So what is it that some succeed and others fail?

RoseTheWarrior

Agree with @ninerbuff ... it really is just the acceptance, the commitment to making the change. You have to be committed to *anything* that's hard.

katyjay2014

I agree on it being totally mental. For me, I just ran out of excuses and was honest enough with myself to admit it. I knew I didn't want to be overweight my whole life so I figured I may as well start now. I had kept track of some tools that I had learned of over the years (MFP being one of them) so I dusted them off and got to work! 60 of 80lbs later and I've never looked back...!

dutchandkiwi

For me it was taking control of my life. I felt it was out of hands how my career was heading, chainges at work and other stuff. I just got mad at myself for being complacent and just 'accepting' that other were deciding my destiny. So I grabbed hold of the one thing I could control; me.
It was totally a mental thing and it has worked. My life is turning around the way I want it turned. I am in charge of me, nobody else is.

happygalah

For me I felt I wasn't living up to my full potential being a fat slob treating my body like a garbage dump.

dramaqueen45

Not sure but I believe it was a combination of the ease of using the site along with just changing small habits at first and then when I would get used to those then change one or two more things. I had tried MFP a couple of times before it finally clicked, and I would get frustrated with all of the items in the database and finding the right measurement for it and figuring our how to convert what I was eating to what it said, etc- and I found another app that allows me to simply enter the weight in grams and it will tell me exactly the calorie count, so I use that and just enter MFP calories as quick add. Works for me- simple, easy, accurate. Before when I was on here I didn't visit the forums much or have more than 1-2 friends- now I have many and visit often. I also found an exercise that I enjoy and can do often with my husband, plus in the winter months I have a gym I go to (which is fairly new in town). So a combination of things- oh and I'm an empty nester. I think it's difficult to lose weight when you have teenagers and their friends over a lot plus you have all of these school events, games, etc with no time to eat anywhere except the concession stand or grabbing something quick (not impossible to lose this way but more difficult and less convenient). All of this and forgiving myself for a day of slipping up and not letting it turn into a week or a month of slipping up- like Dory says- just keep swimming!

goldthistime

A small calorie deficit is the pixie dust I had been missing. I exercised and dieted too aggressively in the past. So I procrastinated getting started, abandoned my diet whenever any stressor entered my life, and when the stars aligned, I was successful. I considered slow weight loss to be an approach that weak willed, unathletic people took. Now I view it as the only intelligent choice.

minniemoo1972

nowolga wrote: »

TheHungryHorsie wrote: »

Successful people fail.
The difference is they never quit.
You can take away all the wealth of a successful person and place then in a foreign country but in time they will build that wealth up again.
Success is something that starts within.
It can't be taken away.
It isn't shaken or moved by its surroundings.
Don't be like the millions of people that say
"Yeah I always wanted to be _______ I tried it but it didn't work because it's just not for me..."
Successful people fail
But they Don't stay there.
they get keep getting themselves up and keep moving forward despite the taunts and negativity around them.
You may not have the skills, knowledge or great genetics as other people.
But with consistant hard work and determination you can be on a level playing field and
Nothing can stop you reaching your goal!

Never quit
Never surrender
Never say die

I love this response.

Best thing I've read on the internet in ages

WehttamThims

Tara4boys wrote: »

Change happens when the pain of staying the same exceeds that of making a change.

Pain vs Pleasure. Every decision we make is driven by one of these two things, the desire to avoid pain or the desire to gain pleasure

For more information watch this video starting at 30:53

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKCUOGFkOhQ

sunnybeaches105

Consistent work

Christine_72

Willpower and a strong desire and almost fear of being being fat along with all the problems (social, mental and physical) that come along with it.

SideSteel

I'll first say that I don't know the answer.

I'll give you some opinions though. I do tend to ramble on topics like this so take that for what it's worth.

I'll also add that I think many people oversimplify the answer to this question. I do not for a second think that the answer is exclusively in "wanting it badly enough" nor is it exclusively in "track your calories" nor is it exclusively in "making fitness a priority".

And to be 100% clear I don't mean any disrespect to any of the other posters in this thread. I just think it's likely a big oversimplification of a complex interaction of events.


I think people who are successful PROBABLY have some common traits or features in their approach to weight loss and weight maintenance. We could list those out but in short it would be things like getting adequate sleep, preparing foods, maintaining an active lifestyle, eating moderate to high amounts of protein, etc.

I think people who are successful PROBABLY have some common traits or features with mental aspects of things as well, but I wouldn't be able to go into detail like I could about methodology. I will say that things like self awareness, determination, "having a good reason" or even a life altering event/realization are likely important characteristics and probably commonalities as well.

I would even suspect that economic status and mental health status are variables that probably have some relationship to being successful at losing weight and maintaining it. (Let me be more clear: I'm not suggesting that people who have mental health issues can't lose weight, far from it. I'm merely suggesting that I would expect to see some relationship that exists between the two -- same for economic status in that wealth would likely make it a bit easier to maintain weight loss).

Finally, I think a very substantial limitation is that the majority of people who have lost weight and kept it off, have ALSO failed to lose weight and keep it off, probably multiple times in the past. And so on an individual level when you compare someone who has failed to someone who has succeeded, you're really comparing someone who hasn't YET succeeded to someone who has succeeded.

kdwellis

I attempted to lose weight in the past doing arbitrary gym work without a specific weight-loss program. I failed miserably. it is ONLY when i started searching for answers, that i discovered that i had to have a definite strategy for weight loss incorporating BOTH exercise (weights and cardio) and diet. I started seeing results immediately. Myfitnesspal is playing a huge role in keeping me on track in my effort to lose weight and to tone up. Believe it or not, there are many people out there who, just like "the old me", know absolutely nothing about losing weight.

nursecasg

I know for me and the things I have accomplished in my life, the secret key has always been commitment. I can either be committed to something or interested in something. And the cool thing for me is that I know if I am committed to something by asking myself if I am willing to do whatever it takes in all ways on all days. If I am really honest with myself I know the answer. I am sure there are other mental preparations that go into it prior to this, but I can't really say what they are for sure. I do know that I am two months in and 27.3 down.

ncfitbit

Lots of good answers here and lots of different answers. That's why I love MFP. If I've had any success it's mostly because I finally learned here that there is more than one way to lose weight. And there are other goals besides just losing weight that are important if you care about how you look and feel. Being open-minded and interested in learning new ways of doing things from other people and then being patient enough to figure out what works and work for my own life has been pretty important, too.

Machka9

I think for me it helped that I had been there before. Being overweight was only a brief and temporary part of my life. Losing weight was just a matter of returning to how things were before.

That and ... I wasn't ready to be old yet. I wanted to be able to do the things I used to do when I was in my 30s and early 40s.

caroannv

TnZMom wrote: »

If you mess up one day, do better the next.

Ask yourself, do you want to reach your goal, or not?

Basically, don't stop.

This sums it up for me! Be determined. Then be determined again the next day. And remember not to settle for "good enough".

jbatinker

I realized I had to do this for ME and no one else. Only when you are ready to put yourself first will it stick.

Tedebearduff

goal100determined wrote: »

I have been reading success stories and it's inspiring. Some tried for decades and never succeeded, and suddenly they do. So what is it? I remember Oprah saying, 'it's making that decision', others say, 'motivation', other say, 'having a buddy', others say, 'when your life is at risk'. I believe it's different with everybody, but maybe it's 'how desperate you are.' What makes people not give up? Hope to hear from you.

It's an internal switch that goes off within you, can't really explain it. That is what people mean by making a decision. It applies to life as well, wanting something and deciding to go for it = maximum effort towards that goal. I applied the same concept to my career during my weight loss and I was promoted twice and doubled my income. No idea if that helps you but it's just an internal drive ...

helene4

Trying to lose weight with MFP and succeeding ... Even if it's a small success

Realizing it's Possible and within your Control!

StealthHealth

The people who are successful got all their failures out of the way early.