Six months in - 40% there, and lessons learned

Qatsi

UPDATE 6/25/2012
I've just gotten a new scale, and found out that the old one has been lying to me, which affects my ticker as well as some of the numbers in my earlier posts. It's not a setback per se, but it sure messed with my mind for a few days.

You can read more about it here, if you're interested:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/646238-my-new-scale-hates-me

Jkc9059

What a great inspiration you are!! I am fairly new here and posts like yours help keep me motivated!

Deb_smiles

What a great attitude! Thanks so much for sharing! I loved how you calculated how far you have walked. I try to walk 3-4 miles several times a week. I think I will start keeping track of those miles! Everything adds up!

christamt

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

me too!

Sharon_C

I loved every one of your points but #5 is my favorite. Don't forget to ENJOY LIFE on this journey. And 40 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. I just joined 16 days ago and I would LOVE to have lost 40 pounds.

tinaslosingit

Great post! Bumping for more people to read

feydruss

bumping so I can read this over and over again when I get discouraged! Thanks!

DMUND

Wonderful advice!! I need to take some of your lessons learned and use them towards my own journey! Job well done!!! BRAVO!!!!

carhicks

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. You are doing great and it is wonderful to see this in print. Thanks.

lldem

What a great post! Very motivational - exactly what I needed today - only 5 days in... You are so right -this isn't a race. It's a life style change! I'm going to print and keep a copy in my purse. I've gotta stay on track and reading this helps - Congrats and much success on you lifestyle change!

kazhowe

bump

Cin43

Very good advice. 45 pounds is wonderful! I've only been at this for 15 days and already thinking that I should have lost more. Thanks for your post!

Brandon74

Great post! Congratulations

KarinFit4Life

Thank you so much for sharing!
You can be very proud of your achievements!! No matter how long it takes, it means you are not staying the same.


:flowerforyou:

marilou0511

It was six months ago today that I joined MFP...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...

Hello from Chicago!
Thank you for sharing your learnings. How is your journey going (aside from that darn scale!) now that we're moving into Fall.

meeky81

thanks for sharing, and you've done AMAZING on your weight loss so far!

Tara4boys

Fabulous post!

rawrxamberx

I really needed to see this to remind myself that I can do this if I take it one day at a time!
Congrats on your loss! (:

liberella

Great tips -- adding to my 'tip list'!

movburg

You're post was exactly what I was looking for and needing to read today. I have been solidly working out and eating semi right for only 2 months. I was starting to feel discouraged bc I am not seeing instantaneous results. I really needed this!

insectseige

"#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."

-Great post! For me this above is the most important one. Its not about dieting to achieve a weight then stopping. Its about achieving a weight through manageable long term lifestyle changes, as in better food choices & optional exercise.

So many people I work with put themselves on punishing diets that they can't maintain in the long run then find themselves binging even more on what they've missed and being back at square one.
It has to be enjoyable! I've found that since reducing my calorie intake to lose a moderate amount per week I make the most of the foods I eat & enjoy them so much more now than when I took food for granted.
I've also found a bag of chips or a Balti, starter & nan bread equal my daily allowance & now are rarely eaten!

smalleyez06

I was so worried I would not be able to find this post today. I read it yesterday and everything you have to say is just sooo key and every word of it makes complete sense and I applaud you for being able to put it in words. You have done an amazing job and even just mentally where you are with everything is even better. Congrats on 45lbs...it is a huge loss and you are doing a great job. Keep it up!

travel4fun

Thank you for posting. I'm just getting started on my journey, and would be thrilled with similar results at 6 months.

jnr2012

bump
great job

DLKeeble

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!

Great success story and great visualization! Keep going strong.

Brandi0418

Fantastic loss, thanks for sharing! Very inspirational!

allisonrozsa

Great post.

mercymarque

That was great... thanks for sharing.

marilou0511

#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.

Hi Qatsi. Congratulations. You've made the halfway mark with 53lbs loss. Please share more of your journey.

fitanndfab

No apologies for the length. I had a lot of oh yes moments reading your message. Thanks so much for sharing and caring enough about the rest of us on the journey to wellness and healthier living. Keep up the awesome job you are doing. Hope you keep us posted and will always celebrate life and the NON SCALE VICTORIES!!! with THANK YOU JESUS I AM DOING IT!!!