at what point do you consider yourself "successful"?

deanne525

hi everyone,

just sitting here working and thought I would take a break

I started a diet and exercise program about 3 months ago. Im down 18lbs so far. Question..at what point in your weight loss journey do you start thinking "hey...im actually doing this??!"

I really don't start getting excited about my weight loss until I hit about 15lbs lost and then I start saying to myself that I can actually do this if I stick with it! I have about 50lbs to lose and have started and stopped more Mondays then I care to remember. This is the first time in a long long time that I am actually making real changes. I am tracking my food all day, every day and a friend and I have been going to Jazzercise classes 4x per week. I have 2 more lbs to make it to my next mini goal of 20lbs lost!


no right or wrong answers...just wondering what others think.

HStheBusyBee

Definitely celebrate all of your successes. For me every pound down is another step closer to my goal.

Congratulations with all your progress so far! Keep up the good work.

20yearsyounger

I considered myself successful once I realized that I could comfortably eat at my maintenance goal without the need for excessive exercise. This was during my weight loss process. I knew the weight loss would follow and it would set me up nicely for my new lifestyle.

karmelpopcorn

Every day I try.

BrendaRey74

-If I log my food everyday, regardless of what I ate , and I weigh in every week, even if I know I'm up, I feel successful.

-Other people noticing my weight loss was an eye opener in the beginning. It sort of made it more real.

-I tend to plateau a lot so not gaining overall is a big one for me.

-A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)

Rdsgoal16

When my back stopped hurting (20 pounds off) and my cardio started coming back I let my self start thinking, maybe I can do this. At 30 pounds my pants were loose and I started thinking "hell yes, I really think I can do this" at 40 pounds off I started doing stuff I sat on the sidelines from for years and I say "I KNOW I am going to do this"
Best of luck to you!
Rob

megzchica23

Everything I do to me is a success. Every day I wake up, every day I log food, every time I make a healthy food choice, every time I exercise, every time I think positively. I like to be happy and feel successful with everything I do.

deanne525

BrendaRey74 wrote: »

-If I log my food everyday, regardless of what I ate , and I weigh in every week, even if I know I'm up, I feel successful.

-Other people noticing my weight loss was an eye opener in the beginning. It sort of made it more real.

-I tend to plateau a lot so not gaining overall is a big one for me.

-A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)

I am with you there...everyday I track and exercise I feel successful too! Its definitely not always about the number on the scale. Some days its really hard to get myself to class to exercise but I keep reminding myself how good I ALWAYS feel when Im done. So just making it to the class is successful in itself

Keep up the good work everyone!!

kgirlhart

I consider everyday that I log a successful day. I guess I feel successful every time I hit a goal. My first 2 goals were to weigh less than my husband, and to get my bmi out of the obese category. Thirty pounds lost was my halfway point so I felt really successful then too. Now I'm just about 8 pounds from being out of the overweight category. I guess over all I feel pretty successful.

deanne525

Rdsgoal16 wrote: »

When my back stopped hurting (20 pounds off) and my cardio started coming back I let my self start thinking, maybe I can do this. At 30 pounds my pants were loose and I started thinking "hell yes, I really think I can do this" at 40 pounds off I started doing stuff I sat on the sidelines from for years and I say "I KNOW I am going to do this"
Best of luck to you!
Rob

That's AWESOME!! Good for you!!

GabinkaP

Getting my formals zipped all the way up! But otherwise, seeing that general downward trend when I looked at my weight report, at at least 3 months out (90 day view, 180 is even better). It lets me see past the ups and downs and see the progress. Reaching my goal was a success. Then deciding on my maintenance plan and losing even more, getting closer and closer to my ideal weight without feeling like I've deprived myself or having to exercise excessively. Walking is really my main form of exercise. 10k steps a day.

deanne525

kgirlhart wrote: »

I consider everyday that I log a successful day. I guess I feel successful every time I hit a goal. My first 2 goals were to weigh less than my husband, and to get my bmi out of the obese category. Thirty pounds lost was my halfway point so I felt really successful then too. Now I'm just about 8 pounds from being out of the overweight category. I guess over all I feel pretty successful.

this is great!! love reading success stories like this!

rnelson88

It gets real for me when I train my body to reach for the apple instead of the ice cream. At that point, I no longer see food as something I just eat for pleasure, but as fuel. When eating crappy its like putting nasty corn substitute in your sports car. It may keep your car alive and running for a little while, but it won't be performing sufficiently, will need more maintenance, and just won't last. On the other hand, if you put 93 Octane(healthy food) in your sports car, it will run efficiently, require less maintenance, and last way longer.

bri170lb

BrendaRey74 wrote: »

-A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)

I am exactly the same size as my always smaller and prettier daughter! Slightly smaller in some ways because I'm a little taller, actually! Feels good, not gonna lie!

nsa352

I only needed to lose 15 lbs or less, depending on how heavy my muscles would be. Lost 11 lbs and I think I actually don't need to lose 4 lbs more ( I weigh 104 lbs for 5 feet tall) as I am building muscles and going under 102 lbs would be too small because of that even if I used to weight 100 lbs before.
Shrinking in my clothes and even panties. Feel my muscles more dense and see my soon to be 4 pack under a little layer of fat. Not see my belly pushing against my tops. People telling me I am more muscly.

ald783

I tried to pat myself on the back pretty frequently as I was losing but I think it was probably a few months in of doing it and tracking regularly and losing consistently that it felt like I was really progressing.

I still try not to think of it as if after a certain point it's officially a success where it's no longer possible for me to regain weight or regress backwards. I don't think I will ever be able to stop working at it and, for better at worse, things change and anything can happen so I try not to let myself feel too smug about it. But after enough years of doing this, I at least feel like I've made a lot of positive changes in my life and health.

jaynee7283

Every five pounds down is milestone success and all I need to keep going.

nsa352

I also consider lifting heavy and working out a success. It means I would gain muscles and burn more calories while watching a show. In terms of food I stopped being a slave to sweets after 1 month of changing my diet. How eating healthy changes your cravings.

chiptease

Decreasing my mile time. Saying no to free donuts/muffins in the break room. But honestly, I try not to get complacent. I enjoy challenging myself and trying new things. I reached my goal weight and now I set new goals moving forward.

BlueberryJoghurt

Even though I just started, every weeks weigh-in that is lower than the last week is already a success to me it keeps me motivated! I dont treat myself to anything because I already have my "cheat/treats" aka low calorie flavoured rice/corn crisps. So second weigh-in so far lost another kg and it motivates me everytime I see the weight go down! (:

brittyn3

Me? after I lose 10lb. I lost a bunch, gained a little back - but have had a heck of a time getting back on the horse. Once I lose that first 10lb, it's much easier. Like a lot of people said, anytime I go to the gym, log my food, and stay on track = success! Once I get the rhythm back - it's easy, but getting it back is so hard.

Shana67

deanne525 wrote: »

I have been going to Jazzercise classes 4x per week. I have 2 more lbs to make it to my next mini goal of 20lbs lost!

Oh my gosh! A fellow Jazzerciser!! Nice to meet you

I go to class 7x/week, and I've lost 22 lb in 11 weeks. (I've been Jazzercising for 20+ years). I have gained/lost weight throughout the years, at one point I lost 90, only to gain about 50 back (which I am currently losing!). I have 32lb to go, and when I get half way (5 more lb) I will consider myself "successful", although right now I feel that aura of success hanging over me

deanne525

Shana67 wrote: »

deanne525 wrote: »

I have been going to Jazzercise classes 4x per week. I have 2 more lbs to make it to my next mini goal of 20lbs lost!

Oh my gosh! A fellow Jazzerciser!! Nice to meet you

I go to class 7x/week, and I've lost 22 lb in 11 weeks. (I've been Jazzercising for 20+ years). I have gained/lost weight throughout the years, at one point I lost 90, only to gain about 50 back (which I am currently losing!). I have 32lb to go, and when I get half way (5 more lb) I will consider myself "successful", although right now I feel that aura of success hanging over me

so cool!!! I wish our instructor offered more classes. She is a certified Jazzercise instructor but its not an actual jazzercise studio, she just rents a small room and has classes 4x per week. I love it! its so fun and I felt comfortable there immediately. I think starting in April she is going to add an extra toning class on Monday's so it will technically be like a double class that day.

JeromeBarry1

At 8 weeks I'm 26 down of 110, and I still don't dare think I'm successful at this.

Shana67

so cool!!! I wish our instructor offered more classes. She is a certified Jazzercise instructor but its not an actual jazzercise studio, she just rents a small room and has classes 4x per week. I love it! its so fun and I felt comfortable there immediately. I think starting in April she is going to add an extra toning class on Monday's so it will technically be like a double class that day.

It is SO much fun! Even after 20 years, it's still as new and fresh to me as ever. I'm so fortunate to be a class manager at a center in Denver, where we offer 30+ classes/week. I go to the 6am class every day before work - if I wait until the end of the day I am way too beat

You will love the Strength class, and it will truly make a difference in how you look/feel. COOL!

ETA: This is our center - http://jcls.jazzercise.com/facility/denver-jazzercise-center

SezxyStef

karmelpopcorn wrote: »

Every day I try.

This was my answer sort of...it was everyday I don't give up.

I mean I am at a good weight but if I give up now it will just pile back on so everyday I don't give up...

zyxst

I have no idea. Other people say I'm successful, but I don't see it.

CaitlinW19

SezxyStef wrote: »

karmelpopcorn wrote: »

Every day I try.

This was my answer sort of...it was everyday I don't give up.

I mean I am at a good weight but if I give up now it will just pile back on so everyday I don't give up...

I agree! I'm successful just for picking myself up again. I'm successful for not letting a bad day dictate my next day. I'm successful every time I get on the scale, because I'm not letting myself fall into comfortable ignorance. I'm successful when I get up and do something active and when I look at my grocery cart, full of fruit and veg. All of these things are important successes I think, because they show a real lifestyle change.

Linzon

I've been tracking off and on (mostly on, I just don't track when I'm out of town) for 11 months now and my diet has evolved without me really realizing it. If you'd told me a year ago I'd be eating a big plate of roasted Brussels sprouts and salmon for breakfast I'm not sure I would have believed you!

My 'ta da' moment happened when I suffered a bad knee injury in late January and had surgery in early February. I didn't track for about 6 weeks, although I did keep an eye on my weight, and thanks to the food and portion choices I make now I maintained my weight during that time. Even though I was miserable I didn't turn back to my old food-comfort habits and that was a huge win for me.

I have another surgery (with a more difficult recovery period) coming up and maintenance not too far away, but I'm less worried about them now. I'm by no means 'cured' of my bad habits but much more aware of both them and what I need to do to overcome them.

I'm not sure this makes me a success but I'm definitely better off than I was a year ago

cross2bear

So true - everyday that I dont give up is a success. Everyday that I eat to plan, or plan to eat. Every day it gets just a little easier and more rewarding. Its almost trite to say it, but it just is so satisfying to be in control, and to see results, whether its an ounce down or a zipper up.

Cindy01Louisiana

For me, I will first feel successful when I can keep going to the gym and keep logging my food -- for two full months, then three and when I hit six months of consistency, I'll think "I'm finally doing this!!" Besides that, when I can pull the tubs of my other clothes down from the top shelf in the closet, it will be time to really celebrate because not only will I be able to wear my clothes again, but I will have a healthier, leaner, stronger body with more endurance and stamina.