How to stay patient with your weight loss journey

looney9708

I've been successful losing 20#s since July on a lchf diet. It works for me for the most part. I exercise doing hiit and crossfit 4x a week and have seen muscle growth and fat loss. Yeah me!

Why do I feel so impatient since I haven't lost the last couple weeks?

I had to take a mental break this last weekend and had wine for the first time and some French fries. Delicious btw. But scale instantly jumps. I know it's water weight but again my impatience gets the better of me as I watch the scale like waiting for a kettle of water to boil.

How do you deal with the patience needed to make it all the way to your goal weight?

scolaris

Take a break from the scale after that sort of intake. You know what's going to happen... Why punish yourself? Wait a day or two longer when you've eaten normally again. And beyond that early newbie 'honeymoon' phase this is a prolonged chess or mind game. You have to be stronger than your shrillest & most nihilistic inner voice. Be that person your body needs!

DeguelloTex

When I started, I figured it would take about a year. I also figured that year would pass whether I stuck to goal or not, so I might as well do so.

looney9708

scolaris wrote: »

Take a break from the scale after that sort of intake. You know what's going to happen... Why punish yourself? Wait a day or two longer when you've eaten normally again. And beyond that early newbie 'honeymoon' phase this is a prolonged chess or mind game. You have to be stronger than your shrillest & most nihilistic inner voice. Be that person your body needs!

Thanks for the encouragement. LOVE that I need to be stronger than your shrillest and most nihilistic inner voice! Be that person your body needs!

Also, how long would you avoid the scale? I feel like my little cheat wasn't worth the "gain" and I'll have to work twice as hard. But mentally it was well worth it for me!

flippy1234

I know, it's so hard to be patient. We want instant gratification. I have learned that weight loss is a marathon, not a race. It took a long time to slowly put on the weight, it will take a long time to get it off. If your main goal is to be happy and healthy, then the rest will fall into place without obsessing about it. Quick weight loss is a temporary thing. Slow weight loss means the pounds really come off. They are not just hiding ready to pop back on. Hang in there.

kthompson601

I agree it can be so hard to keep focused and motivated while you are on your way to your goal weight.

For me, it has been important to remember that I need to LIVE while I lose weight. I've lost 85 pounds, a very impressive amount--yet still have at least 70 more to go. Some days I just get so frustrated and start thinking, "When is my life going to start?" I think many people feel this way--"Why can't I just be at this weight already? I'm tired of waiting for things to be perfect!"

Weight loss is a tricky thing. On the one hand, you must practice constant vigilance--you must carefully monitor what and how much you are eating, every day, no breaks. You must monitor your weight, either daily or weekly, your choice. But, that kind of honed in, obsessive thinking can very easily monopolize your entire life. You can get stressed out, impatient, frustrated, or even scared when you are focusing so intently on your weight loss. Sometimes I go through periods where I feel all I'm doing with my life is focusing on losing weight. Like I'm literally sitting on my armchair obsessively planning out food and exercise for the entire week, instead of doing things I enjoy. I even have times when I freak out about food; like if we're having a breakfast at work, I'll obsess about what I'll eat, how much I'll eat, what the calorie count could possibly be, how much it will set me back. I have a lunch today with coworkers that's been planned for a month, and it's given me untold amounts of stress!

But, your life doesn't start when you make your goal--your life is a continuous process! While we must all be observant and self-monitor to ensure we are successful, we must also remember to ENJOY life. Play your favorite video game, take a class on something that interests you, visit the park, do a pub crawl with friends, see a favorite movie. Take some time to immerse yourself in stuff you love.

For me, I find it easier to be patient with the scale when I keep myself busy with things that bring me joy. Reading, visiting museums, taking MOOCs, and playing with my cats are all things that bring me so much pleasure and happiness. I can do these things now, without worrying about my weight. So, I can be patient with my slowly disappearing flab--because I keep living. Weight loss is an important part of my life right now, but it is not the ONLY part. There is plenty of room for fun, educational, distracting hobbies. Reminding myself that weight loss is just one sliver of my life, and letting fun things take up the majority of my time, helps me be patient and relaxed when it comes to the scale.