Another weight loss program…ugh!

MyBlueBox

The last few years have been unkind. There was that injury at work, then a twisted knee, and suddenly I’m 80 pounds overweight. My injuries are healed now I just have to find the motivation to keep a going. I’m 65, and trying an 1800 calorie diet. I’ve lost 9 pounds in the last 4 weeks. This is great news, but I need motivation to continue. Help and support and check ins may be helpful.

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome: Congratulations on the great weight loss so far!

You may find that that loss rate slows a bit from here (because it's common to lose some water retention at the start), but it sounds like you're on a good course.

I'm a bit older than you (67), used MFP to lose 50-some pounds starting somewhere around 8 years ago, and have stayed in a healthy weight range since. Personally, I'm a fan of strategies that minimize the amount of motivation, willpower, discipline, etc., that are required. As an aging-hippie hedonist type, I'm realistically unlikely to sustain something difficult or unpleasant for long enough to lose a meaningful total amount of weight, let alone stay at a healthy weight.

For me, that put a premium on figuring out how to remodel my eating and activity habits - the routine of my life - in ways that were calorie appropriate, tasty, nutritious, energizing, enjoyable (or at least tolerable and practical), etc. I used my sadly limited motivation budget to experiment with new candidate habits, and practice the useful ones long enough that they became pretty automatic. In that context, I told myself I wasn't going to do anything to lose weight that I wasn't willing to continue forever, to stay at a healthy weight, except for that moderate calorie deficit. (So far, so good.)

Food logging was perfect for me: I could figure out which foods "cost" too many calories in my personal opinion for the amount of nutrition, satiation, tastiness, convenience, etc., that they brought me. Gradually I arrived at a eating habits that worked for me. A few years earlier, while still overweight/obese, I was lucky have stumbled into some exercise activities that I found really fun - so fun I'd do them even if they weren't good for me (but hallelujah, they are!). I do some exercise things in Winter that aren't quite as fun, but I've figured out strategies to make those sustainable long term, too.

YMMV, but that's my personal perspective: Minimize needed motivation, maximize the power of habits. It's what we do on the majority of our days that determines the majority of our results. It can take some motivation to turn the ignition key, but that's maybe a less demanding thing.

If you're looking for more of a support structure, you might want to check out some of the groups/challenges in the Challenges or Motivation and Support part of the MFP Community. Direct links here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/challenges
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/motivation-and-support

Take a look at threads there: An initial post in a thread will tell you what the group or challenge is about. Then you can follow the instructions there to join in on one(s) that feel like they'll suit you. That's a great way to get support, and meet some like-minded people here.

Best wishes!