Lost My Drive

oOoNICKIoOo

At my starting weight I was 209 pounds. For a 5'4" female, I was considered obese. Obviously, this was something I wanted to change and over the past few years I've managed to do it. I have lost a total of 75 pounds and gained so much confidence. I've had great support from friends, family and everyone on here.

However, lately I feel like I've lost my drive. I have about 10 more pounds to go to reach my goal weight of 125. Yet, I can't seem to get there. I've been at my current weight of 135 for about 4 months now. I've been maintaining which is good, but I don't have the spark or motivation to buckle down and lose the last little bit.

When I started this journey I was so unhappy and I really wanted to change and was willing to do what I needed to. Now that I've come to a point where I'm so close to where I want to be, I've gotten really comfortable. The techniques I used to lose weight before aren't enough for me to finish the last home stretch. I want to tone up and I want to lose this weight, but I don't have the same determination or dedication to put in the work that I had previously.

I haven't give up and I still log my food daily and exercise about twice a week, but I don't know how to get that spark back. Originally I had this vision in my head of what I'd look like once I lost the weight. I thought I'd be able to go out and wear a bikini or whatever else I wanted, but I have loose/excess skin that I hadn't planned on. This was a big struggle for me to realize that I may never get exactly where I want to be. I don't want to have surgery to remove the extra skin. I can try and strength train and lose the final 10 pounds, but that may not be enough. I think this is part of what discourages me.

Are there any ways to help me get back on track and gain motivation to go to the gym more. I go to the gym, but I'm not one of the individuals who loves it. Obviously, like a lot of people, I'd prefer to spend my time doing other things, so I'm not sure how to go about gaining the drive to get back in there and really push hard. I apologize for the long post. I just wanted to see if anyone else had felt this way or has any advice. Thank you in advance!

4legsRbetterthan2

Sounds like you should just forget about the last 10 lbs (at least for now) since they are bogging you down. Start lifting! It sounds like that will really get you where you want to go

nikkinoellemary

I'm sorry you can't find your spark! I wanna say though that I think you are amazing for making that change happen for yourself.

From reading, to me it seems that perhaps you aren't as motivated anymore because you are not yet able to do things you imagined being able to do, like wear the swimsuit, because of the extra skin. I did some reading, and depending on how much it is, it could take up to two years to go back to normal--but it WILL go back to normal. Your skin is a living organ too, that will adjust itself with time. There's no need to think about something as extreme as surgery. And in the meantime, you can help it along if you aren't already by making sure your skin gets plenty of moisturizing, exfoliating and vitamin E, and that you continue to do such a great job with taking care of yourself.

And as 4legsRbettert said, lifting's not a bad idea at all!

I hope I helped a little. Have a good one.

MostlyWater

Losing the weight is one thing, maintenance is another thing. If you aren't motivated, the weight can pile right back on.

I tell everyone who needs motivation to read fitness magazines and surround themselves with like-minded people. But really, you have to motivate yourself. You aren't doing it for any other reason, then for yourself, are you?

pgreco4479

Everyone has this perfect idea of what they want to look like and sometimes we loose track of the real issue of being healthy. Your body may be telling you that although you are not happy maybe it is. As for the loose skin, talk to your doctor

ThinkInOregon

We are at about the same point, I have 11 more pounds to my goal of 125 lbs. But the weight is coming off much slower than it had been and I have been feeling frustrated. Plus it is taking forever for spring to arrive... My son moved home from school about 6 weeks ago, which has put a damper in my workouts. But I am determined to bust out these last few pounds and hit my goal!

I'm gifting myself a tummy tuck when my house sells. I have known for 20 years that I have wanted one. At 46, the skin just isn't bouncing back as well.

Best wishes to you, WE CAN DO THIS!

Francl27

Same boat here. 5'5", 135 lbs, my goal is only 130 but yeah, been sitting there (with 2 more pounds of water weight that come and go) for 2 months now. My menstrual cycle is messed up and I know it's partly to blame for it, but I've also been eating close to maintenance way too much... but I still log, I just tend to say that it doesn't matter if I eat at maintenance at this point... but I've also been SO HUNGRY, it's been hard.

I'll never look the way I want to because of all the loose skin anyway, so I'm not really after the vanity pounds at this point (I have a large frame though, so 125 would be too thin for me)... just not worth starving myself for it. But man... it's frustrating, so I'm right there with you (and I do lift, too).

On a side note though, I'm rocking my adorable one piece swimsuit.

oOoNICKIoOo

Thank you guys for all the tips! I love the enthusiasm here. That's why enjoy being a part of this forum. I'll definitely look into some of the stuff you guys suggested. And, you're all amazing Keep up the good work too!

ThinkInOregon

We are at about the same point, I have 11 more pounds to my goal of 125 lbs. But the weight is coming off much slower than it had been and I have been feeling frustrated. Plus it is taking forever for spring to arrive... My son moved home from school about 6 weeks ago, which has put a damper in my workouts. But I am determined to bust out these last few pounds and hit my goal!

I'm gifting myself a tummy tuck when my house sells. I have known for 20 years that I have wanted one. At 46, the skin just isn't bouncing back as well.

Best wishes to you, WE CAN DO THIS!

Oh, and I forgot to mention... I am 5' 3.5" and started at 208 lbs, lost some weight before joining MFP.