100 lb + weight loss: how do you stay motivated?

scubasuenc

Mini goals are awesome, but for me I have had to focus on developing habits that help make me healthy. I wake up each morning with two goals (1) eat under my calorie limit (2) exercise at least 30 minutes. I know if I do those two things, the weight will come off. Sometimes the scale moves faster and sometimes it moves slower, but I know it will eventually move if I can honestly say I do these two things each day.

I also look at it as preparing me for maintenance. My calorie goal will change and I might not set myself a goal to exercise every day, but I will still need to continue these two habits to maintain my weight loss. I've lost lots of weight before, but always put it back on. That's because I looked at what I was doing as a diet and when I 'finished' I returned to the same habits that got me fat in the first place. I am determined that is not going to happen this time.

malibu927

The fact that my fat *kitten* was 100+ pounds overweight was more than motivation enough.

The horror of that reality keeps the fires stoked.

Basically this. I had set a goal when I began to be below 200 by my birthday in September. That's probably not going to happen (13 pounds in 9 weeks...doable since I'm on a 1.5 lb/week deficit, but I have been fluctuating up/down a lot this month) but it's okay. I just think about how much healthier I am now and even more so when I reach my goal weight.

brookielaw

Set small, obtainable goals and celebrate your victories (with something other than food). 10 lbs, 10%, whatever works for you. When times get rough (and they do, even after losing 170+ lbs), sometimes I just focus on daily goals---eating within macros, logging every bite, and moving my butt as much as possible. I made it a point to schedule fitness events--a charity bike ride, triathlons, rappelling, etc, AND the biggest motivator was getting under weight limits for awesome activities, like the charity rappel, skydiving, and now ziplining. There is more to life than just the scale and life will sometimes get in the way. I've fluctuated around a 5 lb zone ever since getting together with my boyfriend. On a positive note, I have a new love, I'm maintaining, and most of all, I'm happy.

Another thing I'd recommend is trying as much as you can, both food and exercise-wise, and figure out what you like and don't like. I decided that the only thing I liked about yoga was saying that I did it, so I'm not doing yoga these days. I fell out of love with biking and got a bit burnt out on triathlon stuff, so I'm keeping busy boxing, swimming, and biking for fun.

Good luck to you. You CAN do it. Life is so much better the healthier you are. Celebrate YOU and the quality of life you'll get as you get healthier.

ABetterMe58

I just want to say thank for all the replies. There are a lot of amazing people on here. Thank you all for the support men and women. But it is especially nice to have a group of women who understand totally. One poster commented about being able to wear clothes you never could and I teared up because I know she has stood in a dressing room after trying on everything she could find in her size and hated it all. My husband is overweight too and is doing this with me but it is just not the same. There is a lot he does not understand. So once again thanks!

KristyMayhem331

My best friend and I set 10lb incentives. For every 10lbs we lose we do something fun. Like 10lbs was a mani-pedi, 30lbs is a concert, and 90lbs (which is our goal) is a pinup photoshoot and obviously others in between but to give you an idea. The journey itself has its ups and downs but looking forward to things like this helps to keep us motivated.

Best of luck to all!

sympha01

Just want to share my experience on getting started with exercise when you've never liked exercise and you have a lot of weight to lose.

You’ve never been athletic? You’ve always been clumsy? You get tired easily? You’re too heavy to move easily? The very idea of working out or even specific exercises instantly triggers the thought "OTHER PEOPLE can do that, but ::I:: can't?" Man, I HAVE BEEN THERE.

I have NEVER enjoyed exercise, even when I was a kid (and I was a pretty lean kid, actually). Always hated running, and kinda actually felt contemptuous of sports when I was young. Fast forward 20 or 25 years. Now I’m middle-aged and super obese, and in my head I’ve built up this assumption that “I can’t” do this or that. Like, I’m not capable of it, my body’s fundamentals are defective. So, I’ve got so much weight to lose that I can't even CONSIDER setting an end goal, I just know it's gotta start with losing 100 pounds, and I go on a diet. And I’m eating 1400 calories a day and it’s working, but I'm kinda sad and I know I’ve got to keep on like this for a couple of years to lose the weight I’ve gotta lose. And like you, I'm thinking "how am I going to stay motivated for that long? Because this sucks."

So I think, well, if I burned more calories with exercise I could eat a little more, and I’ll be less sad and reduce the risk of burnout. So I start off slow. Mostly just stretching, to be honest. 10 minutes tired me out the first time. But the next time I go for 15. And I gradually add in more time and more effort until I'm doing low impact cardio for 30 minutes a day 6 days a week. Anything “high impact” hurts my knees and hips so I modify and do other movements instead. I'm uncoordinated and clumsy. My squat form is poor, just bodyweight squats, and I’m not even getting very low. Every day I dread the workout, but I talk myself into it: "Just dress out. Put on your workout clothes and see how you feel." Once I'm dressed, it's "just do the warm-up. The warm-up's not so bad. Then see how you feel." Then it's "Well, you might as well go on, then."

I’m 3 or 4 months into a solid routine and I realized: I hated it. I hated it so much. But: I FELT PRETTY GOOD. I could tell it was making me healthier and stronger. My body felt good. WEIRD. I figure: why don’t I try yoga on that 7th day of the week? Yoga sounds dreadful; I should try it. It can’t kill me. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to keep doing it. But you know what? The first time wasn’t so bad, and the second time was noticeably better, and every time I did it I felt a little bit stronger, more flexible, more capable. It’s working! I can do this!

Another two months into it I get a gift card for Christmas and I decide it’s time for me to do more resistance training, so I use it to buy some dumbbells and a kettlebell. And holy cats, I loved the kettlebell so much! I loved it SO HARD! It was so much fun, and I could tell I was getting an awesome workout. And OMG did I just use the phrase “an awesome workout,” what the hell, WHO HAVE I BECOME?

And that goes on for a few months and I’m always feeling stronger, and I realize that I don’t even mind anymore that I’m getting sweaty and my heart is beating hard and fast and I’m breathing heavily but frankly it’s getting harder to even GET winded. I invest in some heavier weights and start doing deadlifts. SO MUCH FUN, DEADLIFTS! What is wrong with me, am I crazy? And then I start to notice being able to feel my muscles, and then being able to see them. And then it comes around to me feeling proud of how sweaty I am at the end of a good workout. WEIRD.

And it all happened so gradually that I’m not even sure when it happened that I went from DREADING doing my 30 minute daily workout to not dreading an hour+ workout and kind of loving what it was doing for my body. Realizing that for the first time in my adult life I enjoy being in and using my body instead of seeing my body as an adversary or enemy who’s fighting me on everything.

I still see exercise videos where the trainer does some exercise and I snort and say “Yeah right lady I CAN’T do that!” (I still snort at the idea of doing burpees, WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT?!?) but I also figure out how I can modify the exercise so I CAN do it and maybe think about whether practice and training will make it possible for me to eventually do it unmodified.

So it’s a long story, and it’s rambling and I’m not sure how I can convince you, but what I’m trying to say is GIVE IT A CHANCE. Be gentle with yourself, but challenge yourself and maybe given time you won’t feel like you’re not capable anymore. You’ll be able to approach exercise and new activities as something that you can work towards improving and might enjoy getting better at rather than things that you just “can’t” do.

mccree317

You know I learned it doesn't always have to be a class or gym to get you going. Walking, biking, trails with the dog. All of that can get a sweat going. I have found that my dog was a great motivation for me. Every time I gained weight so did she. That just meant I had been slacking of the walk/runs with her.
She is no longer with us, but I have signed up for a couple 5K's in my area. That's my motivation right now.
Good luck!!!

changing4life

This is an incredibly awesome thread.

Tiff050709

I started out having to lose over 150lbs, half of my body weight. I did 10lbs at a time. Just keep going and reach for your ultimate goal. There are probably going to be times where you slack off or don't try as hard as you could or even plateaus. Just keep at it and never give up.

Gia74

I hear you. It can feel very daunting when you feel like you have a long way to go. I set small goals for myself, that way it feels more attainable. There are definitely difficult days and that has always been my downfall in the past and that is usually when I just give up. This time around is different. Just like you, I have about a hundred to lose. It's a big number, but many people have done it and so can we! My first goal is '40 by 40'. I am turning 40 next month and have exactly one month from today to lose another 9lbs and hit that mark! Best of luck to you on your journey:)

irisheyez718

You just keep going. One day at a time. You don't beat yourself up if you enjoy a meal out, and go over your calories. You allow yourself to have fun. Keep thinking about why you started. Realize that its not going to happen overnight, and that it doesn't need to, because once you get to where you want to be, you won't go back to your old ways. Find some kind of exercise that you can enjoy. I love Zumba!

Eleanorjanethinner

Just want to share my experience on getting started with exercise when you've never liked exercise and you have a lot of weight to lose.

You’ve never been athletic? You’ve always been clumsy? You get tired easily? You’re too heavy to move easily? The very idea of working out or even specific exercises instantly triggers the thought "OTHER PEOPLE can do that, but ::I:: can't?" Man, I HAVE BEEN THERE.

I have NEVER enjoyed exercise, even when I was a kid (and I was a pretty lean kid, actually). Always hated running, and kinda actually felt contemptuous of sports when I was young. Fast forward 20 or 25 years. Now I’m middle-aged and super obese, and in my head I’ve built up this assumption that “I can’t” do this or that. Like, I’m not capable of it, my body’s fundamentals are defective. So, I’ve got so much weight to lose that I can't even CONSIDER setting an end goal, I just know it's gotta start with losing 100 pounds, and I go on a diet. And I’m eating 1400 calories a day and it’s working, but I'm kinda sad and I know I’ve got to keep on like this for a couple of years to lose the weight I’ve gotta lose. And like you, I'm thinking "how am I going to stay motivated for that long? Because this sucks."

This is a great post! I'm somewhere on a similar journey from someone who's always avoided formal exercise (though I was an active child and teenager) to someone who now love pilates and yoga and quite enjoys a blat on the cardio machines at the gym.

I think your description of how to slowly, gradually work your way through your fears and physical limitations is brilliant.

Best of luck OP - take it very gradually, focus on your own results (don't compare yourself) and you'll ease your way towards being an active person.

HollyDee14

The thing that really helps me is to focus on non-scale victories. As another poster noted, finding clothes you like, fitting in a chair comfortably, not worrying about breaking furniture, etc. I think it's more difficult to actually notice some of the smaller things that occur every day, but looking for my successes and trying to be mindful of the changes occurring in my mind and body keeps me motivated, grateful, and positive about this journey toward healthier living. For example, the other day I noticed that I crossed my legs and the crossed leg didn't fall off!! Best of luck to you on your journey. You can do it, and we, the MFP community, are here to support you.

Best, Holly

P.S. I also just discovered Zumba. I do it using the X-Box Kinect at home by myself and I burned something like 330 calories in 30 minutes. I mean, what?? I was awkward and a mess and missed most of the steps, but it was fun and I could tell that I was getting a good workout.

yaank

I like to break down a goal into smaller ones, that gives many more accomplish moments during the process

zman1313

My goal is to lose 90 pounds--close enough to 100 that I'll chime in. For me, finding foods that I actually LIKE that fit into my goals was the key. If you're not eating what you enjoy, you'll lose motivation much faster. I think about how awesome I'm going to feel the day I step on the scale and see my goal weight. Granted, that will only be the beginning of my journey, but that's probably my biggest motivator. Find joys in the little things, going down a notch on your belt, a shirt being too loose, etc...

UmmSqueaky

I don't have intermediate goals (my initial 1 year goal is 75 lbs and then who knows from there), but I take great pleasure in the little victories along the way. I resisted buying new clothes at first, but I eventually caved and started visiting goodwill every weekend to look for deals on nice shirts for work. I've scored several banana republic, express, lands end and gap shirts that fit like a dream and flatter my body. This in turn has shown off my progress to people at work, who compliment my weight loss, which then motivates me to keep going

kandyice1

Consistently take transformation pics, measure yourself. It's helped me a lot. Also, by participating in weight loss support groups online, it keeps me motivated because I know there's folks out there doing the same thing as me and want to succeed. Also, reading fitness magazines, trying new exercise activities, and trying out new recipes keep me more motivated to keep going with this. It's a long process, but you can totally do this.