How do you do it, especially those who have lost so much

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  • MissMollyMN
    MissMollyMN Posts: 74
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    "One day of diet and exercise won't take the weight off...in the same respect that it didn't take one day to put it on."

    Did you wake up one day and you were overweight? Nope. It will take just as long, if not longer, to take it off, and a lot more work! It will all be worth it if you stick with it. I found once I started seeing results and my body change it was the biggest motivator for me.

    Good luck!
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
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    Well in my case, I just kept plugging away at it. Over time it becomes a habit and I do take breaks at time for a day or two but I get right back on the horse later.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    It is much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy. I need a kick in the *kitten*. :)

    Trust me when I say you are wrong about this. It may be easier to eat whatever you want and never work out than to learn to control your behavior, but being fit and healthy and not giving food so much control over you is far, FAR easier than hating your body and letting food dictate how you feel. Keep going. You don't have to get there tomorrow. I'm going on 4 years now. I PROMISE you will not regret a single second of the effort you put toward this.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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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*. :)

    I'm not good at sticking to a program either. This is why I follow IIFYM. I just make sure to get enough protein and fats each day and stay under my calorie goal. It makes it a lot easier. And now, after doing this over a year, I have an excellent idea of how much to eat and no longer pre-plan anything.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    You take it a day at a time. Learning to accept you will have bad days and that's ok. Gradually changing your habits until they become 2nd nature. Never giving up.
  • Socalgal13
    Socalgal13 Posts: 34
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    All I know is if it were easy we would all be thin and fit! What has helped me is having friends here at MFP that have access to my food diaries. I log everything for good and bad. Friends have made me accountable for what I am doing and are willing to call me out when eating snickers bars for breakfast was not the best choice I could have made.

    I have heard people say over and over I want it badly, but I just can not do the right thing. I think that is not true, you may want it, but not for the right reasons. It took one moment in my life that made me realize what and why I wanted it then I was ready to change things for the better, it is not easy, and it never seems to get easier. But it is worth it
  • peanutbutterz
    peanutbutterz Posts: 74 Member
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    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!

    What wonderful advice. You are so encouraging!!!
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
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    Since you asked...

    1. I want it more than anything else in the world I want for myself, and I want it for myself alone.
    2. I don't allow myself ANY excuses.
    3. I made a DECISION to get fit, and I am COMMITTED to my fitness like I am committed to my marriage.
    4. I have a picture in my head of what I want to look like, and she is athletic, strong, and HOT!
    5. I made sacrifices. I looked at my lifestyle and tweeked or completely eliminated things that I didn't need to spend time and energy on.
    6. I am almost always motivated, but when I'm not, my will-power takes over. "Man, I really regret going to the gym today," said no one ever!
    7. I educated myself on the basics of calories in vs. calories out (TDEE, BMR, deficit, etc.) and learned how to eat: cooking, weighing and measuring my food, packing my lunch every day, counting calories, paying attention to macros (protein, fats, carbs), etc. I use this website religiously to log my food and work-outs.
    8. I set goals, specifically MINI goals so that I won't set myself up for failure. Meeting goals is addictive, and it's hard to quit on yourself when you're working towards something specific.
    9. I lift heavy 3X/week and do some form of cardio 2X/week or more if I want to. I play sports for fun.
    10. I made changes that I could live with the rest of my life, and I made them SLOWLY - one thing at a time.
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Open your diary and let the people with success give you some words of advice.

    If someone says, "You only net 800 calories today? You need to eat more!" and they've lost 100# -- you might need to consider their advice. They've figured out the key to losing. If someone who's lost 20 pounds and maintained for 6 months notices a pattern in your eating that could cause you issues in the future, listen to them. They've figured out the key to maintenance. It's never a personal attack if it comes from your FL - the only people you should have on your FL are people who encourage you and want the same success for you that they've achieved for themselves (or those looking for the same support as yourself.)

    And, I can personally add, for me there is no hope for long term success without exercise. There just isn't. I can lose weight in the beginning with diet changes only. But, I find, for myself, I cannot continue to lose or even maintain without moving my body.

    ETA: I didn't check - maybe your diary is already open. :smile:
  • itsscottwilder
    itsscottwilder Posts: 317
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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*. :)

    I think you've answered your own question. You prefer easy and lazy.

    So do I. I just prefer other things more. Like watching my son grow into adulthood. And being able to have interesting stories to tell people other than "I just sat at home watching Friends reruns".

    I want to look back on my life and see a life full of family, friends, and long stories of great adventures.
  • VeganAmandaJ
    VeganAmandaJ Posts: 234 Member
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    I have a lot to say and I'm sure others have said already but I don't have time right now, ahh! Also, I haven't lost "so much" but I've been at it for 6 months and will continue this for life. I will be back!
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    You need to be mentally ready to lose weight and just change your life. That's all, the rest will follow. It's change for ever because you will always have to watch calories and workout.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    Much change is born of pain. Right now, eating whatever you want and being lazy isn't causing your enough discomfort. As you said. "It is much easier being fat". When it becomes more difficult, physically, emotionally and intellectually, to be fat than it does to make the change to become healthier, you will do it. But not until then.
  • BarefootSerenity
    BarefootSerenity Posts: 100
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    Is it really easier being fat? Don't lie to yourself.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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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*. :)

    Quit doing the 'program' and just start eating less and moving more.

    I don't diet. I eat what I want. I SHOULD eat a bit healthier but I don't. I'd probably be at my goal weight by now if I ate better (started losing weight Jan. 2012). I will work on that. In the meantime, I make sure I'm at or under my calorie goal each day and I MOVE every day.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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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*. :)

    i think its just as hard as when someone quits smoking. it takes a few tries before it sets in, and it only works when you absolutely positivly want it, 120%... until your urge to be fit and healthy is stronger than your urge to continue your current habits, then you will usually start a plan and give up just weeks in. i think for many of us, that strong urge may finally be triggered by a "omg" picture or moment... for me, i saw a picture... and i was humiliated! at 5 foot 10 and 246 pounds, i thought i looked good, and that i only needed to lose about 30 pounds... then i saw "the picture"... yeah right... i needed to lose 100 pounds!

    hopefully your fully committed, and ready to finish what you start! just stay determined, stay motivated, and remember why you are doing what your doing... that your goal is to look good, feel good, and live a longer healthier life with those you love! you can definately reach your goals, and in a reasonable amount of time, too... as long as you staty committed!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I became more uncomfortable with being overweight than I was with the changes I'd have to make to succeed.

    I also think that realizing that I wouldn't have to cut out foods I love was crucial. If I'd come into this thinking that to be successful I had to give up bread or never eat dessert I would have just stayed fat. It was really freeing to learn that I could eat whatever foods I wanted and still lose weight.

    I second the advice to make one change at a time as well. I think sometimes when people try to make a complete 180 they burn out quickly because they're trying to change everything at once and it's just too much. Don't think of it as something you're doing to lose weight. Think of it as "this is how I live my life now."
  • clbortiz
    clbortiz Posts: 98 Member
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    I didn't try to make all the changes in one day. I started with one change, then added others as I went.
    This is what I did too. The first thing I did was cut out eating out. Between lunch and dinner I would easily eat out 6 or more times a week.
    After a few weeks I started cooking more from scratch and eating less processed frozen dinners etc. On the weekend I cook several meals and freeze in individual containers for ease in packing lunches or grabbing a quick dinner.
    Next I started replacing snacks with healthier choices like fruits and veggies with hummus etc.
    Then, I started walking a few times a week. Then about 3-4 months in I started a couch to 5k program to up my exercise.
    This week I started a weight lifting program with a trainer to up the ante so to speak.
    For me, trying to change it all at once is overwhelming. Making one change every few weeks...very doable.
  • Zomoniac
    Zomoniac Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Why is it that starting a program and actually sticking with it can be so difficult?

    It's as difficult as you choose to let it be.
    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.

    You can. You're choosing not to. Want it more.
  • 4daluvof_candice
    4daluvof_candice Posts: 483 Member
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    :smile: TRACK, TRACK, TRACK!!!!! Even though I might fall off :ohwell: some days with this I have discovered, lol, that when I track 7 days a week the weight comes off.
    Good Luck!!!!:bigsmile:

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