Keeping the momentum .. piece of advice would you offer?

Supadoopafly

Hi there,

It's lovely to see these before/after pictures. I so admire you guys.

As you can see from my ticker I have a hell of a lot of weight to lose (160+lbs) and the mountain I have to climb is quite daunting .. nope... soul-destroying and feels so massive and never-ending. Often times I think I'm 37 and my metabolism has slowed too much for me to ever lose weight. I have been overweight ALL of my life and have been teased/abused about it for about 37yrs also.

So I'm asking to you successful people ... what kept you going? Also what one piece of advice would you offer to any body (big losers and small losers alike), to keep up the momentum and never give up?

Thanks .....

aarondnguyen

My advice: Dig deep. And I mean really deep.

What kept me going for a long time were all the people that initially doubted me. I wanted to prove them wrong. But as time went on, I also had support from loved ones. Nowadays I do it for the latter group, but sometimes it's a mixture of both. Anger (to prove someone wrong) can be a good fuel source... channel that energy with laser focus -- just remember to return to normal when you take your headphones out and turn off the music

I also came across this quote that really struck a chord with me:

"No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" - Socrates

I watch motivational videos from time to time as well whenever I feel the need to. And honestly, once you start seeing results, it does become an addiction! Feel free to add me for support!

Supadoopafly

My advice: Dig deep. And I mean really deep.

What kept me going for a long time were all the people that initially doubted me. I wanted to prove them wrong. But as time went on, I also had support from loved ones. Nowadays I do it for the latter group, but sometimes it's a mixture of both. Anger (to prove someone wrong) can be a good fuel source... channel that energy with laser focus -- just remember to return to normal when you take your headphones out and turn off the music

I also came across this quote that really struck a chord with me:

"No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" - Socrates

I watch motivational videos from time to time as well whenever I feel the need to. And honestly, once you start seeing results, it does become an addiction! Feel free to add me for support!

I will, thank you. As you said in another post, consistency is key. I know I'll be more motivated when I start to see the results, I just can't see them right now, in about 3 weeks I guess I will if I stay consistent with training. Just feel blah today. X

msf74

Love the life you lead when you are losing weight. Human beings don't tend to do well with long periods of suffering or deprivation. You are much more likely to reach your goal if you like what you are doing.

To lose weight you need a calorie deficit and time. That is it.

Find a calorie deficit which you can handle without driving yourself barmy. Find a way of eating at that deficit which you enjoy - be it IIFYM, Paleo, clean, Atkins, whatever. Experiment a little and find what fits. Find a doctor that prescribes chocolate if necessary (hats off to Yoni Freedhoof, MD for the inspiration for that...)

Find a form of exercise you love. If you love it you don't need to rely on some mythical concept of motivation and you will do it regularly.

Love yourself. Love your life. Love what you do....

and weight loss will find you.

ktsmom430

You can do this!

Focus on getting through one day at a time. Log EVERYTHING that you eat and drink each and every day.

If you do this and stay within your daily calorie amount, you will be successful.

I am 62 and I had as much to lose when I started out here on March 12, 2012. If I can do it, most anyone can.

Best of luck to you!

NiikouruDesu

Something that helped me in the beginning was to quit smoking and drinking, and cut back on coffee. I also started to eat vegetables and fruit every day. The vitamins and minerals are what my body craved so much, but because I wasn't giving them to it, I would eat other food and never feel satisfied. Sometimes I didn't even enjoy eating salad, but I made myself eat it, even if I had a lot of chocolate or milo that day and felt like I had failed on that particular day. and to drink water with every meal. I have always had insomnia but I started to take naps during the day when otherwise I'd be reaching for something sweet to pick me up. Also, walking everywhere instead of driving and picking up Zumba was a fun way to get active, which lifted my mood and stoppdd me many times from emotional eating when otherwise I was depressed and ate tea and a biscuit.... wait, a packet.

now eating well and exercising is part of my life and I dont even think about it. tiny changes, one at a time is the way to go
Don't be discouraged, you have what it takes

fishermanmatt

I started my journey toward fitness in a similar if not worse spot. I was 37 and needed to lose 300 pounds. I did a little reading and saw 2 pounds a week was a realistic goal and went to work.

I decided early on to break down the 300 pounds into smaller, easier to achieve goals with specific rewards that would help me further my progress (-50 reward was joining a gym to lift weights, -100 was a bicycle to ride, -150 was running shoes and a C25k app, ....).

I'm not going to lie and say it's been easy but it hasn't been as difficult as I always thought it would have been. Sticking with it the first couple weeks was the toughest part. I motivated myself by reading the success stories every night before bed, every morning when I woke up and any other time I just needed a pick me up. There's nothing special about anyone who's been successful losing weight other than the common fact that they stuck with it. You can do it too!

mamadon

Losing weight doesnt have to be about depriving yourself of the foods you love. Anything in moderation. As long as you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Learn to forgive yourself and keep going, even if you occasionally screw up and go over your calories, its not the end of the world. just keep going!

katz6910

After years of avoiding cameras and mirrors a friend of mine caught me in a picture and posted it on Facebook, I'll never ever forget looking at it and wondering who it was before unbelievably realising it was me. I look back at that picture every now and then to remind me why I am here.

I also have almost no pictures of me and my children together because I couldnt bear to see myself. That doesn't leave them anything to look back over when I am no longer here. So that is also a huge motivator for me!

You don't have to be 100% at all times. There will be times you eat more than you should really allow yourself but getting your head back in the game straight away is more beneficial than beating yourself up over it.

I've always been big too and I never thought I'd come as far as I have and I know I can go the rest of the way too now!

Good luck on your journey!

1Cor1510

Take pictures and measurements. The scale is a damn liar and can be very deceiving. I took pics and measurments this time and it seriously is the only thing that keeps me going forward somedays. I don't want to lose the progress I've already made. I look at my progress pictures almost daily.

firefoxxie

I have had some trouble keeping up the momentum until I started doing 100 days of happiness. Everyday you have to take a picture of something that makes you happy and you have to do it for 100 days in a row. I've been taking pictures of my smart decisions and pictures of myself. This has made me feel so good about myself that I want to keep doing it. Maybe that will help you

AusAshMommy

Everything said above - I will also say what kept me going was seeing the changes in myself, the smaller clothes, and just being able to chase my daughter and not get winded; seeing them laugh & giggle when we played together...and the constant reminder that this is a Marathon, Not a Race! So therefore, I need to take it one little step at a time, Celebrate Each and Every Victory no matter how small and just being proud of each accomplishment.

If I felt I failed somewhere I blogged about it and forgot it, didn't go back and re-read it - just got it off my chest...sometimes that's the most soothing thing to do.

Good Luck! you can do this!

wateryphoenix

Wonderful advise here! I have a lot to lose, and have only knocked off a tiny piece of it. What helps is to not look at the overall amount of what you need to lose, but to break it up into smaller bits. Worry more about losing 10 or 20 lbs instead of the much bigger number. ^_^

Definitely try different things to see what you like. Eating wise and movement wise. Some people end up liking to run, and others like to lift heavy stuff. Some like to dance, while others like to bike. Find what you enjoy most, and it won't feel like work most days. =D

beamer0821

I have a hell of a lot of weight to lose (160+lbs) and the mountain I have to climb is quite daunting .. nope... soul-destroying and feels so massive and never-ending. Often times I think I'm 37 and my metabolism has slowed too much for me to ever lose weight. I have been overweight ALL of my life and have been teased/abused about it for about 37yrs also.

there are number of things for me its not ONE thing. AND im constantly working on it.
a key component is mindset, your above paragraph is a defeatist attitude that will get you no where beating yourself up and seeing yourself as the victim. first look at your weight loss in 10% increments. set your goal for 10% of your weight to lose, when you reach 10% set for another 10%. that helps your brain not get overwhelmed.

also when things get tough i think about what would i say to a friend or child that came to me that was struggling with a challenge, and then i give that advise to ourself.

lastly and this is a harder one, you need to find out why you are overweight in the first place. 100+ pounds overweight, there is SOMETHING going on. you will battle this forever if you dont get to the root. i dont know your answer but a hint is its not because you love food so much.

good luck!!

Kitship

Welcome! In my opinion, the hardest part is over, which is starting. I have lost 70 lbs and I can still lose another 100 and be at an average weight, so I know the feeling!

I will say that the mental aspect is the most challenging for me. I truly believe that I was once addicted to any and all food. Letting go of the addiction is gradual and I still struggle to this day.

The thing that kept me going was seeing progress! Once I lost my first 5 pounds, I wanted to keep going. The biggest thing is, if you have a bad day (or even a bad week), DON'T GIVE UP! It can be done. Also, there are people here who are a lot older than you who have loss 200+ pounds!

Good luck and feel free to add me! :flowerforyou:

cebreisch

For me, it's a combination. There are NSV that REALLY mean a lot to me - aside from being able to wear smaller clothes. I'm able to get around a lot easier. I used to huff and puff and lose my breath when I'd go up the stairs or walk for any short distance. I had trouble walking through the grocery stores. Now, I can walk through them without issue. Last November, I was able to go through an airport without issue (due to my weight, not due to anything with the transportation security authority people), and fly on a plane without "spilling over" into the next seats, and without having to ask for a seatbelt extender.

Those things really give me incentive to keep going.

The other thing - sounds kinda silly probably - but like Dorie says in "Finding Nemo" - "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming, what do we do, we swim, swim...." Just keep going. Stumble on the way, and that's okay. Nobody's perfect, ever, because humans are fallible. So why would I expect to never make a mistake ever? Idiocy. Just keep swimming....

scottyg70

To quote Nike: Just Do It. Your best friend is routine. So the more you get out and do something, even if it's walking around the block, the more it just becomes part of your routine. As for my initial point, when you wake up and don't feel like taking that walk or going to the gym, make yourself do it. I've found that some of my best workouts are a result of making myself get up and do what I had planned.

msf74

I have had some trouble keeping up the momentum until I started doing 100 days of happiness. Everyday you have to take a picture of something that makes you happy and you have to do it for 100 days in a row. I've been taking pictures of my smart decisions and pictures of myself. This has made me feel so good about myself that I want to keep doing it. Maybe that will help you

What a great idea and positive reinforcement of your choices!

MissySpring

- "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming, what do we do, we swim, swim...."

Lol...I actually say this to myself as I swim...love swimming for exercise and peace of mind.

Great advice from everybody.

I broke my goals into 5% increments with a nonfood reward...

5 ~ sexy shoes
10 ~ new speedo and goggles
15 ~ pedicure
20 ~ winter running tights

you get the picture. I also set small non scale goals with rewards. Reached my water goal for the week...a day of sewing. Run 5 miles...new running shoes.

One of the hardest things I've done that has been the most beneficial is self talk. I wake up in the morning, look myself in the eye in the mirror and say aloud, "I am committed. I promise to follow my plan today." Saying it out loud that makes me feel empowered.

suncluster

You started it. Now finish it.

Everyday I work on being a finisher. Today I am one day closer :-)

putdownthebiscuit

To quote Nike: Just Do It. Your best friend is routine. So the more you get out and do something, even if it's walking around the block, the more it just becomes part of your routine. As for my initial point, when you wake up and don't feel like taking that walk or going to the gym, make yourself do it. I've found that some of my best workouts are a result of making myself get up and do what I had planned.

This and "Keep swimming" have been important to me. I've made it a point to focus on my schedule. Sticking to that schedule has been my milestone marker, rather than the scale so far. In fact, I'm not even focused on the scale right now. I'm just focused on eating well and moving. Moving every day. I've weighed myself twice since the beginning of the year (to avoid the emotional roller coaster of doing it weekly while I'm so fresh and vulnerable) and I've been losing exactly what I *should* be.

On those days when I simply don't want to "keep swimming" or move, I have to baby step it. I'll tell myself, "Just get dressed for a work out. And then see how I feel." Then I'll get dressed. There's something about putting on the clothes that helps lift me out of the mood. I am currently doing TurboFire, so then I'll say to myself "Just turn on the tv and put the dvd in. If you want to sit on the couch, that's fine." Then just putting the dvd on will make me want to at least stand up. Then I'll say to myself, "Just half-*kitten* it. Some movement is better than "perfect" movement." And by the end, I'll be going hard as if I'd started the workout excited to do it in the first place.

I have to do it the same on days when I don't feel the energy and enthusiasm to stay the course with my eating. If one day at a time sounds like too much, I take it one meal at a time, one portion at a time. I just try to make more "good" decisions than "bad" ones and I don't beat myself up for stumbling. It's a life we're living. Living is the key.

Followingsea

I found that success breeds success, and failure breeds failure.

The more you enforce a habit, the more it becomes self-sustaining. It's why MFP has the streak feature - after 95 days, the thought of starting that over at 1 seems intolerable.

I've also found that the MFP streaks where I am tracking everything religiously correspond to the periods where the weight melts off, and the times between those streaks, where I am tracking intermittently or not at all, are when the weight loss slows or stalls entirely.

So if I were to go back and advise myself how to maximize both motivation and returns on effort wrt the weightloss/fitness thing, the first thing I would say is to get into the habit of tracking calories as soon as humanly possible. Your goal is obviously ultimately to lose X pounds, or reduce to Y bodyfat percentage, but in order to do that you're going to have to reach some smaller goals first. Make your first goal cultivate new and good habits.