When you have to lose LOTS...

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  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
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    abbeyminor wrote: »
    And eat salad when all you want is something warm?

    After Googling it, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn (as I was) that apparently warm salads are a thing now. :)

    https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=OjhdWqaXBqGWjQOqqZEg&q=warm+salads&oq=warm+salads&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.448.1706.0.1838.12.10.0.1.1.0.109.845.8j2.10.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.11.847.0..35i39k1j0i131k1j0i67k1j0i20i264k1j0i131i67k1.0.vczE572t6uE



  • SnowDog16
    SnowDog16 Posts: 20 Member
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    Your in the right place. So many of us need 1 to 2 lbs a week and need to lose 50 to 100 lbs. So it is going to take sometime. Not just a month or 2 but maybe years and then to learn to eat better for life. I find logging in my food every every day! The most helpful. Even if you over eat one day or one week. Even if it was a birthday, or Christmas. I hate salad sometime too. I have been making vegetable soups in big batches. I then freeze them for lunch or add to dinner. Many are low calorie. I have used yogurt instead of sour cream with a beet soup I like. I love carrot and ginger soup. I also like to save a few calories for some popcorn in front of the TV.
  • cowleyl
    cowleyl Posts: 169 Member
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    Losing weight is about mind games as much as anything else. Focus on non-weight loss things to feel good about yourself NOW as well as focusing on your diet and exercise. On my many dieting expeditions, all I did was focus on what I would feel like when I reached that magic number. You can feel better about yourself immediately - for example, I totally focused on my hands and made sure I gave them lots of extra attention with manicures, exciting colour combinations and such. I also focused on exercise and bargained with myself to make sure I did a certain amount. I've weaned myself off weighing many times a day, invariably followed by throwing in the towel when the scale didn't do what I expected and I weigh once a month (mostly). Sad to say, 1-2 pounds is about all most people can lose in a week but you don't have to feel bad about yourself while striving to reach your goal. I lapsed in and out of dieting mentality but my mantra was to try to minimise harm while I was 'out of it'. I lost 36 kg and put back 14 kg but I remind myself that I've lost 22 kg and I'm back into it now (along with manicured hands). It's tough but it's worth it. Good luck.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    abbeyminor wrote: »
    How do you stay motivated, losing just a pound or two a week, when ultimately you need to lose 50-75? And how do you convince yourself to go to the gym when it's -15 outside? And eat salad when all you want is something warm? These are real questions, I swear I'm not just lamenting

    It took me years to put on the weight, so I figure it will take me years to lose it. Makes sense to me. I find it way easier to break things down into 5% mini goals. Before I knew it months had passed and I'd lost 25% of my starting weight. I'm currently working on getting to 202 because 140 is kind of a crazy far number.

    I would need convincing and lots of layers to run outside when it's -15, but how that applies to working out in a gym I'm not sure.

    I don't have lettuce in the garden in January and therefore am not obligated to eat salad. Soup is warm, tasty, and generally lower in calories than any salad I would be willing to eat.
  • tmaths
    tmaths Posts: 58 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I need to lose approximately 60 lbs by december, to avoid a surgery on my ankle ( the ankle itself is a mess, and they said if I don't get in shape so ankle can support weight, then I'll be bed ridden after surgery ) If I can get in shape, then physio will take the brunt of it.

    I've cancelled out exercise because of Dr's orders for now, but I have been stingent about sticking to a 1900-2000 cal plan.

    If it's even a cup of tea, I track it down.

    I've also discovered a love for salads.. but as someone above mentioned; you can technically have a sub a day if you want, as long as you stick within your caloric intake for the day.

    I'd suggest avoiding burgers because of the grease/cholesterol, but a sub/sandwich might be right up your alley.

    You have amazing people here, who will you help you every step of the way. The only reason I know I can do this, is because I already had to do it once before. The power of motivation is a force that can be near unstoppable.

  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 977 Member
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    I love having salads for lunch and on those days when it's really cold, I heat up the protein, typically chicken, in the microwave prior to eating.
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 815 Member
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    abbeyminor wrote: »
    How do you stay motivated, losing just a pound or two a week, when ultimately you need to lose 50-75? And how do you convince yourself to go to the gym when it's -15 outside? And eat salad when all you want is something warm? These are real questions, I swear I'm not just lamenting

    By reminding myself that if I don’t start now by June I’ll still be 60lbs overweight, and I’ll start next year and still be overweight and unhappy with my fitness and body. Times going for pass anyway.... may as well do something as it passes.......

    I make green veggie soup. Warm and still nutritious. You don’t have to eat just salad, you could eat your veggies roasted, baked, stir fried, steamed and they will be both warm and low cal!

    If you can’t force yourself out to the gym, find a work out vid on youvtube and do that instead

  • JillianRumrill
    JillianRumrill Posts: 335 Member
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    How do you stay motivated, losing just a pound or two a week, when ultimately you need to lose 50-75? Focus on the journey, fall in love with it, don't stress about the outcome. Yeah it would be nice if I could snap my fingers and be 80lbs thinner, but at the same time, losing it slowly has taught me a thing or two...and will continue to teach me lessons. One of them being persistence. Remember: Nothing worth having comes easy.

    And how do you convince yourself to go to the gym when it's -15 outside? I don't. I learn to make due with what I have in the moment (plus my poor eyesight makes it hard for me to drive when it's dark out so I'm usually going straight from work to home). So, I run in place or do yoga, or take frequent walking breaks from my office. I get creative.

    And eat salad when all you want is something warm? I don't. I drink copious amts of tea during the day at work to keep warm and have a space heater in my office so by the time lunch rolls around I'm not eating to warm up, I'm eating to fuel up, and even then I'll have something light like a granola bar or oatmeal. I save the salads for summer. I find that if I stay warm, I'm not as hungry!

  • NoxeemaJackson
    NoxeemaJackson Posts: 102 Member
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    Habits > motivation.
    I set my alarm for 5:15 to get to a 5:45 workout.
    The alarm is set the night before.
    Once it goes off Im awake, so I might as well go.
    So I go.
    Its a habit. Its just a Thing I Do, like brushing teeth.
    Develop habits.
    Make a big pot of soup on Sunday and eat it all week.
    Set your alarm.
    I prefer classes instead of doing my own workout, more fun, less to think about.
  • its1230atnight
    its1230atnight Posts: 26 Member
    edited January 2018
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    It took me -years- to finally get back on the wagon. I had lost a serious amount of weight, and then non-serious amounts of weight (25-30 pounds) five times over after I'd gained some back. I lost control and ballooned after my pregnancy. I think it was when I realized that I just.. wasn't myself, anymore. I hadn't been in the fat suit since I was in early freshman year, and I didn't like it then. I hate it now, since I know what the alternative is. I felt more confident, healthier, had more energy, and was a hell of a lot more attractive when I shrunk down. So, all of the.. "Well, I already did it; I just don't WANT to anymore; it's so much work," it wasn't really going to cut it. At the end of the day, unless I buckled down and did something, I was going to cut years off of my life, and I was going to perpetually feel like a foreigner inside my own skin. So, trust me. You're not alone. I just had to pick the lesser evil -- being trapped inside misery of my own making because it was "too hard," or committing to a year or two of *kitten*-kicking with a lifetime of back slapping to come of it. I could have waited, again, made the excuses, again, procrastinated, again, but you know what? If I had done the hard thing two years ago, I could have had that many more years feeling -awesome- and proud of myself, rather than looking back on that opportunity to get on the elliptical with regret that I didn't. And believe me, when you look back, it's like child birth. You're not going to remember the pain in labor, just the blessing of the joy at the end. You won't remember sweating for an hour a day on the treadmill, but you will remember how good you look in the dressing room mirror when you pull on your goal pants without a struggle. The suffering is fleeting; the pay off is forever.

    With that said, I think weight loss is mind tricks. Someone else said it here. I'm constantly visualizing the life I want. On the treadmill, while I'm sweating pools, I'm in my head walking into a place and seeing someone I haven't seen in years - all of that warm, creamy, ego-boosting praise for my new form. Buying the size 6's instead of being stuck in the garbage parts of the plus size section of the store, with Alfredo sauce stains on my XL shirt as I shame buy size 20's. I'm a competitive creature, so, I like to run at a challenge, full force. Right now I'm doing the #250kchallenge. If I aggressively approach my weight loss, I am a contender for a life changing sum of cash. That makes me a hell of a lot more likely to pack the baby up, pay the extra child care costs, and get to the gym in -15 degree weather. That is going to really encourage me to log every single stitch of food or drink I enter into my body. It could be anything, but, money -always- gets my *kitten* in gear. Find what motivates you and then reach down past that into the discipline to -get it.-

    As for realistic lifestyle changes? Don't associate certain foods with weight loss and get stuck in that super limiting mentality that'll prevent you from making a commitment. I don't know anyone that's thin that is only a salad eater. That's bananas. It's unrealistic. But, do look for healthy options you can budget into your range. If I want something warm, I eat salmon, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, cover it in some pineapple salsa, give it a side of some healthy substitute I've devised in place of mashed potatoes or rice. I make zoodles with an organic tomato sauce. Boom. Pasta. And there's a ton of vegan soup options. If you're resourceful, there's pages on it. People make entire livings tricking the overweight brain into thinking it's -really- indulging when it's eating some fancy squash.

    For short term goals, I give myself a prize. For every fifteen, I get to binge buy 50 bucks at Ulta, or on new clothes for my slinky body. Just some materialistic decadency I usually steer clear of, like I do brownie fudge sundaes. But, if I can -see- my goals, and how greatly improved I am, I'm not quitting until I see just how good I can get, how good I can feel. For bigger landmarks - 25, 50, 75, 100 - I take trips. Boston is a clear shot from here. It's my favorite place. When I'm down significant amounts of weight, I treat myself by going there and reveling in myself, and in the beauty of the city. Feeling good in a place you love is the best kind of medicine.

    And, making friends on your path to keep you accountable is also good advice. When you want the brownie, call your sponsor. Everyone needs a reminder.

    Best of luck!
  • ketofire51
    ketofire51 Posts: 102 Member
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    abbeyminor wrote: »
    How do you stay motivated, losing just a pound or two a week, when ultimately you need to lose 50-75? And how do you convince yourself to go to the gym when it's -15 outside? And eat salad when all you want is something warm? These are real questions, I swear I'm not just lamenting

    That's why I do keto....never really hungry.
  • vap91179
    vap91179 Posts: 5 Member
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    This. Is. Wonderful.

    I’m a start again, stop again type of person and the way you put weight loss in to perspective here is so eye opening. Thank you!
    its1230atnight wrote: »
    It took me -years- to finally get back on the wagon. I had lost a serious amount of weight, and then non-serious amounts of weight (25-30 pounds) five times over after I'd gained some back. I lost control and ballooned after my pregnancy. I think it was when I realized that I just.. wasn't myself, anymore. I hadn't been in the fat suit since I was in early freshman year, and I didn't like it then. I hate it now, since I know what the alternative is. I felt more confident, healthier, had more energy, and was a hell of a lot more attractive when I shrunk down. So, all of the.. "Well, I already did it; I just don't WANT to anymore; it's so much work," it wasn't really going to cut it. At the end of the day, unless I buckled down and did something, I was going to cut years off of my life, and I was going to perpetually feel like a foreigner inside my own skin. So, trust me. You're not alone. I just had to pick the lesser evil -- being trapped inside misery of my own making because it was "too hard," or committing to a year or two of *kitten*-kicking with a lifetime of back slapping to come of it. I could have waited, again, made the excuses, again, procrastinated, again, but you know what? If I had done the hard thing two years ago, I could have had that many more years feeling -awesome- and proud of myself, rather than looking back on that opportunity to get on the elliptical with regret that I didn't. And believe me, when you look back, it's like child birth. You're not going to remember the pain in labor, just the blessing of the joy at the end. You won't remember sweating for an hour a day on the treadmill, but you will remember how good you look in the dressing room mirror when you pull on your goal pants without a struggle. The suffering is fleeting; the pay off is forever.

    With that said, I think weight loss is mind tricks. Someone else said it here. I'm constantly visualizing the life I want. On the treadmill, while I'm sweating pools, I'm in my head walking into a place and seeing someone I haven't seen in years - all of that warm, creamy, ego-boosting praise for my new form. Buying the size 6's instead of being stuck in the garbage parts of the plus size section of the store, with Alfredo sauce stains on my XL shirt as I shame buy size 20's. I'm a competitive creature, so, I like to run at a challenge, full force. Right now I'm doing the #250kchallenge. If I aggressively approach my weight loss, I am a contender for a life changing sum of cash. That makes me a hell of a lot more likely to pack the baby up, pay the extra child care costs, and get to the gym in -15 degree weather. That is going to really encourage me to log every single stitch of food or drink I enter into my body. It could be anything, but, money -always- gets my *kitten* in gear. Find what motivates you and then reach down past that into the discipline to -get it.-

    As for realistic lifestyle changes? Don't associate certain foods with weight loss and get stuck in that super limiting mentality that'll prevent you from making a commitment. I don't know anyone that's thin that is only a salad eater. That's bananas. It's unrealistic. But, do look for healthy options you can budget into your range. If I want something warm, I eat salmon, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, cover it in some pineapple salsa, give it a side of some healthy substitute I've devised in place of mashed potatoes or rice. I make zoodles with an organic tomato sauce. Boom. Pasta. And there's a ton of vegan soup options. If you're resourceful, there's pages on it. People make entire livings tricking the overweight brain into thinking it's -really- indulging when it's eating some fancy squash.

    For short term goals, I give myself a prize. For every fifteen, I get to binge buy 50 bucks at Ulta, or on new clothes for my slinky body. Just some materialistic decadency I usually steer clear of, like I do brownie fudge sundaes. But, if I can -see- my goals, and how greatly improved I am, I'm not quitting until I see just how good I can get, how good I can feel. For bigger landmarks - 25, 50, 75, 100 - I take trips. Boston is a clear shot from here. It's my favorite place. When I'm down significant amounts of weight, I treat myself by going there and reveling in myself, and in the beauty of the city. Feeling good in a place you love is the best kind of medicine.

    And, making friends on your path to keep you accountable is also good advice. When you want the brownie, call your sponsor. Everyone needs a reminder.

    Best of luck!

  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    edited January 2018
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    The 50-75 weeks is going to pass anyway. You get to choose to be 50-75 pounds lighter at the end or not. I tell myself that being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, choose your hard!

    Also, I'm not a salad fan either, you don't have to eat them.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    Break it down into smaller chunks. Losing 100 pounds seems SO HARD. But what about losing ten pounds? What about losing 5% or 10% of your body weight (which doctors say can greatly improve health and metabolic function, even if you're still overweight)? If you can lose ten pounds once, you can do it nine more times. As other mentioned, celebrate each time you hit a mini-goal - it gives you something to look forward to without being overwhelming!

    Also, pay attention to yourself and your body, not other people. You can use your diary to learn what kinds of food keep you full, how hormone patterns or exercise change your appetite, and if making a small change to your average day can enhance your success (like, you didn't realize you were eating 3 servings of peanut butter in your oatmeal, but you're totally satisfied with 1 actual serving? Cool, you saved about 400 calories each morning).

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