Six months in - 40% there, and lessons learned

Qatsi

It was six months ago today that I joined MFP. So far, I've lost 45 pounds. I know, I know - not that impressive when you consider there have been people here who have lost 60, 80, 100 pounds in the same amount of time. But I've never lost this much at one time before, and it's a major accomplishment for me to have stayed focused and on task for half a year. I still have a long way to go, but I'm 40% of the way to my goal.

Along the way I've learned a lot about how to keep myself on track. Like Yogi Berra said about baseball, 90% of this game is half mental. The secret is to stay motivated and not allow myself to get frustrated and lose interest. Here's what's worked for me so far:


#1 - N I /\/\ - NO INSTANT MIRACLES.

I've got a lot to lose, and I needed to get into the mindset that I'm in it for the long haul. I also needed to remind myself that it would be weeks, or months, before I started noticing a real difference. If I could commit to that - I would eventually turn the N I /\/\ around into a W I N .

#2 - LOSE THE DEADLINE - THIS ISN'T A RACE.

I lost the first 10 pounds within a couple weeks, and at that point set a goal to get down to my target weight by my next birthday by losing 10 pounds a month for 10 months. After plateauing about three months in, I was no longer on track for that goal. Rather than giving up in frustration, I decided that it no longer matters how LONG it takes - as long as I keep working towards the goal, I WILL get there.

#3 - SET AMBITIOUS GOALS, BUT ACCEPT PARTIAL VICTORIES.

I still have a GOAL to lose 10 pounds a month. But if I only lose 7, so what? I'm still 7 pounds closer than I was a month ago.

#4 - I'M NOT PERFECT AT THIS, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO BE TO SUCCEED.

I do pretty good most days staying at or under my calorie goals. But some days I end up a hundred, or even several hundred calories over. If it happens, it's not a total failure. Since my target is 1000 calories below my maintenance intake, I am STILL coming out ahead, even on the days when I totally blow my goals.

#5 - DON'T GIVE UP EVERYTHING - LIVE A LITTLE.

I admit, I'm not losing as fast as I could. If I chose to subsist on grilled chicken breasts and dry salad, I could lose a couple more pounds a month. But I don't want to merely subsist. I want to be able to get together with friends once or twice a week over a couple of beers, or to have pizza and pasta from time to time. And I don't want to feel guilty about it. By cutting back a little rather than eliminating them entirely, I can fit the things I enjoy into my diary and stay within (or reasonably close) to my daily goal.

#6 - CELEBRATE LOTS OF SMALL VICTORIES.

The scale isn't going to go down every single day. But that doesn't mean I can't find something else to celebrate. Every day I hit my calorie goal for the day, or every day I get my 10,000 steps in, is a small victory. I celebrate milestones - every 5 pounds lost, every 5 days of keeping a streak alive, every 50 miles walked.

#7 - TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.

When I hit that plateau, I knew I needed to change something up to get back on track. After reviewing my diary and my pedometer logs, I realized that I would often go three, four, five days in a row without exercising. About that same time, a friend of mine sent me a link to an article that gave me an additional tool to motivate me to walk every single day. Now, choosing to blow off exercise for a day is no longer even an option in my mind.
http://lifehacker.com/5886128/how-seinfelds-productivity-secret-fixed-my-procrastination-problem

My apologies for the long post. If you've made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to add me as a friend!

sosapili

I think 45 lbs is awesome and a HUGE accomplishment!! I’ve lost 12.. in 3 months.. SO you are way more on track than I am!

Thank you for the really long post.. it encouraged me to understand that there are no timelines as long as I continue to push myself toward this one goal!! I can’t give up everything.. and I’ve tried, it’s just not realistic to me when I do go for business lunch or with friend.. so thanks for the encouragement and letting me know I'm not hte only one going through this!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

You ROCK for posting this!!!! When I first started in late January, I was foolish/eager to believe that I'd drop 50-60 pounds in 3 or 4 months. HA!!!! I think you drop kicking 45 nasty, ugly big fat pounds into the place where the sun doesn't shine is AWESOME!!!! I NOW know that dropping 45 pounds in 6 months is extremely impressive and Thank you again for posting this, you're blessing more people than you can even imagine by posting this...including lil ole ME!

bethhyg

I needed this today. No magic formula, just hard work and the dreaded word of PATIENCE.

Qatsi

I just remembered another thing I've been doing that keeps me inspired to continue:

#8 - VISUALIZE YOUR VICTORIES.

It's one thing to see the scale say I'm down 45 pounds - it's another to actually realize what that MEANS. A pack of regular (20#) copier paper weighs 5 pounds. So once I'd dropped 5 pounds, I grabbed a pack and hefted it for a couple minutes to remind myself of what I had been carrying around all the time. At each 5-pound milestone, I would add another pack to the stack and do the same thing. Yesterday I added a 9th pack of paper to the stack and picked it up, and thought about the fact that I used to carry that around with me 24/7 just six months ago.

I do a similar thing with my pedometer. I keep a log of the number of steps and number of miles I've walked since starting this. As of the end of April I'd hit the 800-mile mark. So I looked online to figure out how far 800 miles IS. Turns out it's equivalent to walking the length of the entire state of California. I hit 850 miles on Monday - THAT'S the distance between Philadelphia and Jacksonville. I figure by the time I'm done I will have walked the length of Route 66!

mbk830

Thanks for posting this - practical, hard won lessons. You are doing a fantastic job!

bethb03

Great post and you've done an amazing job so far! You're list of things "realized" is so true, this is our life, we best get used to it!

marbit

what a fantastic post, thanks so much for sharing it!

pandasmama3

great post thanks for sharing!!

treetz1979

BRAVO!!!

I generally stay away from the forums but this one caught my eye. So glad it did. It's refreshing to hear about a COMMON SENSE approach that works. Thanks for sharing - it keeps the average joe like me encouraged and motivated!!!!!!!

Kippster

Well, you really made my day!! Thanks for posting this...I LOVE IT!!! You've done an amazing job!!:happy:

angevee

you are fantastic! You've achieved a huge amount and you are really sorted :happy:

I like the visualisation thing too. My five year old stood on the scales at the weekend and she weighs 45lb. So you've lost a five year old girl! WTG

MyTime1985

Thank you for posting this! I have to remind myself of these things often. :flowerforyou:

itsjustdawn

You are awesome! I almost want to steal what you wrote for my own motivation.

littlesis412

Thank you. Really needed that. Last night I almost decided this was the weight I was meant to be, since I've been yo-yoing so much. But I shouldn't give up. Yes, I missed all my preset goal dates, but that doesn't mean I'll never reach my goals.Just got to keep going. And congrats on your amazing loss!

jl20whyd

I think you have done awesome and this was a really inspiring post. Thank you for sharing!

Bump.

DterMined2012

GREAT POST!!! AND ALL SO TRUE!!! Life is LIFE!!! If we set our goals or resolutions to NEVER eat a Mcdonalds burger again <----just saying then we have set ourselves up to fail....we have to keep our journeys REAL!!! Thanks for your post...truly INSPIRATIONAL!!!

Denise6914

Congrats on the 45 pounds lost. I love the practical advice! Sending you a friend request.

sweetpotatofry

Congrats on your progress, and what a great post! I'm definitely using Seinfeld's productivity secret once I get access to a printer.

BeckyProctor

Thanks! I am printing this and hanfing it in my office so that I can reread it whenever I need some motivation!

jennyb612

Congratulations! This is a great motivating post - thanks for the inspiration! you ARE wrong about 1 thing, though.... 45 pounds in 6 months IS Amazing! good for you!

myfitnessnmhoy

Thank you. Very inspirational post.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you are designing your LIFESTYLE here, not just losing weight. Don't give up anything you don't intend to give up permanently, because if you go back to it "after the diet" you'll go back to your old weight. Learn moderation in all the things you enjoy, but find a way to enjoy them.

bassanne

Thanks, your post is so how I feel. I too had the big loss the first month and then set my plan around that. Then when I did not lose that much the next months I was disappointed. Now, like you, I'm for the small steps, 1 pound gone is 1 pound gone. Thanks, and you are doing awesome, keep it up, your worth it.

magoch

I think 40 pounds in 6 months is great -- as you said, it's 40 pounds you don't have anymore! Great, practical advice, and all very, very easy to forget. Thank you for the tips and congratulations on your progress!

shawneez75

:drinker: What an amazing accomplishment! Love the words of encouragement. I too joined MFP 6 months ago and am only at 37 pounds lost and feel like I am going at a slower pace than most. I can say that I have stuck to this longer than anything else I have tried and have made this a life long journey and the weight loss at this point is a bonus. Stay with it and you WILL get to where you are meant to be. Thanks again for your inspiration, it was so needed today!:happy:

tes8612

Thanks so much for posting this! I was getting really frustrated this week and really needed this! Great advice and perspective!

mellabyte

Awesome job on your journey so far!

Great perspective and motivating post. Thank you for sharing.

rugbygirlca

Awesome work and AMAZING post. I am a firm believer in the slow, steady process of weight loss. In many cases, if you lose weight quickly it will have been more through a 'diet', rather than through a total lifestyle overhaul. If you have truly changed your life, you'll be much more likely to keep the weight off for good.

The closer you get to your goal, the harder it will get. Keep going.

Qatsi

Wow! Thanks to everyone that responded! I was wondering if anyone would find my ramblings helpful.

I just know that the hardest thing I've always had to work through when I've done this before was getting past the mental blocks - the frustration, the impatience (ESPECIALLY the impatience), the lack of motivation once the novelty wore off.

I knew that if I wanted to succeed this time, I needed to get myself in a different place mentally to keep me inspired to continue.

It's worked so far, but I'm not done yet. I'm sure the next six months will have its own set of challenges for me to work through. To which I say - BRING IT ON.

verbalriot

I HAVE to live a little. This isn't a fad diet, it's a lifestyle. And I want beer and pizza and pasta to be parts of my life!

Awesome post, great job!

kellisej

Thanks for your inspirational post. I am restarting my quest of losing 30 lbs. Your practical advice gives me hope and desire to press forward. I appreciate you stating that we need to celebrate the small milestones and n ot to beat ourselves up when it does not always turn exactly the way we want things.