Just made my 'before' pictures.. A bit of a shock

emmamaybear

Hi,

So, I just made my 'before' pictures (they're on my profile). I made a picture not sucking in my belly for the first time and it really shocks me how bad it is. Also, I did this just after looking up on the internet that my ideal waist measurement is 60-74 cm.. I'm at 93, which means I have to lose 20 cm and it just feels so much to me! I think I'm just now starting to realize how far away my goal weight is (198lbs to 143lbs, 89kg to 65kg). I'm starting to think that I won't get there, at least not before summer.

I know it sounds ridiculous and there are many people here who have lost way more, but I'm losing hope. And I've just started a few days ago! What do you do when you start thinking you're going to fail (if you ever think that)?

Phoenix_Warrior

First, don't put a time frame on your weight loss. This is a life long pursuit to not only lose the weight, but then maintain it after. The first few weeks are the hardest and most challenging (at least they were for me). You just keep that before picture and take a weekly photo at the same place, same outfit. You'll notice the changes before anyone else, so don't let it dishearten you. Before you know it, months will pass and that before picture will look so different. Just keep telling yourself you're beautiful and worth every second you put into every work out, every calorie you spend. This is a mental battle, more than a physical one. Tell yourself you aren't going to give up, even if you have moments when you want to. Think of the difference a few weeks, months and then years will make. Progress is slow but its effects last forever. :flowerforyou:

Guinivere

If you're committed to this plan, you should be motivated by the results you will be getting every week. Remember losing 2lbs a week is pretty aggressive but if you stay driven and consistently focused you can expect to get to goal in 28 weeks or just over six months. But realistically you'll probably reach goal and keep it off if you view this as a complete change of lifestyle and not a diet.
If you do it less aggressively you'll probably get there in a year but you will have learned new habits and new ways to "balance the books" with calories, exercise and life.

You'll be just fine, keep talking to positive people on here and keep on track with your goal.

kiwitechgirl

Break it down into smaller goals which then won't seem so far away. I didn't have all that much to lose (12kg all up) but I have still broken it down into smaller goals - get to 60kg, get to 57.5kg (still working on this one) then get to final goal of 55kg. It's purely mental but it makes it much more achievable. I also take it one day at a time - if I had a not so good day yesterday, I'll try for a better day today, or if I had a great day yesterday then I try to make today just as good. One bad day won't make you put weight on, it might just slow your loss down fractionally, so don't let it derail you when you have a bad day (because it will happen sometime), and above all, remember you didn't put the weight on overnight so it won't come off overnight. Good luck!

karlospiklington

It's good to have a rough idea of how much you want to lose to get to a healthy body weight. Note that figure, then try to forget about it and focus on your weekly weight loss. Personally I find this method is best for my sanity and motivation. I want to lose about 60lbs in total. If I think about that figure for longer than approximately 6 seconds I want to kill myself, so I only think about my weight loss in more manageable weekly terms. Once the first few pounds and inches come off and you begin to slowly build up a nice total of weight loss it really boosts your motivation to continue on days when giving up seems appealing.

I am 4 months into the weight loss process and the main thing that keeps me going, now the novelty has worn off, is remembering that every healthier choice I make has a cumulative effect. All the little things I do during the week, whether I enjoy them or not, add up to at least 1lb of fat being burnt off my body. If that doesn't motivate me then I scare myself by reading about what visceral fat does to the body or the risk of type 2 diabetes.

And if none of that works I blast Eye Of The Tiger until I feel the urge to go for a run in a headband and punch someone.

albionjen

Hi there!

I am almost your twin with regards to goals

This time last year I was 89kg and to be a healthy weight I needed to drop to 64kg. At that time 64 kg was a dream goal, I never really believed I would make it. So I just made smaller goals. For me the first was to no longer be obese. Then I planned to get back to weight I was when I left uni. A year later and I have managed to hit my original goal! Just try to make smaller targets along the way so it isn't so scary. And don't worry if it takes a while to get there. Thumbs up and keep going.

LuvNorb

I'm glad someone else feels the same way as me. I just took my before pictures three days ago and every day I feel like giving up, so I'm just really trying to take it one day at a time.

bajoyba

Maybe it will be helpful to set smaller goals that you can focus on. If I had thought about losing 75 pounds when I first started, it would have been overwhelming! I didn't even know what I wanted my ultimate goal weight to be because I couldn't fathom being smaller. So instead, I just had a list of minor checkpoints in my head - I started at 235 pounds, so my first weight goal was simply to weigh less than 200 pounds. I also wanted to be able to do a military style push-up, and I wanted to be able to fit into the jeans my parents got me for Christmas last year.
Just take steps, no matter how small, toward your goal. You'll get there! 6 months from now, or a year from now, you'll be so happy with how far you've come.