Sometimes the number is just too big

TylerJ76
TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
in Motivation and Support
Maybe it's just me...maybe I need to grow up, and deal with it...

But lately, the past few days especially, I have been looking at the amount of weight that I need to lose (125lbs) and I just freak out. Like, this can't be done...why am I trying..Why did I let myself get this way...

I'm not giving up, it just seems like it can be a bit much at times...overwhelming...

/whining
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Replies

  • lyndalpn
    lyndalpn Posts: 151 Member
    Maybe it's just me...maybe I need to grow up, and deal with it...

    But lately, the past few days especially, I have been looking at the amount of weight that I need to lose (125lbs) and I just freak out. Like, this can't be done...why am I trying..Why did I let myself get this way...

    I'm not giving up, it just seems like it can be a bit much at times...overwhelming...

    /whining

    Then pick a smaller figure. and work on that first. First goal = 20lbs. Once you've done 20 you can start working on the next 20. etc etc. Day by day and pound by pound and dont worry about the big picture (and big numebr!) at this stage.
  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 992 Member
    I'd suggest breaking it down into mini goals, so they're easier to deal with.

    You can do this!
  • zigeuner62
    zigeuner62 Posts: 88 Member
    I know the feeling. I started with 130lbs to lose and now I have 89 left to go. One day at a time. It will happen. You can do this :)
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    It's not just you.

    I keep in mind that I have around 95# to go, but focus on smaller, closer goals. Right now, I want to get to 213 (18 to go) by January 9th so I can brag about losing 100# in a year. Next will be getting under 200, then hitting the 10 increments.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    How do you eat an elephant?

    One bite at a time.

    Losing weight is the same thing, it can seem overwhelming but a slow, steady approach consisting of a series of small changes will get the job done. You're not alone feeling this way, just keep in mind why you want to do this.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I set my first goal at "getting up and walking a mile". From there, I was elated when I lost 10 lbs.

    Know what my goal is now?

    1 more. Every day that I reach a goal, my next goal is just 1 more lb lost.

    I've lost a ton of weight, gained a MUCH healthier life, and focused on doing everything one step at a time... one day at a time.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    Maybe it's just me...maybe I need to grow up, and deal with it...

    But lately, the past few days especially, I have been looking at the amount of weight that I need to lose (125lbs) and I just freak out. Like, this can't be done...why am I trying..Why did I let myself get this way...

    I'm not giving up, it just seems like it can be a bit much at times...overwhelming...

    /whining

    You said it you have to grow up and deal with it.

    it'll come off as long as you apply yourself. What is the daunting part? the belief that you can't do this while having a fabulous life and enjoying yourself?

    because you can....and as long as you are doing those two things, while managing to create a caloric deficit then it will come off AND it won't feel overwhelming and miserable.

    That's all.
  • ceannesjourney
    ceannesjourney Posts: 250
    Yep. Mini goals. Start with 10% of your current weight, then 20%, or whatever you choose. You won't be losing it all at once, but in time. Just keep consistent and be honest with yourself and you'll do great!
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
    I get you bc its the same way for me. Ive got this ridgid timeline in my head that cannot be moved and its rough.
  • JinxRita
    JinxRita Posts: 191 Member
    I had the same issue. I have 110+ pounds to lose, and that is a staggering number. However, I broke it into mini goals. Even twenty pounds seemed like too much to me, so I chose ten pound increments. I have a lot of mini-goals, but it is -SO- satisfying to mark each one off on my profile page, and to see that number go down, slowly but surely.

    Best of luck to you on your journey. You can do it!
  • IntoTheSky
    IntoTheSky Posts: 390 Member
    I am in the home stretch of losing over 200 lbs. I had to make small 10% goals. I still do. I have 40 left. Feels like a lot. But, my 10% goal right now is TOTALLY doable! Look at the small ones, it eventually adds up to losing a lot. Just keep going.
  • heatherloveslifting
    heatherloveslifting Posts: 1,428 Member
    I agree with the others, focus on smaller goals. Go for 10 lbs, or 10% of your body weight first. Just keep trying your best no matter what. And know that some days your best is better than others, and you most definitely are not alone.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Look back at how far you have come...I have another 73 to lose, but I have lost 29 and I focus on that!! :)
  • jlowensby
    jlowensby Posts: 142
    Give yourself mini goals...when you lose 10 pounds you get a blah blah
    when you lose 20 lbs you get a blah blah and so forth...works for me!
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    Go 5lbs to 5lbs, or 10lbs and be happy when you hit every mini-goal....You hit that mini-goal 10 times it's 100lbs and seriously, you know you can do it! Take that yellow hat off, you'll drop 5lbs straight away ;)
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Yup, just break it up into smaller junks. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then the first mile, the next, and so on. Focus on what you need to lose each week and work toward that. Have goals for what you want to have lost after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and work toward those. Make adjustments as necessary.
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
    I set my first goal at "getting up and walking a mile". From there, I was elated when I lost 10 lbs.

    Know what my goal is now?

    1 more. Every day that I reach a goal, my next goal is just 1 more lb lost.

    I've lost a ton of weight, gained a MUCH healthier life, and focused on doing everything one step at a time... one day at a time.
    That has always been my goal as well -- 1 more pound. I have been successful at reaching that goal 62 times. I just want to weigh less next week than I do today.
  • JMJ1983
    JMJ1983 Posts: 170 Member
    It can be very eye opening for sure, that's when you approach the facts like an adult and do it one step at a time just like every one else has said...Don't focut on the "How did I get to here" or the "How did I do this to myself" honestly, I think we all know the answer to this and it has to do with eating too much/eating unhealthy and not moving.

    If you can change those things, you are ready!!

    I would also make sure all my smaller goals along the way aern't just weight/scale related...Give yourself little motivational pushes along the way such as I want to exercise xxx minuts longer or go at a speed xxxx bit faster and keep bumping up those small goals as you meet them...

    Very soon you'll be on your way and instead of saying "How DId I get to Here?" You'll be saying "Look how far I've come!!!"

    :bigsmile:
  • deannakittygirl
    deannakittygirl Posts: 228 Member
    going with majority here...pick smaller mini goals! for me it I do 10lbs at a time. I still have whole amount on ticker but keep that mini goal in my head.:smile:
  • TrixieTN
    TrixieTN Posts: 30
    I was going to use the "how do you eat an elephant" analogy also, but then I thought... we are trying to lose weight. We shouldn't be eating elephants.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I started out in July of 2011 with 130+ to lose. I am now almost halfway there.
    I found MFP after stalling around 32 pounds lost for almost 6 months. Since then my total hit 60 pounds.
    It will definitely come. One day at a time.
  • trinityrecgirl
    trinityrecgirl Posts: 84
    Hang in there, and we are all allowed to whine once in a while. It is a long and sometimes tedious journey! That is why I am here; to support and encourage as well as be supported and encouraged! Like many have said breaking up the big goal with much smaller goals has helped me along the way. I looked at weight goals I wanted to achieve based on personal reasons...ex..friend's weight who at the time weighed less than I did...Weight when I first started my job...weight when I graduated from high school...losing 100 pounds...weight when I started high school...etc. Looking at entertaining and reachable goals made life just a bit easier.
  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
    oh God if you look at it like that it will drive you mad look at pound at a time!best of luck!
  • BogQueen1
    BogQueen1 Posts: 320 Member
    Well. Regardless of whether you set mini goals or not, you still *KNOW* how much you have to lose. Even if you say 'I'm just going to lose 20 pounds, you still know you have 100+ to lose because the number you are at stares you in the face every morning, and just losing 20 pounds? Still doesn't make you healthy. In my case at least mini goals are self defeating.

    What about thinking of it like this:

    Time inevitably flows by. Regardless of what you do or the choices you make, the next year WILL happen, one day at a time it will go past. When that year is over, do you want to be in the same place you are right now? Or do you want to look back and say, hey, I made healthier choices this past year and I lost X pounds. Every one seems to stress out so much over the numbers (I know I do for sure) when in reality its about changing your decisions a little bit at a time. So when this year is over you can still be at the exact same spot you are right now, or even worse, or you can be better. A little bit better, a whole lot better. It's not like time stops just because you didn't choose healthy options, or the world is just sitting there waiting on you to be healthy. The world happens regardless. There's no deadlines, no time limit on things.

    Idk when I'm freaking out about how far I have to go, I just remember I'm going to live the next year anyway, God willing, so why not be better at the end of it then the start of it?
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    It can be done, but it's easier to look at 10-20 pound goals (for example, I want to lose 10 pounds by Christmas or 20 pounds by Valentines day). 20+20+20+ you get the point. I did 10 pound goals to make it to my 40 pound weight loss and it was easier mentally to think "I'd like to go from 180-170 in 6 weeks" than "oh crap, it's gonna take FOREVER to reach 145"...
  • _EmmaStrong_
    _EmmaStrong_ Posts: 647 Member
    Five years ago, October 1, 2007, I weighed 220 pounds - I wanted to lose 100 pounds! I really just did not think about the ONE HUNDRED. I just concentrated on eating less and more healthy foods and exercising daily. I didn't set mini goals! I lost steadily and by August, 2008 I had reached my goal. I of course gained 45 of it back and have since lost that, but my point is, it is just a number. Don't dwell on on that number, just concentrate on YOU and what YOU are doing on a minute-to-minute basis. It is not insurmountable, it can be done. With determination and stamina and willpower and lots and lots of hard work, you will succeed. Just concentrate on what YOU want to accomplish, YOUR ultimate goal, YOU!! Wishing you much GOOD LUCK!!! :drinker: :heart:
  • theseus82
    theseus82 Posts: 255 Member
    It is never too late to improve your health. You see a lot of posters here have lost 100 or more pounds since starting. I've lost about 90 myself.

    Look at progress pics online and you'll see how people have transformed their health by losing--seemingly--insurmountable amounts of weight.

    My progress pics are here:
    http://www.freewebs.com/theseus82/

    Although the weights are no longer included because my original image hosting site shutdown and I rapidly switched over to a different service. Beginning weight for the photos is 318 and the last picture is 200.
  • NickLavato
    NickLavato Posts: 35
    Maybe it's just me...maybe I need to grow up, and deal with it...

    But lately, the past few days especially, I have been looking at the amount of weight that I need to lose (125lbs) and I just freak out. Like, this can't be done...why am I trying..Why did I let myself get this way...

    I'm not giving up, it just seems like it can be a bit much at times...overwhelming...

    /whining

    If you dont start now, it wont be 125 to lose. It will be 130 or 140 or 150 etc to lose. Think of it that way. I had 70 to lose when I started and said Ill be damned if I let it get to 75-80-100 or whatever as the starting point. The thought of getting heavier yet was worse than the starting number. Give that a thought and ask if you wanna be even more overweight.
  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
    Just think - keep at it and someday you'll be sitting on the other side of this marveling at that large amount of weight that you successfully lost! You can do it - break it up into smaller goals if you need to - but you can totally do it.
  • cpaman87
    cpaman87 Posts: 193 Member
    Accept that this will be a long journey. I have been told that this a marathon not a sprint.

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