80 pounds gone and 25 left...motivation dwindling!! Help!!

broox80

So here I am, 80 pounds lighter than I once was, Yay!!!! I want to lose about 25 more, even though I could stand to lose more, I will be fine with it. For those who have lost 100 pounds or more, how did you keep up the motivation at the end when it's so much harder to lose???

allisonjforsyth

Well, I can't speak to the 100 pounds loss you are talking about, but I have had the same problem with a 50 pound loss, and yet still wanting to lose around 25 more. I totally hear you about motivation dwindling. Ever since I lost about 50 pounds I've been yo-yoing up and down and as a result haven't really made additional progress in pretty much the whole last year. I think it comes from being somewhat satisfied. Everyone thinks you look good, you know you look so much better than you did, but in my head I still know I can look better, but the work it takes to get there when things are already pretty good. That's the hard part. Well, anyway, I just started a ten pound challenge with someone where we both get a selected reward when we lose ten...That's how I'm getting my head back in the game right now. You could also try posting some motivational pictures up where you will see them, or even some numbers that motivate you, like a weight or a pound to go number. Like put it on the fridge so you feel motivated to keep lowering the number etc. But I'll be following this thread to see if anyone else has any other ideas. Add me as a friend if you want, maybe we can help motivate each other with the last 25 pounds we both want to see gone forever. Good luck!!! You know you can do it! You just have to want it bad enough!! Congrats on the 80!!!! It is truly amazing!!!

headofphat

Use the fact that you've already dropped 80 as your motivation. Now that i've lost about 86 I look at all that hard work as motivation to not let it go to waste. I can't imagine how bad and disappointed i would feel if i looked in the mirror a year from now and the 86lbs has showed back up.
You can do it! Keep fighting. You've got your whole life ahead of you, live it healthy.

angela233Z

I dont have any advice but think you are amazing for having the dedication to lose 80 pounds

good job

sigalsirkin

Why don't you try a physical challenge, like entering a race, if you have enteered a race enter one with bigger challenges. The extra activity may help to get you where you want to be. Try make some changes, either in what you eat or how you exercise to get you motivated again. Good luck!

sdort156

I don't have any advice unfortunately, but I can definitely empathize with you. I haven't lost that much but I've lost 55 and now I'm just stalled. It definitely gets harder! Congrats on losing 80 though and good luck!!

monie5903

Hey lady! So I'm a social worker too (YAY!) and close to the 100 pound mark. Every since hitting 80 pounds, it's been a struggle to tweak my eating to fit what I need to keep shedding the pounds.

1) I look at my week and decide what I'm gonna do to be sucessful

2) I only focus on every 5-10 pounds. If I don't it get overwhelmed by the fact that I'm near the end and plateuing at times

3) I keep reminding myself that this is a lifestyle change. It doesn't end when I reach my goal weight

4) It also helps to have friends who keep me motivated on here and in person. For instace, my friend and I completed our first race, a 4 miler. We met during the training program. Now we're all training together for a 10 miler for the next 6 months! I can text them to get motivated to exercise or make healthy choices. It's nice to have someone who understands.

5) I post pictures of how far I've come on my walls to show how much happier I've been over the months!

I hope this helps

mom2my4boys

My motivation was dwindling too until the other day i got my body fat % tested. I know it's not terribly accurate. I started out last year at 44%. According to the trainer at my gym i'm at 22.2%. Maybe doing something would help boost you through those last few pounds? I know it has renewed my motivation! Good luck to you, we've come way too frigging far to leave it unfinished!

willdob3

I've lost over 100 lbs & I easily find motivation to continue every day. I feel so much better, can do so much more, look so much better & smaller, love the foods I eat, and the list goes on and on! I give thanks for so many things. I also look forward to improving my body & my life every day.

I also know the only way to maintain will be to not go back to my old lifestyle. There really is no point at which I will say, "I'm done! Bring on the junk food; it is time to be a couch potato again!" lol...

Val8less

Congrats on your weight loss..WOW...You are doing great...just keep going...I've lost the same 50lbs about 3 times now..and here I am again..needing to lose that 50lbs AGAIN...Ugh
It's because I did not make it a Life STYLE change...I ate well and exercised just for the prize of the scale telling me that I'm losing the weight...
NOW...it is a LIFE STYLE change..it is now a WAY of EATING that I will stick with day in and day out!.....

You've done so well...Keep going...DONT BLOW it NOW!...:sad:

beamer0821

congrats on your success this far!

im in the same boat. lost 50lbs this year and struggling to get over that 50lb marker to continue my weight loss efforts.
I've been gaining and losing the same 3-5 lbs all summer!!

listening in! with you losing 80 lbs already i probably couldn't give you any more advise than you already know!

broox80

Thanks for all of the support everyone!!! It is a lifestyle change and I am giving myself plenty of time to get the weight off, so that does make it easier. And I have come too far to let it all go in the crapper. A year ago, my goal weight just seemed so far away, and I am so damn close now!!! Its exciting and frustrating. I remember last year I was at Old Navy buying a coat. I wanted one of those cute fitted coats. NOTHING fit me. I remember just standing in the store with tears rolling down my face. My husband suggested I look at the men's coats. I got a XXL men's coat. I am 5'2, so the sleeves were soooooo long on me, but I decided I would roll them up. I just got my coat for this year, size Large in women's!!! I may not look totally awesome, but I feel so much better. I guess its the little things we have to consider too in all of this. :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Canwehugnow

So here I am, 80 pounds lighter than I once was, Yay!!!! I want to lose about 25 more, even though I could stand to lose more, I will be fine with it. For those who have lost 100 pounds or more, how did you keep up the motivation at the end when it's so much harder to lose???

The only advice I can offer is just keep going. I lost 80 pounds about a year and a half ago. I started losing my motivation, and a few pounds started creeping up. Slowly, but surely, ALL of the weight came back on! Don't be like me, and have to start ALL over. Keep pushing, keep going, you're worth those 25 pounds!

MB_Positif

You've got to find motivation within yourself. Why do you want this? Is it just to fit into cuter clothes? Find your true "want" to. It sounds to me like you are on the verge of becoming complacent which is not a safe place to be. Man up and kick things up a notch for some excitement.

calibriintx

You've got to find motivation within yourself. Why do you want this? Is it just to fit into cuter clothes? Find your true "want" to. It sounds to me like you are on the verge of becoming complacent which is not a safe place to be. Man up and kick things up a notch for some excitement.

^ALL of this.

evitaevita12

I am here for the answers as well:) !!!! Best of luck Brook!

Brandolin11

One of the most important aspects of the journey of losing weight is the development of our inner character. Determining to accomplish healthy things for ourselves, despite the odds, matures us. It requires us to have will power, self control, loyalty, patience, inner peace, fortitude, strength, etc. We learn to show love and protection toward ourselves where we used to abuse ourselves. And so on.

One of the most important things we learn...is doing the difficult thing even when we don't *feel* like it.

Let's face it: having that good feeling of "Motivation" is nice. It's easy to do things when we want to! But here's the thing: Motivation is simply not necessary to do the things that we need to do which are best for ourselves. We *can* still carry on, even if we're not "in the mood".

It sounds like you've made it this far partly by floating along on those good "high" feelings of accomplishment. Which is awesome! Those feelings are like rocket fuel that propel you forward into good habits. But sometimes the fuel burns out for awhile and you have to keep going *anyway*...until the feeling returns. So rather than waiting for those feelings to return, let all that discipline you've been building up and practicing all this time take over for awhile.

And here's the really good news: when you simply do the right thing anyway, and keep going despite not feeling like it....THEN the feelings of "motivation" return to you - in spades. The Discipline carries you through the desert, from oasis to oasis of Motivation.

When I lose those high feelings of motivation, I use that opportunity to lean on my friend community for support and accountability....otherwise, I'd NEVER exercise again and would lose everything I worked for.

I simply throw a message out on my MFP wall, or even on FaceBook: "Hey guys! I REALLY don't want to keep going right now. I REALLY don't want to work out (or whatever). Somebody remind me why I'm doing this? Somebody tell me to go workout!" and so on. I ALWAYS get several people writing me encouraging messages, saying, "Go B! You can do this! You rock!" etc. etc. And then I'm accountable to them. I come back later and report in that I had a GREAT workout, or whatever, so they know I heard them and am appreciative of their help.

Don't give up now. 25 lbs is not the worst amount of weight, but it's not exactly "out of the woods" either. Remember, you only need a waist circumference of 35" or more to be at risk for diabetes, for example. Plus, you're at higher risk when and if you gain a little weight, say, over the holidays, of getting discouraged. Get closer to your "safe zone"...I wouldn't say 25 lbs was in that zone, personally. Hope that helps.

Michifan

I think the best way to approach the end is to not consider it the end. I'd start focusing on how you are going to maintain whatever weight you are going to be and just lock in that lifestyle. What good is losing the extra 25 if you are going to gain it back?

I don't have a fixed goal weight yet. I wish I could get a real body fat calculation (the electronic numbers are crap and I cannot find anyone that knows how to use calipers). I think I'd like to get to 15% body fat - but I don't know what that really is yet. Thing is, that I'm looking forward to powering through the end. I'm a (former) marathoner and the end of the race is what separated the runners and joggers.

snowfallingsoftly

I can relate. Same story here about shopping. Awesome job, keep it up!!

jonnyman41

start again. Reset your ticker and treat it as a brand new attempt at weight loss. Many of us come on here with 25lb or less to lose (I came with 22lb) and find it a real struggle, You have the tools already to do this so make today a new start

debdola

congratulations. I have lost only 15.5 so your doing so awesome dont give up

Lourdesong

Put 25 lbs of weights (or books, or whatever) in a backpack and walk with it for 15 minutes. Then take off the backpack and walk around.

I find this exercise is pretty motivating and helps me grasp that weight is not just some metaphysical number, it's a burden on our backs and bodies and you feel so much better and freer and faster and lighter once that burden is removed.

ETA: I haven't lost 100 lbs, but I've lost 40. And big congrats on your weightloss.

spunkychelsea

Haven't lost 100 lbs...or anywhere close.... But I lost 22 lbs and got to my first big weight loss goal and lost motivation for the last 10. My husband made a challenge with me. Whoever could lose the next 5 lbs got a treat. (Read: food we've been avoiding because of calories, because why not celebrate weight loss with food?). Is there someone you can compete with? Have mini goals with rewards for when you accomplish them? (I won the next 5, haven't gone for my treat yet...) FOr the last 5 lbs I have a pair of pants that I have my eye on since most of my pants wont fit anymore! They're only like $30, nothing extravagant.

broox80

One of the most important aspects of the journey of losing weight is the development of our inner character. Determining to accomplish healthy things for ourselves, despite the odds, matures us. It requires us to have will power, self control, loyalty, patience, inner peace, fortitude, strength, etc. We learn to show love and protection toward ourselves where we used to abuse ourselves. And so on.

One of the most important things we learn...is doing the difficult thing even when we don't *feel* like it.

Let's face it: having that good feeling of "Motivation" is nice. It's easy to do things when we want to! But here's the thing: Motivation is simply not necessary to do the things that we need to do which are best for ourselves. We *can* still carry on, even if we're not "in the mood".

It sounds like you've made it this far partly by floating along on those good "high" feelings of accomplishment. Which is awesome! Those feelings are like rocket fuel that propel you forward into good habits. But sometimes the fuel burns out for awhile and you have to keep going *anyway*...until the feeling returns. So rather than waiting for those feelings to return, let all that discipline you've been building up and practicing all this time take over for awhile.

And here's the really good news: when you simply do the right thing anyway, and keep going despite not feeling like it....THEN the feelings of "motivation" return to you - in spades. The Discipline carries you through the desert, from oasis to oasis of Motivation.

When I lose those high feelings of motivation, I use that opportunity to lean on my friend community for support and accountability....otherwise, I'd NEVER exercise again and would lose everything I worked for.

I simply throw a message out on my MFP wall, or even on FaceBook: "Hey guys! I REALLY don't want to keep going right now. I REALLY don't want to work out (or whatever). Somebody remind me why I'm doing this? Somebody tell me to go workout!" and so on. I ALWAYS get several people writing me encouraging messages, saying, "Go B! You can do this! You rock!" etc. etc. And then I'm accountable to them. I come back later and report in that I had a GREAT workout, or whatever, so they know I heard them and am appreciative of their help.

Don't give up now. 25 lbs is not the worst amount of weight, but it's not exactly "out of the woods" either. Remember, you only need a waist circumference of 35" or more to be at risk for diabetes, for example. Plus, you're at higher risk when and if you gain a little weight, say, over the holidays, of getting discouraged. Get closer to your "safe zone"...I wouldn't say 25 lbs was in that zone, personally. Hope that helps.

Well I know I wont ever get down to a 35" waist, but I dont really care. If I am still "overweight" that is not going to deter me. I need to make the changes I know I can live with for the rest of my life. If I end up with diabetes because I didnt get down to 120 pounds, I guess I will just have to live with that, but I will still be damn proud of my accomplishment and success.

mom2my4boys

Your story about your 2xL coat resonated with me!!! The same thing happened to me. (in fact i still have the men's 2xL Colombia coat hanging in my closet) Every once in a while i slip it on just for a boost. :laugh: I haven't bought my new coat yet, but i'm excited too! I thought i was at a stand still for awhile. (no movement on the scale for 3-4 weeks) But today it moved!!! Keep your chin out and chest up, you got this! :happy:

Edited to add: I probably will never see a waist under 35" either, but i'm not gonna stop trying.

LetstrythisagainJo

Hang a before and after picture on your fridge!!

Milliepet

you GO girl. Happy for you :happy: