A long way away

Brunty554

Hi all

I have recently lost a stone and put I two pound back this week due to having a cold and eating rubbish and not logging.....I am now back on track but my 4 stone weigt loss goal seems a really long way off.

I know about setting short term goals but sometimes I feel like I am never gonna get there

Does anyone else feel the same and what do you do to try and get through it ?

starrylioness

I do feel the same way. Every day is a challenge but I just try to remind myself that I'm worth it and that my body deserves to be as healthy as I can make it so I can live a good long life. That's really all I can say. I don't do anything special to get through or anything. I just keep on going. If I mess up, eat horribly, whatever...I just restart the next day and keep on going.

suejoker

I totally relate to that feeling... I started this weight loss journey 2 years ago. I lost 45 lbs the first year and then got completely immersed in work and family the second year. I gained back half of that weight and just came back to MFP on 1/6/14. Since I've been back, I've lost 10 lbs. That's awesome, but I still have 47 lbs to go!

Sometimes, I wish I could just fast forward to my goal weight! What helps me is that, if I continue losing at this rate, I should be at my goal by the end of the year. Many years have just whizzed by for me, so I figure it won't seem like such a long journey at the end. Also, the longer I stick with it, the easier it gets. The lighter I get, the easier it is for me to exercise. And, the more I eat healthy foods, the more I want to eat healthy.

JesterMFP

Try not to look at it as a temporary thing that you have to "get through". Try to create a lifestyle that you can live with permanently that supports you being a healthy weight. Actually losing the weight is really just the first phase. People who do x, y and z to lose the weight and then go back to "normal" struggle to keep the weight off. What is "eating rubbish" compared to eating while you're losing weight? Obviously, you need to restrict your calories to lose, but otherwise you should be eating in a way that you can envisage eating permanently. Don't make such drastic changes that you can't live with, and you feel the need to drop as soon as circumstances are difficult. Don't over-restrict your calories, don't cut out the foods you love and don't try to force yourself to do crazy amounts of an exercise that you don't enjoy.

As for goals, there are the obvious number milestones, but maybe focus on things other than the scale. What about fitness? Are you doing any exercise? There are lots of potential goals there, from running faster/further, to lifting heavier things, to learning new skills (eg ballroom dancing, yoga, boxing, rock climbing...) or something like a martial art where you have designated levels to go up. Or, keep a chart of number of days that you exercise, and try to have a streak like 6 weeks of exercising 5 days a week.

The thing is, you need to find ways to keep yourself going once you've met your goal, because if you think losing weight is boring, maintaining that loss is 10x more boring when there's no obvious physical changes to keep you excited. That's why people bang on about "lifestyle changes". You really have to make healthy eating (as in, eating to maintain a healthy weight) and activity part of your life in such a way that you do it automatically, not just because you have 4 stone to lose.