11 Of The Biggest Things I Stopped Doing To Lose 90 Pounds - WITH PICS! *What have YOU had to STOP?

alisampm

What have you had to STOP doing to find success?? Share yours!

**Feel free to send me a friend request, I log in daily and love friends.

11. Stopped thinking it was impossible for me.
I always believed other people could be healthy, could be slim, could stay consistent and lose weight. The first step was believing it was possible for ME, living my real life to lose weight and keep it off.

10. Stopped wishfully believing in a quick fix.
The lose 20 pounds overnight wasn’t real. The eat only these things and you will instantly be at your ideal weight wasn’t real. Wishing that I wasn’t fat didn’t make me not fat. Praying that I could be healthy didn’t make me healthy. I had to stop wishing and start doing.

9. Stopped listening to most people.
Most of the people I was hearing from believed in the wishful thinking and quick fix of the next new shiny diet. The one “trick” that would make your body be what you wanted it to be. So I had to be intentional about stopping listening to them and find people who believed in science, calories in, calories our and losing weight the old-fashioned boring way, of moving more and eating less.

8. Stopped thinking I had to SUFFER in order to lose.
Tracking calories and eating in a deficit is a learning curve and challenging sometimes, but discovering how to keep me full (enter volume eating), eating what I want and satiated, has made the process so much more sustainable.

7. Stopped looking for an end date.
I needed to reframe this process and just BEING my life. There is no end to your life other than death, so until then, there is no end date. This is just life.

6. Stopped being an a-hole to myself.
I was not stupid or lazy because I was heavy. I wasn’t incapable or weak. So, I stopped telling myself I was.

5. Stopped blaming anyone or anything else.
It wasn’t genetics, or a slow metabolism or stress, or grief. They all are part of the package that is me, but the reason I was heavy was because I ate too much food.

4. Stopped sitting on the couch.
Not right away…. I lost about 60 pounds firmly on the couch. Now I have added in walking and running.

3. Stopped thinking it would all be “better” after I lost.
I am still me. I still have all of the same insecurities and I now believe I will still be 100% me when I am at my goal weight. What sucked at 272 pounds might be slightly different, but life will still suck sometimes. I am currently going through some health stuff, that losing the weight didn’t fix me mentally or physically – but it did empower me to be a better advocate for myself.

2. Stopped waiting to live.
I was no longer going to put off that photo, that vacation, that adventure until I looked better. I was going to start living the life I wanted to live and take all the photos and vacations I could and enjoying my health as I worked on my health.

1. Stopped stopping.
As this isn’t a race, it is just life – there is no reason to quit when I have an off day, I eat the whole pizza or gain 10 pounds on vacation. I just have to do the habits that I know get me to where I want to be, tracking calories honestly, getting off the couch, and not giving up. Quote by Shia Labeouf: “If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.”

What have you had to STOP doing to find success?? Share yours!

**Feel free to send me a friend request, I log in daily and love friends.

https://midsoulfitness.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/10-of-the-biggest-things-i-stopped-doing-to-loss-90-pounds/

Sailor555

Everything you've written here is so true and real and sensible and absolutely honest. I'm so happy for your success and thank you for this infusion to inspire and remind the rest of us. Some things seem so reasonable and common-sense and obvious it's hard to believe we don't always believe them. But alas, that is being human. You look (and seem like you feel) fantastic and I wish you all the continued best!

LisaGetsMoving

Awesome progress! You pretty much spelled it out already. Two of the most important for me was accepting that there isn't an "end date", this is life, and probably from now on if I hope to successfully maintain. Also, stop stopping just because I had a bad day or took a week's vacation. I am impatient, so I do occasionally partake in some wishful thinking, a quick fix, the me I'll be *someday* but I don't live there because that would waste the day I have right now and be self defeating.

cassiefx

Thank you for this. It is one of the best and most encouraging posts I've seen on MFP. Congratulations on your success!

lmf1012

I had to stop halfway doing this and then whining about my lack of results

Agree 1000% about not seeing an end date, a definite eye opener for me this time

LINIA

Lovely progress , congrats and GL in keeping off every pound!

metaphysicalstudio

Wow! I loved reading this. So insightful! 🙌🏽

Lhenderson923

I had to stop complaining about my weight and hating how I looked and had to start actually trying to do something about it. Loosing weight is pretty simple really, it’s just CICO. But getting in the right headspace for it can be hard. That quote is so true- I also had to stop stoping after a bad day or couple of days and instead realize that those “bad” days aren’t actually bad and are a part of life. It’s nice to take a short break as long as you keep going. You have made such amazing progress!!

DarlaJL82

Very good and accurate list.

brenn24179

congrats, that is a lot of hard work and you did it.

PepeLPew

Alisa I'm gonna add you. You speak my language. Congrats - you are crushing it!

jenilla1

Your list is BRILLIANT!

JMC3Terp

Agreed with so much of this. Lost 100 pounds so far.

Mental aspect is huge. Stop thinking negatively. Stop looking for a way out or a way to "skip" your diet or workout today. Absolutely go at your own pace, but in the past, I found reasons NOT to do things. Now, I find reasons to do them - and it makes a world of difference. This pretty much falls in line with your #11, #10, #6, and #5. The longer I go on this journey, the more I become convinced that what you are doing and what is going on between your ears is as important as anything happening anywhere else in your body.

Also really love your end date point. I have a goal weight. I plan to hit that and keep going. That's more like a starting point for my next chapter. Hit X weight. Then see where i'm at. And even when I get to a weight that I think is appropriate, start working on body composition and building more muscle while burning more fat. Just because I hit a specific number on the scale, doesn't mean my journey is over.

Stop thinking there is a perfect pre-made plan out there for me. There isn't. I've become a firm believer in finding what works for you. Everyone is different and what works for me, may not work for you. I also liked your "don't listen to others" advice. In the past I'd hear one thing - take it as Gospel - and go with it. This time I educated myself. Read lots of different articles, watched countless videos from countless different people, and compared and contrasted. I took all that information and decided what made sense to me and what seemed like the right approach for me to take. There is no one-size-fits-all weight loss plan.

Congratulations on all your success and good luck moving forward!!

charmmeth

I love this! And well done!

kristinepaul

Alisa, congratulations on not only your weight loss but your introspection on what "stops" someone. I'm so proud of your commitment and accepting the work that you have to do. No one makes that decision for us. And it's definitely not over until it's over. Thank you.

letsgetfit4real

This is so awesome! Thanks for sharing and keeping it real. As of today I have lost 19 lbs and am on the beginning of week 8. Following CICO too. Its taken a bit to figure out what my golden number was to have those pounds start dropping but I am never going back to where I was. Its only forward from here! Kudos to you!

pattymason7

Thank-you,Alisa

katheebowen

So true! Congratulations.

AnnofB

Congratulations! So insightful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. They will be an incentive for many. Can't wait to see your "goal post", cause there is NO doubt you will get there. Awesome, just awesome!

Sand_TIger

Hey, I know you! LOL.... your list is really great and I like how it goes over how we think about things and the ways in which you had to change your process. The details take care of themselves if your outlook changes. Congratulations on your loss!

So here are some of the things I had to stop doing in order to drop the 90+ pounds I've already released.

I have had to stop thinking it was okay to buy foods with absolutely no nutrition. And I've had to dial way back on snacking with those kinds of things. I'll snack on protein, nuts, vegetables, fruit, that sort of thing, but gone are the days of empty non fiber carbs. I do occasionally eat refined sugar but it is always just a small amount and well within my calories. Or on a major holiday. But I have stopped thinking it was okay to eat that kind of thing without restriction. Completely gone are the days of buying a family size bag of chips and finishing it myself in a day.

I have stopped eating without regard to portion size - I weigh, measure, and use smaller bowls. I don't fill up a quart sized bowl with rice anymore. If I tried doing that now I'd make myself sick!

I had to give up the idea that I couldn't do it, or that losing weight was near impossible. It's very possible, but it just takes persistence and patience. I learned from my female family members that losing weight was super hard and always a losing battle and even if it wasn't, the weight would always come back with friends. Since then I have learned otherwise.

FreeFor40

. Stopped thinking I had to SUFFER in order to lose.
Tracking calories and eating in a deficit is a learning curve and challenging sometimes, but discovering how to keep me full (enter volume eating), eating what I want and satiated, has made the process so much more sustainable.

This point right here is great. Anyone can still eat foods they love in moderation within their daily caloric intake goals and still lose weight. Suffering and losing weight do not go hand in had.

FABRICWOMAN

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This list is so on point. I have copied and placed it on my desk top to view whether I start listening to that mean little voice that keeps trying to tell me I will not make it to goal. The liar! You look simply marvelous. Keep up the good work.

alisampm

FABRICWOMAN wrote: »

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This list is so on point. I have copied and placed it on my desk top to view whether I start listening to that mean little voice that keeps trying to tell me I will not make it to goal. The liar! You look simply marvelous. Keep up the good work.

And THIS made my whole day! I can believe I am on your desktop!

Autumnseer

Great list, especially no end date -- this is life instead. Not a bad idea to cut and paste it too when the times get tough. Well done and thanks for posting.

kristingjertsen

Congratulations on your success and your continuing journey! It took me a few years and a few ups and downs in my weight and health to understand the need to take one day at a time. Best lesson I learned was to put a "bad eating day" in the past and start fresh at the next meal or the next day. Also learned to handle the times when I was doing well with my eating and the scale stubbornly continued to stay at the same weight for weeks at a time. Wishing you a long and healthy life!

speyerj

Best list ever! 100% agree on everything. For me, #6 was really important. I had to learn to forgive myself for getting fat. Getting fit is an act of self-love. I had to believe I was worthy of that self-love.

And #11. Having hope that I would be successful, that I wouldn't quit half way or gain it all back has been a game changer.

If I can add another: Stop setting limits on what you think you are capable of doing. There is something about living so many years as a fat person that causes one to be overly cautious. I still find myself doubting my body, not giving myself enough credit for how strong and powerful I am. So, I am learning to take more risks and test my limits.

Sweetincense

Awesome... so encouraging. I never heard of "volume eating". What is that exactly? TIA

corinasue1143

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
@Sweetincense, here’s some volume eating ideas

cugogirl2017

Spectacular list and spectacular results that speak for themselves, you look so happy and radiant. I think I need to remind myself of all 11 of these statements they all resonate with me. Thank you for taking the time to compile this list I have bookmarked this page so I can easily return to it. You have helped so many more than you know with this "no nonsense wisdom." Well done!

suzij27

Thank you so much for putting into writing the insights you have gained. I think that stop stopping, there is no end date and stop listening to most people resonate the most with me. I am learning to trust myself and listen to satiety cues.

One to add. I have had to stop using food for entertainment, recreation, escape or to nurture my hurts. I’ve always heard people say that food is fuel but i just couldn’t relate. I am beginning to really understand what that means and consider that when meal planning. .

Bellawow

This is now my new daily affirmation