Never?

rjel78

Did you guys ever feel like hitting your weight loss goal is never going to happen? I've been strict, then fallen off and back and forth a dozen times and I'm almost 40. I'm starting to think this won't happen for me

pitbullmamaliz

Right now it seems like a total pipe dream. Like you, been there done this so many times. But I feel good this time. The potential is there, I just need to stick with it. I truly can't even imagine being at my goal weight. I KNOW it's possible, but mentally it seems impossible. But I figure every pound I lose is a step closer. I'll get there eventually.

TxTiffani

For me, it helps to think if I would've stuck to it the first time I tried I would've been at goal weight for a long time now. The time will pass anyway and we can either make choices that will get us closer to the future us that we want to be or choices that will continue us on a path that leads to an unhealthy unhappy future us...thinking about it that way helps me to see that I'm not destined to be unhappy with my body...the power to change it is in my choices;)

CaladriaNapea

I used to feel like it would never happen for me. This time around, I know that I am going to get there and achieve my goals.

A lot of it is mindset. Previously, similar to you, I was really strict. When I "fell off the wagon" I felt like I was a failure, I couldn't do this, and I would give up. Now when I make mistakes (like yesterday, when I ate waaaaaaaay too much cream cheese icing that was supposed to go on the cake I was icing . . .) I don't view it as a failure, I view it as a learning opportunity. I figure out what went wrong, why, and what I can do to fix the problem. (Continuing with my example from yesterday: I told myself "it's just a taste! I don't need to weigh/log it . . . " This was the mistake because if I had weighed and logged the icing, I would have fore sure known how many calories I ate and I would have eaten way, way less.)

This type of flexibility is super important. It gives you the chance to be human, make mistakes, and grow from them. Thus far, knowing that it's okay if I mess up and it does not mean I am not going to reach my goals has really taken away that feeling that my goals are unachievable.

usmcmp

I never thought I would reach my goal. I seriously did not believe I could do it, but I kept trying anyway.

You say you've been strict then fallen off and I think that's what you need to address. Sometimes jumping in with both feet is not the answer. Try setting your goal on here to lose 1 pound per week and don't go all crazy trying to eat only meat, fruits, and vegetables. Work on finding foods you enjoy that can help keep you full. Find methods of controlling portions/calories that will work for you forever. You don't have to be strict, baby steps work too.

hasonmd

Everyday lately. I've been on this journey for almost a year. I have that last 5 lbs left to loss. But OMG it has been so hard to stay motivated. Some days I just want to say I'm good where I'm at. But then I think it's only 5 lbs I can do it, I've already done most of the work I can't give up now.

Heather4448

usmcmp wrote: »

Sometimes jumping in with both feet is not the answer. Try setting your goal on here to lose 1 pound per week and don't go all crazy trying to eat only meat, fruits, and vegetables. Work on finding foods you enjoy that can help keep you full. Find methods of controlling portions/calories that will work for you forever. You don't have to be strict, baby steps work too.

This ^^
A thousand times this.

kommodevaran

I think it's the combined forces of either being strictly on, or fallen off, "the wagon", and the idea that weight loss is something that happens to you, or not.

Appetite is regulated by a lot of different mechanisms, but it does not control your weight. Weight is regulated by food intake, and that is something every person can control.

It's very easy to lose control over food intake when you can only be strictly on, or fallen off, "the wagon", and at the same time think that you can't control your food intake unless you are strictly "on the wagon".

There is no wagon.

Machka9

rjel78 wrote: »

Did you guys ever feel like hitting your weight loss goal is never going to happen?

Nope.

Signed up a few days before I turned 48 ... and 10 months later I hit my goal.

JeromeBarry1

@rjel78 You're just at the beginning of your journey, where the pounds drop off easily. Log your food accurately and honestly in your food diary and you'll lose weight directly.

cerise_noir

rjel78 wrote: »

Did you guys ever feel like hitting your weight loss goal is never going to happen? I've been strict, then fallen off and back and forth a dozen times and I'm almost 40. I'm starting to think this won't happen for me

Don't be so strict with your weight loss approach. Do something that you can sustain for the rest of your life, such as eating what you like within your calorie range with an emphasis on nutrition and enjoyment. Stop strict dieting.

RUNucbar

I changed my goal weight. I initially based it on a healthy weight for my height based on the NHS BMI calculator and it was a nice round number. As I got closer to that goal I realised it just wasn't going to work for me; the lifestyle I'd need to maintain that weight was going to make me so unhappy in the long run so I changed my goal from 115lbs to 130lbs. It still leaves me a healthy weight but a happier person.

crooked_left_hook

They only way I reach a goal is by breaking it down into much smaller goals. I made 2 pounds my goal...then another 2...then another 2. What did I have to do to reach that 2 pound goal? Track. So I'd commit to track for 1 day...then another and another until I tracked a week straight. Then I'd track another week, then a month, then preplan a week, etc. When I run and I'm struggling to get to the end, I play mental tricks with myself..."I'm just going to run .10 of a mile more, okay another .10, this song just started and I really like it so I'll run to the end of the song, oh wait, I like this song too!, okay I can make it to the end of this song..." before I know it the goal is accomplished. All of the mini accomplishments build confidence and make the bigger goal less overwhelming.

Look like a road trip. Road trips aren't just about the end destination, they are also about all the places you stop on the way there.

VintageFeline

After two or three months, when it was totally a habit, I knew I could do it. I didn't have the goal I have now, I just wanted to get into my pre-meds clothes. I did that pretty easily so reassessed and knew I wasn't going to just stop there. Now I have an aesthetic goal that will take me to the lowest weight/size I have been as an adult.

It feels totally achievable. I never set a timeline. I have fitness goals as well as weight goals. I'm in it for a lifetime.

That said, I had never made any serious efforts to lose before, I just had the much talked about lightbulb moment and psychologically I changed that day. I know it's not that way for everyone and a lot of people will struggle a lot more than I've been luckily enough to experience.

pinuplove

Slow and steady and sustainable. You have to figure out what works for you personally to stop the yo-yo. You can either be better off at 40 than you are now (even a little) or not.