1 Year Until My Wedding...advice on getting motivated?

Calliope610

Warning in advance - this is gonna be harsh, but...

Screw the pictures as your motivation for weight loss, because if that is all that is driving you, I guaran-damn-tee you that once the pics are posted on FaceBook, you will go back to your old ways and gain back the weight and more. And that's if you actually do loss the weight.

How about this for a better and more powerful motivation?? - I want to be a healthy, fit wife to my new husband, I want to be the wife my husband deserves. I want to be a healthy, fit and happy mother and a positive role model to our children to encourage them to life healthy and satisfying lives. I want to be the woman I deserve to be - happy, fit, healthy, active - so I can live my life to the fullest and enjoy everything life has to offer.

Capt_Apollo

here is some motivation for you- you have one year until your wedding.

wyldecane

I am not the originator of this quote, just sharing it

Do something today that your future self will thank you for!

Shawneb66

My motivation for getting started was a cruise, I didn't want to be the "fat chick"...maybe your bridesmaids are your motivation? Not to be the biggest one in the wedding party? It truly is motivating!! and once you get started...you can make it a lifestyle change!! Good Luck!

EmmieBaby

you can do this

my wedding is 22/08/2015 and I am aiming for 20lbs

oregonzoo

A year is plenty of time.

Just do it. That's all I can say.

One piece of advice. When you get your dress, don't pick one that is too small "hoping" You will fit in it.
Better to get it a tiny bit big and have it altered.

There is enough pressure to look good, you don't need the additional pressure to actually fit in it.

And also try to relax, the most you can. Stress will affect your weight.


Good luck and congrats!

AnIrishLibra

if the wedding itself isnt motivation enough.. how about the honeymoon?

or better yet, boudoir photoshoot to show off your new body to your soon-to-be-hubby? :blushing:

^^^ This!!!

I'm not engaged...yet.... but the photoshoot is an AWESOME idea. I just may have to use that as motivation when the time comes.

SKME2013

Sure, maybe a wedding is motivation enough for some people. But pictures and fitting into a dress are all about looks. Don't get me wrong, I like to look good and thinner too, but what about losing weight for health!!! For your life. To have the energy to run after your grandkids.

^^^

It would be a shame if you just did it for the wedding! See this year as a chance to change your attitude to food forever. See it as a chance to embark on a journey of a healthier life that does not stop at your wedding. Get fit, healthy and slimmer!

It doesn't matter whether you lose 80lbs, less or more as it should be just a start towards a healthier body. Once you lost the weight and I believe you can lose 80lbs, you will have to maintain it!

Do small steps and start by cutting out empty calories such as pop, fruit juices...drink water or tea, both have no calories. Introduce more veggies in your diet. They will fill you up and there is less space for pizza...

Best of luck
Stef.

RaeLB

It can feel overwhelming in the beginning but with the right information it can be very simple

Here are my Coles notes:

1. Figure out what your daily calorie intake should be to lose the fat.

- Calculate your TDEE http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
- Then figure out your calorie deficit, i.e. the amount of calories you'll eat each day. To do this take 15-20% off your TDEE and that will give you the amount of calories you should eat each day to lose
- Get a food scale and weigh your food (measuring food is not very accurate)
- Take measurements of your body and use them to track your progress (the scale can be all over the place)

Exercise - losing body fat is 100% calories in and out, exercise is not required to lose fat however exercise is awesome for strength, endurance, energy, endorphins, getting to eat more! (burning more calories), maintaining or gaining muscle, body composition, etc.

2. Figure out your exercise plan (*IF* you want to do exercise, if not disregard this section)

- Your exercise plan is going to depend on your goals so the first step is figuring out your goals and researching how to get there
- Pick an appropriate plan for your goals (for example, my goal is strength and defined muscles so I did a bulk for 4 months, now I am cutting and still lifting heavy to shed the fat and show the muscle)
- No matter what your exercise plan make sure you lift weights so you keep your muscle mass while you're losing fat
- Log your exercise as accurately as possible, perhaps invest in an HRM
- Don't be afraid to eat your exercise calories back (remember if you've already calculated an deficit for losing fat then you can eat back your calories and still lose weight). BUT - MFP tends to overestimate calories burned so I would suggest eating 50-75% of your calories back

EDIT: If this still feels very overwhelming I would suggest just working on your food intake until you're comfortable then starting an exercise plan

Timelordlady85

1.Find out your daily calorie needs and start tracking your calories on here,2. then evaluate your eating habits and work your way into a workout program slowly so you don't injure yourself. 3.Come on here for support and make a plan of action as to when you want to reach the weight by and update your weight and inches to show progress. 4. log in, stay committed and make changes accordingly and you will succeed.

GCanha

Stop thinking about losing 80 lbs. That shouldn't be your focus. Focus on eating healthy and exercising to live longer with your soon-to-be hubby. You'll also create good life-long habits that you'll share with your hubby as well.

Also, set smaller goals. I work towards 10 lbs at a time- otherwise, it will feel hopeless.

svsl0928

Your wedding and pictures is good motivation. They can't be the only motivation. Improved health - to be in good health for your children and to enjoy life. If this is only about your wedding, if you are not careful after the bliss of the wedding and pictures before you know it you will be right back to where you started and as is has been proven by others whose motivation was an event - afterwards they ended up weighing more then they did before they started. There must be lifestyle changes.

zanne54

I was 240 on Jan 2, 2013. I didn't have a date picked yet, but knew it would happen in the next year or two, and that we'd plan it quickly. I realized I would need time to lose the weight. What worked for me on those days I wanted to eat all the things then sit on the couch and not exercise was: I don't want to be a fat bride. Unbelievably, what happened was that I started to really enjoy staying in the green daily, and all the exercise! And that became motivation in itself. The more pounds that came off, became more motivation to keep going. My motivation snowballed with every success.

<=== I got married on Saturday. I was not a fat bride.

MidoriTwist

We're wedding date buddies apparently!

Make sure that when you get your dress, you make sure that you ask about how much they can take it in, and then order it in an appropriate size. I, for one, ordered a size smaller than what fit me when I bought my dress a few months ago. It's about 20lbs difference per dress size at David's Bridal and they can only size down two sizes, so I can only lose 60lbs before next year, but need to lose 20lbs.

It's definitely possible to lose ~80lbs in a year if you stick with everything and stay on track because my mom did it a few years ago (and has kept it off, too! So that's always good!)

Good luck on your weight loss. I hope we both accomplish our goals

jrsey86

Honestly, there are a lot of times I don't feel motivated. But I MAKE myself get up and work out - that's the only way to do it. Some days are easier than others.

That being said, the biggest thing that's helped me is making small changes. Once I've mastered one, I add on another. I found that if I change too much too fast, I fail. I started by bringing healthier snack/meal choices to work, eating more frequently, and taking a walk during lunch were small changes that made a big difference in my mood and progress.

Congratulations on your engagement! I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. :flowerforyou:

DivineChoices

I was a fat bride. I weighed 275 lbs on my wedding day. And I looked AMAZING!!! Sure there are some spots that I'd prefer weren't there. But those pictures show so much more than how much I weighed.

I do plan on doing a photo shot with my husband on our 10 year anniversary, at which I hope to be close to (or at ) my goal weight (6 years away).

I think you CAN do anything you put your mind to. I would caution you about the time frame, and goals. Depending on where you get your dress, you could be looking at 6+ months between when you get measured for the dress and the fittings. I've seen MANY of my friends order a size too small, swearing they will fit into it, but not reaching goal and being devastated. My opinion is to lose weight up to picking your dress, than maintaining that weight until the wedding, then continuing the weight loss after your married.

My biggest fear during the wedding planning was that I would gain weight and wouldn't fit in my dress. Wedding planning for me, was very stressful. And there were dozens of stumbling blocks that I could have tripped over. And food is SO easy to reach for.

tl;dr - You can do anything. Best of luck! Congrats on your impending marriage!!

Koldnomore

Just start.

If your own wedding isn't motivation enough, I don't think anyone else can motivate you.

this!

Set MFP to lose 1.5lb per week (change to 1lb when you've lost 40lbs) and weigh, measure and log EVERYTHING... find some sort of exercise that you enjoy to do regularly and do some strength/resistance training.

Totally doable (see my ticker) Most of what I have lost was lost in my first year. When you have a lot of weight to lose you can handle a very aggressive deficit for the first month or 2. Record everything you eat for a week before you change ANYTHING, then drop 1000 from the top of whatever the average is. Eat that for 2 months (NO LONGER than 2 months) You will drop about 20 lbs. It's a great kick start and good motivation. After that, go for a more sustainable loss, 2-3 lbs / week is about normal until about 50 lbs to goal then you need to start slowing down to prevent losing too much lean mass, drop to 1.5 around 50 lbs, drop to 1 around 30, then .5 around 20. The last 10 will take the most time because you need to be 100% accurate with everything - most people aren't dedicated enough to do it in less than 6 months so don't get discouraged!

It's taken me almost a year to go from 160 to 145 but as I said..most people aren't dedicated enough. I am not 100% accurate, I eat out more than I should which makes counting almost impossible, I am not as strict as I could be. I'm also doing a very slow body re-comp so the number on the scale has taken a back seat to the image in the mirror

Desterknee

It's not about motivation. You don't need motivation. You a well thought out plan. You need commitment.

Your only other post in this forum reads:

You look really great! I am trying to motivate myself to start losing weight. i am getting married in 2 years and I want to be down from 240 to 140 by then. Stories like this are inspiring.

That was 2 years ago. What happened in that year?

Why is this post different from that post?

You've gotten some good advice here. I hope you apply it.

tamekac80

Hello!!! I am also getting married..but a lot sooner! I am getting married on the beach in July and my motivation was picking my wedding dress up sadly..I had to put it over my head to get it in. Once you start trying on dresses that alone may motivate you. I have been knowing I needed to loose weight since I got engaged..but wasn't serious until just yesterday so I need motivation and support as well. Take your time and don't look at it as a diet. I am calling what I am doing a health change. Yesterday was a struggle..today seems a little easier.. I will be in the gym everyday until I get married and will be using this myfitnesspal app everyday to visually see what I am eating and my activity..it makes a difference for me..congrats and good luck!!!

brownlhe

thanks so much everyone! I am so thankful for the support in this community. I really just needed to hear that my goals are possible. It is so hard for me because in high school I did competitive cheerleading and I never worried about what I ate. However, going to college changed that and I gained 80 lbs. I am going to track what I eat for a week and order a food scale so I can start measuring when I cook - I cook most nights now, I think the main problem I have is portion control and little extras like coffee creamer.

linzbarker

I'm getting married in just over 5 months on a beach in Hawaii and am looking to drop 15lbs - or more if they happen to "fall" off.

A few years ago I was at 185lbs and got down to 135 in 7 months so I think your 80lbs in a year is definitely obtainable! All it takes is a bit of exercise and clean eating and staying motivated! The hardest part is losing the motivation!

All I can think about is how nice I want my arms to look in my dress and I go lift the kettlebell some more for 15 more minutes!