Need a little encouragement

kilroy317

Had bloodwork done on Monday and just got my results. I'm a little disappointed with my numbers - thought they'd be better since I've been watching my calories and exercising since June 8. They're not bad, just not where the doctor or I would like them to be. I realize I haven't been at this for very long so I have to give this a chance. Have to go back in 3 months for a follow up - hoping we can see an improvement then. I think the hardest part of this journey - for me anyway- is being patient and always wanting instant gratification. I commend everyone here who worked through their impatience. I'd love some tips on how you made it through when you just wanted to give up. I keep telling myself to think of the bigger picture and not what's happening right now in this moment. Thx for letting me vent!

Alwayssohungry

You are not on a diet you are changing your lifestyle for those reasons in your profile picture - those should be all the motivation you need. You are changing your lifestyle so they won't have to when they are your age. Teach them well now and they won't have these struggles later. You are also doing it for you, inside. You need to be healthy for you and them. You will slowly but surely feel 1000 times better. Take a few days and write down all your aches and pains, how you feel after walking up a flight of stairs, how many times a day you grunt getting up, bending over, tying your shoes, how many times you nibbled on nothing, how many times you said to yourself that you're sooo tired, put it in an envelope and in one month open it up and read it and compare notes. Many times weight and measurements will not change, but how you feel will. Don't count on anyone else to notice your hard work but you. No one noticed as it was going on, no one will notice as it is coming off. It takes a fairly big weight loss for people to notice (except your husband, but he will see it as gradually as you and not notice).

Good luck and stick with it - it takes time, you know that and can do it.

CherylP67

Are you eating enough? When I was severely calorie restricting myself I thought about food all the time and had a hard time staying motivated.

Now that I eat more, I don't need motivation, because its not as difficult.

Are you working out? I walk/jog and the time alone is my thinking time. I am learning a lot about myself.

I am impatient too, when I first started, my little ticker had hardly any weight lost. I look forward to entering my new weight every week to see the amount of weight lost numbers go up. This may seem silly, but that ticker motivates me. Sometimes when I'm getting a snack, I'll think hmmm... Do I really need to weigh out my ice cream? Then I think about that dang ticker and ask myself which choice will help those numbers change.

sakuragreenlily

If you made any improvement at all celebrate! Especially if that improvement was made purely through diet and exercise and not just medication.

Patience really is the hardest part. Every time I feel like giving up I remind myself of how terrible it feels to have to start over. Progress is progress no matter how small. One of my favorite sayings I've ever seen on here is, "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up."

Also... I work with individuals with disabilities on a daily basis. I work with one little girl who starting going blind when she was 3 years old. By the time she was 10 she had gone completely blind in one eye. Now that she's 16 her remaining vision is going quickly in her other eye. She knows what it's like to see but she can't anymore... if she ever dreams of SEEING herself at her own wedding, of watching a sunset, of seeing her children smile she physically can't achieve that and it breaks my heart...

So what's my excuse? If my dream is something as superficial as fitting into a pair of jeans what's my excuse really?

Afura

This isn't a temporary change, this isn't a diet we're on. Healthy eating, and exercise to improve our lives is not a fad, it's just life. Stop thinking about what you're doing in a temporary view. "I just have to hang on till XYZ". No! This is a change that you're making for life, so this is just life. One foot in front of the other some days, skipping down the road the next.

kilroy317

Thanks everyone! Starting to feel better and learning to let go and move on. And I'm moving and in the right direction - something I couldn't say 2 months ago.