Some things I've learned about weight loss

Ilovepeppers

I remember when I first joined and seeing someone's ticker say "15 pounds lost!" seemed just out of the question for me. Then my ticker said, "15 pounds lost!" and 30 seemed just an impossible amount to lose... Well, move forward ten months and here I am at 63 pounds lost and I look at tickers that say, "80 pounds lost!" and I think "ahh! it will take me FOREVER to get there!" Basically what I'm saying is that I dont feel like I've lost a ton of weight (Though I am always so impressed by people who have lost anywhere from 1 to 300 pounds; it takes real commitment!).

I've been thinking about why I might feel this way and I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I don't feel like I'm dieting, and I associate dieting with weight loss. What I have been doing, however, is making a ton of small changes that now feel natural. I dont eat white bread anymore, I don't drink soda, I won't generally have juice, I limit red meat. I exercise 5 times a week for only about 30 minutes. I also sometimes eat ice cream, I'll sometimes go over my fat limit and there have been weeks where I have indulged in cake and limited my exercise.

Sorry for dragging on, but what I'm getting at is this: I do mostly well, most of the time and when I mess up for a day (a week?) I get back to it. I've been losing, on average, 1.5 pound a week while going through periods of not losing any, gaining, and losing 2 pound a week.

I just wanted to remind anyone that is feeling down on themselves that we're all human and will have off days and sometimes weeks. We'll give in and eat poorly and get too tired to exercise but so long as we get back to healthful living, its OK. I wish I would have looked at the big picture when I was struggling trying to move from -15 to -20 and when I ate very poorly and beat myself up over it. Its been the little and, when considered over the long run, consistent changes that I've made that make the biggest difference and make occasional mess-ups and not always behaving my best OK over all.

So, in short, I think if youre committed, do well the most of the time and always get back on the horse when you fall off youll be just fine! And I'm always astonished by peoples motivation and desire and efforts with weight loss and getting healthy and really, everyone here should be proud of themselves, even when not losing or maybe even gaining, if only for the fact that youre still at it! Youre still here! And youre trying.

psych101

I remember when I first joined and seeing someone's ticker say "15 pounds lost!" seemed just out of the question for me. Then my ticker said, "15 pounds lost!" and 30 seemed just an impossible amount to lose... Well, move forward ten months and here I am at 63 pounds lost and I look at tickers that say, "80 pounds lost!" and I think "ahh! it will take me FOREVER to get there!" Basically what I'm saying is that I dont feel like I've lost a ton of weight (Though I am always so impressed by people who have lost anywhere from 1 to 300 pounds; it takes real commitment!).

I've been thinking about why I might feel this way and I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I don't feel like I'm dieting, and I associate dieting with weight loss. What I have been doing, however, is making a ton of small changes that now feel natural. I dont eat white bread anymore, I don't drink soda, I won't generally have juice, I limit red meat. I exercise 5 times a week for only about 30 minutes. I also sometimes eat ice cream, I'll sometimes go over my fat limit and there have been weeks where I have indulged in cake and limited my exercise.

Sorry for dragging on, but what I'm getting at is this: I do mostly well, most of the time and when I mess up for a day (a week?) I get back to it. I've been losing, on average, 1.5 pound a week while going through periods of not losing any, gaining, and losing 2 pound a week.

I just wanted to remind anyone that is feeling down on themselves that we're all human and will have off days and sometimes weeks. We'll give in and eat poorly and get too tired to exercise but so long as we get back to healthful living, its OK. I wish I would have looked at the big picture when I was struggling trying to move from -15 to -20 and when I ate very poorly and beat myself up over it. Its been the little and, when considered over the long run, consistent changes that I've made that make the biggest difference and make occasional mess-ups and not always behaving my best OK over all.

So, in short, I think if youre committed, do well the most of the time and always get back on the horse when you fall off youll be just fine! And I'm always astonished by peoples motivation and desire and efforts with weight loss and getting healthy and really, everyone here should be proud of themselves, even when not losing or maybe even gaining, if only for the fact that youre still at it! Youre still here! And youre trying.

Awesome post

susaneec

Well said, well said. Most big changes can be boiled down to smaller ones that are consistently kept. Thanks for helping us put it and keep it in perspective. : D

casi_ann

Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration. Love the post. It is so helpful, especially for someone just starting out like me.

casi_ann

Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration. Love the post. It is so helpful, especially for someone just starting out like me.

jplucheck

Amazing and inspirational post, only thing that I would have to add is;

This is not just some diet to lose weight; this journey is all about focusing on change and being healthy. It took a life time to develope your bad habits and years to pack on those pounds. It will no doubt take just as long to replace those habits and lose the weight.

Just remember; if you focus on results you will never see them or might just miss them, but instead focus on change and those results will surprise you!

jvan1957

"Sorry for dragging on"
Thanks for taking the time

ElizabethRoad

Well said. I can particularly relate to this:

I've been thinking about why I might feel this way and I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I don't feel like I'm dieting, and I associate dieting with weight loss.

I've just made small changes and it feels like it can't possibly be enough. Like I expect it to be this monumental effort. But then I look at what I used to consume... a can of soda every day at lunch, maybe another when I got home... dessert every night... fast food breakfast sandwich most mornings... and compare that to now, I know it is going to make a difference.

Ilovepeppers

Amazing and inspirational post, only thing that I would have to add is;

This is not just some diet to lose weight; this journey is all about focusing on change and being healthy. It took a life time to develope your bad habits and years to pack on those pounds. It will no doubt take just as long to replace those habits and lose the weight.

Just remember; if you focus on results you will never see them or might just miss them, but instead focus on change and those results will surprise you!

Really good point!! I'm shocked sometimes that I've lost a good deal of weight. Day to day might vary, but long term changes show results and I totally agree about it taking a long time to get those good habits down. Its been ten months and 63 pounds sure me and I still struggle to make good choices and I'm still all over the boards asking for advice haha

bllowry

Excellent post! I see your ticker and it makes me smile as I know that its obtainable. I enjoy reading the blogs and posts here and I log in daily; I find the accountability very helpful.

Ilovepeppers

Double post!

Ilovepeppers

Well said. I can particularly relate to this:

I've been thinking about why I might feel this way and I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I don't feel like I'm dieting, and I associate dieting with weight loss.

I've just made small changes and it feels like it can't possibly be enough. Like I expect it to be this monumental effort. But then I look at what I used to consume... a can of soda every day at lunch, maybe another when I got home... dessert every night... fast food breakfast sandwich most mornings... and compare that to now, I know it is going to make a difference.

Exactly! Those things totally make a huge difference and sometimes it doesn't feel like it! I thought losing weight required bland vwggies for dinner and exercise to exhaustion. The reality is different

Ilovepeppers

Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration. Love the post. It is so helpful, especially for someone just starting out like me.

Youre definitely off to a great start! Those 95 are really going to fly by and this time next year you'll be SO happy you started now.

HMonsterX

If you feel like you're on a diet, you're doing it wrong tbh.

As the OP said, it's all about making changes that are sustainable. If it isn't sustainable, then you wont stick with it.