Battling negative feelings

oosaah

I’m feeling impatient and defeated today. I know that I’ve made progress, having lost 7kgs so far, but it just feels like a drop in the bucket. I know people have successfully lost so much more, but I’m just feeling really down.

I’m committed to keep going because I’m enjoying the food and the active lifestyle, but I thought I’d feel better by now and that I’d be celebrating these wins. Instead, all I can see is how much I still need to lose.

What do you guys do when you start feeling like this? Any tips to change my negative mindset?

nutmegoreo

Set smaller goals, and keep in mind that each lb/kg gone is one less to carry around. The other thing I like to keep in mind is that this next year is going to pass regardless, it makes sense to be working towards your goals, even if they aren't coming as fast as you would like, they are coming. Where you will be in 3 months, or 6 months, or 9 months is something yet to be discovered, but being closer to your goals is better than getting further away from them.

Running2Fit

It helps me to break my big goal down into smaller goals. Focusing just on what I want to achieve that month. And to have non-weight related goals as well.

Evelyn_Gorfram

oosaah wrote: »

I’m feeling impatient and defeated today. I know that I’ve made progress, having lost 7kgs so far, but it just feels like a drop in the bucket. I know people have successfully lost so much more, but I’m just feeling really down.

I’m committed to keep going because I’m enjoying the food and the active lifestyle, but I thought I’d feel better by now and that I’d be celebrating these wins. Instead, all I can see is how much I still need to lose.

What do you guys do when you start feeling like this? Any tips to change my negative mindset?

Find things to feel good about. You've got plenty:

You've lost seven kilograms! That's 15.4 pounds! A British "stone" and 1.4lbs in change*! That's an accomplishment, and worth stopping to take pride in and to celebrate!!!

(*I recently lost my own first British stone, and celebrated by making a bracelet with a stone bead (inexpensive jade) worth approximately $14.00. I have several more stones to lose, so I plan to keep adding more $14 stone beads to my bracelet.)

How are your clothes fitting? Are your tight jeans any more comfortable? Are your comfy jeans falling off? Check your closet for any clothes you pushed to the back because they were a little too tight, and try them on.

And take your measurements. They are often a surer way to see progress than on the scale, especially if you have measurements from when you started.

Sure you've got a ways to go. Most of us do - and all of us will need to maintain when we get there. But that's no reason not to look back on and be proud of how far you've come.

rheddmobile

Sometimes it's just a day to go to bed early. Give yourself permission to feel down for the moment with faith that tomorrow is another day when you may feel up again, and the knowledge that your new lifestyle doesn't depend on how you feel at this exact moment. Bodies are weird, and hungry bodies are even weirder. The brain is a part of the body. External tricks to cheer yourself up may help or they may not. Sometimes you just have to wait for whatever chemical thing is going on to pass by so you feel yourself again.

TavistockToad

Comparison is the thief of joy

elisa123gal

Life has good and bad days... so, you're having a bad day... just file it away as that and move on. A bad day is hardly an excuse to pitch a personal improvement plan.

88olds

If you are losing and enjoying your new lifestyle and what you are eating you have the right formula. The only thing you need to add is time.

Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking what you’re doing isn’t good enough. People will happily tell you if they manage to lose say 15 lbs in 1 month. But will remain silent while they gain it back.

Losing a significant amount and keeping it gone requires life changes beyond the number on the scale. Give yourself time to adjust.

How did I cope with negative thinking? I pushed back. I had my guard up for negative thinking and pushed back with facts. If necessary, I stood in front of the mirror and argued out loud. Really.

Try this:

Your program is working.
You’ve lost 7kgs.
Losing 7kgs is factual evidence of significant success.
You are satisfied with how you are living.
You are progressing toward your goals.
You enjoy being more active.
The process is liberating.
The facts are on your side.
Your weight loss goals are the right thing for you to do.
You deserve to have the life that you want.
You are not going to let old negative thoughts defeat you.
This kind of negative thinking is just a bad habit you are trying to break.

Last- Our brains have habits. Some of them are bad habits. So don’t be distressed when a negative thought pops out. We can’t stop them. But if we can neutralize the negatives, we can end up with net positive thinking. That’s about the best we can do.

jdubois5351

I know a bit how you feel. I've lost 8 kg so far, and have another 7-9 kg to lose. Objectively I know it's awesome, subjectively I looked in the mirror while naked this morning and thought "yeah, still not a big differnce to be seen". My "problem" is, I gain and lose weight overall, so there's nothing really obvious to see, no big difference in my butt or belly or thighs, just a slow, relatively steady decline in weight. It can be discouraging sometimes (like this morning, even though the scale showed my lowest weight in the last 6-7 years at least).

Hang in there. This too shall pass! You know you're doing the right thing and making great progress. Sometimes it's just not very obvious to us.

sardelsa

It's best not to compare your progress to others, we all have different starting weights and goals. I've lost about 10lbs since May. But why would I compare to someone on a different journey that has more to lose.

What are your stats and how much do you have left to lose?