I just realized why I cant lose weight!

ANMUR43

I too had given up. I thought I was stuck being overweight. My knee was killing me and dancing, and going up and down stairs was getting horrible. I decided that I needed OA, a 12 step program This has been a life saver for me. I am almost to my goal weight, and am feeling so much better. You can find meetings online. You're worth the time to take care of yourself.
:flowerforyou:

benich3043

You have go to truly want to make the change. I knew I needed to lose weight for a long time and kept telling myself I would get around to it eventually. Before I knew it my job was at stake ( the military has weight standards that must be met) my health was at stake (resting pulse over 95 and BP at 155/95) and I was just altogether miserable with myself and quite irritable. Fatty food would make me temporarily happy because it is oh so delicious but then I would turn around and tell myself I shouldn't have. Then I went on vacation to FL with my family. I would break a sweat at the slightest bit of anything it seemed and I happened to see a picture of myself coming out of the water at the beach with my son. I was not at all happy with what was staring me back in the face. I decided then I would make a change for the better. I forgot how great it felt to actually get out and get some exercise and to actually eat good food to fuel your body. Like everyone says it truly is a mind game. You have to mind what you eat because it does matter. Find a plan that works for you and do not give up. It is goind to be hard. The easy way is the lazy way. When you do see the rewards of your hard work you are that much prouder. You are going to slip some that is a given, but get right back up and start again. You are the only one that can make this change for yourself. All we can to is give some good advice and support along the way.

lnnptrck

I have moments when I feel the same way. I used to think that I didn't deserve to lose weight and that something that awesome would never happen to me. It's all a mind game. I hated myself. You deserve to be happy. Just surround yourself with those who are supportive and motivating. :-) Bonne chance!

jcstanton

Thank you ladies! I know i am worth it so that is why I am going to keep losing weight and I will use smaller goals! I def think that will help

I started out at 397lbs. CW is 250lbs. GW is 135-140lbs. When I started this journey, 162lbs of weight loss seemed daunting...almost too much to achieve. Then I started reading stories about people who had lost that much and then some. I thought, if they can do it, why can't I? I have no valid excuses. The odds may be stacked against me, but the odds are only going to get worse if I don't act NOW. I sat down with a pen and a piece of paper and wrote down my current weight and the date at the top, and my goal weight (no date/deadline) at the bottom. Then I started filling in smaller goals and dates in between. They weren't all weight loss goals either. One of them was to complete a 5K within a couple of weeks of my starting date, which I did two or three weeks later. One of them was to drink at least 10 8oz. glasses of water per day...now, I rarely drink less than 12. I could go on, but you get the idea. Write your goals down. When I need extra motivation, I take out the list and reread what I've achieved so far, what I want to achieve in the near future, and what my ultimate goal is.

jen_bd6

Thank you, everyone! I am overwhelmed ( in a good way) with the sweet comments and personal messages and great advice!

In high school I was very athletic and loved life and loved myself. I was raped by my boyfriends father when I was 16. I thought maybe if i destroyed the way i looked, he would stop. It didnt, but I finally got the courage to tell someone. He is now in jail and serving a 13 year sentence. But my bad habits already had formed. The emotional eating was overwhelmingly bad and I quit volleyball because it got out that I was raped and it seemed like everybody had something to say about it ( and not in a good way). But I am tired of letting that define me. That was my past and I am not dead. Why should I continue to let him hurt me?

This is my life and I am taking it back!

I'm sorry to hear that... but like you said "I am tired of letting that define me". That isn't who you are... who you are is a strong, independent, beautiful person. Keep on being strong and you will get everything you want out of life!

I started out at 274 pounds, and slowly have managed to get down to 239, by setting smaller goals like "OK. I'm going to lose 10 more pounds and see where I will go from there". It really helps. And just remember, there is a huge group of people who would be more than willing to help you in your journey here on MFP, providing you with the encouragement everyone needs to succeed. Feel free to add me if you would like for some encouragement (I'm always looking for more people to help me along with my journey as well).

You deserve a LONG, HAPPY, LOVING life! Best of luck to you

shannonmch

Jennfrye- I think that is awesome that you set a monthly goal!!! I have never thought of that. I may try to incorporate that into my workout mindset!
Shannon

Cmh1211

what works for me...

being healthy is a life style, not a life change.

just make it a part of ur life and weight loss, body change, clothes fitting too big and everything else tht involves being healthy just falls into place. lie to urself if u have to. say, im doing this just to be healthy. forget about the scale. gl

justjenn1977

Jennfrye- I think that is awesome that you set a monthly goal!!! I have never thought of that. I may try to incorporate that into my workout mindset!
Shannon

I have to change things and keep them interesting or I quit... also I am a big numbers person... I started using cardio trainer on my phone to get details about individual workouts and I noticed it kept track with a monthly tally... so I just kept trying to increase that

BreanneMG

Rather than saying OMG how am I going to lose 200lbs, why not say I am goin gto loose 10lbs, that after that 10, say Im going to loose another 10lbs and so one, Make multiple smaller goals in order to reach the big one.
The best thing you can do is stay possitive and dont give up.

Good luck my dear

Rockmyskinnyjeans

Everyone ahead of me has offered stellar advice, but I will reiterate that you should focus on mini goals. That is key. One HUGE goal can be very overwhelming and, in the end, leave you frustrated and burnt out when it isn't accomplished in the time frame that you think it should be. Focus on smaller goals. Accomplish them one at a time and you'll be amazed at how much smoother the process becomes. Best of luck!

meshashesha2012

you can do it!

i definitely felt the same when i started as well.
my advice would be break your goal up into smaller goals. 180 might seem daunting, so maybe try making you first goal as a 35 or 40 pound loss? this is what i'm doing because i started getting frustrated at how slow my little ticker lady was moving. i changed my MFP goal to a weight that's a little more than halfway to my goal weight.

also since it is a lot to lose, try and make your eating habits seem less like a diet and more like a lifestyle change. since this is going to be a long journey, challenge yourself to make a new change or substitution every other week. for instance if you love burgers and fries, think of ways to make that healthy and practice making your own.

set up some monthly fitness goals, things that you can work towards. stuff like holding a static squat for a certain amount of time, doing a certain number of push ups in a minute, holding a plank for as long as you can.

also i dont think 10 pounds a month is too much. you're young so that rate might be doable for the first 40-50 pounds.

good luck and don't give up!

imcatbear

This is my life and I am taking it back!

Great philosophy!

I try not to look at the numbers in terms of my goals, because I've never really put a value on a number. One person can look huge at one value and another can look perfectly fit. I focus on fitness, at the moment, and change things up for myself. My first goal was to be able to walk around the neighborhood w/o getting winded 5 doors down. It's flat here. I shouldn't be winded.

I want to read more of this thread before I add more. I just really like your philosophy.

ETA: Finished reading. You've gotten a lot of good advice already.

Feel free to add me as well.

jadedone

I changed my profile and added my mini goals. It put in perspective how real this can be fore me!
I wanted to be down to mg GW of 180 by my 21st birthday. If I do 10 pounds a month I will be 180 2 months before my 21st birthday! Talk about motivation to keep going!

Is 10 pounds a month to much?

Weight loss slows down as you get closer to goal. For me, I lost 10 pounds a month for the first couple months. And now it is more like 5. So give yourself plenty of time. The beginning is faster, the end is slower.

But most important os to set non-scale goals. Do pushups, workout for an hour straight, build more strength, shorten your mile time. Tons and tons to keep you motivated along the way.

Also, take measurements. As many as possible and track those too. There will be times where the scale shows no progress, but your waist is shrinking or your legs are smaller. This is the best way to keep track.

mburger84

one of my all time favorite quotes, "the journey of 1000 miles...begins with 1 step!" you got this, just stay focused, and dont think of it as striving for an end result, think of it as a lifestyle change and take one day at a time. It can happen and will happen if you just keep on moving forward. : )