How do you learn to be patient and not go crazy quick

zealey77

I've lost around 19lbs since I started a month ago, I've done it by going from zero exercise and eating about 4000 calories a day, to running, cycling and eating around 1800. It's been fun to challenge myself and remind my body who is boss by flexing my willpower muscle, but now I'm starting to get bored with it.

It's the story of my life that I'm very good at doing things for a short time, but once it has to be for longer I lose interest (I guess it's a personality flaw, but hey, no one is perfect).

How do YOU learn to be patient and be happy with losing maybe one pound a week, when you know you could lose a lot more if you really tried? But the flip side of that is, you are correct by going for the long, slow, steady lifestyle change, rather than the short burst. I'm finding it hard to adapt to the slow burn. Hare and Tortoise deal. I need to learn how to be the tortoise but am naturally the hairy old hare who starts great but quickly burns out...

Thanks for any advice....

mx

shazbox1

Along with the weight loss I like to look at my fitness gains too. Just another thing to be happy about, and early on you generally can progress quite quickly.

As an example, I started P90 5 weeks ago and could do about 5 on-my-knees pushups for each set. First 3 weeks I did more and more. Week 4 I moved up to regular pushups and in my last workout I did 12 regular pushups, 10 fly pushups, and 7-3-7 in the 7 fly, 7 close-handed, 7 regular pushups part of the workout.

Same thing goes for cardio, You start off struggling to get through a workout and soon you are pounding through it like a beast.

It might help to track things like this, even if it is just writing down how you felt during a workout. It gives you a lot of other things to be happy about, aside from the weight loss, and definitely helps keep me motivated. Even on weeks I don't lose weight (like this week), you can still look back and see you imrpoved.

ebayaddict0127

I have 100 to lose and I'm not a patient person. I'm starting my 6th week and have lost 15 lbs. I realize that's a larger amount and will probably slow down considerably. You just have to picture the end result. I know I won't lose 100 lbs in 4 months. I probably won't reach my goal until 2015. But I'm so determined after seeing the first 15 lbs come off. I also keep thinking - if I stop now, I've ruined the past 5 weeks of work.

Just remembering "slow and steady" is helping me. Losing a ton of weight quickly usually backfires.

MarKayDee

I spend a lot more time naked in front of the mirror to be honest.

Before I'd maybe glance at myself when I was getting into or out of the shower, but now I take a really good look, then I turn to the side, then I hold my hands over the bits I plan on losing and look again. It sounds very vain, but it helps me visualize my end results and stay focused. Also I may only be down eight pounds, but already I look better naked, and that is pretty awesome to me.

kgeyser

I think about what I want to look like when I'm done. I can lose weight quickly and end up a thinner, still flabby version of what I am now, or I can go slowly, eat plenty of calories and protein, and have an awesome body after all the fat comes off. I prefer option 2.

Greenrun99

Don't cut out things you like, just make room for it.. after awhile you won't think about eating a whole large pizza or ordering take out every day.. You need to form a habit.. and do workouts that you enjoy.. not the endless treadmill or elliptical.

And if you want it bad enough, you will stick with it.. look in the mirror and if your glad at your current image and weight.. then feel free to binge..

And how do you know you can lose more than 1 lb a week, some people try.. go to extremes and Guess what.. they have posts all over this board.. Just because the numbers add up doesn't mean your body cares.. And if you are used to short bursts of losing weight, why are you back here? Gain that weight back right? Hmm, wouldn't it be nice to not have to ride the roller coaster anymore..

257_Lag

For me it's all about mini goals rather than looking at the big picture. What they are is up to you.

Some of mine along the way...

Lose SOMETHING
Lose 5 lbs
Get as close to my calorie goal as possible without going over for 5 days in a row (or 10 or 30)
Do one push up
Do 10 pushups etc

When the going gets tough don't look at the next 10 pounds, look at the next 2!

katielshelby

I've lost around 19lbs since I started a month ago, I've done it by going from zero exercise and eating about 4000 calories a day, to running, cycling and eating around 1800. It's been fun to challenge myself and remind my body who is boss by flexing my willpower muscle, but now I'm starting to get bored with it.

It's the story of my life that I'm very good at doing things for a short time, but once it has to be for longer I lose interest (I guess it's a personality flaw, but hey, no one is perfect).

How do YOU learn to be patient and be happy with losing maybe one pound a week, when you know you could lose a lot more if you really tried? But the flip side of that is, you are correct by going for the long, slow, steady lifestyle change, rather than the short burst. I'm finding it hard to adapt to the slow burn. Hare and Tortoise deal. I need to learn how to be the tortoise but am naturally the hairy old hare who starts great but quickly burns out...

Thanks for any advice....

mx

I am the same exact way! After a month I am bored. Commenting to come back and read responses later.

MissSethra

I find myself in a similar boat, lost 38 lbs in about 3.5 months and now just maintaining. I know I have to make more adjustments. But I do remind myself that the 60-some pounds I started out needing to lose didn't get there overnight or even a few months, they crept up on me over about 10 years. So if it takes me a year to get all them off, its still faster than putting them on. Also tell myself, ya I could go all crazy exercising and dropping like crazy but realistically I would never keep up that type of lifestyle and I would quickly gain back all the weight. So I am just trying to adjust my diet and exercise to something I WILL be able to maintain in the long run. Just remember you are working at it and it will take time.

richardositosanchez

I've learned to be patient because i'm fully aware that there is no such thing as overnight success. If you really want something you need to work hard at it; that goes for just about every aspect of life. Now that i've lost weight and people are beginning to notice, now that clothes are fitting me better and I have to buy smaller size clothes, now that i'm starting to feel more energetic and overall better, those are thing things that continue to motivate me.

Giddy72

I would advise getting a friend or family member involved with you.

Little competitions between yourselves add to the fun.

For instance : two week weight loss challenge by % of body weight. Loser treats the winner to a night at the Cinema with the winner choosing the film?

might sound a bit trivial, but it can be the difference between staying with it and giving up

LessthanKris

I go on these boards. So much information and inspiration with people who are working to better themselves and everyone at different stages in their journey. It has also become a hobby for me. My workouts change every two weeks and I pick programs that follow schedules so there is an end and I can be proud when I reach it. I also remind myself that I do not want a ton of loose skin from dropping weight to quickly.

pseudomuffin

I spend a lot more time naked in front of the mirror to be honest.

Before I'd maybe glance at myself when I was getting into or out of the shower, but now I take a really good look, then I turn to the side, then I hold my hands over the bits I plan on losing and look again. It sounds very vain, but it helps me visualize my end results and stay focused. Also I may only be down eight pounds, but already I look better naked, and that is pretty awesome to me.

I do this too!

Patcolombo

Tell myself all the time it will take some time to reach goal and want it off yesterday. For me to stay on track and not give up I also remind myself it is not about loosing weight but changing my habits and replacing them with good ones and in the end I will see that body I want. It,s a mental change too...

Katla49

I've lost around 19lbs since I started a month ago, I've done it by going from zero exercise and eating about 4000 calories a day, to running, cycling and eating around 1800. It's been fun to challenge myself and remind my body who is boss by flexing my willpower muscle, but now I'm starting to get bored with it.

It's the story of my life that I'm very good at doing things for a short time, but once it has to be for longer I lose interest (I guess it's a personality flaw, but hey, no one is perfect).

How do YOU learn to be patient and be happy with losing maybe one pound a week, when you know you could lose a lot more if you really tried? But the flip side of that is, you are correct by going for the long, slow, steady lifestyle change, rather than the short burst. I'm finding it hard to adapt to the slow burn. Hare and Tortoise deal. I need to learn how to be the tortoise but am naturally the hairy old hare who starts great but quickly burns out...

Thanks for any advice....

mx

Many of us approach the idea of dieting as a quick fix for overweight. The end goal is to be skinny and go back to eating everything you love. Speaking from experience, when you go back to the same old habits, you get the same old results. I eventually regained every lost pound and more. In order to have permanent success, you need to make a permanent lifestyle change. It takes time to learn new, better habits. You will be better off gradually lowering your calorie intake than following a "crash" diet.

Some people here succeed by counting calories and abstaining from trigger foods. Others count calories and use portion control to stay within our allowed calories. I'm in the group who uses portion control to stay within my allowed calories. I can recommend two essential tools. We bought a digital food scale to weigh our portions so we know how much we are eating. I bought a reasonably priced one at Amazon. I also use dishers to measure portions of things like potatoes and rice. Dishers look like ice cream scoops and I like them because they're easier to use than measuring cups. Measuring cups are just as effective at creating known portion sizes.

Exercise regularly. Find things you like so that it isn't a punishment. Dance, walk, ride a bike, go to the gym, swim, take yoga... Alternating between things you like will keep you from boredom and be good for your body. I regularly exercise in order to earn a treat. If I ride my bike X number of minutes I can have an ice cream cone, or something else that I love. Counting calories helps put you in charge.

Good luck. I hope we'll see you here offering advice to newcomers for years to come.

This is a race between the tortoise and the hare, and your life is at stake. You know who wins. Slow down, be kind to yourself, and be persistent. You can eat everything you like in moderate portions and still win. Good luck.

cwolfman13

You have to wrap your head around the bigger picture. Your health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...there really is no finish line...you are never done...reaching some arbitrary scale value is just the beginning. I liken it to college...everyone is in a rush to graduate and be "done"...in reality, that's when the real **** starts...you have to get an actual job and **** and become a responsible and respectable member of society.

Once you start wrapping your brain around that, your nutrition and fitness do not become these sorta extra things that you're doing right now...they become a part of who you are. For me, having a diet that is overwhelmingly nutrient dense and living a lifestyle that involves regular rides on my bike, weight lifting at the gym, 5Ks, and cycling events, and mud runs, and cyclocross races are just as much a part of an ordinary day as brushing my teeth and taking a shower.

Problem is that most people never grasp this...so they cross that imaginary finish line or decide it's just not worth it to even make it to that imaginary finish line and they're "done"....finally, they can stop with this nutrition and fitness nonsense...and then they just put the weight back on. This is why only roughly 5% of people who have weight control issues end up taking that weight off and keeping it off long term.

I've been in maintenance now for around 9 months...and I'll tell you, you have to find a different kind of motivation...ultimately this all has to be about more than just losing some poundage...once you get to maintenance you don't have the benefit of watching the scale go down for motivation...it just stays the same (within natural body weight fluctuations)...so you really have to discover a deeper purpose for doing the things you do than just your weight.

zealey77

I've been in maintenance now for around 9 months...and I'll tell you, you have to find a different kind of motivation...ultimately this all has to be about more than just losing some poundage...once you get to maintenance you don't have the benefit of watching the scale go down for motivation...it just stays the same (within natural body weight fluctuations)...so you really have to discover a deeper purpose for doing the things you do than just your weight.

So what is this new kind of motivation for you then? That's what I'm trying to find. Sure you talk a good game, but what was it for you?

charlicee

I cut out the sugars, sweets, junk food, refined grains, prepackaged foods, learn to have maybe one afternoon snack and forgo the treat after dinner, cut calories when I can by forgoing sauces and breads, skip adding salt to my meals, and eating low-cal fruits and veggies instead with lean sources of protein. I also burn 500+ calories a day by walking at a stead pace on an incline, and exercise at the times of day I used to snack out of boredom. I am averaging 2-2.5 lbs each week at this point, but I am not that hungry and love the thrill of exercising. (And if I get bored, I look at motivational quotes for a few minutes to get my *kitten* into gear.) I have adopted my diet as what I plan to stay on, too, after losing all my weight, and plan to keep exercising to help keep the weight off.

I keep myself in check from using easy weight-loss methods because, frankly, I can't afford all these diet pills and meal shakes. Income is tight, and food-stamps must be spent wisely. I use my parents' old equipment for working out. That is what keeps me in check!

littleburgy

You have to wrap your head around the bigger picture. Your health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...there really is no finish line...you are never done...reaching some arbitrary scale value is just the beginning.

This! Exactly this!

You have to do activities that you genuinely enjoy on a regular basis, and adapt to a sensible diet for life. You don't have to give up the foods you enjoy, but unless you're a pro athlete, eating 4000 calories a day will jeopardize your health and really isn't a viable option for wellness.

Consider how good health will impact the quality of life for yourself and those in your life around you. My habits in the past involved being a workaholic and I wasn't managing my stress. I felt like total crap, I was often very depressed, and my life was a mess. But making the decision to mind my health has just made the quality of my life so much better. The way this makes me feel on the inside is probably what motivates me the most every day.

ldrosophila

stop thinking of it as a race (tortoise hare analogy) with an end point. Like brushing our teeth we know there will never be a day we are done brushing our teeth if we want to maintain a healthy smile you brush them every day same for the body you do something for it every day to maintain a healthy body. If goals and accomplishment is your motivation then you look for the next area of your body/performance you can improve so if that means running further, lifting more or averaging 35g or more of fiber in your diet...whatever keeps you with life long of health, improvement, and evolution.

KatherinesRiver

Yeah, kinda where I'm at. I know this 1,440 cal. thing will do the trick but I want it off FAST. I am familiar with the weight loss thing. Lost a lot of weight before but that was years ago. I found that breaking up the boredom thing is really important like you said. I had to start a new hobby or a new book or even try taking short trips in the car to places I've never been to break things up. I am an artist in my spare time and I usually had to start a new project to get my mind off of the refrigerator.

Good Luck to you!:drinker:

smoothieeez

To be honest I'm the same. I've gone on crazy diets and lost 5 kilos in one week-yeah no joke. I've gone on a no sugar diet and ended up binging so much I threw up. I've also sprinted on level 16 till I I felt I couldn't breath and nearly fainted in the gym. These are experiences that I' not happy with but these mistakes are what made me learn something valuable.

I've wanted to lose weight as quickly as I consumed most junk food or good foods, but the thought at the back of my mind would be-why? and what's my purpose? I realized the reason I wanted to lose weight was because of other people and I had to find my 'own' perseverance. So my reason is to concentrate on the core pleasure of being healthy, looking healthy and being strong!
It's a new way hightening your senses and to live life lighter, freer and clean- It's a journey.

Now I've also learned that the life style you enjoy the most is the one you stick to forever. If you're bored already then do something different, explore! Do what 'you want' than ' I should do this or that'. Eat food you love, but in moderation and have a plan of how much you're going to eat on a daily basis-if you binge don't kick yourself, smile and say I deserve that binge and I'm ready to keep on going, just take out calories you consumed too much little by little each day. It works and I've lost weight while eating my favorite foods

I've binged a lot and never had I punished myself by going to the gym and sprinted on level 16 till I collapsed. I see it as an opportunity to learn your patterns of eating and finding the perfect health lifestyle for you. I take things day by day and only focus on the pleasures of what I have and the comforts of being at my own pace. Everything is an opportunity and nothing is a loss, we build and grow and someday all of us will reach the top, we just need to think like champions not failures.

Capt_Apollo

sign up for a race. find one in july, so you have the next six months to stay focused. running and cycling? i recommend you throw in some swimming, and do a triathlon. no pool access? check out a duathlon.

cafeaulait7

Simple: it's easier! The slow way is just so, so much easier that it doesn't take nearly as much motivation. It's pretty darned boring, but it's not all that hard. Easier is my favorite, so no problem

sloth3toes

I've lost around 19lbs since I started a month ago, I've done it by going from zero exercise and eating about 4000 calories a day, to running, cycling and eating around 1800. It's been fun to challenge myself and remind my body who is boss by flexing my willpower muscle, but now I'm starting to get bored with it.

I'm very good at doing things for a short time

How do YOU learn to be patient and be happy with losing maybe one pound a week?I am naturally the hairy old hare who starts great but quickly burns out...

Thanks for any advice....

mx

You've kinda of answered your own question. You KNOW that you're the hare who burns out... so, after a month, you're burning out again. To have lost 19 lbs in one month, you've obviously made some radical changes. It sounds like you MUST call some kind of audible, and transition to something you can stick with. Consider the initial 19 lb loss as a 'jumpstart....' and just rework your program now, to add back in some foods that you really enjoy. Or change up, or reduce the cardio. You've got options....

ambience13

After a lifetime of being obese, I'm STILL addicted to the quick fix. The first week or three were fine, slow and steady, but then I got impatient and went boom shanka, dropped a lot quickly. Then stalled with binging. Then lost a lot quickly, then stalled with binging, it's a never ending cycle, bouts of bulimia thrown in, and I'm still caught up in it. Though thankfully now, I can realise when I'm emotionally eating, and instead of lasting a few weeks, it's now just a few days, which usually coincides with something important/stressful happening with life. But then I go back into the adult ego state (transactional analysis fan here!) and realise that binging won't help, self awareness, and the next day I start being healthy again.

So although the self awareness is now there, I'm still caught up in the black/white, all or nothing thought pattern. Although, this is still a darn side more healthy than where I was at 135kg, eating us out of house and home due to mental and emotional issues. I'm slowly working on the mental and emotional side of things, after finally finding something that works for me and my situation (transactional analysis, I love you!). So by joining this website, and reading a lot of nutritional advice/information (not the media inspired propaganda!), I'm hoping to move into a state of stability regarding eating habits etc.

Ninkyou

You have to wrap your head around the bigger picture. Your health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...there really is no finish line...you are never done...reaching some arbitrary scale value is just the beginning. I liken it to college...everyone is in a rush to graduate and be "done"...in reality, that's when the real **** starts...you have to get an actual job and **** and become a responsible and respectable member of society.

Once you start wrapping your brain around that, your nutrition and fitness do not become these sorta extra things that you're doing right now...they become a part of who you are. For me, having a diet that is overwhelmingly nutrient dense and living a lifestyle that involves regular rides on my bike, weight lifting at the gym, 5Ks, and cycling events, and mud runs, and cyclocross races are just as much a part of an ordinary day as brushing my teeth and taking a shower.

So much of this. There's no alternative. There's no quitting. There's no crying in baseball.

To be honest, I feel so much happier with the way I eat now as opposed to before. I can't even imagine going back to the way I was eating before.

yayamom3

stop thinking of it as a race (tortoise hare analogy) with an end point. Like brushing our teeth we know there will never be a day we are done brushing our teeth if we want to maintain a healthy smile you brush them every day same for the body you do something for it every day to maintain a healthy body. If goals and accomplishment is your motivation then you look for the next area of your body/performance you can improve so if that means running further, lifting more or averaging 35g or more of fiber in your diet...whatever keeps you with life long of health, improvement, and evolution.

Love this tooth brushing analogy! Going to hang onto this in my mind.

ninerbuff

When your approach to it becomes more intrinsic rather than extrinsic, you'll understand.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

SKME2013

I get my patience in seeing my weightloss not as a result of a "diet" but as a result of a change in lifestyle. I do not only watch my calorie intake but I have changed my dietary habits and am now very keen on eating as healthy as possible.

Th problem though for me is that I became a bit food obsessed not in terms of how many calories my foods contain but more in WHAT I am eating. I started to read labels very carefully and stopped eating fast food, drinking Coke and eating too many sweeties.

Losing weight for me is only part of the equation, I want to live healthier!
Stef.

NRSPAM

For me, personally, I love Zumba. I have some days when I feel like I'm bored with it, but it's really just me being lazy. I just get up, go to the gym, and do it anyways, and when I'm done, I feel great!!! You can still add other things you like to do, and switch it up. Find what you like. You could try boxing, or something different. Do you lift??? I never thought that would be something I'd like, but I do. I love it! I even love being sore, as torturous as it may be at times. It doesn't always have to be things we consider "exercise," either. Try going for a walk, or if you have kids, get outside and play with them. Play sports with someone. I like to compete with my kids outside, for fun when it's warmer. We'll have running competitions, just for fun. Of course I never win, but that's ok. Lol.