Six months in - 40% there, and lessons learned

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  • insectseige
    insectseige Posts: 28
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    "#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
    smalleyez06 Posts: 132 Member
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    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
    travel4fun Posts: 36 Member
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    Thank you for posting. I'm just getting started on my journey, and would be thrilled with similar results at 6 months.
  • jnr2012
    jnr2012 Posts: 33 Member
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    bump
    great job
  • DLKeeble
    DLKeeble Posts: 200 Member
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    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
    Brandi0418 Posts: 63
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    Fantastic loss, thanks for sharing! Very inspirational! :wink:
  • allisonrozsa
    allisonrozsa Posts: 178 Member
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    Great post.
  • mercymarque
    mercymarque Posts: 450
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    That was great... thanks for sharing.
  • marilou0511
    marilou0511 Posts: 591 Member
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    #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
    fitanndfab Posts: 61
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    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!!!
  • amandahahn85
    amandahahn85 Posts: 39 Member
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    Love the lessons learned! Thanks for sharing!
  • InPieces3
    InPieces3 Posts: 215
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    Yea...this is pretty darn good. :flowerforyou: Thanks for taking the time to post. Love it!
  • AggieLu
    AggieLu Posts: 873 Member
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    This is a great post. Thank you for sharing this here!
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I think your doing great! Keep it up!
  • PennyLorraine
    PennyLorraine Posts: 51 Member
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    You're doing GREAT!!!
  • Gitn_Fit
    Gitn_Fit Posts: 40 Member
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    Thank you for posting this. It is easy to get bogged down in goals, falling short and not enjoying the journey. This is a great reminder and something I sorely needed to see as I'm trying to get back to good. :)
  • SarahCW1979
    SarahCW1979 Posts: 572 Member
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    :smooched:
  • fooshan
    fooshan Posts: 13 Member
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    thanks for sharing! love the lessons learned bit.
    keep going!
  • joshgulick
    joshgulick Posts: 1
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    Great post!
  • joeysox
    joeysox Posts: 195 Member
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    well done!!! 45pounds is fab! its a great loss and slow is good less chance of you piling it back on! i have been at this for a few years now, my ticker might show 177pounds down but it took much longer than some people lol but its all heading the right way. you should be very proud of yourself xxx

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