it to be.

jumblejups

I started with 50-60lb to lose (50lb is initial goal, but likely to then aim for an extra 10lb). To me, 50lb seemed like a huge amount of weight to have to lose. In the past when I had smaller amounts to lose, like 7lb, usually after eating lots in the holidays or similar, I did it just by being mindful of what I ate, no tracking. But with such a big number I felt like the only way to ensure I continue downwards is to be very organised with it and to make it as easy as possible.

I also went for a 1lb/week loss and focused on keeping within my calorie allowance. TDEE baffled me utterly so I got a FitBit to help determine my daily calorie goals. I eat whatever I feel like and just fit it into my calories, so there is no 'diet' feeling. If I want something high cal I fit it into the week's calories, and if it's a special occasion / out of the ordinary then I will go up to maintenance if needed - but I still track everything, even if I'm estimating calories (Chinese takeaway is always 2000 calories... ).

It's worked for me. I walk for exercise so I just replaced more and more of my journeys with walking. I've been here 6 months and have lost 32lb. I also found weighing myself daily/very regularly actually helped to recognise the non-linear character of weight loss so I don't obsess and I understand the fluctuations.

Most of all, I remember reading this: In a year from now, you'll wish you started today. I think of the long game, how I will feel or look in 6 months or 12 months, not rapid results. It has carried me very easily this far and I know if I keep doing it, it's a sure thing that the weight will continue to drop - some diets out there are just kidding folks! It feels great to KNOW that in a year I will feel awesome (well, I already do )

Sued0nim

I started by booking a session with a personal trainer

I told him that I wasn't interested in losing weight I just wanted to be fit and get over my health anxieties ...a little snippet that he likes to constantly remind me of now that I'm 52lbs lighter

I did say that I wouldn't mind dropping 20lbs by my summer holiday

He suggested I started logging on MFP

I did

And I booked 2 sessions a week with him for 6 weeks

And then I lurched from one session to the next, logging my food every day,starting to read the forums, changing my perception of what I needed to do / to eat from restriction to appropriate omnivorous calorie control...then I learned about eating appropriately to fuel exercise and lowered my goal weight loss so it'd feel better

I upped my general activity level...got a fitbit to motivate me to move more

Started playing with my macros

Learned more in the forums about dieting myths, CICO and IIFYM

Kept seeing my trainer once a week, workout alone twice a week, keep walking ...all giving me more calories

Kept logging

Downloaded great music to walk to with dog

Bought smaller clothes...and tighter clothes

Got boosted by compliments

Signed up to trendweight.com so my weights get logged there too via the MFP to fitbit link and I get a way to understand my natural scale weight fluctuations (I like data)

Kept committing ...focused on my next fitness goal

Moved to maintenance ...kept logging ...day 381 ...3-4 months maintenance ...still committing ...understand I have a scale weight range not an absolute weight

Going on holiday to same place in 6 weeks ...I have bikinis this time and I'm fit and healthy and have no weight to lose, no need for asthma meds,no health anxieties

...still logging, still walking, still lifting heavy stuff and putting it down again

I'm the other side...the year passed anyway ...and it feels amazing

PokeyBug

I'm not losing anymore, but I'm still following the steps I followed when I was losing. I've been on many a diet in the past. This time, though, I decided that the weight loss thing wouldn't be just as a temporary change of lifestyle. This is what I have to do to stay healthy, and if I stop paying attention to what I eat, I know I'll revert back to eating like a teenager, get fat again, and I'll have to pack away my skinny clothes again. And I don't want to make more work for myself.

I just made it part of what I do. I get up in the morning, feed the kids, grab a bottle of water, sit down at my computer and plan my menus for the day. I make the effort do do a minimum amount of exercise, mostly so I have free calories for my daily treat. I was lucky enough to realize early on that I needed to plan a treat for every day if I was going to stay on track. One dark chocolate covered frozen banana is both a serving of fruit AND a treat, lol. See how I justify that to myself?

vixtris

I take it one day at a time just like everyone else. I have my daily exercise and calorie goals. I try to stay hydrated. I am just determined and focused on my goal so much to not let anything stand in my way. Remember everything in moderation, stay within your calories, and dont sweat it when you do happen to go over. Pick yourself up and keep going at it!

Sued0nim

@pokeybug. Dark chocolate covered frozen banana? Tell me more ...do you just do what it sounds like ...is it whole or in pieces?

Kalikel

Focused on my health, did what the doctor and dietitian told me to do. That's how I started. The weight loss was a by-product of getting more healthy.

The fat on my body is always a ginormous motivator. I wanted it gone for so many years.

If I ever need motivation to not eat a donut, I can look at my thighs.

Kalikel

Focused on my health, did what the doctor and dietitian told me to do. That's how I started. The weight loss was a by-product of getting more healthy.

The fat on my body is always a ginormous motivator. I wanted it gone for so many years.

If I ever need motivation to not eat a donut, I can look at my thighs.

PokeyBug

rabbitjb wrote: »

@pokeybug. Dark chocolate covered frozen banana? Tell me more ...do you just do what it sounds like ...is it whole or in pieces?

As my children say, they're easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Get a couple of ripe but firm bananas, cut them in half, and insert a popsicle stick in each half. (I have been known to use wooden chopsticks, so those work, too.) Put the bananas in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Chop up about 6 ounces of dark chocolate, put it in the microwave with a couple tablespooons of oil (I use coconut oil). Check every 30 seconds or so, just until the chocolate and coconut oil are melted together and smooth. Roll each banana half in the chocolate, set on a plate or a platter lined with parchment paper, and freeze until the chocolate sets. Calories depend on the ingredients you use. Mine are usually around 150 calories each.

Sued0nim

Trying that thanks

I love strawberries dipped in dark chocolate (no oil) and left to set...they're about 23 cals each for a biggun and also easy peasey lemon squeezy

Orphia

rabbitjb wrote: »

I started by booking a session with a personal trainer

I told him that I wasn't interested in losing weight I just wanted to be fit and get over my health anxieties ...a little snippet that he likes to constantly remind me of now that I'm 52lbs lighter

I did say that I wouldn't mind dropping 20lbs by my summer holiday

He suggested I started logging on MFP

I did

And I booked 2 sessions a week with him for 6 weeks

And then I lurched from one session to the next, logging my food every day,starting to read the forums, changing my perception of what I needed to do / to eat from restriction to appropriate omnivorous calorie control...then I learned about eating appropriately to fuel exercise and lowered my goal weight loss so it'd feel better

I upped my general activity level...got a fitbit to motivate me to move more

Started playing with my macros

Learned more in the forums about dieting myths, CICO and IIFYM

Kept seeing my trainer once a week, workout alone twice a week, keep walking ...all giving me more calories

Kept logging

Downloaded great music to walk to with dog

Bought smaller clothes...and tighter clothes

Got boosted by compliments

Signed up to trendweight.com so my weights get logged there too via the MFP to fitbit link and I get a way to understand my natural scale weight fluctuations (I like data)

Kept committing ...focused on my next fitness goal

Moved to maintenance ...kept logging ...day 381 ...3-4 months maintenance ...still committing ...understand I have a scale weight range not an absolute weight

Going on holiday to same place in 6 weeks ...I have bikinis this time and I'm fit and healthy and have no weight to lose, no need for asthma meds,no health anxieties

...still logging, still walking, still lifting heavy stuff and putting it down again

I'm the other side...the year passed anyway ...and it feels amazing

^THAT... is a beautiful thing.

And those chocolate strawberries sound pretty bloody lovely too.

NoIdea101NoIdea

It was difficult at first; a lot of bad habits that needed breaking!

First, i started with the food. I pre-planned all my meals and snacks for the entire week, weighed EVERYTHING, even kept a spreadsheet in which i could log all my meals, what the consisted of, the protein, carbs and fat in each of the foods i was eating-essentially i built my own database. It sounds obsessive (and it kind of was), but it wasn't long before i had a good understanding of the nutritional 'quality' of different types of food and it really helped me to think about what i was putting into my body. It also makes shopping for healthier foods much easier; i know the brands to buy with the most protein for the least amount of calories, which type of fruit will keep me fuller for longer on the least amount of calories, etc.

Late night binging was also a habit i had to break-i still haven't totally beaten it, but at least it doesn't happen as often! And i also make sure i keep calories back at the end of the day, just in case i do go a bit overboard.

I found that once i had my 'safe' foods (don't get me wrong, i'm not a clean eater or anything, i still love cookies and ice cream and do allow myself them if it fits in my goals) i found that experimenting with cooking, different recipes and herbs and spices, also helped keep me on track.

Once i had the food down and i felt happy and confident in wanting to make the right decisions, i started focusing on the exercise. I looked at my daily routine, worked out where i could fit more exercise in (i could walk here instead of getting the bus). I also experimented with different forms of exercise, to see which ones i genuinely enjoyed and thought i could keep up (at the moment it is running, weights, and bojutsu), and try to incorporate them more into my weekly life (although i have been ill most of this week so have been too drained to go for a run or do much with the weights. But i have been doing plenty of walking and a bit of bojutsu).

I remind myself of how confident i was before i put all this weight on, compared to how confident i am now, and how great it would be to feel that way again about myself.

I look at fitspiration pictures online (sorry, i am one of those!).

I push myself to do that extra minute, or that one extra rep, and feel proud of myself when i ave achieved it.

I weigh myself every day as i like to keep a track of the fluctuations, but i only count one of those (my Friday weigh in) as my official, tracked weigh in.

There are probably tons more, but i need to walk into town and stop distracting myself with MFP

taentea

I've started with 3 times what you have to lose and I've lost around 16kg so far. I'm not afraid to lose focus anytime soon as I don't feel the need to be particularly focused to keep losing weight. It's just something on the background of my life right now. Tracking food is quick and more or less a habit by now. Not going over my calories is a rule I don't question. It's just easier this way instead of wondering if I could exceed my calories today and by how much. I don't force myself to exercise as of now. I walk 5-15kms few days a week to buy fresh groceries and chase away headaches and anxiety and I use an elliptical at home when I'm in the mood for it. Knowing that those things aren't obligatory actually lets me enjoy them. I'm just living my life here. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

DeguelloTex

Oi_Sunshine wrote: »

Someone on here wrote something to the effect of "you may as well keep trying because the time will pass, anyway."

Sounds like a pretty smart guy.

I'm not so sure it's a question of focus so much as a question of priorities. Is this food more important to me than my weight loss goal? No. It's not. Now, it may be important enough to rearrange calories from one meal, or day, to another, but it's not important enough to hinder accomplishing my goal.

One thing that might help, especially if you aren't seeing big results is to track your weight in a spreadsheet. Small losses add up to big ones. When I start thinking I'm not progressing like I want to, I can look at last week's average, or a few weeks back, and see that I am making progress.

callsitlikeiseeit

i decided i was tired of being fat and tired.

once truly realized that, and decided to change, its been easy.

50 lbs down in 6 months and 50 more to go (at a MINIMUM)

carlyp79

These are all really great perspectives, thank you.
Yes, the time will pass anyway, won't it? Good point.
My twins turn 3 in December, so I'm trying to keep in mind that I would actually like to have some photos of them with me that I am happy to share with the world, not just photos of them. Plus I'm in the southern hemisphere so December is summer, and I want to be comfortable just wearing shorts and a nice tee shirt.

I had an awful moment the other week where I took so long to get dressed in something fairly neat and casual because I have very little that fits nicely at the moment. I really need to keep the feeling that moment gave me to the forefront of my mind because it really is an awful, awful moment.

Perhaps I should do a 'why to keep it up' list to stick up around the house and keep me focused.

gle8442

I have lost about 55 lbs in 9 months, about a pound a week after the first month... I think the main thing for me was the realization that it doesn't really matter if takes me six months, or a year, or even two years, to reach my goal weight, as long once I get there, I am able to stay there. So whatever I do to lose the weight has to be sustainable forever. People say that all the time but finally it clicked for me. I am not "dieting" rather I'm "learning how to eat like a skinny person".

pineapple_peach10

gle8442 wrote: »

I have lost about 55 lbs in 9 months, about a pound a week after the first month... I think the main thing for me was the realization that it doesn't really matter if takes me six months, or a year, or even two years, to reach my goal weight, as long once I get there, I am able to stay there. So whatever I do to lose the weight has to be sustainable forever. People say that all the time but finally it clicked for me. I am not "dieting" rather I'm "learning how to eat like a skinny person".

I totally agree with this! I am not on a diet, this is just how I eat now.

OP- I am also 5'10. I sent you a friend request