220 pounds and struggling to stay motivated :(

lucerorojo

I've lost 37 lbs. Since July 2017. I started at 237 and am now 200. I have 63 lbs. To go. I started with losing 2lbs. Per week. I was fine with that for the first 25 lbs. Then my calorie allotment reached 1200. I did that for four days! Could not sustain that. I'm eating 1610 now plus exercise calories to lose 1 lb. per week.

Up your calories to lose 1-1.5 lb. per week. Your deficit is probably too agressive. It is better to lose .5 or 1 lb per week than to quit altogether trying to lose 2lbs.

Kezzah183

Try setting yourself little goals such as 200lb then 190 then 180. Then it’s not so far away. This is what helps me as I want to get to 150 too and currently 207. No pressure but I’ve sent you a friend request if you need someone to talk to when it get tough xx

Icandothis1415

Kezzah183 wrote: »

Try setting yourself little goals such as 200lb then 190 then 180. Then it’s not so far away. This is what helps me as I want to get to 150 too and currently 207. No pressure but I’ve sent you a friend request if you need someone to talk to when it get tough xx

I've had so many really helpful replies! Thankyou, I've accepted your friend request, we can do this! xx

TWRUNNER32

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ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Not to be harsh, but you need to forget about the idea of motivation. It's clearly not going to get you there.

You need to develop a clear and specific plan and follow it. Focus on small changes and give yourself a chance to get used to one or two before you add on something else.

I agree. I was listening to the podcast "Tips of the Scale" recently, and they had a guest on who said something that really stuck with me. She said that she just had a goal and she Did What Was Required. It's something Ive repeated to myself a million times in the last couple of weeks when I Was trying to avoid cupcakes lol.

Do what is required for your health and your body.

I actually caved last night though. We got a ton of snow dumped on us, and I had to work nights, and when I went to get into my car, I couldn't get it off the street. I had to walk to the bus stop in calf high snow and I was wiped out by the time I Got there. So I bought some cookies.

By the time I got to work, my stomach was turning because I'd turned down all the "bad" food for the last couple of weeks. And I've started actually craving vegetables. Which is something I NEVER. THOUGHT. WOULD. HAPPEN.

Do what is required. It takes motivation and will power out to the equation and just moves you onto the next task.

curwhibbles

Lots of motivation here. It all starts with a decision.

aylerz

Wow, I've just recently started back up, and am in the exact same spot, motivationally, as you are! I've lost 11 pounds so far, and have been taking it 5 pounds at a time - basically I do tiny 5 pound goals. All is well, my calories are good, and I'm not even struggling with the diet, but today after looking at a bunch of transformation pics I got really discouraged. My main issue is that I feel like my goal weight is just going to take so long to get to, and that I'm never going to SEE a change. While I know I lost 11 pounds, and that's great, I can't see it, or feel it in my clothes, which is the main bummer for me.

So far, for me, the best thing that I have done is read through advice from others. I also keep reminding myself that it's going to take 3 months before anyone really notices a change in my body (myself included! some people see their changes after 1 month, but that's never been my case), so I need to wait it out a little longer. Marking down days on the calendar also helps me. If I look at my goal in number of pounds it freaks me out, but if I look at it in terms of months, it's not so scary.

Good luck and keep it up!

swim777

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ShannonMpls/view/3-years-of-mfp-130-pounds-lost-what-i-ve-learned-669627

This! This post motivated more than anything I have read.

lucerorojo

Also think about the health gains. What made me start losing weight was that my stats were not good--my blood sugar was borderline, almost pre-diabetic, my cholesterol was high. I had been very active up until about 5 years ago and I was turning into a couch potato! I couldn't walk up or down stairs without my knees aching. It was NOT me. I wrote down what I could expect if I lost the weight (my goal is 100 lbs. and I've lost 37 so far). That included, normal blood sugar and cholesterol, more energy and able to be physically active again. At 20 lbs. lost I started to feel the difference in terms of my physical activity and now definitely. I just keep looking forward to what I'm going to be able to do.

Perhaps make a list for yourself of all the things you will be able to do that you cannot do now, or whatever is important for you to lose weight. I also added rewards at every 5-10 lbs. although I haven't really followed that. For me it has been enough reward just to see the fat come off and able to do more activities.

DebLaBounty

So cool you’re doing this while you’re young!! You can develop some good discipline now and you’re way ahead of the game. I agree that it’s helpful to 1) set 5 or 10 pound loss mini-goals, and 2) load the Happy Scale app on your iPhone or Libra on Android. Input your weight (I weigh most mornings) and you’ll see a nice gradual graph of your progress. Check it out!

dena789

When I set up my goals on MFP, I set my weight loss per week goal at 2 pounds a week which gave me 1200 calories. Then I went back and changed it to 1 pound per week and my calorie allowance went up to 1580. I left it set on 1 per week and I look at my daily calories in terms of minimum of 1200 and maximum of 1580. Some days I’m closer to the bottom and some to the top. I eat very normal foods, the same things as everyone else at the table. I just make sure I know what portions I’m eating. I don’t feel deprived and I even eat out, have an occasional ice cream or chocolate bar if it fits below my daily maximum. My calorie range gives me some wiggle room.

I am 65 and not very active as I’ve had both hips replaced. The most exercise I get is walking. I have a Fitbit so I "try" to get 3,000 steps a day. I only hit that target twice last week. Since Jan 1st this year, I’ve lost 6.4 pounds.