Strategies for staying focused.

janeholland2008

Hi All,
I'm at day 105 and to date, I have logged everything, been mindful of what I am eating and so far have lost 3 1/2 stone ( 49lbs) of the 10 stone (140lbs) that I want to lose. I weigh once a week and am part of a weight loss chat on WhatsApp with my children, where we take a photo of our scale results on Mondays and post it. But these last few days have been a struggle, I have been very hungry, and very unsatisfied at mealtimes, which has led to me picking. I have struggled to drink water, and I am so worried about falling back into bad habits. I have been here so many times before, lost quite a substantial amount of weight, got bored, and then piled it all back on plus more. I so do not want to do that this time. How do you stay motivated to achieve your long-term goals? I have been setting mini-goals and so far have reached each one, but I am really worried that i'll fall back into bad habits without even realising it.

Lietchi

You've lost quite a bit of weight already, at quite a fast rate (more than 3lbs per week).
I think you might need a diet break/refeed: it can help reset your hunger hormones. I would plan to eat at maintenance for a week or so. And with plan, I mean that you plan larger meals/snacks instead of the current 'picking'.

I would suggest reading this:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

Sustainability is key for weight loss, especially with larger losses. Wearing down your willpower because you're miserable is no good 🙂

Why are you unsatisfied at meal times: quantity of food, or is it the food itself?

Aside from a diet break, I would suggest perhaps slowing down your weight loss rate. You don't mention your current weight, but we usually recommend losing 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week, so slowing down your rate of loss as you become lighter.

If it's the food itself making you unsatisfied, perhaps you'll need to explain a bit more what you're eating and what you were eating before losing weight. Often, people make drastic changes in their diet, which wears down their willpower more than making gradual changes. Or it might have to do with your macro split, some people feel better eating more protein and/or fiber, etc.

sollyn23l2

You know you're going to get bored. Tgat's a given. So don't rely on motivation. You don't rely on motivation to brush your teeth, take a shower, or wash your clothes. It's just part of your daily routine you do. Same with weight maintenence. You just... do it... because it's your routine. Just like you brush your teeth. You track what you eat and don't go over. Of course it's boring. Just make it a part if your routine in your life.

frhaberl

I second the suggestion to consider slowing your weight loss pace or having a week of eating at maintenance. I’m personally giving myself permission to target maintaining my weight from 20th November through 16th January (Thanksgiving week through the day after my birthday). I still have about 25 lbs of my 80 lb weight loss goal to go, but want to practice the intentional holiday eating I’m going to need to do for the rest of my life. I also think I need the chance to realize that I enjoy my new eating habits enough that I’ll continue to gravitate towards them even with more leeway in my calories.
Another thing I’ve found helpful when I go through “hungry times” is to reevaluate my macros. Adding in protein, fiber, or fats (or some combination) without adjusting total calories can sometimes make a huge difference in my satisfaction level.
The mental component can also be a big “hunger” creator. Sometimes I realize that my “hunger” is actually feeling left out or deprived or scared or bored or…. Pausing to think or even journal about what you’re thinking and feeling when you are wanting food can help you identify causes and come up with options other than overeating to deal with the root causes.

janeholland2008

Thank you, I've taken on board your suggestions and have slowed my weight loss down (in fact had a 3lb gain last week!) but I am keeping in mind that in the last 6 months, I have given up smoking (smoked for 40 years) and in the last 150 days have lost 56lbs, I have a plan for over the Christmas period to try and keep within some sensible boundaries and still enjoy the foods I love. I now keep a journal to try to recognize triggers for overeating, and it seems to be pain ( I have health conditions), so I am not sure how to deal with that, but I will keep on keeping on and hopefully next year I can start some chair exercising (I am unable to stand), I think once I start seeing changes in my body I will be more motivated and focused. Again thank you for your advice and Merry Christmas to you xx