How to develop patience???

lunatletica

Hi there,

I have 20 pounds to lose and I feel very impatient about it. I keep weighing myself to see if the scale has gone down and feel frustrated when it hasn't. I have been on MFP just for just under a month and I am wondering how have you developed the patience to stick with it in the long run? and if you have any strategies to keep your motivation up even when the scale doesn't go down.

Thank you!

sculptcha

This is probably not what you want to hear, but the thing that motivates me to stick with it in the long run is...remembering that nothing else has worked in the past. And remembering that I'm not (only) doing it to lose weight, but to be fit. So when the scale doesn't move for a while, I at least know that I'm getting fitter every day.

lizalmp1234

I agree with the comment above. Also what helped me alot is i tried very very hard just to weigh once a week, I think that helped me alot because I am very impatient and if i weigh myself daily I get more frustrated. Try weighing yourself once a week or twice.

juliapurpletoes

Hi,
What helped me the most was to realize that out of the 20 pounds that I wanted to lose, probably 10 was fat and the rest was more a matter of muscle toning/strengthening. I felt very impatient at the beginning, then I made some friendships here. The days seem to go by fast and it was fun to be social.

I opened my mind and learned alot of new information about weight loss and fitness, calories, starvation mode, etc. and how this applied to me. ( through extensive reading on this site......... i also took a look at my past and saw more clearly how I got to where i was!

I've hit the "11 pounds lost" just today. I've been here 90 days. It seems like this is too long to lose 11 pounds BUT, it is not about losing just weight, it is about gaining the tools to make this a lasting change.

Best of luck!

lunatletica

Thank you both, this is helpful... I just searched for the meaning of patience:

1 the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset

I just have to work it one day at the time!

It is good not to be alone in this.

Be well...

lunatletica

Hi,
What helped me the most was to realize that out of the 20 pounds that I wanted to lose, probably 10 was fat and the rest was more a matter of muscle toning/strengthening. I felt very impatient at the beginning, then I made some friendships here. The days seem to go by fast and it was fun to be social.

I opened my mind and learned alot of new information about weight loss and fitness, calories, starvation mode, etc. and how this applied to me. ( through extensive reading on this site......... i also took a look at my past and saw more clearly how I got to where i was!

I've hit the "11 pounds lost" just today. I've been here 90 days. It seems like this is too long to lose 11 pounds BUT, it is not about losing just weight, it is about gaining the tools to make this a lasting change.

Best of luck!

Thank you for your post, this is very helpful, it reminds me about how community is important. I love that about MFP. When I get impatient, I eat less calories than what MFP suggests, which I am learning might kick starvation mode, would you please share what you have learned?

Thank you all!