Getting discouraged..

getitamb

It's easier to stay motivated if y focus in the healthy things u like. Like I'm staring to like cooking. That's becoming more focus than the weight loss. I also know alot if ppl with health problems bc of weight. I know I might not moth ate them to keep going but I know it won't if I stop. U have to find something bigger than the scale to strive for in my opinion.

getitamb

It's easier to stay motivated if y focus in the healthy things u like. Like I'm staring to like cooking. That's becoming more focus than the weight loss. I also know alot if ppl with health problems bc of weight. I know I might not moth ate them to keep going but I know it won't if I stop. U have to find something bigger than the scale to strive for in my opinion.
[/quote

This is typos galore but I hope the message is clear. Lol

MrsFowler1069

It's easier to stay motivated if y focus in the healthy things u like. Like I'm staring to like cooking. That's becoming more focus than the weight loss. I also know alot if ppl with health problems bc of weight. I know I might not moth ate them to keep going but I know it won't if I stop. U have to find something bigger than the scale to strive for in my opinion.
[/quote

This is typos galore but I hope the message is clear. Lol

It makes perfect sense. : )

taunto

I want to lose around 60-70 pounds before my brothers wedding next year. (I'm the maid of honor.) I'm 18, currently weight 191 and recently lost 19 pounds! I was 210 before. The most I ever weighed and I decided it was enough. I've been sticking with a diet where I eat regular foods, just in really small portions. And its been working! But now I just feel like giving up and I don't want to. How do you stay on track? Any tips on how to be motivated for working out?

You will lose motivation. It cannot be avoided. What you can do is to embrace it and it gets easier from it. For me personally, achieving milestones and getting compliments causes me to get lazy. Like if my family compliments me that "You're looking great. Keep up the good work!" then I feel like I can take a few lazy days off and chill. That is ok. It is OK to chill for a few days. What motivates me back is when I look in the mirror and see the flab and then see my friends or some hottie and think "ok, get back at it because you aren't done".

Constantly remind yourself of what your true goal is. Whether it be reaching a goal weight or a 6 pack or whatever.

I do have 2 big tips to give you though which will hopefully get you through

1) DO NOT GIVE UP! Stay persistent. You are probably on your multiple attempt to lose weight. As am I. The difference between my previous attempts and this one is that I am not giving up after a few months. I have been at it for 1.5 years. Its been slow. I am still going at it because i know that I will be back to where I started (if not more) feeling worst and thinking "I shoulda finished what I started. Stay persistent!

2) surround yourself with good, quality, understanding, inspiring and encouraging friends. My friends constantly get me back on track. And I'm talking about MFP friends (I don't discuss fitness with people irl)

acpgee

Maybe you should just try a different eating/exercising protocol build in your weekly calorie deficit.

If you get fed up with eating modest amounts, you could make it routine to do a big cardio workout several times a week. That's my current strategy.

Or try 5:2 intermittent fasting (google it). It's a protocol where you eat at TDEE for 5 days out of the week and only 500 cals for 2 days. It's good for people who find occasional extreme deprivation easier to deal with than constant low level deprivation. I did this for a couple of months last year and lost well doing it. It wasn't right for me long term, because I found myself preoccupied with food on the 2 fast days.

You've made great progress so far, and good luck with finding a sustainable way of sticking to a deficit.

brett1117

have to change your mind before you change your body! How you look and feel should be your motivation! Get off your *kitten* and do something about it! how'd that work

rosej31

Are you in the wedding? If so, think about how you would look in the dress n how you be so proud of yourself on your brother wedding day. Think of positive things....A year will be here before you know it. So stay on track, you have many friends on here to support you. Take one day at a time.....Maybe, you want to carry something with you to remind you to stay focus.

Good Luck

brett1117

Not going to sugar coat anything or be political correct. Fat and unhealthy is not a good look!!

gbwooden

You need to find a friend who is willing to join---or already belongs to---MyFitnessPal, so you can encourage each other every day. This past week has been my toughest yet. I have lost 37 pounds and have 63 to go. My wife "encourages" me to go to the gym. Last year I went faithfully, but I wasn't watching what I ate. A friend at work told me about this site and it has literally CHANGED MY LIFE. I don't go work out as often as I should, but when I do, my personal go-to machine is the elliptical. I started out barely able to do one-half mile. My last time on the machine, I did 6.6 miles in 30 minutes. My wife and my sister walk and exercise together almost every single day. That is the key: finding an accountability partner.
YOU CAN DO THIS! You have already come a long way. Good luck!

JustDrea113

Are you being so restrictive that you are sick of dieting? Up your calories and add a little exercise or eat some fun foods that you feel are "forbidden". What helps me: I want to eat a bagel for breakfast with veggie cream cheese, so I eat half of one with as much cream cheese as I want, every morning until my craving is satisfied. It keeps me from over eating the bagels because I know I can have it again tomorrow. Wanted ice cream sandwiches, so I bought a box. I will split an ice cream sandwich with my daughter every day until the box is gone. Skinny people eat burgers, they eat fries, they have ice cream sundaes, but they may eat HALF a burger, eat fries for lunch with a salad, get a small ice cream sundae and not eat the last two bites. If you look at it as a "DIET", you will get discouraged. If you look at it as a behavior change, you can keep it up for a life time. AND if you revert back to old behaviors (as I did the last couple of weeks), that's OK, because you just start back up again with your plan. Have goals and a plan, and you can do it. Also, don't be afraid to tweek your plans and goals. My plan is to run on Mondays and Wednesdays, bike on Tuesdays and Thursdays, walk on Fridays and spin on Saturdays and Sundays. If it rains, I will do the elliptical or weight train. I will pack my lunch for work every day and only eat what is in the bag (hard and fast rule that worked for my brother when he lost 20 pounds last year) and make sure I add a snack I enjoy to the bag every day so that I don't get the urge to "eat outside the bag" LOL and to make sure I have fresh veggies ready to eat so I can snack on them while I make dinner. You need to make your own plans and goals based on what your challenges are. You CAN do this!

Based on this response I want to give you a big hug! This is so encouraging and i'm not really in a slump!

MSGeorgiaPeachy

First of all congratulations on sticking with it long enough to have some success and yes to get discouraged. Every single person who has to watch what they eat and no longer eat with reckless abandon gets discouraged. No pain no weight loss.
Decide what you will eat in the morning. Enter it in your diary. PLAY with it! Are you setting yourself to go over your calorie goal change your plan. Want to eat more add some exercise. Never be surprised at the end of the day that you went over. Now it's out of the way! You have finished your food struggle for the day. Don't fixate on food, don't eat anything you did not plan on eating. Get in the habit of giving yourself a manicure often. You can't snack with wet nails and a fresh manicure makes every girl look better. When you look good - you feel good about yourself. You control food. Food does not control you. If you don't like the gym just move more, walk, dance, hoola hoop, jump rope, swim, roller blade. Find something you like to do that is harder than eating. Your body is a gift, a priceless gift. Treat it like one. Whatever you do, don't give up.

JustDrea113

As stated, you have to find what works for you. My biggest motivation to work out is eating! The two go hand in hand. Want to eat more then work out more. And working out more without eating more can hinder your weight loss! It's win win. Also I feel like a bad *kitten* skinny ***** when i'm on that elliptical! And like i could kick anyones *kitten* when I'm using the dumbells! It's a mentality that I"ve built. When I started working out in March, I picked ppl in the gym and thought, "If I could look like that!" Now ppl who have been going to the gym regularly pick me out and notice my transformation. I am in a fitness group on facebook that helps me soooo much! So many knowledgable ppl and we all help eachother. Having friends that are on your level with weight loss means so much! The biggest thing I think is that it's ok to give in once in a while, but never ok to give up. I ate 10 oreo cookies last night! lol 10! I woke up feeling like a fatty. Eating unhealthy foods one day isn't going to make you gain weight just like eating healthy for one day won't make you lose weight. You don't have to be extreme to see change, you just have to be consistent! That goes both ways! Good luck!! YOU GOT THIS!!

FightingFox

Wish there was a like button. So many here have given such great suggestions!!! I know I'm not the OP, but thank you guys anyway!!! (: xxxx

lsorci919

First off congrats on the 19 lbs! Thats awesome! we have lost the same amount so far!

I just joined a 90 day challenge for woman on here and had to post pictures of my body and my weight, bmi, bf% and measurements. Seeing pictures of myself and the high numbers and then posting it all for all the woman in the group to see was motivating enough!! I can not look like this anymore! There is no excuse for me!

on another note, a tip for eating would be instead of eating just small portions, which can leave you feeling hungry, tired, moody and fatigued, eat foods with lower calories so you can have larger portions. Almost everyday I have a huge salad and I feel very full after that. sometimes I add grilled chicken or shrimp, either way the calories in it aren't large so I can actually fill up on it.

Also I try to do my workout first thing in the morning so I don't keep putting it off and end up losing motivation. If I dont do it in the morning I most likely wont do it at all that day.

Good luck! you can do this!!

SLLRunner

What keeps me motivated is how great I feel when I eat as healthy as I can and exercise every single day. I am also motivated knowing by how horrible I feel at my highest weight (210 lbs when I was in my early twenties, after my mother died) and how great I feel at my healthiest weight (which I am ten pounds away from!).

tennileb

19 lbs is fantastic. Mini goals are great I think they help keep you going and they reward you along the way.

Don't over restrict your intake, make sure you are tracking your food and eating enough. It's also good to once a week look over your intake and exercise from the past week and see what you can do better.

Keep up the good work!!

klinger6395

why give up.....?

Momjogger

Hi, I have no discipline and refuse to exercise (traumatised by school phys. ed. :-) ) Just gradually feeling more energetic as weight comes off. So I suppose I'm doing it all wrong but I have lost about a stone in 3 months on here by keeping my food diary on here every day. I'm plateauing now so I've got a bit fed up with it. My way to get through it is to have a planned day off today and back on the wagon tomorrow. I've looked up the calories for my old favourite treats and I'm thinking that if I weaken again I'll have a treat on Sundays if I want to, when I know if I've got calories in the bank from going slightly under during the week. 50 cals under a day for 6 days is 350 cals. More than enough for a Mars Bar. Although now I realise I can incorporate these things if I want to I probably won't get that "I'm deprived" craving. If it helps - lowest calorie choccy - Milky Way (about 80) or Curly Wurly (about 115). Crisps - Quavers about 80. Personal favourite - take away - half a Special Chow Mein - (about 375) Phwoar!
Hopefully now I won't feel so much like I'm on a diet as nothing is forbidden - it's all about the cals. More about healthier eating with the occasional treat and feeling good.
I suppose I'm basically saying of you do break the diet don't feel bad, you're only human, as long as you carry on next day you'll be fine.
Hope this helps you to feel better if you do weaken and well done for what you've achieved so far? It's hard once the initial burst of enthusiasm wears off but keep soldiering on. :-) :-) :-)

LOLOL. I was traumatized by gym in school as well, but I found exercises I enjoyed. I HIGHLY recommend you try to add some. I started with walking, then tried zumba and after 5 classes in the back tripping around, I really started to like it and all the other goofs in class that were just like me. I added riding my bike again, and three years later I now do spin classes, run, strength train, etc. Please don't let a bad childhood experience keep you from adding healthy habits into your new lifestyle. Once you start, you will be amazed to find what you can do and it increases your confidence.

stephiesmit

My first recommendation would be to set a short term goal. Looking at the end goal in ANYTHING can be overwhelming if it is a long journey. I do look at my weight loss as a journey. That journey for me has sometimes lead me back to a higher weight, but the biggest and hardest thing to remember (at least for me) is that I do have control of where I go on my journey. I have overall lost about 60 pounds, most of that I have been able to keep off for more than a year, but sometimes my brain plays a trick on my when looking in the mirror and I feel like I am back to 223 again. The easiest way for me is doing a reality check and trying on an old a piece of older clothing. Guess what....they are too big.

Here's some wonderful things you've done so far:
1. Decided that you wanted to make a change (hopefully for yourself more than just for the wedding)
2. You've set an overall goal
3. You've successfully lost 19 pounds
4. You've reached out to others to help with your journey (THE BEST THING in my mind)

Some helpful things may be: setting short term goals; do not deprive yourself (if you want your favorite candy have it; portion it out ahead of time so you do not binge); keep a good support group for the good days and the bad.

You can add me as a friend if you would like.