Having patience with weight loss

displaced1

Any tips on having patience with weight loss? I have set my goal at between 0.5-1 lb per week. In the past, if I eat too few calories to lose faster I feel deprived and binge a lot, negating my progress or causing me to give up. I want to go slower this time because I want this to be more sustainable. But I feel the slow loss is somewhat discouraging.

I'm thinking of giving myself motivations for things besides weight loss (like after exercising every X number of hours), as my 5 lb rewards take weeks to months. I know I didn't put it on overnight too, but any helpful advice you can share would be great.

Cherimoose

displaced1 wrote: »

I'm thinking of giving myself motivations for things besides weight loss (like after exercising every X number of hours), as my 5 lb rewards take weeks to months.

Sure, you can reward yourself if that works. Or it can be as simple as saying "go me!" each time you stick to your plan. Either way, seek enjoyment & motivation from all the little behaviors that lead to results, and they'll eventually become unbreakable habits.

NorthCascades

Say you want to lose 10 pounds in 20 weeks. It can seem like a long time, that's close to half a year. "God, I don't have that kind of time, I want to lose it now" said everybody. Thing is, those 20 weeks are going to pass whether you do this or not. How do you want to look when they come and go?

kommodevaran

Weight loss will take a year for the average "loser". Think about how long it will take you to maintain your new weight.

And I too like to focus more on behavior and less on the results, getting in habits that you want to keep, independently from the results they lead to. If the motivation comes from outside factors (wanting to lose weight) or vague ideas (I want to be healthy), it won't last, but if it's visceral (I really like this food) and intrinsic (walking makes me feel relaxed and happy), it's going to stick.

abitofbliss

NorthCascades wrote: »

Thing is, those 20 weeks are going to pass whether you do this or not. How do you want to look when they come and go?

Cherimoose wrote: »

displaced1 wrote: »

Either way, seek enjoyment & motivation from all the little behaviors that lead to results, and they'll eventually become unbreakable habits.

All such great advice. For me, I have been setting smaller goals to focus on rather then my total weight loss. For instance, exercising on the weekends after noticing I only exercise during the week. Making my bed every day..Seems silly but it's really improved my mood.

displaced1

These are great thoughts. Thinking about maintaining as a life long plan also helps with perspective, as well as finding intrinsic value in changes.

And, true, the time will pass productively or not all by itself. I'd rather make slow progress in that time than none.

ElJefePerron

Firstly, you identified a major problem. Undereating leads you to binging. So, slow and steady wins.
Secondly, non-food rewards are a good thing to help keep you going.
After a couple of weeks of consecutively meeting my calorie goal, I bought an album on iTunes. The next day, I set a goal not to stop working out until the album played in its entirety

STEVE142142

My simple answer is you didn't gain all the weight overnight and you won't lose all the weight overnight. It's a hard reality to accept but for this to work properly you can't look at it as a diet but it has to be looked at as a lifestyle change that's going to take time

capaul42

One of my friends has a workout jar. Everytime she completes a workout she puts a loonie in it (that's a $1 coin for non-Canadians). She used the money she earned to get herself new workout clothes, iTunes cards and little things like that.

lorrpb

You have a great attitude and approach. I like to have lots of goals in different areas, like trying new foods & new recipes, fitness, progress pics, measurements, etc. When one area like the scale is slow, other areas are doing better, so there are always things to encourage you. Work out and consider doing strength training--you will make amazing changes to your body and this keeps me motivated on weight loss. When you lose more slowly like you're doing, the strength changes show up better.

JeromeBarry1

Last week my weight loss was somewhat erratic. It fluctuated up and down even as I stayed on plan and within my calorie and sodium targets. I'd had enough experience on this journey to know and remember to stay on and trust the plan. My Sunday lunch out plans changed because Mrs became ill, as happens frequently. Having to make a new lunch plan, I decided to consume a large piece of corn bread which had been in the freezer for a few months. I had a freshly cooked supply of pinto beans, so I combined 156 g of beans with the cornbread and made a 440 calorie lunch which served to keep me satisfied until dinner, where I resumed consuming my plan. That gave me a high fiber day and over the following 2 days the scale came into agreement that I had been staying on plan for calories for the previous week.

mellyboobear

One thing I can deff say is weigh in no more than once a week, and watch your macro's and micro's- don't just count the calories!

To curb hunger, try protein, or eat actual MEALS instead of drip drops of food here and there to save on calories- that's what gets a lot of people!

sherrymaxine

I have recently lost weight by surgery. I struggled all my life. It hurts to look back, so I wont. I am looking forward to my new future. I found something that has helped me even if it takes a year. I wanted it to happen over night. It doesnt. My doctor said that it took years to get fat, so give myself time to lose the weight. It will happen. It will happen. Yes, it will happen. My best and healthiest plan is to eat well without hurting myself. Food is medicine: I think drinking muscle milk (20 g protein) is a good base. I drink decaf coffee, hot and cold. I also eat snacks. I do not deny myself. I just moderate what I eat. If I want chocolate, I have it. But I have half of one serving. I also like Cheetos, so I have that on occasion. I like that I can pick and choose my snack. I also love 15 calorie Popsicle's. They are a life saver to me. I can eat 3 or 4 in one day - not at one time. Its an incredible marvelous snack without all the fat and calories. Sometimes I eat activia or Greek yogurt: Lo-fat and lo calorie. I found that I like soup or ramen noodles. I eat half. I have stopped over eating now and I feel good about it. I can move around better. That in itself is a g-d send. So, these are the "tricks" that I use now. Perhaps some of you can try what I have done without surgery. But see your physician to check your blood. Only your doctor can tell you what you need. I see a doctor at least once a month. I hated exercising. It actually offended me! So, I found an exercise that I can actually do and actually like now- its a miracle for me that I am fairly regular on the stationary bike. I picked up one second hand from craigslist. I put it in front of the tv! I watch tv while I pedal. I try to do at least 5 miles. Sometimes I go on it twice a day. Thats 10 miles! I can do it now! If I did it, maybe you can too? I wish you all health and wellness. If any thing I do can help you, I am happy to share.

pebble4321

I think it's a very good idea to find activities and goals that aren't related to the scale.
The thing with the scale is that while you can definitely impact your weight with your behaviours (eating and exercising), there's often not an immediate connection. You can exercise and burn a heap of calories, but water retention might make the scale go up not down immediately afterwards. You can eat very well for a week but hormonal changes or other factors in your body or lifestyle might mean you don't see the impact of that straight away on the scale.

I think it's helpful to focus on behaviours that you can actually achieve.
Things like eating x veggies per day. Exercise for x days/week or minutes in a day. Join a challenge and committing to complete certain activities. Plan your meals (or just your lunches or dinners) for a whole week. Buy healthier snacks so you aren't always tempted by high calorie/low nutrition options when you feel hungry or snacky. Plan your meals so you can enjoy some of those treats while still getting a good variety of foods to keep you healthy.
Make a strategy for when you eat out or when you come across unexpected treats (like the delicous chocolate cake in the staff kitchen today).

These are all positive actions that you can actually DO, and if you are consistent with these kinds of things then the scale will move in the right direction over time.

displaced1

These are all great comments and I appreciate them!

laur357

Aside from rewards, which I think are fun, maybe also set some fitness goals? You can focus on those if your slower loss feels demotivating. And you can track inches lost in addition to pounds.

emdeesea

I've been doing MFP since November of 2013 so yeah, I get that it takes a lot of patience, esp when the scale isn't moving.

I used to set regular things to look forward to - like a spa day or doing something fun - just because there ARE times when you're doing everything right but it seems like nothing is happening, and it can be demotivating. So rather than waiting for rewards, I just take time out for myself for doing the right thing on every (usually) day.

ald783

displaced1 wrote: »

Any tips on having patience with weight loss? I have set my goal at between 0.5-1 lb per week. In the past, if I eat too few calories to lose faster I feel deprived and binge a lot, negating my progress or causing me to give up. I want to go slower this time because I want this to be more sustainable. But I feel the slow loss is somewhat discouraging.

I'm thinking of giving myself motivations for things besides weight loss (like after exercising every X number of hours), as my 5 lb rewards take weeks to months. I know I didn't put it on overnight too, but any helpful advice you can share would be great.

I think you've really already figured out some great motivation. Just recognizing how losing weight more quickly in the past was not as conducive to keeping it off is a really helpful mindset, and also focusing on things other than just the scale. It helps to remember that time will pass no matter what you're doing with your weight, and after 3 months, 6 months, a year, etc. it is nice looking back and realizing you've made a lot of progress overall, even if it seems small on a weekly basis. Once your weight and weight loss isn't the primary focus of your life, it feels like it's happening faster.

This was the slowest, by FAR, I ever lost weight, but it was steady and consistent, and eventually it all (or almost all) came off and I've maintained it for 4 years now, which I've never been able to do before. When it's a gradual process instead of making drastic changes and cutting out everything, your body really gets used to this lifestyle and it becomes second nature. Good luck!