Trying to keep the momentum going...

bee_bee8

I just want to rant a little because I've been getting discouraged lately :-/ I started trying to live a healthier lifestyle back in January and I was doing so well, I went months without a single slip up. Lately it's been getting harder and harder to stick with it. I've lost a good amount of weight, so I'm feeling healthier in general and fitting into some of my old clothes again, which is great... But I still want to lose at least 10-15 more lbs and I keep sliding backwards. I'm making bad food choices more frequently and not exercising as religiously as I was at the beginning. This past weekend I went on vacation and, in addition to eating horribly the entire time, I forgot to login to MFP and lost my 120+ day streak :-(

How do we stay motivated when we get down to the last 10 lbs or so? I'm generally happy with the way I look and feel now (although I'd be happier if I could just get down one more dress size...) so I can't motivate myself as easily as I could in the beginning. I considered upping my calorie intake to lose 1 lb per week instead of 2, so maybe then I'd feel less deprived, but not seeing a change in the scale is one of the reasons I revert to old bad habits. Kind of a "Well eating healthy isn't working so I might as well eat like crap" mentality... which is silly, of course, because then I end up gaining weight instead of just staying constant.

Any tips?

AnneMelody

Oh I wish I could wave a magic wind and help you, but I have been in exactly the same position I have 3.5lb to get to target, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get there, in the last two months I have bounced the same 1/2lb on and off!! So last night and today, I just went mad and totally blew it, just couldn't stop myself, we both need a swift kick in the rear I think!!

AnneMelody

I did go on to say... I wish you all the best and hope you can find your inner strength to make all the right choices, and remember... you are worth it!!!!

middlehaitch

With only 10 lbs to go you should look at changing your rate of loss to .5 lbs a week. Even 1 lbs can be a little aggressive for most people.

Your other option is to move to your calorie goal at maintenance and let those last 10 lbs come off as they may.

cheers, h.
ETA: those last 10 lbs are slow be patient. It will come off.

RelCanonical

I have to get weird here so forgive me if I sound like I'm having an out-of-body experience, but this has been working for me so far.

My job is taking each day with discipline and mindfulness. My job is to log accurately, eat foods which provide me with appropriate micronutrients, and to regularly exercise.

My job is NOT to lose weight. That's my body's job. Sometimes it takes a moment to get with the game. That's not my problem. My body can suck it up. Maybe literally.

Plus, my body likes to use this thing called a scale, and scales can sometimes be DUMB. My scale is extra dumb. It likes to stick to the same weight to the .1lb until I lose like 1.5 pounds, and then it's suddenly like "Hey! You lost some weight!" My body also hates my scale because it makes my body look like it's not on the ball, when really, my body just likes to stock up on some water for the "bad days".

Sorry if that got weird. I just anthropomorphized my own body, but it makes me feel a lot better. It makes it feel a lot less slow because each day is a true success when I do what I'm supposed to do.

Luna3386

Definitely try for 1/2 to 1 pound a week. This will give you more flexibility. Maybe consider lifting heavy weights and trying to decrease fat that way/change your shape without worrying about the scale.

bee_bee8

AnneMelody wrote: »

I did go on to say... I wish you all the best and hope you can find your inner strength to make all the right choices, and remember... you are worth it!!!!

:-) Thank you, it's actually encouraging to know other people are having the same struggles. We're not alone in this! I'm just trying to remind myself to take it one day at a time, and keep up the exercise because it always makes me feel better (and actually helps with cravings). I think finding new recipes may help too, at least for me... I've been cooking the same 6-7 healthy meals for months and while they're yummy, perhaps the monotony is causing my body to crave junk again. I'll keep trying to stick with it and I wish you luck with your final 3 lbs! You can do it!

bee_bee8

middlehaitch wrote: »

With only 10 lbs to go you should look at changing your rate of loss to .5 lbs a week. Even 1 lbs can be a little aggressive for most people.

Your other option is to move to your calorie goal at maintenance and let those last 10 lbs come off as they may.

cheers, h.
ETA: those last 10 lbs are slow be patient. It will come off.

Thanks, maybe I will try that and start weighing myself less often. It's just hard to make healthy choices when you're not seeing results quickly, like I was at first. But I knew this day would come where the weight would start dropping more slowly, and I suppose I should be grateful because it means I've made progress :-)

bee_bee8

RelCanonical wrote: »

My job is taking each day with discipline and mindfulness. My job is to log accurately, eat foods which provide me with appropriate micronutrients, and to regularly exercise.

My job is NOT to lose weight. That's my body's job. Sometimes it takes a moment to get with the game. That's not my problem. My body can suck it up. Maybe literally.

That makes total sense and it's a great way of thinking about it. I would have said something similar to myself a few months ago :-) My goal has always been to be healthier, not skinnier, but as many of us know weight loss can be a bit addictive. I've come so far and just want to get to the "weight maintenance" stage!