Sticking To Your Weight Loss Goals? A Little Q&A.

Sweetness023

After a failed a number of attempts to tackle the last 40lbs I would love to lose, I have come to the realization that the goals that I had set for myself were far too high and were a little overwhelming, especially as I'm in the beginning of this lifestyle change.

It's still kind of hard thinking of it as a lifestyle change and not a diet. As well as the fact that I didn't put it on over night and as much as I would love it to, it won't come back off over night either.

Instead of diving in to the deep end as per usual, I'm testing the waters and slowly wading in. I think this will help me stay on track longer seeing as my other methods haven't.

There are a few areas that I need to work on such as water consumption. There are days when it'll be going on 2 in the afternoon before I realize that I haven't had anything to drink yet.

I'm in the process of making a list of my trouble areas and finding ways to counteract my bad habits.

I've even decided to keep a weight loss journal, each day ending with answering the question "What have you done today to get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?"

And I'm looking for any handy tips you might have/put in to practice and would like to share.

So my questions to you are;

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts?

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?

Feel free to ask your own questions too!

melsinct

I am at maintenance now after losing 30 pounds total but I still want to play!

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track? I set my goals in 10 pound increments. It would get me motivated to be striving for that next set of numbers, e.g. being in the 170s and aiming for the 160s, hitting the 160s then going for the 150s, etc. 10 pounds isn't as overwhelming as the overall number of pounds you want to lose.

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to? Easiest, believe it or not, is staying within my calories. Hardest was establishing a good exercise routine and the absolute hardest part to this day is sticking with it!

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts? I relied heavily on my MFP friends. I went through some lengthy plateaus and what motivated me most of all was I didn't want to backslide. I knew I looked and felt so much better than when I started. I couldn't and wouldn't allow myself to give up.

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with? Honestly, I was ready to not be overweight anymore. I decided in February 2011 that I was no longer going to be fat. I have had days where I didn't count calories at all, times where I took a day off for special occasions, but I know I will always be aware of what/how much I am eating for the rest of my life. I fought long and hard to get to my goal weight, no way I am I doing that again!

imthelobster

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?

10 lb increments in my head. I inwardly/outwardly celebrate every 10 lbs gone -- if 10 lbs is too large a mini goal, try for 5!

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?

Working out is the tough one for me. I have a super busy school schedule that requires me to work until all hours of the day/night with very little sleep, so I don't get nearly as much time to work out as I should/would like.

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?

I didn't tell myself that I'm not allowed to have anything. Nothing is off the table -- moderation is the key. If I want an oreo truffle, I'll have one (or half of one) and fit it into everything else for the day. If I want to eat out, I either eat less the rest of the day, or just end up over for that day. But simply taking out that 'forbidden' feeling has helped me to not even really crave the 'bad' things, for the most part.

Emancipated_Tai

First off, congrats on deciding to lead a healthier lifestyle. I started my journey in July 2011, and I remember looking at my tracker like "I will NEVER make it to the end of that thing!" Fast forward 9 months later (3 of those month at a plateau) I am more than half way past!

I started at 260lbs. When looking at where I wanted to be (150lbs) it did seem impossible and overwhelming. After being frustrated for too long, I decided to look at it from a different prospective. I only looked 5lbs ahead. When those were gone, I celebrated and looked forward to the next 5lbs. I am now at 208 and focusing on getting under 200. Because I'm so close I decided last month to go harder than before by eating more clean, trying different exercises and upping my calories. I managed to lose 12lbs last month by being determined.

At the end of each day I would ask myself "Did you do everything that you could to get you to your goal?", and sometimes the answer was no! If it was, I would target on what I did to distract me from getting there.

This journey is one big mental process. You are your own worst enemy. Sometimes we set yourself up for failure prior to even trying, and from the first part of your post it sounds like that is what you did. Just push hard, always believe and don't give up!

Another thing I did was put motivational messages and pictures around my house and office so I always had it in site. I have progress photos of me all over the place and every time I see them I'm like "WOW! Look at me and how far I have come since the before photo."

Be your own cheerleader!! Good luck to you

Gwenefar2001

Bravo to you! Bravo to you for identifying your weaknesses, and holding yourself accountable for them. Good post!

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?

I have a big weightloss goal. But I "bite" them off into chunks by say My goal is to weigh 5%less of my body weight.
I also have had issues making sure I am meeting my required water intake. But the thing is, I know I actually feel better when I do meet that goal.

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?

Easiest: Working out! I love it! I love the feeling I get right after the workout. Not so much the soreness afterwards, but I deal
Hardest: A good diet plan. I love salads.....with lots of junk on top. Gotta learn to keep my healthy salads healthy. I love to eat out and drink Margaritas with my friends.

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts?

Forums and messages boards. Tracking also helps me keep my goals in site.

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?

I learned what they are: if I'm craving sweet creamy things, that means I'm lonely or sad
If I'm craving salty crunchy things that means I'm angry or agitated. I work through my feelings, talk to a friend, go for a walk or journal. The message boards are great too!

christyd4

I am about half way through my weight loss I have lost 32 lbs and have about another 30 I want to lose before I re-evaluate everything

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track? My mini goals have changed as I have evolved. It started with something as simple as I will make sure I drink 8 glasses of water a day the next 2 weeks then before I knew it, I was drinking water all the time. Another was cutting out sodas, then eating more protein. Those are just some examples of mine. I work on one or two at a time as not to get over whelmed or frustrated.

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to? The easiest has been my water consumption and not drinking sodas daily. My hardest is wroking out. I have to make myself at times to work out even guilt myself into doing it LOL

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts? MFP has been one of my motiviations reading the sucess stories and chatting with others who truely understand what you are going through is such a big help!

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with? I have a nightie set that I keep hanging on my bedroom door that and my boyfriends praise goes a long ways

Hope this helps!

trulycrazed

Congrats on the weight that you have lost!
I'm not very far in my progress yet, but I'm getting there!

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?
I'm actually using mini rewards to make myself want to achieve more. For every 5 pounds I lose I'm rewarding myself with something I want, but don't need. For an extra push, the more I want the reward, the more weight I have to lose to get it. These things are all material and simply make me happy. Though I could go out and get them now, it's some how sweeter working for them.

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?
I find the fitness journal, as a whole, to be very helpful and easy to use/stick to... the only issue I have is that I don't have a HRM yet, so I'm always worried that my numbers are off and blah blah blah. However since I've decided to take my weight loss at a pound a week, and have been achieving that, everything seems okay.

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts?
I use the same motivation needed to go to work everyday. I don't really want to workout or go to work, but I want the weight loss and I want the money... so what choice do I really have?
Though I also have a slightly kiddish way of motivating myself as well. I have a calender that has my Insanity workout plan on it. Everyday I do it, I get a sticker... sounds lame but, so far, 1 month in, I haven't skipped a single day!
I find that little rewards go a LONG way.

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?
I don't... not really... just everything in moderation. My boyfriend is a light weight and can eat his body weight in jelly donuts and probably lose weight... so I simply just have a bite. I LOVE cookies, I can't resist them... so I have a bite and he eats the rest. Possibly not the most practical solution, but it works for me!
It also helps to stay full and hydrated... cheese burgers don't look nearly as tasty when my stomach isn't growling.

mrseelmerfudd

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?

I have lots I want to lose a stone by july, when i am doing a fitness qualification and another few pounds by the end of july as im helping at the olympics. it keeps me focuses. i know what i have to do and i set achieveable goals.

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?

Easiest- the exercise- i am naturally sporty, always have been!!
Hardest- when the husband brings home something unhealthy and i get seriously tempted. sometimes i induldge as a treat, but its hard to say no all the time.

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts?

I just keep looking at photos at my biggest- i don't ever want to be that size again. i know where i want to be, and that keeps me going!

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?

I just keep chugging along- i keep thinking its ok for a treat once in a while but not all the time- thats why i got so big.

DakotaKeogh

As I got near the goal line I realized the number I'd set myself was completely arbitrary. I'd set a goal of getting back to my young, healthy weight. What occured to me was during the lazy decade or so that I got big I'd been pretty sedentary. Therefore, I wouldn't have nearly the muscle I'd had before. That meant if I hit that goal weight, there would still be a high % of fat in me.

I shifted my focus to percentage and chose a goal of 12%, which is the top of the athletic scale. I did the math and realized I had an additional 12 pounds to lose. Interesting thing that happened was, I got to 12% and actually a little below. But I didn't lose a pound on the scale. I had reached a point where exercise was putting on muscle at a rate equal to fat loss. So I could have gone on thinking I was on the world's longest plateau since the scale never moved.

The point I'm trying to make is consider shifting the focus to % of body fat. That tells a truer story then the scale does and it's less frustrating. My ticker shows 107 pounds lost. But, from what body fat % tells me, it's actually 119. Just no way to reflect it. Percentage is also a goal you can defiinitely achieve versus a number of pounds that exercise might prevent you from reaching because you're growing and improving your lean muscle.

Sweetness023

Thanks for all your answers! They've been very informative. Unfortunately I've been tackling one hell of a hellatious cold since Friday and haven't yet been able to put some of my little strategies in to play. I'm hoping I feel well enough to hit the gym tomorrow though.

wookiemouse

What mini goals have you set for yourself and how does this help you stay on track?

Which areas of your fitness journey do you find it easiest and hardest to stick to?

Which methods do you use to keep your motivation going through the tough parts?

How do you fight the every day temptations that you are faced with?

My goal is to eat healthy every day and exercise. I'm not focusing on weight or being a size 0. I do count my calories, as I tend to not eat enough during the day. But that's my daily goal.

Easiest - working out. It's habit now. Hardest - coming to terms with the fact I may never look like a fitness model. I eat clean and work out a lot. Doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. It's frustrating.

Motivation - I just tough it up and put my big girl panties on! It's not an option to quit.

Every day temptations - just remind yourself one meal at a time, one workout at a time, one day at a time. I try to plan things ahead as much as I can (ie, bring a protein bar with me if I know there will be bad food there), and just do a lot of pep talking. So far, so good.