How to get over the "wait" to lose weight? feeling overwhelmed

seltzermint555

For me the attitude I took was "if I keep it up, a year from now, I'll be smaller". And it was true.

It took me literally years (yeah YEARS) to get down to my goal range...the first couple years despite working hard at it, I lost only a little weight...maybe 8-12 lb. However, the year I started using MFP, I lost about 90 lb and that put me where I wanted to be. The odds of similar success are good when you are consistent, dedicated, and track your intake.

BecomingMyBetterSelf

denjan333 wrote: »

The time will pass regardless so you might as well start now and lose the weight. It isn’t going to go any faster if you wait. In 44 days I’ve lost almost 16 lbs. Imagine what you can accomplish in one year!

This honestly helps my mindset. Thank you.

BecomingMyBetterSelf

moonangel12 wrote: »

I am like you - I wish I could fast forward just to see what I will look and feel like! I am an instant gratification type person (and diagnosed ADD, I think they go hand in hand). Too many times I don’t do something because of the wait involved... if I had planted that fruit tree that takes x years to mature and produce, I would be enjoying the literal fruits of that labor by now! But so many times I don’t because I don’t want to have to wait that long... so what do I do? Nothing. And that is a ridiculous mindset to have! I see my body that way as well. Too often I don’t start something because I don’t give myself enough credit to stick with it. It’s day one of the rest of your life. Next year when you look back you can either see how far you have come, or wonder why you didn’t start sooner and live with that regret.

Take GOOD before pics (as in, good quality, angles that accurately show what is there, not necessarily ones you want to see). Even when I don’t necessarily feel huge changes I can look at my pics and see those subtle shifts...

Oh my god this is perfect. EXACTLY THIS 100%, I could have started sooner(In fact I wanted to but then... i guess I didn't even try because it felt so "Out of reach") Thank you for replying to me. I am new here. I just felt a bit discouraged because it does seem sooooo long for me to lose 100pounds.. and realistically.. probably over a year but if i'm just sitting here not doing anything about it i will be in the same-or worse position.

maureenkhilde

Little goals. I remember thinking oh nooo more than 100 pounds. Then said ok, how about instead my goals I will break down into 8%. So each time I lost 8% of my weight, I set aside $50.00 to spend how I wanted it. I used to waste much more than that on junk food.
So that is how I have been working on it.
And yes it is taking more than a year, I stopped for awhile, but am back.
If you do not have a food scale, it really is a must, and will be so helpful.
And log, log, log. Often times we do not really realize/want to accept just how much/calories we are consuming.
But when we are consistent, we will see exactly how much, and how many calories.

When first starting out, I admit I did not exercise, just moving around was tough. But by 3 months I really started walking miles per day.
So many different ways to become active, and get moving. It all helps.

Lots of support here on MFP. Lots to read for help too. You can do this.

denjan333

I suggest using Happy Scale (app) to track your progress. It’s easy and fun to use and you can set it to break your long term big goal into smaller mini goals. I had about 140 lbs to lose and spread mine into 10 mini goals. I’m already past 1/10! That feels really good to see incremental progress. You can do this! You’ll be amazed at how you feel and look in one measly little year.

bobsburgersfan

I'm pretty sure every one of us here knows that feeling! I don't think I have anything new to add, but I'll sure echo the people who recommend focusing on smaller goals that you can get to a lot faster (like 5 or 10 lbs at a time), and focusing on NSVs ("non-scale victories" such as loose clothing, physical achievements, etc).

This isn't easy. No matter how long it takes, the most important thing is that you DON'T QUIT. I wish you all the best as you start on this journey to a healthier you!

In the meantime, one of my favorite memes:

Angelpebbles

Warning, a little long winded.

I love the positive comments. I lost weight quickly when I first began at 326.2lbs. It's not suprising, especially when I was eating 3200+ calories per day (and it was all fried, dressed or simple carb baked). I saw myself looking at where I wanted my final goal weight to be. I lost 28 lbs in almost a month. Seeing those results, wow..... I wanted to get there as fast as some of those TV shows, but you know what? For me it is unrealistic. I could not keep up the caloric restrictions that I set for myself, and my body was also telling me that 1000 calories was not enough. I was tired, my sleep suffered, my focused dropped, my emotions were scattered, and (TMI) my bm's days in between. I had done this before and my history was rewriting itself again. I have lost the same 75 lbs probably 7 times (probably more like 10 times).

I would diet until my hair would begin to thin, I'd have an small injury (like a twisted ankle- get hurt because i would just be axhausted and mistep) or I would end up getting sick). Once that happened, my Physician would tell me "What are you doing to yourself?" " Why are you eating all of this chemical cr_p food, where is your nutrion, how are you being healthier?" He's right, but yet I still want that quick weightloss.

This time when I began to feel that need for Instant Weightloss, I started reading comments and stories from others, as they have/had similar stories. It wasn't just one person, but many. This is a journey, not race. I am changing my relationship with food and learning to fuel my body. You can do it... I am now looking at what I need to lose in 5 lbs at a time. I have almost 140 lbs to go, but I will get there in time:) I hope that you find the motivation and support that you need.

To the Group thank you for sharing your stories, support and letting us borrow some of you motivation and determination when we need it. You are all awesome and brave for putting yourself out there. Even when we silently read your comments but not reply, it helps others:)

BecomingMyBetterSelf

Thank you everyone, these comments helped a bit!

ellie117

100lbs in a year is about 2lbs per week, every week. That is not impossible, but it's not quite realistic either.

Having a timeline is great - it helped me lose 70lbs in my first year. But make sure it is realistic and attainable for you. Hindsight is 20/20, but I can't believe it has been almost 2 years since I started losing weight. The end goal is a great motivator to keep going. It was so hard for me to see the "finish line" (my 12/28/2018 wedding day) when I was 200+lbs barely able to do 30 minutes of cardio. My lowest weight was 145 and a full hour of cardio now feels *almost* fun. I've gained a bit back but still am much healthier than I was before, something I NEVER thought possible during the years of hating my obesity and never doing anything about it.

I always kept this in mind: "You always regret not working out, but you'll never regret working out." That helped me on the days that I really struggled to get myself to the gym after a long day at work.

Good luck, and celebrate the small victories. Every time I dropped to a new '10s range (199, 189, 159, etc) I congratulated myself and made sure I celebrated the little victory.

PTA4LYF

one day at a time doing the right thing. its a journey not a race i lost 100 in 11 months and despite what people say it wasnt to fast

dex391

It took me 6 months to lose 60 pounds. What made me keep going is the clothes I could fit in again, the excitement of the scale moving. The more energy I felt. Now that I’m at my goal I’m glad I had the patience to keep moving and never giving up!

rainbow198

I had no idea how much weight I needed to lose, but I knew it was a lot.

The process was very overwhelming for me, but eventually choosing to focus on improving my fitness level was a perfect fit for me.

Walking a mile faster, ice skating longer without stopping or slowing down, working towards doing push ups on the wall to on the floor on my toes, trying new Youtube workout, fitness DVD's and fitness classes, buying new toys for my home gym etc.

As I improved my stamina, endurance and strength, I started to shrink and weight loss eventually came with it once paired with eating better and watching my calories.

I took baby steps as I had a lot of bad habits I needed to correct and I took things 1 pound and 1 inch down at a time.

I ended up losing over 80 pounds and I'm heading towards year 7 of keep it all off with no regain.

I really wanted to lose weight/fat and to be healthy and physically fit so I made it a huge priority in my life which still continues today.

sweetbe44

I’m about 5 lbs shy of having lost 100 lbs and it’s taken me almost 2 yrs. Like others, I focus on 5 lbs at a time or other small goals. I’ve learned so much along the way about making changes that I can live with for the rest of my life so that I can enjoy my life. There’s no finish line. This has taken a lot of the pressure off for me. Losing the weight is prep for the long game which is maintenance. I have about another 40 or so lbs to lose still + or - a few. I don’t know what my goal is yet I think I’ll know it when I get there but if it takes another 2 years to get there I’m ok with that.