When weight loss isn’t a shiny new thing anymore

Lietchi

Motivation is really fun.
“OMG, I’m losing weight, my metabolism isn’t in fact doomed!”
“Wow, my treadmill work-outs aren’t as difficult anymore as when I started.”
“OMG, my jeans are baggy, I need to buy a smaller size!”

But logging food is tiresome.
Even knowing that slow and steady wins the race, the road seems too long to reach my goal and I want fast results.
My next (weight) milestone is still far away.
The scale fluctuates upwards, sometimes inexplicably.
Some days I feel hungry, no matter what I eat.
I can see that my body is shaping up slowly, but no one else seems to notice.
Basically: the weight loss journey isn’t shiny and new anymore. And it’s not exciting anymore, not at the moment. Sure, I’m glad I’ve lost over 15 lbs/7kg in almost 17 weeks (more than my goal of 0.5lbs/0.25kg per week). I’m glad I’m feeling and looking fitter already. But motivation, no, that isn’t what is keeping me going.

This is:
- day 117 of my weight loss journey (I started on Noom)
- day 113 of my streak on MFP
- day 113 of logging everything I consume, even when it’s a hassle or a wild guess (food cooked by someone else, restaurants,…), always erring on the overestimating side – exceeding my calorie goal only a handful of times (but never over maintenance)

The truth is: habit, determination and a level of discipline I didn’t know I had, are what keep me going. I’m sure there will be more motivating times ahead: going from obese to overweight, needing to buy smaller clothes again, people close to me noticing I’ve lost weight, accomplishing certain fitness goals,… But at the moment, it’s just a case of plugging away every day, inching closer and closer to that weight loss goal, “only” another 20kg/44lbs or so to go.

Motivation is really fun, but consistency and patience is the key when motivation fails!

Posting this for the benefit of others, but also for myself, to make sure I keep going

cmriverside

I really believe logging food is the #1 Best Tool there is. It doesn't even have to be perfect, I just have to do it. When I don't, I start rationalizing from here to Sunday.

Good job so far.

girlwithcurls2

Co-signed.

Logging is key. Motivation is fleeting. Little habits built over time are the key. Great job, OP. And thanks for the reminder of why we're succeeding, and how to keep going even when it all seems to have lost its luster.

RelCanonical

Oh yeah, those in between days where you just feel like you're logging just to go through the motions but nothing seems to be happening. My patience has definitely been tested but I'm always proud when I look back and realize that it did mean something in the long run.

sgt1372

If you think that losing wt isn't exciting any more and that logging is tiresome, just wait til you get to maintenance.

Just more of the same.

If you can't handle the tidium, then you'll just end up gaining wt again.

To lose and maintain wt, I've needed to log everything I eat and weigh myself daily for the past 4 yrs and I see no reason to chg what I've been doing to successfully lose and maintain my wt now.

It's an important and useful habit that is necessary to my well being and the sooner you take that out of view. the better you will be for it.

Katmary71

Motivation definitely comes and goes and the beginning excitement doesn't last. Sometimes I just have to go through the motions. I just reached maintenance a month ago and it's definitely been an adjustment! At least losing you see a difference in your body and scale so there's feedback. The scale went up this week and I'm still dragging.

NovusDies

I am not a person who needs to lose weight.

I am a weight manager.

I do need to lose some more but along the way this has become my new normal and thus my new identity. Managing my weight is part of my identity. Logging and all that I do to manage my weight is no different than all the other things I do each day that are not exciting but are part of who I am. I am a clean hygienic person but brushing my teeth is no thrill ride. I don't need that much motivation to just live a normal day being who I am.

This is why I am constantly telling people to shift their normal with small changes instead of making drastic ones that are at odds with what normal feels like. The more abnormally you act the more motivation you need to keep it up and the more likely you will fail.

I have to go do my cardio now because I am an active person.

Wendyanneroberts

I agree with NovusDies above. The 2 key things that have changed this time round and have altered a life time of weight loss, weight gain, loss, gain and (well you get the picture).

Is to log and weigh everything, every day. There are times when I have to estimate (an occasional meal out). But all gets logged, no matter what. During this streak of 1,328 days and counting, through the help of others here on mfp. It's become a way of life, and I like NovusDies phrase of "a weight manager". It's a part of every day routine that just happens, takes minutes out of my day now, but has improved my health, weight and put an end to just over 30 years of "dieting" & "unintentional weight gain" cycles.

As Lietchi says it's about consistency and patience, which has now become a way of life.

AnnPT77

Lietchi wrote: »

Motivation is really fun.
“OMG, I’m losing weight, my metabolism isn’t in fact doomed!”
“Wow, my treadmill work-outs aren’t as difficult anymore as when I started.”
“OMG, my jeans are baggy, I need to buy a smaller size!”

But logging food is tiresome.
Even knowing that slow and steady wins the race, the road seems too long to reach my goal and I want fast results.
My next (weight) milestone is still far away.
The scale fluctuates upwards, sometimes inexplicably.
Some days I feel hungry, no matter what I eat.
I can see that my body is shaping up slowly, but no one else seems to notice.
Basically: the weight loss journey isn’t shiny and new anymore. And it’s not exciting anymore, not at the moment. Sure, I’m glad I’ve lost over 15 lbs/7kg in almost 17 weeks (more than my goal of 0.5lbs/0.25kg per week). I’m glad I’m feeling and looking fitter already. But motivation, no, that isn’t what is keeping me going.

This is:
- day 117 of my weight loss journey (I started on Noom)
- day 113 of my streak on MFP
- day 113 of logging everything I consume, even when it’s a hassle or a wild guess (food cooked by someone else, restaurants,…), always erring on the overestimating side – exceeding my calorie goal only a handful of times (but never over maintenance)

The truth is: habit, determination and a level of discipline I didn’t know I had, are what keep me going. I’m sure there will be more motivating times ahead: going from obese to overweight, needing to buy smaller clothes again, people close to me noticing I’ve lost weight, accomplishing certain fitness goals,… But at the moment, it’s just a case of plugging away every day, inching closer and closer to that weight loss goal, “only” another 20kg/44lbs or so to go.

Motivation is really fun, but consistency and patience is the key when motivation fails!

Posting this for the benefit of others, but also for myself, to make sure I keep going

This is, I dunno,

* Day 1600-something of weight management (this round , the successful one).
* Day 1570-ish of my MFP log-in streak.
* Close to that of daily logging, but not exact because I've skipped some days.

I'm still around 50 pounds down from my starting weight, and BMI 22-point-something. I'm still active, working out most days . . . just like I did for the final 15-years-ish of obesity, 20-ish overall, because it's fun, feels good, makes me feel good.

I've been at a healthy weight for nearly 4 full years now. There aren't really new milestones or NSVs or novel intrinsic rewards. Weight management is pretty much a habit, like brushing my teeth. Doesn't take lots more time than tooth-brushing now, either. Worth it.

It doesn't take motivation, particularly. It's just what I do.

Being at a healthy weight is not new, but it's still pretty shiny. I wish I hadn't spent 3 decades being obese, but it's too late to change that part.

Yeah, keep going. It's good stuff. :flowerforyou:

Terytha

Yep. I'm on day 230-something and I'm tired. It's hard to eat so little. It's hard to have lost weight but not enough weight, and be far from a goal. It's hard to think of X months left of waiting for that end point where you can enjoy your hard work fully.

I say to my husband every day, "I don't wanna lose weight anymore."

And he says, "yes you do."

He's right of course. Maintenance here would just leave me stranded at this tiresome midpoint of not-there-yet. And I'd hate that more than anything.

tcunbeliever

February will be 10 years for me...I started logging to make sure I was getting enough protein, and I've missed days here and there, sometimes whole weeks for vacation because the app doesn't ever seem to cooperate on my phone...but, still here, still logging most days...still finding ways to improve my health...I don't see an end to this journey, I don't see a time where my health is not a priority, if anything it becomes an ever greater priority as I age.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

OP yep I have loads of days like this. And weeks. The scale won’t budge and I wanna eat all the things.
If I have been dieting for more than 3 months I usually take a diet break for at least a week. I feel better on maintenance calories and the extra energy translates into better performance in the gym and better sleep.

Maybe consider a diet break if you haven’t before.

LivingtheLeanDream

Loving this positive post :-)
Been here since 2012, got to goal in 2013 in maintenance since. Haven't logged food via the app though in several years (I do mentally keep tabs of my cals each day though). I'm a creature of habit and eat the same things week in/week out but if I saw myself gaining I would go back to logging in a heart beat.
Consistency is key Motivation is fleeting so once the habit is there, we just DO it naturally.

OP keep going, you'll be glad you did

ReenieHJ

If it's become tiresome for you, recreate your menu or your exercise routine. Add something totally different, whether it's food or movement. Take a class in dance or lifting or anything at all. Get a walking/hiking/weight support group going on meet-up. In other aspects of my life, I've found when I change things up somehow, life gets more interesting. Yes, you'll still have to count, that's all part of it.

psychod787

NovusDies wrote: »

I am not a person who needs to lose weight.

I am a weight manager.

I do need to lose some more but along the way this has become my new normal and thus my new identity. Managing my weight is part of my identity. Logging and all that I do to manage my weight is no different than all the other things I do each day that are not exciting but are part of who I am. I am a clean hygienic person but brushing my teeth is no thrill ride. I don't need that much motivation to just live a normal day being who I am.

This is why I am constantly telling people to shift their normal with small changes instead of making drastic ones that are at odds with what normal feels like. The more abnormally you act the more motivation you need to keep it up and the more likely you will fail.

I have to go do my cardio now because I am an active person.

Like Don King style manager? Or Suge Knight? 🤔

MaggieGirl135

@NovusDies what a powerful statement!

vanityy99

The worst for me is feeling like that and having my period at the same time.

seltzermint555

Good points to think about no matter what stage we're in. I remember the year (2013) when I was losing very rapidly and constantly having milestones and NSVs and it was an exciting time.

For me a big thing now is looking at old photos. I don't actually cringe anymore when I see myself 100+ pounds heavier. Enough time has passed that I feel quite accepting of my former self. But I do think, "wow I have come a long way" and it makes me feel a little bit more encouraged to stay on the path I have been on for almost a decade now, moving toward better health. Or when I see recent photos and feel good about what I see. That reminder of my progress and current state is very powerful for me.

ThinnerLiz

I agree with all who said we simply need to make logging a habit, and just do it.

I was here a few years ago— heck, I lost weight with other online trackers over the last 15 years too!—-and each and every time I made significant progress and started slacking off on my logging, (because it was boring/a pain in the patootie/insert excuse here), I gained almost all of it back.

You’d think with all that tracking and generating reports and weighing, that I would have gotten the hang of it, right?

Nope. It was like a snowball rolling downhill. A few days without logging turned into a few weeks, then a few months, and then I was afraid to step on the scale, and I was enjoying all my “freedom”.... etc. Dumb, I know.

Long story short, I ended up back here TWICE over the last three years. This time, I’ve been diligent since last July, and have gotten to my goal weight. (I had an earlier phase where I lost more, but gained back 15).
I didn’t have a whole lot to lose this time, but dang if I’m not sick of losing the same pounds over and over and over!!!

Clothes fit, then they don’t. I get moving and feel great, then get into winter comfort foods, a nice bottle of wine with dinner, a special dessert....curled up on the couch with a fleecy blanket and a doggy.

Well, no more! I feel great now, my energy is the best it’s ever been and I’m about to turn 60. My clothes fit well and NOTHING tastes as good for the few moments it’s in my mouth as sliding into some skinny jeans FEELS!
When I have a moment of weakness/laziness, that’s what I remind myself about.

I focus on the long term positives, and if I’m really hungry, and it persists over an hour or so, I figure my body is telling me something, and I may indulge. But darn if I’m not gonna log that puppy and stick to my plan!!!

I’m determined to see this through during the long cold winter; I have my strategies in place, and I’m focusing on wearing my favorite shirts come Spring!

Biggest trick this time?
No alcohol. I was never a big drinker but I enjoyed a glass of wine or two a few times a week. I cut that out and the weight started coming off easily.

Now I’m in maintenance and may have a glass or two a week (I only drink good, red wine. Nothing else is worth it!)
I can maintain on that level, but drinking anything sure makes losing a lot harder!

Lietchi

Just checking in on this thread, to confirm that I’m still going strong! Especially since I’ve noticed how many people are posting threads about having a lack of motivation.

In the meantime I’m at day 128 of my streak on MFP and I’ve lost 9kg/20lbs in total, so about one third of where I need to get to.

Motivation is great, but it won’t always be there, so we need to find ways to keep going anyway. I think my own lack of motivation a few weeks ago was linked to some winter blues setting in and what looked like a temporary slowdown of my weight loss. It was a good test of my resolve and an interesting lesson. And a good confidence booster too

That being said, @cupcakesandproteinshakes has a good point too: I’ve been ‘at it’ for more than 4 months now, I do think I’ll be taking a bit of a diet break around Christmas (but not a break from logging, even though there will be some guestimates). After 15 years of weight gain and obesity, a few weeks delay in the weight loss journey isn’t the end of the world.

ReenieHJ wrote: »

If it's become tiresome for you, recreate your menu or your exercise routine. Add something totally different, whether it's food or movement. Take a class in dance or lifting or anything at all. Get a walking/hiking/weight support group going on meet-up. In other aspects of my life, I've found when I change things up somehow, life gets more interesting. Yes, you'll still have to count, that's all part of it.

Your advice is sound, but doesn’t really apply in my case I don’t have a real routine in my life where exercise or food is concerned. That’s part of why logging calories is so tiresome: even after more than 4 months of logging, I still need to look up/add many new foods and enter new recipes (it doesn’t help that MFP is very US/UK oriented, the database is less complete for Belgian food products). But a useful tip nonetheless for others who are perhaps struggling.

jhanleybrown

I'm doing well - have lost 11 of a 22 lb goal. Doing all the right things but on a week long plateau. My weight has actually never been this consistent (I usually fluctuate +/- 2-3 lbs with a down trendline...) and I'm stuck on this plateau (been about a week). Weight has not deviated more than 0.5 lb on any given day and most days it's been *exactly* the same (so no up and down but no downward trend either). Still logging, still exercising, still on a (no alcohol) diet....

Sometimes its just one big exercise in patience.