Lost a lot of weight, gaining again, losing motivation

tabithajoyy
tabithajoyy Posts: 680 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey everyone! I have been on mfp for 3 years and i managed to lose about 80-85lbs. I have gained about 15-20lbs back. I have been losing motivation for the last year but more so the last 6 months. I have come so far and i dont want to give up now. I am struggling to get my head back in the game. I know there is no tips or tricks you can give me (I just need to DO IT, right?) but maybe you have something that really worked for you/advice! My goal is to get my eating in check, get back on a workout routine (ive worked out 2x this whole month, pathedic) I am thinking of starting Chalean Extreme again. I try not to be all about my weight because i like to go by how i feel and i love to lift heavy. But in all honesty after losing so much it gets hard to forget the weight part of it. I would like to lose about 25 more lbs, give or take if i gain muscle etc. (i am 5'4", and 155lbs)

Anyway, thank you for listening to my ramblings...Friend me if you'd like, i am in need of as much motivation as possible!

*Tabi

Replies

  • kcb0308
    kcb0308 Posts: 73 Member
    You can do this, and you have a great start because you've recognized the problem. You already know what works since you've lost the weight before, just repeat.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    It's one thing to lose weight for a short period of time. It's quite another to maintain that weight loss. That's why it has to be a lifestyle change, but more importantly it has to be a lifestyle change you can live with, day in and day out. I've maintained my weight all year, and actually lost 1 pound for 2013. (Now, I'd like to lose 10 more pounds, but I have to say I haven't worked real hard at it lately.) Just being able to say I went a whole year without gaining any weight back is amazing for me.
    Don't beat yourself up about it. Just be realistic. And honest.
    Pick one thing this week that you need to change, like late-night snacking or whatever, and just work on that for the week. Take small steps like that while your motivation level is low. It's those little successes that keep us going, isn't it? Just seeing my thin self in a reflection or a mirror, and realizing, "hey, that's me!" is a full day's lift! Train yourself to see those little things every day. Focus on the positive things that you did right today. And remember, tomorrow is a new day to try again.
  • FFfitgirl
    FFfitgirl Posts: 369 Member
    Find a workout you love!!!
    Ok my story
    I started crossfit and I love it! The endorphin rush of it. The feeling accomplished of lifting weight, of the runs, burpees, etc. doing something that I love has giving me an overall better, happier mood therefore helping me make better choices. Also it's been helping me to not be hungry all the time.
  • FFfitgirl
    FFfitgirl Posts: 369 Member
    I lost a BUNCH of weight and gained 80% back, now I'm down about half of the regain. Focusing on workouts have helped me lose, takes less stress off of eating(I am a stress eater too, lol)
  • miramis
    miramis Posts: 3
    this is sort of a side track, but is there any forums for people like me that needs to loose a lot of weight?
  • napompl
    napompl Posts: 736
    I have had the same problem. I lost a bunch of weight then I had to get on some medicine and the made me gain like 25-30lbs back. Sucked! Getting off that medicine and back to watching what I eat I've been able to lose about 10 of that again. I decided to come back on here to help with the rest. Honestly with the support and help on here it has helped a lot. You can do this!
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
    I also lost 90 lbs slowly over 2 years and maintained it for 3 years only to regain it slowly. My mom died, I had a child, and lost my job all in a span of 2 years. It was rough. I regained slowly about 30 lbs, then it piled on when I got pregnant.

    I have struggled with motivation since then. But I try to tell myself I did it once I CAN and I WILL do it again.

    If I sit down and look at what changed that caused my regain it would be less exercise, more excuses, and really not watching my calorie intake. I know it was my fault and even though times were hard I made the wrong choices.

    Please KEEP TRYING, if you give up it will only be worse. YOU CAN DO THIS!! Don't stop now. Forget the past and start fresh today.
  • aldale
    aldale Posts: 118 Member
    I never worried about my weight much until I went to a doctor's appointment and my blood pressure was very high. The doctor told me with it that high, I could have a stroke. It scared me. I try to remember that scary feeling. Life is precious! Obesity can lead to a life that is full of obstacles.
  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
    It's one thing to lose weight for a short period of time. It's quite another to maintain that weight loss. That's why it has to be a lifestyle change, but more importantly it has to be a lifestyle change you can live with, day in and day out.

    ^^^ This.

    I've been a lifelong yo-yo and am currently focused on maintenance. Losing the weight was the easy part, even though it took me 15 months and steady effort to drop 51 pounds. I'm now working to make my "lifelong yo-yo" habits a thing of the past.

    What worked for me in a nutshell:
    1. I made it easy on myself. I set my goal at a half-pound loss per week (and averaged slightly higher than that).
    2. I focused on food substitutions rather than outright deprivation and let my body get used to a healthier way of eating.
    3. I found a workout that I love and could stick with.

    In short, I found a way of eating and exercising that is sustainable, period. The only difference between my weight loss stage and my maintenance stage is that I consume more calories (while remaining within my calorie goal). I've also returned to running, now that my old running clothes fit me again.

    Also, I've been working on better ways of managing stress and learning to tell stress hunger from real hunger. The exercise helps, plus I take the time to ask my body what it really needs, rather than just diving for food.

    More details on what worked for me here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1095703-mfp-1-year-anniversary
    Here's a follow-up:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1153938-next-stop-maintenance

    Don't beat yourself up. Give yourself a lot of credit for the weight loss you've sustained and take it all one day at a time.
  • bridget5174
    bridget5174 Posts: 9 Member
    In the same boat ! Struggled through the holidays, now am frustrated at how far I let it go. Everyone has great advice to follow ! Good Luck ! :smile:
  • jopeterson42
    jopeterson42 Posts: 10
    It can be tough especially through the holidays, you can do it though!!!

    I am actually starting a 21 day motivational group on the 6th. It takes 21 days to form a habit, and for 21 days, we're focusing on turning your resolutions into habits to ensure you reach your 2014 health and fitness goals! Super excited about it! Add me as a friend if you're interested!
  • strangeone25
    strangeone25 Posts: 114 Member
    What keeps me going is trying to be healthy. As a type 1 diabetic it is so important that I eat healthy and never look back. Financially we cannot afford for me to develop complications and not be able to work. On the days that are hard for me I just remember that. I have set a minimum goal to do 30 minutes of cardio a day 6 days per week on MFP and even though right now I am exceeding that I never change that goal because I don't want things to become too overwhelming. If I am having a bad day then I can just do my 30 minutes on the treadmill and know that I have met my goal for the day.
  • tabithajoyy
    tabithajoyy Posts: 680 Member
    Thank you everyone for all the continued motivation and advice! I appreciate it immensely!
  • PHr34k0wt
    PHr34k0wt Posts: 218 Member
    You lost 85lbs?! that's incredible!! If you can do that, casting off 20lbs is such a small portion! You really can do it, you've done it before!
  • Starfish1125
    Starfish1125 Posts: 169 Member
    Every day is a new day to start over. Don't beat yourself up for yesterday or even a bad choice an hour ago. You can't go back and change it, but you CAN move forward and make better decisions.

    For me it's not about a fast weight loss because my 35 lbs came on slowly over a 4 year period - and has stuck around for the last 5 years :bigsmile: - it's about making small daily changes that I will stick with. I will never be a vegetarian, clean eater and I could never give up sugar 100%. Nope. Not gonna do it. :angry:

    I can incorporate it into my life, I just can't let it control my life.

    I LOATHE cardio. HATE HATE HATE it. So programs like T25 or Insanity make me instantly want to cry and eat 14,000 lbs of oreos. :laugh: But I like walking my dog and using my treadmill. I just try to burn at least 300 calories when I'm walking/running.

    I have accepted what won't work for me and now I'm trying to incorporate what will. Good luck to you!!!:heart:
  • neptune99
    neptune99 Posts: 5
    Keep pushing!
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    This is my first time trying to lose weight, so I don't have a success story yet, but what worked for me so far was picking one goal and letting the rest go. I started by choosing exercise and let the food be what it was. In retrospect, I probably should have done it the other way around, but there's not much I can do about the past. Having that one thing to focus on helped me ease into it, especially since my workout was under 30 minutes, and gave me a tangible accomplishment for the day that I don't get with food. If I eat well, I can see it on my chart, but the results don't show up right away. At the end of the workout, I'm sweaty and disgusting, which is at least something to show for it. So my advice is to find something you can check off your to-do list to help get yourself back into the game.

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