How do you do it, especially those who have lost so much
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Why is it that starting a program and actually sticking with it can be so difficult? If you want something, such as losing weight, you would think that you would just be able to start a program and stick with it. Not me, I get annoyed with myself, discouraged, and disgusted. It is much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy. I need a kick in the *kitten*.
It's all about your mindset. If you think of it as a 'program,' then it's not 'normal' routine for you, which already makes it mentally harder. Those who have had success have made a complete lifestyle change. I really don't eat much differently than I did when I was fat but I added a whole lot more activity to my life. I've found things I enjoy doing and I've learned to challenge myself. I plan to live this way the rest of my life so it's not a program, it's just who I am now.0 -
I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
This suddenly opened the door for me!! Thank you so much!
Was feeling in the same boat
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One day at a time. Effectively.0
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One day at a time. Effectively.
-You are a work in progress.
-You'll get to a point (if you stick with it) where you'll want that hard work, you'll want that tough workout, you'll want to sweat and feel like puking afterwards. Maybe that last one is just me.
-You should set goals. When you reach each one throw yourself a little party. Celebrate. The goals can be small at first, 1 lb, 5 lb, etc. If you are wanting to start running Start Couch to 5k, Complete week 1, 2, etc. Complete a 5k, etc.
-Most importantly decide how bad you want it and don't stop.0 -
I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
This is great and take pictures.. You will be amazed once you look at those old photos that you do not want to look that way again.. Every time I want to eat everything and sit on my butt I look at the first day photo and all of sudden I am working out again with my apple for that sweet tooth..
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I like a lot of the replies here. I am not in the lost so much category. I have only lost 20ish lbs since Dec 26 2012. I have the days where I feel like giving up. Then I see myself in the mirror and realize why I started. I am not quitting this time. I promised myself I would follow this through and not give up this time around. And of course, this time around has been so much harder than the last. I had a really good system going and lost 25 lbs from Dec 26 - April 2012 and then life happened and derailed me. I restarted on the same day, Dec 26, 2012 and here it is Aug 28 and I have only lost 22 lbs and 1-2 pants sizes. I'm still trying to figure out an exercise I like, I am still trying to figure out what to eat and what not to eat. I am having up days and down days, but I am not giving up. It seems like every time I post a loss, my weight goes back up 2-3 lbs for a few weeks and then there will be another loss. I cannot figure out what I am doing that is causing such ups and downs, BUT I AM NOT GIVING UP!! I finally set a goal that I want to be a certain size by next April 2014. I think that if we have an ultimate goal we may try harder to reach it. I dont have a particular weight I want to be, I have a size I want to be. When I get there, if I decide I want to try for more then so be it.
**Maybe setting small goals to reach would help you stay motivated along the way. When you reach a small goal it will give you the inspiration you need to get to that next goal. Before you know it you will have a system and be on your way to your ultimate goal.0 -
I have lost almost 100#, hoping to close that gap this week actually. And I would say that it is very hard, and takes a long time, to net a large loss. But part of my problem was that I kept slacking off. I would net a loss of say 20-30# and the. think oh I can relax for a while or get annoyed that the loss slowed and then gain back 5-10#. I actually gained back 30# over the holidays this year. So I learned alot over 3 years about how to stick to it, by not.
My advice is to find what works for you. Surround yourself with people who are the right kind of supportive, find healthful foods you like, try new things, workouts, foods, etc. Never give up. If you want some time to not log and relax, weigh in frequently and make a deal with yourself that if you gain back, say 5#, you will get back on track no matter what.
There is really no magic formula, it is different for everyone, the key is to plan, persist, and perservere.
BTW, anyone who would like to may add me. The more the merrier!0 -
I committed to weight loss and I logged every day from day 1. And I made myself work out until it became a habit and now I love working out. I don't care if I have a bad day, or 3. I don't restrict anything, I just try to stay within my calories while hitting my protein goal.
If you really want to succeed, you can. Patience was the hardest part, but no reason to quit because reaching a goal in 2 or 3 years is a lot better than never.0 -
Just a great post, thanks, I needed the encouragement today.0
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I don't know if I qualify as "lost so much" (I think I know what I'm doing 40# in though lol)
As to how I did it? Well I tried low carb, paleo then primal... finally realized with the help of some MFP members that I don't have to deprive myself of food I love, or food groups for that matter. So I began a modest cut from my TDEE. I eat 1900 calories/day not 900 because I can still enjoy my life without having to obsess over food values. I set up my own macros:
I make sure to get 1g of protein per lb of lean mass
I make sure to get adequate fat (mine is a little higher at .5g/lb of ideal body weight but as we know, fat doesn't make you fat)
The rest goes to carbs.
I don't stress too much if I go over or under on carbs or fats. I try my darndest to get my protein in becuase lean mass is what is going to allow me to eat all the foodz when I'm at goal. I focus on losing FAT, SLOWLY, so that when I'm done cutting, I can still eat a reasonable amount.
You didn't put the weight on in a few months... it's going to take a while to get it off
As a fat person, I want to capitalize on the only advantage I have over the thin, if you haven't already guessed, that's the oodles of lean mass I have. It's way easier to keep it than it is to get it. Ask any natural bodybuilder.
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I had to learn what it meant to actually be hungry. Being hungry and not being full are two different things.
I also had to learn the difference between hunger and thirst. All my body signals were scrambled.
Now, my attitude about food is different. It is fuel, not pleasure.
I am a chef and I make food for people to enjoy. I know that I can't eat like that anymore, it will kill me.
Now, I understand what a portion should be, how it feels to eat the right amount, how eating until being sick isn't "full" and that it is more fun to be able to do stuff.0 -
All you people who say you are not in the "lost so much" or dont know if you qualify.
Stop.
and remember the fact that there people who would GIVE EVERYTHING to accomplish what you've accomplished.
So shut your pie holes and stop taking yourselves for granted!!!
I say that with LOVE!!! :flowerforyou: <- and no that's not a "smarta$$" flower either0 -
I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
Amazing advise to the OP!! ~and it was the kick in *kitten* I needed today! Thank you :flowerforyou:0 -
I read a LOT about proper nutrition and why we should eat certain foods and avoid others. What I learned through my reading I put into practice and the pounds fell off. What books did I read?
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis (he's a cardiologist)
Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora Degaudas
It Starts with Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
The Art and Science of Low Carb Living by Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney (I am not low carb anymore, but it opened my eyes to how our bodies process carbs)
The most important thing that has helped me to lose my weight is my willingness to learn new things and accept new ideas. I started to question everything I thought I knew about weight loss and once I started questioning, I started to do things differently than what I'd done before and the pounds fell off. Literally... In 6 months, I lost 37 lbs. It's not a ball buster speed at just over a pound a week average, but there were weeks where I lost 5 lbs and weeks where I lost nothing. There were also times when I fell off the wagon and gained 5 lbs back here and there. But when I was applying what I had learned, the pounds literally fell off. I didn't start working out until recently. And, my weight loss has stalled, so I believe the concept of chronic cardio and why it's not helping me to meet my goals.
Anyhow, once you read and learn and start to understand the science behind how our bodies work, it's easier to avoid those foods that don't help you reach your goals. And surprisingly, you may find you're actually allergic to some foods. I learned I am intolerant of wheat (not celiac, but my body definitely does not like it) and mildly allergic to dairy.
It's all a learning curve. Learn all you can and apply what you learn.
PS, prior to reading the above books and applying what they say, I couldn't lose weight to save my life. I would yo yo the same 12 pounds over and over and over again - this went on for YEARS! Since reading the Primal Blueprint in March 2012, I've lost 50 lbs. It works and it's sustainable.
Whatever path you choose, good luck and keep striving for knowledge. You'll find your secret.0 -
Don't think of it as starting a program, think of it as making a permanent change to how you care for your body and your health. I didn't 'diet' at all - just moved more and ate less. Everything else took care of itself. I lost 66 pounds and have been maintaining that loss for going on two years now.0
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When you realize how much being overweight is limiting your ability to live life and do the things you want to do, it'll happen on its own. For me, that moment came when I finally did something I had been wanting to do for ten years: I bought a motorcycle. But being obese complicated learning to ride, and the selection of safety gear available in my size was sparse. If I wanted to do it right, I had to lose weight.
The first thing to understand is this:
You can eat whatever you want as long as you prepare it yourself from scratch and employ the use of healthier, lower-calorie ingredients whenever possible. I lost the bulk of my 135 lbs while living off of a diet that included eating 1/4 lb cheeseburgers and burritos everyday.
Avoid ready-made meals whenever possible because it is very difficult to gauge calorie content and nutrition labels are seldom accurate in those cases.
Drink mainly water. Liquid calories can make it hard to accurately monitor calorie content.
Do not adopt any drastic diet or exercise plan that promises huge results in a matter of a couple weeks/months. You'll burn yourself out. Slow and steady wins the race. Save those for later.0 -
It is much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy.
I think it's about realizing that it's *not* easier being fat. It's hard, it's sad, it's frustrating. It leads you to dislike yourself. It can strip fun out of your life. Speaking for myself only, I avoided social events, hated shopping, didn't have the energy to enjoy my life and have fun with my family. I lived knowing that any day my health could fail, that my weight might catch up to me. I avoided going to the doctor to avoid stepping on the scale, so who knew when I'd develop diabetes or high blood pressure.
Losing weight was easy compared to all of that.
I made an inviolable deal with myself in the beginning: You will not quit until you've lost 40 pounds. I figured that would only take 4-5 months and I know I could do that. If I still decided being fat was preferable to counting calories and exercising, then I could quit. But not a day before 40 pounds gone.
It worked. By the time I'd lost 40 pounds, there was no chance I was quitting. I had more energy. I felt great. People complimented me. I was doing things in the gym I never dreamed possible. I was actually *happy*.
Other tips:
- Log on here every day. No exceptions. Even if you're not logging your food, log on here as a reminder that you are living a different life.
- Develop a support system. I still, 805 days later, love the cheers from friends when I log my exercise.
- Set tiny goals. If you have a lot to lose, seeing a ticker with 100 pounds to go is a buzzkill. I set my goal for that 40 pounds when I first started, then gradually changed my target weight whenever I hit a new goal. 20 pound increments worked well. I didn't think I could lose 120 pounds, but I knew I could lose 20 pounds 5 times
- Lose the all or nothing approach. Lose it NOW. So you slip up and eat chocolate for breakfast? Don't you dare let that be an excuse to binge all day and start new tomorrow. Log it, adjust your day, and move FORWARD. You have a family reunion and want to enjoy the food? FINE. Enjoy that one meal, or one day, but don't let it turn into two days. That has a tendency to turn into three, a week, a month. You are in charge, promise.
- Accept that weight fluctuates naturally. Accept that your hard work, your perfect week, will not always show up on the scale when you want it. But know this: hard work is always rewarded. You might not see it this week, but next week will be killer. I dealt with this by tracking my weekly losses over the long-term. Then if I worked my tail off and only lost .5 pounds, I could look back and see that my daily average was more than 2 pounds a week still, that my losses always show up, but they might take some time. If you enjoy a meal out and weigh yourself the next day, you might see a 4-5 pound gain, but remember that it's not fat, or better yet, don't weigh yourself for a few days.
- Exercise. I know you'll read all kinds of BS here about how exercise isn't necessary to weight loss, but in my opinion, if you truly want to change your life, it requires activity. Do what you enjoy...walking, weights, group classes. Just move. It will change your relationship with your body which will, in turn, change your relationship with food. Discovering my inner athlete is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I mean that seriously.
- Don't make any changes you're not willing to keep for a lifetime. For example: Don't exercise two hours a day unless you plan to do that forever. Don't cut carbs unless you're willing to live a life without cake and french fries (I'm not!). Don't restrict to 900 calories unless you'll be happy on celery and rice cakes forever. A series of small, permanent changes will make all the difference.
- Don't make the mistake of thinking that life that doesn't begin till you hit goal weight. I remember thinking, "I won't hit my goal weight for a year and a half! That is so long. Why even bother." What a silly thought. The entire journey to lose weight was a reward in itself. Along the way I had so much *fun* that hitting goal weight was fairly anticlimactic! I didn't feel like seeing that number on the scale was the end goal anymore, because it wasn't....the new life I had created for myself, THAT was the goal. It took 15 months, but you know what? Those 15 months would have passed regardless.
The week I started, I hung up a phrase on my computer at work:
"A year from now you will wish you had started today."
That phrase still hung there a year from my start date, except I was 120 pounds lighter.
Time passes whether we do something with it or not. I chose to do something. I hope you do too.
Good luck 0 -
It's not easy. I've "failed" more times than I care to imagine. Honestly, I'm back on day 2 of a 3 day F it mode. The scale started to stick and the weight loss slowed down and I got discouraged. It happens. All that matters is you get back up and start working at it again. The good thing about messing up is that you can fix the problem. Yes, you may from time to time say screw it and gain a pound or 2, but you can also lose that weight again and learn from it.
THIS!0 -
What started my weight loss journey was a friend's comment about herself. She said, "I just want my clothes to fit better." I went home and thought about that. My "fat" clothes were starting to become tight. I thought I could manage losing a few pounds so that my clothes fit better. So I started...I stuck with it for a month...then I started to notice that my fat clothes didn't fit better...they were almost too loose. And that is all it took. I've lost 90 pounds. You CAN do it!!! Just do it one step at a time!!0
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