Question for all the Success Stories

rockstariana

Finding time to exercise. Then I just started pacing. When I'm on conference calls. Waiting for an oil change. When I meet people out, if I'm early I pace outside the restaurant instead of going in and being tempted to order a drink. People look at me like I'm crazy, but it's working. When I noticed it was working, I started forcing myself to do it more.

arsalak

I do that as well, especially while talking on the phone.

SexyCook

My Biggest Struggle was finding what works for ME!!! You see so many success workouts and eating plan along with all the calorie intake....Til it can be overwhelming and side track you along your journey....I had to really sit down and find what I wanted...find out that it takes for me to preplan everything in order to be successful in eating right...This was my biggest struggle the first 3 months of my struggle....finding the zone where I can make this My Journey.....

sarah307

maintenance is difficult for me. I always seem to self sabotage myself right before I hit my goal weight and gain some of it back..then work on losing it again. I thought maybe it was because once I got to my goal weight, I wouldn't have anything to "obsess" about anymore. still working on that right now! trying to lose 10 that i gained back!

siobhanhannon

bump

Woolooloo

My primary hurdle was getting started, and I had to dig deep to find the motivation to want to do it. But the primary thing that helped me was finding a way to work out that I liked. I found a great boot camp class that I really enjoyed and I made friends there. It is hard to do it alone, and it is hard to do stuff continually that you don't enjoy. Find something that you do enjoy and find people you enjoy doing it with and it will make it much easier. And once I could see the progress (on my body and on the scale), how could I stop?

During and after the holidays I kind of plateaued, but I was happy with where I was at and I maintained. However, I set a new goal for myself and have been making progress towards that goal. I'm at my final weight, I have a little bit of redistribution I still want to do (more muscle, less fat), but at 9% body fat at 41, I've reached my final scale victory and I'm just looking for new NSVs to keep me on track. I think that is another way to do it, keep setting goals, make them small so that you can see the end and don't get discouraged, but immediately set a new goal once you reach one!

themommie

My biggest struggle has been believing in myself. At 265 I had no self esteam. And thinking that I had 120 lbs to lose was something I never thought was possible. How I've over come that is I focused on 10 lbs at a time. I got the inital 10 lbs off then I would think ok im at 255, now just gotta get to 245, then Id get there then think ok now just get to 235 and so on and so on. Today I am 195!! I have 50 left to go but im just focused on getting to 185, then Ill change focus to the next set. When you tell yourself, "just lose this 10 lbs", it works out so well.

I also did this concentrated on 10 lbs at a time because 100 lbs seemed impossible now that i only have 1.5 lbs to lose to reach 100 lb loss I know I will get there.
Also listening to all the info and other peoples opinions and questioning myself and what i am doing instead of just doing what works for me. Also exercise I have to just make myself do it because I can always talk myself out of it and find a reason not to do it, but when I do it I feel so much better and helps with stress too. Just find what works for you, dont keep second guessing yourself

LorinaLynn

The mental aspect of it is the hardest. It stopped being so hard when I stopped being so hard on myself.... once I realize that all the pressure I felt was self-inflicted. It doesn't matter if I lose one pound a week or a half pound a week or no pounds a week... I'm still making better choices than I was when I was a couch potato eating an entire bag of Butterfingers in two days. It's not a race or a contest and there is no deadline.

In particular, I stopped getting hung up on weigh-in days. I used to make sure my sodium was low leading up to it, so I wouldn't retain fluid, and made sure I pooped before I weighed myself, and then I realized... I wasn't on a "reality" game show where they'd send me home if I didn't make my numbers. And now, a year later, it doesn't matter if I dropped five pounds last April or three.

Looking at the big picture helped. And doing the math. Realizing that it would take seven slices of pecan pie beyond my maintenance calories to gain a pound, so eating one slice that fits in my calories isn't going to hurt. And that enjoying life, even if it means the occasional caloric splurge on a weekend or holiday, isn't going to put me on a tailspin. At worst, it might have delayed the day I reached my goal weight by a week or so. Big effin' deal.

marywanoKC

Bump for later.

pholbert

Mine was I didn't have to do killer work outs to lose it. Just change my way of eating and do more age related workouts.

funkycamper

"Have a bite of cake, it won't hut you"

HATE that one!!!!

I love that one because it's true. A big slice of cake every day, not so good for you. A small slice of cake a couple times of week, is fine. So is a huge slice every once in awhile.

True but most of the time it is not because you want it, they dont want to feel bad about themselves therefore it is every time you go out and order something they want to judge you for what you order and throw out the line.

I'm sorry you've experienced that. I haven't. Or I've been oblivious to it because I really don't care what people think about what I eat so it hasn't been an issue for me. I think I have the opposite happen. People are amazed that I can eat "that" (whatever that is) and still be losing weight. I usually just say "that's why I exercise, so I burn it off". Hoping to encourage some of them to give exercise a try.

giantruss

Hi, Ive lost 40 lbs PRIOR to MFP and 30 lbs SINCE MFP..

My biggest struggle has been believing in myself. At 265 I had no self esteam. And thinking that I had 120 lbs to lose was something I never thought was possible. How I've over come that is I focused on 10 lbs at a time. I got the inital 10 lbs off then I would think ok im at 255, now just gotta get to 245, then Id get there then think ok now just get to 235 and so on and so on. Today I am 195!! I have 50 left to go but im just focused on getting to 185, then Ill change focus to the next set. When you tell yourself, "just lose this 10 lbs", it works out so well.

Im so gonna do that! THANKS....... on average how long did it take to lose 10 pounds?

what a great way to do it!!!

awsome job too btw

Sjvarley123

Bump - really interesting, thanks to all who have taken the time to post, really really helpful :flowerforyou:

fragilegift

Hi, Ive lost 40 lbs PRIOR to MFP and 30 lbs SINCE MFP..

My biggest struggle has been believing in myself. At 265 I had no self esteam. And thinking that I had 120 lbs to lose was something I never thought was possible. How I've over come that is I focused on 10 lbs at a time. I got the inital 10 lbs off then I would think ok im at 255, now just gotta get to 245, then Id get there then think ok now just get to 235 and so on and so on. Today I am 195!! I have 50 left to go but im just focused on getting to 185, then Ill change focus to the next set. When you tell yourself, "just lose this 10 lbs", it works out so well.

I say I am on stage 2 of level 1. Level one being to get to the halfway point of what I should lose for my height. I'm nearly there. Had I thought "OMG I need to lose 100lbs!!" I would NEVER have done it. I'll have a break when I finish level 1 for a while (well, thats the plan) and then work on level 2. I'm sure that will be harder.

lacroyx

people who try to make you feel bad because you are losing was a biggee...

"you don't look like you've lost that much"
"Have a bite of cake, it won't hut you"
"You don't eat like that ALL the time do you?"
"How can you eat vegetables"
"Well, I heard THAT diet doesn't work (takes another bite of their big mac)"
"That diet is dangerous" -Really? you should see my blood work, that is done monthly...

I get this occasionally. I used to be polite and patient but sometimes it just irks me so I snap back that I have diabetes, even though I don't anymore, they always shut up afterwards.

Speaking of diabetes, after losing 100 lbs. I reversed it and it went away. No more meds! However my doctor says I can easily get it again if I slack off. i.e. go back to my old habits. crappy diet, no exercise. So because of this, I have a hard time taking a day off of exercise. I force myself to do nothing 1 day a week. Some peeps beat themselves up when they eat bad, binge, the scale shows that they gained 0.000000¼ lbs. Not me. Instead when I "skip" or miss out on a workout. I feel like crap :frown: and beat myself up over it at times. I am improving on this though.

also confidence. especially with the opposite sex. I am shy to begin with. I have a hard time talking to girls. being fat all my life doesn't help either. even though I know I lost all the weight, I still see the same big guy from before. :indifferent:

m60kaf

Still seeing myself as fat so not trying to loose weight in an appropriate way for my current weight and failing

Waking up to how low my weight should be ... 12 or 13 not 15 or 16

Just how little you need to eat to eat normally

PennyNickel14

Just Keep GOING!!

Bad day! Start a new one.

Don't feel like working out today! Do it anyway!

Great day with NSV! Revel in it!

The Scale does not define you as a person.

Also do personal affirmations.

We do this because we love our bodies not because we hate them.

jhefti13

Bump