How do you get your head (self image, self-talk, confidence) to catch up with your weight loss?

deardiane62

I am 4 pounds from my goal weight and find myself second guessing my success. Lately my habits have helped weight loss seem “too easy” and I expect to wake up any day and find that I’ve regained the 35 pounds I’ve lost, or that once I hit my goal that I won’t be able to maintain it (like the yo-yo weight I’ve done my entire life). I WANT to believe. I WANT to know that I’m good with this and I can do this and this is the last time I’ll ever need to lose this weight because I’m going to stay at this healthy weight for the rest of my life. UGH. I wish my brain would catch up with my body.

AnnPT77

Honestly, it just takes time. That's probably not what you want to hear, but you will get there.

Keep practicing the new habits you've learned.

My experience was that I gradually relaxed into maintenance, realized that I wasn't going to regain overnight (even if I ate over goal on the rare day), and that I knew how to lose a few pounds if my weight started creeping up to the top of my maintenance weight range. It took time to internalize that understanding.

I'm in year 8 at a healthy weight now, after most of my adult life - around 30 years - of being overweight to obese. Over the 8 years, my weight has periodically crept up a few pounds (mostly unintentionally), and crept down a few pounds (pretty much always intentionally ). I feel like this can keep working, as long as I stay tuned in to my new (current) habits.

Hang in there: I predict that continuing success will create confidence in the process!

deardiane62

Thank you for sharing your experience and for the encouragement. Sometimes I just need to calm the anxiety part of my brain. Breathe…