it's going to take over a year, how to get motivated?

knra_grl

Learn to appreciate the small victories. Eating a healthy and well balanced diet, improving your fitness, take measurements, the number on the scale isn't everything. Realize that this is a lifestyle change and not temporary. You will feel better every day and thank yourself later that you didn't wait. Also remember that it didn't take a year to gain the extra weight so a year is not really a long time. It took over 16 years to put the extra weight that I carry on, I know it's going to take a while to get rid of it, but every pound is a small victory.

jenn2mann

Don't think of it as a one year journey. It may take longer , but that's OK.
I agree with others. Exercise is key here. Not just for its weight loss benefits, but as a true part of the journey to being a healthier person.

I started with walking. I was able to add in running. I have a long history of arthritis, so I progressed with the running slowly.
I got a FitBit, and it really motivated me to see my steady exercise -- similar to the person who puts pebbles in the bowl for each day she meets her goals

You might notice the weight loss before your friends do. First, in the way your clothes fit, a bit later, new sizes. Its all exciting. I'd lost a good 45 pounds (I'd lost 15 before I joined MFP) before some people noticed. Strange. But, kind of fun.

I recently aggravated an old neck injury with pilates. I really miss the exercise, but I'm starting back with 10,000 steps a day and it really helps.

Have a great journey!

amjabrego2014

I find that I have to step back and say, it just can't happen overnight and if I wear myself out trying to overdo it right away then my end goal wont be achieved. Set goals that are not huge, smaller ones, like a pound a week. Start by saying, I am going to walk X amount of days for 30 minutes. Things that are not so insurmountable that if you have a rough day or week you can't still maybe get yourself to do them. Later, when you are meeting your basic goals you can start pushing yourself and the new goals wont seem so overwhelming.

GardenGirlie

The time is going to pass either way. As far as what keeps me motivated? I acknowledge that I have goals that are out a few months, or towards an event or holiday in my life or even where I want to be at the 1 year mark. The most important thing I do though, and I really do do this, I concentrate on today. That is all. I just want to do today really really well. And I do that over and over and over again. The next thing you know over 290 days have gone by and I have logged on to MFP for every single one of them and I have lost almost 90 pounds. But I did that by only working on making today a really really strong and healthy day.

I highly recommend just concentrating on the here and now......if you do that the long term will take care of itself.

Good luck...you can do this!!!!

SuperJo1972

I honestly found that my best inspiration and motivation comes from the mfp buddies that I "friended"
Seeing and Commenting on their progress keeps me focused and in trying to motivate them, I motivate myself as well.
When I am disheartened or have gone off track they pick me up. When I do well they help me celebrate.
Try to make a few mfp buddies who have been, or are, where you are. you won't regret it.
Try the mfp twin threads to find some new buddies.

akagoldengirl

I need to correct your thinking, it will take you much longer than a year. It will take you the rest of your life if you intend to keep the weight off. I don't say this to be discouraging, just the opposite. You need to have the mindset of someone who wants to be healthy for the rest of her life, not just for a year. That's part of why it's important to develop new habits slowly, to make sure those new habits are livable.

I really agree with this and couldn't have said it better myself... The important thing is not to deprive yourself, but to begin exploring new and delicious foods that are easy to whip up... That's why you have the calorie counter too, so you gage which day you want to have that nice piece of chocolate cake for instance, ... Rather than seeing it as a restriction it can be used it as a fun tool for freedom. So you can, to a point, eat what you want - just with smaller portion sizes.... I also take my calories sort of week by week, if I go under a few days then I don't fret if I have an extra 100 calories another.

If it helps, it's worked for me because the other day was special because I went for my wedding interview, so we went out for lunch after - I had an amazingly rich 700 calorie steak meal with blue cheese and port sauce - it was amazing! I had the MFP app and I logged it immediately, loving every calorie I got to eat! At the end I adjusted for what I didn't eat.... If it wasn't for the calorie counter I would have blown off exercise that night... But instead I was inspired to do a fun workout, have a nice healthy snack and I still met my calorie goal...

Other days I will exercise harder cos I know we are having dessert (and sometimes now I don't even feel like it when it's come)....

But you gotta get the nutrition first and the good fats.. Things like avocado are really important. You can eat one or half every day or other day. Also chia seeds!!!!, ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, omega 6 fish like wild salmon and halibut... The mono-unsaturated fat in it is necessary to process your fat, (so it HELPS you lose weight), also you need it vitamins and it will give you long lasting energy. Avocado will fill you up and gives you long lasting energy too... I also eat a lot of spinach, salads, vegetables , small portions of brown rice and quinoa a few times a week and I love my meat too...

Anyway, I used to crash diet years ago and it ruined me... So even though it seems slow, you will notice great short term benefits. The more I exercise, the less I want anything greasy or bad for me too... So I really suggest to find things you love doing, like group sports, or hiking, swimming, even trampolining or acrobats! Whatever is fun, go for it! :-)

Hope this helps
Kai

dimplz1965

I need to correct your thinking, it will take you much longer than a year. It will take you the rest of your life if you intend to keep the weight off. I don't say this to be discouraging, just the opposite. You need to have the mindset of someone who wants to be healthy for the rest of her life, not just for a year. That's part of why it's important to develop new habits slowly, to make sure those new habits are livable.

You are so right; it will take the rest of our lives to keep the weight off. I was fortunate to have lost 70 pounds after I completed my childbearing and I managed to, over the years, put 50 pounds back on. I'm bound and determined this time to get those pounds off and keep them off - LIFELONG! Thanks for the reminder

Lovinglish

A year will pass whether I lose weight, gain weight, or maintain my weight. I ask myself which outcome will make me happiest.

Love this

SeeJaneShrink

Think about what getting to a healthier weight will mean for you. Will it mean having more energy to keep up with your children? Will it mean sleeping more soundly? Will it mean increased strength and flexibility?

How will losing weight affect your day-to-day life? If you can think of the possibilities, motivation will come.

Kiara2170

i love this idea im def going to try this!

Sleepunderapalmtree

A year will pass whether I lose weight, gain weight, or maintain my weight. I ask myself which outcome will make me happiest.

This! ^___^

whitebalance

Don't worry about getting motivated. Just get started.

Faye_Anderson

When you know it's going to take a year or more and you're on the first day - how do you find the motivation?

I look at my babies and know I want to be the best parent I can be, all the motivation I need.
I've logged every day for the past 896 days without fail, even 20 minutes after giving birth, and I've had bad days but I've never lost the drive to want to be a better me, for me and for my family. You can do it if you really want to :flowerforyou:

motivatedmartha

It'll take longer than year if you don't start today.

Take heart and attack it in bite size chunks.

i started in the 2nd week of Feb at 212lbs (I'm 5'7") - I am now 193lbs. That 19 lbs (OK I wanted it to be 20 lbs last Wednesday but c'est la vie) has made a huge difference to me - so much more energy, better fitting clothes etc etc. I may still have a way to go before I feel I'm at the 'right' weight but my weight now is a lot 'righter' than it was back in February. I am so glad I started then. Every pound you lose will make you feel better so start now!!! You could be feeling a whole lot better come July - not perfect perhaps - but a lot better!!!

My mantra every day - 'Eat less - move more' - it can even be fun, I promise

PJPrimrose

Holidays make great "markers" for goals. You get the fanfare of the holiday mixed in with your own personal victory! The Fourth of July (assuming you're from US) is a great one! Who doesn't love fireworks to celebrate? Mother's day isn't too far off either if you're a mom.

Sharonmdenham

I grew up thinking I was fat - probably because I grew taller and more quickly my peers. I was 5 ft 7 at 11 years old. I was probably 120 pounds. By high school I was the same height but probably 145. I thought I was fat. I used to train for half marathons at that weight. In retrospect, I'm wondering why my mother didn't give me a head shake.

So after two babies who are now 5 and 7 I'm 212 pounds. How did that happen? I think I lost me somewhere. I stopped running. I stopped going to the gym. I ate popcorn made on the stove with oil. I hibernated during the long winter.

How do you really get moving and get back to health after you've had a period of years of being unhealthy.

When you know it's going to take a year or more and you're on the first day - how do you find the motivation?

What I did was surround myself with people who had similar amounts of weight to lose and they keep me motivated and on track. In turn I keep them motivated and on track. We all keep open diaries so that if someone goes crazy one day we can help them with encouragement to get them right back on track. We hold each friend accountable and if they go over at the end of the day encourage flapping of arms to stay in the green and out of the red. Sometimes my comments are "flap like a bird to get those 30 red calories to 5 green calories". It works for us.

lemurcat12

The older I get, the more the years just seem to speed by. And more and more often I found myself thinking of starting a fitness plan, not, and realizing 4 or 6 or 12 months later that if I'd started when I thought of it, I'd be down 50 (or whatever) instead of up another however many. So that's part of it--thinking about all the other things I know are going to be going on in a year and how I could be at my goal weight.

But also important are shorter-term goals and non-weight goals (since otherwise it's too easy to get overly frustrated about something you can't totally control, the natural fluctuations and stalls in losing weight). So even though I'd ideally like to be 120, I get out clothes that fit a smaller number of pounds ago or think "in 6 months I could be X, and wear a size Y, what fun to buy a few things then." I did this once before, about 11 years ago (and kept it off for several years, but hopefully I've now learned not only how to lose weight, but also how not to fall back into old habits), and was surprised at how great weights that once upon a time seemed far too high could feel when you were on the way down and felt so good about your ability to get into better shape and lose. So I think just a little positive feedback will give you lots of motivation.

And even more important for me is focusing on what you can do, how you feel, etc., and not to get so wrapped up in the need to be a particular weight. When I lost 11 years ago I had no idea how to and didn't really believe it was possible. Until my late 20s I basically always wanted to lose 10-15 pounds, but not enough to do anything when I could eat whatever I wanted and be a normal weight. It was only after I'd managed to gain 60-70 extra that I decided to learn how to lose weight. Without past experience, I superstitiously suspected that it might not work for me--I felt really out of control with my weight--so I decided to set other goals, like training to meet a particular running or biking goal or just eating really healthy, and that ended up working for me, since there was something to focus on apart from what the scale did (although of course it responded as expected to eating fewer calories and being more active).

NH_Norma

It's an evolution, but the best motivation is to not focus on the weight. Focus on living like the smaller, healthier, fitter you that you want to (re)become. Eat like a healthier, smaller person. Be active like a healthier, smaller person. Get the mind right, and the rest will follow. Theoretically, I could lose my 100 pounds in a year. Realistically, it make take me 3 years, but I'm not losing my mind and obsessing over it. I'm changing the way I live and slowly losing weight along the way. :flowerforyou:

mummma

I grew up thinking I was fat - probably because I grew taller and more quickly my peers. I was 5 ft 7 at 11 years old. I was probably 120 pounds. By high school I was the same height but probably 145. I thought I was fat. I used to train for half marathons at that weight. In retrospect, I'm wondering why my mother didn't give me a head shake.

So after two babies who are now 5 and 7 I'm 212 pounds. How did that happen? I think I lost me somewhere. I stopped running. I stopped going to the gym. I ate popcorn made on the stove with oil. I hibernated during the long winter.

How do you really get moving and get back to health after you've had a period of years of being unhealthy.

When you know it's going to take a year or more and you're on the first day - how do you find the motivation?

sounds just like me! i was always the tall one so i weighed more. which meant i was laughed at. i was even called 'the 11 stone woman' by a boy at school. i was 5'8 and had boobs and *kitten*..... i was a healthy weight and i was slim. but all i heard was the fat comments so i believed it. now im 26 and i have 3 children and im 245lbs.

what gives me the drive to take the first step on this long journey??

the first step is the hardest, i try to remember that what ever i am doing its more than i used to do and even if i only walked 10 minutes that day... ive lapped everyone who stayed on the couch!

so day 1 might be hard.... but you may aswell do it and repeat it each day and one day find yourself at your goal. because whats the option?? dont do it... stay overweight?? the time is gunna pass regardless.

steph

x

Rose6300

it will take a year and it wont

think of how much weight you can lose THIS week or month

think of how within 6 months you will be halfway there and needing new clothes

think of how NEXT summer you will rock that bathing suit.

This is important. It's not like you're going to stay the same size all year and then be skinny one morning when you wake up. You'll have so many moments during the year when you glance in the mirror and feel pride at your new smaller self. I can write up all kind of stuff about health too, but those glances in the mirror at my side view throughout my weight loss have been what's motivated me. And then, if you start feeling complacent and too good about yourself, take off your clothes and re-glance, and you'll know you have to keep at it! :laugh:

chani8

I just tell myself, "this food ain't worth it!"

It's not worth it.

Not worth looking in the mirror and being disappointed. Not worth being uncomfortable in my clothes. Not worth feeling fat and bloated. Not worth the heartburn or sugar trigger or super full tummy. Not worth the swollen legs. The high cholesterol. The pre diabetes.

It's just.not.worth.it anymore.

Choose a good life. A fit and health way of living is so worth it.

zanne54

You just get off your *kitten* and do it.

Challenge yourself to eat within your calories every day for one month. And challenge yourself to exercise minimum of 20 minutes a day for one month. Do not give yourself permission to "miss" a day at this time.

It will be hard for the first week or two, and then it will get easier. At the end of the first month, when you see amazing results - THAT is where the motivation comes to keep going. I found months 2 and 3 were much harder to stay motivated - as the initial novelty had worn off. But, stay the course, and the routine will become your new normal.

I started on January 2, 2013 so have been at it for about year and 4 months now. Yes, I've fallen off the wagon a few times along the way; life happens! But, I got back on and kept working at it. My goal is so close now I can taste it. But, I wouldn't be here AT ALL, had I not taken that first step.

fknlardarse

My husband said a really positive thing to me when I was feeling disheartened. He said think of it like a long road journey, you've reached your destination and now you've turned back to head home. You might have a way to go but every little bit brings you closer to 'home'. It helped me think of it as a positive journey.

beckyjeanleemaddox

I weighed 107 at age 17. I'm 5'3 and my top weight was 227. i'm down to 193 now. Now that I'm measuring I know how it happened and really those extra calories add up. I've got 63 more lbs to lose. If I look at the big picture I get discouraged but I choose to enjoy each day of feeling better and making healthier choices. Setting smaller goals is the trick I think and each day when you are at a calorie deficit it adds up to pounds lost. I also log in daily. Having a support group on MFP has been very helpful. Feel free to add me as a friend and congrats on starting your journey. Being healthy is a gift you give to yourself and your family!!!

cassie4animals

I struggle with that same thing. It will take about a year for me to get to my goal and when I don't see quick progress, I backslide. I'm hoping MFP will keep me on track. If I'm accountable to others for my progress, hopefully it will help me to stay motivated. Good luck!

yungibear

A year will pass whether I lose weight, gain weight, or maintain my weight. I ask myself which outcome will make me happiest.

This!

I also have just made a time goal of "I will live more healthily by exercising and watching my portions for 6 months." I still focus on my main responsibilities first and foremost, which is school and work. On the side, I have been exercising and making intentional decisions about what I eat. Life has still been carrying on normally since my decision to be better to my body. C:

ravenribbs

A year from now you'll wish you started today. Dive in!

klkateri

I break my long term, over a year goal (130 to lose) into smaller goals.

Right now I'm on a 30lb goal. At 30 I get a new pair of heels!!

At 60, which is right around my half way... I don't know, Maybe some books or more new shoes lol!!

I think you have to find the motivation withing yourself or its never gonna stick. I would break it down into smaller, more attainable goals and focus on those!!

becky4m

Im 5'8" and started out at 275. I was the same, in my younger years I was always the heavy one in HS. (even though I was not heavy by any means) I have had four kids. Each time gaining at least 75 pounds. The last time I didn't have the attitude of I'm losing all this. I stayed that way for a long time. Then something just snapped in my head. Its time. In October 2010 I started this journey. I have had a MFP account three different times. First time was my longest it took me from Oct 2010 to June 2012 to go from 275 to 155. I worked out everyday and ate right. When I hit maintenance I deleted my account thinking Ive got this. Ha. In three months I was 175. So I started again. 6 months later I was 162 and thought ok really I got this. 6 Months later 180. Yikes. I am back for my third time I am finally back on the right track 159. But this time Im sticking around. So my point. I am like you. I have given up and then thought what am I doing and restarted. Don't think about the time its going to take. Just be happy in the successes that you achieve while on the journey. You will get there if you really want it. You will get there doing what works for you. You will makes mistakes and bad choices. You will overcome those and strive to do better. Believe in yourself.

avril2626

Hi! Your post so hit home with me. I just started yesterday. I stopped growing at 11, and I'm 5'10, and always thought I was heavy at 140 at the time. I think part of it was that I was so big because I was tall, and most of my girlfriends were so much smaller. Though sooo happy with my height now, I would be much happier without the extra 64 pounds!
I was talking a walk with my best friend the other day, and we were discussing how daunting our initial goals seem. I am trying to look at the process and remind myself how much better I will feel after 2 weeks of weight loss and eating healthier...then 2 months, etc. From NOW on, I will feel better physically than I do right now, so even if it takes a long time, it will be a win-win in that I will be happier when I am 1/10th of the way to my goal, 1/4, 1/2, etc.
I think we beat ourselves up, when, for instance, for me, I had planned to be in better shape before spring and summer, and here it is the middle of spring, and I didn't stick with that or lose any weight. When I decided to look at it and keep reminding myself that I will feel better next week, a lot better by next month, and much happier in 6 months, then the path doesn't seem so daunting!