Mental Shift to lose weight.

pagepiercekuepper

I used to be fit and thin. I was a healthy 125 lbs., a rock climber, runner, and mountain biker! I even lost 55 lbs. shortly after the birth of my first son ten years ago. Unfortunately, I had to go on medicine that caused me to gain 60 lbs. in one year! It really messed up my metabolism. Anyway, I have been off of that medicine for several years now, but the idea of having to lose 50 lbs. is overwhelming at times. Last night, I really decided to shift my focus off of the 50 lbs. I have to lose and focus on meeting my daily goals instead. That mental shift sure makes the idea of weight loss feel a lot less daunting. What mental shift did you have to go through in order to start losing weight for good? I would love to hear what you all did!

Fitastic14

I used to be fit and thin. I was a healthy 125 lbs., a rock climber, runner, and mountain biker! I even lost 55 lbs. shortly after the birth of my first son ten years ago. Unfortunately, I had to go on medicine that caused me to gain 60 lbs. in one year! It really messed up my metabolism. Anyway, I have been off of that medicine for several years now, but the idea of having to lose 50 lbs. is overwhelming at times. Last night, I really decided to shift my focus off of the 50 lbs. I have to lose and focus on meeting my daily goals instead. That mental shift sure makes the idea of weight loss feel a lot less daunting. What mental shift did you have to go through in order to start losing weight for good? I would love to hear what you all did!

Hey! That's great to lose the "50 lbs to go" mentality...it will only overwhelm a person. You should set short-term goals to meet the long-term...like every 10 lbs or so. It's pretty attainable to lose 10 each month for most people...depending on consistency, dedication, etc..

I've been through so many "mental shifts," I barely know what to say! Lol VERY controversial, but I've taken some weight loss supplements (thermogenic, metabolism boosting pills, but helps with my mentality more than anything) to help.

I lost 20 lbs in 2012, lost 30 more in 2013, gained back about 20, so there's where I'm at nowadays; still have 50(ish) to go...

I don't know, but it's like a light switch. You have to find a true source to lose the weight. For me, it's more about feeling healthier / happier. Working out gives me the mental boost to sustain a positive mentality. I NEED it every day. I also live with an anxiety disorder...or 2, so working out REALLY helps with that. It's like I need to release my excess energy daily.

I found the easiest way to make lasting changes is to eliminate one bad habit at a time. You drink soda/pop? Cut that out of your diet for a few months. Then, you can drink a little when you want, but you won't 'need' it every day, like I used to, if you're careful.

Bottom line, people can give you ideas/examples, but you need to do some soul searching to find an important, yet humble reason to be a better you. I love the fact that we can 'make' our attitudes. There's never any good without the bad, so why not force the 'bad' upon us...the working out part (just b/c it's challenging, but not necessarily bad), but that'll produce great mental vibes. Where as a couch potato, I'd make myself feel good by gorging in food and watching tv, yet I felt miserable else wise.

pagepiercekuepper

Yes. I do think you have to find an internal reason to lose weight. Honestly, mine is not just about being healthy. I have to admit I have a more vain reason...I want to look and feel attractive again! I live in an area of Colorado that is full of SUPER fit people. I am tired of being the heaviest one in the room. I want to have my confidence back.

allana1111

my mental shift was simply deciding to do it for myself instead of anybody else, and once you make the decision its important to YOU it makes it a lot easier to stick to

pagepiercekuepper

my mental shift was simply deciding to do it for myself instead of anybody else, and once you make the decision its important to YOU it makes it a lot easier to stick to

So true! I finally feel like I am at that place. I want to lose the weight for me and not anyone else.

tapirfrog

My mental shift was physical. I spent two days walking around a big city with some friends, and I could not walk for a week after that. My tendons have always been as reliable as Ramen noodles anyway; and four miles on concrete two days in a row made them loosen their grips on my footbones and oh God the pain.

So after staying on the couch for a week, afraid to move, sending my husband out for every painkiller on the shelf and trying them all and finding that nothing worked except whiskey, I realized I had one of three choices:

1) Resign myself to being in a wheelchair in ten years
2) Become an alcoholic, which has its own problems but hey at least my feet wouldn't hurt
3) Get hungry, and stay hungry probably for the rest of my life.

I picked hungry, because there are hours when I'm not hungry at all (I won't lie to you; there are hours and hours and hours when I'm really hungry), and I get to go out and do fun things even when I'm hungry.

I hate being the stereotypical old lady who has a tiny plate of food, takes two bites, and pushes the rest away. But you know what? It's either that or be in pain for the rest of my life. And maybe once I take enough weight off, I can start stressing my tendons gradually with weights in the gym. I can teach them (tendons) to grip my bones more strongly, and and I can increase my weight loads very very gradually, and burn more calories, and increase my cardio because I'm not so fragile, and burn more calories again, and maybe someday I can eat a whole hamburger at one sitting. That would be wonderful.

4legsRbetterthan2

I started setting mini goals, I had alot to lose and was not sure when I would have it all off by so it was really easy to blow off, whereas when I am shooting for a lb by next week its alot easier to stay focused in the here and now! I also am setting alot of fitness related goals as apposed to just weight ones. I get alot more satisfaction out of reaching those.

momtastic2014

I have 50lbs to lose too. I stopped weighing daily and started focusing on eating better and moving more. I know it will come off in time if I just keep up the good work and don't stress. We are in the same boat, best of luck to you.

pagepiercekuepper

I have 50lbs to lose too. I stopped weighing daily and started focusing on eating better and moving more. I know it will come off in time if I just keep up the good work and don't stress. We are in the same boat, best of luck to you.

Thanks!

pagepiercekuepper

Thanks for all of your responses! Good luck to all of you and congrats to those who are reaching your goals!

123stefania

Hi,

Like the other who respnded; I set mini-goal, a 10 lbs per month its perfect and its easy to reach if you are dedicated. I'm been logging since 3 weeks now and I already see a difference in how I relate to food.....I ate to much salty stuff and bigger portions than I'm suppose to do...

You can do it, just go day by day and you will see result faster then you think, good luck.

We are here to support you, good luck!

concordancia

I literally cry when I think about how far I have to go to look like the woman I am acting like right now, and how many times I have done it, only to gain most of it back again.

However, if I stay focused on getting stronger, I soar! All of the goals I have listed in my profile are fitness goals. And even though I don't list the steps to get to them, I am on cloud nine when I do something measurably better than my previous efforts. For example, this weekend I rode my bike for 8.8 miles without a stop AND I incorporated high intensity intervals into it. I actually maxed out the speed of my bike (it only has three gears) on the flat: I had previously only done that on shallow downhills.

Like a previous poster, I am also weaning myself off the scale. I joined a no weigh February challenge, although it is set up to weigh half way through. Staying away from the scale keeps me focused on my healthier habits. My motivation isn't tied up to that fickle liar.

alpine1994

Hey! It was two things for me.

1. I had insomnia my whole life, tried every rx sleeping pill under the sun until my Dr. was concerned and told me to exercise regularly. Of course I'm like "how am I supposed to exercise on 2-3 hrs of sleep every night?" but I forced myself and started to sleep like a normal person, which I never thought would be possible.

2. Of course in order to get a productive workout, you need to eat well! Food is fuel. I had a really hard time with this, so I knew I had to change my relationship with food. I'm tired, I'm going to eat whatever I want. I'm cold or I don't feel well so I want comfort food. It's my friend's birthday, so obviously I need 2 pieces of cake after the 10 buffalo wings and cup of onion dip with chips. Something awesome happened today, so I'm going to celebrate with a gigantic meal. You get the idea. There is a balance between eat to live and live to eat.

skilvington

Hi there,

For me it was the realization that I was responsible for what I had become. No one else had put all that extra food in my mouth and my weight and shape was down to me. Not rocket science, but just taking ownership of the problem. I never set myself a goal (that way I couldn't 'fail'), but just concentrated on making better choices and being more active. A slow, but steady weight loss followed. After the first couple of months once I could really start to see the difference, it gave me extra motivation to continue, and choices became much more natural.

Take each day as it comes, there will be hard days when all you want to do is eat, but they are compensated by the times people will do the double take and say 'hey, have you been losing weight? You look good'.

Just remember, you eat in excess, you will not lose weight and may gain, you eat at a deficit and the weight will come off.

Good luck x

jstout365

I think there were a few things that shifted mentally for me.

I gave up the idea of a "goal" weight. Sure, I had weight to lose, but I decided to focus on body composition with a healthy Body Fat % versus an arbitrary number on the scale. If I was making progress with lowering my BF% and looking the way I wanted, the number on the scale didn't matter. People see what you look like, not the number on the scale.

I realized that all the times I had lost weight in the past I was working to get to goal and then went right back to up because I wasn't making lasting changes. I now know that this, as cliche as it sounds, really is a lifestyle change. Long term changes for life.

I realized that I could enjoy myself and not stress about losing weight. If I do what I know I need to do (eat well and exercise) then things will fall into place. If I want a cookie, then I eat a cookie, but I know I need to be accountable for that and fit it into the plan. Same thing with other goodies.

I realized that I like being fit. This is a big drive for me. I am an athlete at heart and need to keep my weight in check to ensure I am getting the most out of my workouts.

This isn't about losing weight for me anymore. Weight loss is more of a bi-product of a healthier lifestyle.

MuslimahMama

Hi there,

For me it was the realization that I was responsible for what I had become. No one else had put all that extra food in my mouth and my weight and shape was down to me. Not rocket science, but just taking ownership of the problem. I never set myself a goal (that way I couldn't 'fail'), but just concentrated on making better choices and being more active. A slow, but steady weight loss followed. After the first couple of months once I could really start to see the difference, it gave me extra motivation to continue, and choices became much more natural.

Take each day as it comes, there will be hard days when all you want to do is eat, but they are compensated by the times people will do the double take and say 'hey, have you been losing weight? You look good'.

Just remember, you eat in excess, you will not lose weight and may gain, you eat at a deficit and the weight will come off.

Good luck x

nice answer, simple but effective

Timshel_

What mental shift did you have to go through in order to start losing weight for good?

First, I think this is a building process that takes time, with ups and downs. I always say, most people did not get out of shape in a month, a year, or even a few years. They should not expect to completely reverse it that quickly. That is especially true for the habits and mental aspect of it.

Anywho...

I continually work at eliminating entitlement. As I have gotten older I can hear a little voice in my head that says, "you don't eat xxxx that often, you're entitled." Or, "You've been good the last few days, so you're entitled." That voice kills my moderation. The reality is, I can splurge every so often (time frame is completely personal how often you do), but for me it needs to be spaced out more often than my mind think at times.

I continually work on my mental self-image. This means I don't look at myself as a number on the scale, a clothing size, my age, or anything else of that sort. I try to focus more on how I feel and if I am making good choices that represent who I want to be.

I REALLY try not to focus on health too much, like worrying about what I am eating, how many calories for the day I am taking in, what my routine for exercise will be, etc. I have found I can become obsessed with being healthy, which is unhealthy in my book. I truly believe that once you start changing those mental habits for food choices and exercise, it flows more with your lifestyle. I see WAYYY too many people wear it like a badge of courage, and all they talk about is healthy living. I just see that as bad karma, though probably won't make sense to most.

To tie into all that, especially the last part of too much focus is, I am continually making sure I see this as a lifestyle change - something i will be doing for the rest of my life - and not a race to some specific goal. Fact is, I believe that if I make the right choices in eating and exercise, as often as I can, over the rest of my life, all the goals I could imagine and more will come about anyway. Why should I add stress back in my life about that.

SharonNehring

I woke up one morning In late November and couldn't feel my toes. When it didn't improve, a trip to the doc revealed I was now a type 2 diabetic. In that instant, I realized that if I wanted to be able to feel my feet and avoid the long term side effects of diabetes, then I had to commit to a major lifestyle change. The diabetes educator told me about MFP and I joined 2 days later.

This is my wake up call. My chance to improve my health and long term quality of life. The good news is.... I have 95% of the feeling back in my toes now and I'm 25 lbs lighter.

ceciliaruns

I had 4 pregnancies, and I gained a lot of weight...50-60 pounds! I used a method that Weight Watchers uses which is to take 10% of your weight and make that your current goal. So if you weighed 160, you would aim to lose 16 pounds, then once you reach that goal you celebrate (non-food lol!) and make the new 10% goal. Taking weight off in chunks like this was much easier. I also signed up for a big race, like a half marathon or marathon and put a schedule up on my fridge. This is really motivating. It took me 7 months, 5 months, 17 months and 2+ years to get the pounds off after each.

Right now I am 10 lbs over where I want to be for my spring race, focusing on that race and my goal time motivates me to keep eating healthy and train daily. The focus is shifted from losing pounds to performance. I know I won't be comfortable racing at this weight and if I stay true to my plan, then I will be in good shape to do well...and I'll feel better in my running clothes!! You have a great support system here and that weight will be a thing of the past in no time!