More weight to lose than I can think about

elpurple

So I am normally pretty good at losing weight but never keep it off for long. I lost 4.5 stone a couple of years ago and now I’m back to where I started.

I could really use some friends who can motivate me through their own achievements to lose weight and I will support and do the same in return.

I’m in it for the long haul so please add me and let’s make little steps into big achievements

concordancia

Set reasonable goals. These will not always even be weightloss goals.

For example, I look forward to getting under the weight I was when I met my husband. But I don't actually consider that a goal, just a milestone that I will pass.

My goals are:
-eat within my calorie limits (and I must log to know if this is true!)
-eat my veggies
-exercise every day

seltzermint555

I agree with concordancia. Reasonable, doable goals that you will stick to, so that you don't have a bit of a screwed up day and scrap the whole plan. Thinking long term instead of "fastest possible progress" can really help!

I also think for some people (like me) it is really helpful to have mini goals even when it comes to weight loss. For example when I was at 245 lb my next goal was 230 lb. I feel like people are motivated differently but for me if I started out at 307 (my HW) trying to hit 160-170 (my overall goal) it simply would have blown my mind, been too overwhelming, and I wouldn't have been able to keep going.

yari12812

I agree as well! Having small goals will lead to your overall big goal. I dreeaaddddd working out, BUT, after I'm done I feel so accomplished! Even if the soreness hurts, knowing that it's from the workout, it's more tolerable, than it being regular body pains from my weight. We can do this!

bear2303

Agreed about all of the above. I made my goal to log in every single day for a year at least. Even if i go over, even if i have a really hard day i log it and i log it honestly. Knowing this and really committing to this has been the one thing that I hope will lead to me really being successful. I'm attempting to retrain the way i view food and portions and nutrition and logging it even when its "bad" has helped me be so much more mindful about what I am doing.

I really feel that losing the weight isn't the hard part, its deciding that you're going to change your life and your habits forever that leads to the real change and that allows you to stick with it. If you change your mindset to being long term focused (how will this affect me in 10 years rather than 10 months) it makes the small changes every day a lot more manageable.

workin_onit

A lot of very helpful comments here! To them I'd add: think about the next pound, not the whole amount. Make one small change, do it every day. It's a cliché for a reason: "success breeds success". Good luck! I added you as a friend, hope I can hang out with you on your journey!

iRyanS

I will tell you from experience, being too aggressive in your goals initially on "Day 1" will scare you away from the journey. Too aggressive meaning:

1. I will put myself in a 1000+ calorie deficit, day 1
2. I will exercise 60 minutes a day, day 1

I've lost 240 pounds over the course of 2 years. I've just recently hit that number goal. I realized pretty early on that patience is key. Weight loss is a simple science - adhering to a plan that's long-term and sustainable isn't, and there isn't one model for success.

Set up smaller milestones. No reason to dwell on the huge numbers - after all, those milestones need to occur first before you even get to that overall goal!

elisa123gal

just set the goal of getting a little bit lighter every day. I used to tell myself..I just want to be a few ounces lighter..so much better than gaining more ounces each day.

That is how it happens.. you slowly ..bit by bit gain. Well.. just put your body and mind in reverse..and with time..it comes off.

I found that analogy kept me feeling good and not overwhelmed with thinking about how much I had to lose. a few ounces seems very attainable.