Staying motivated when the going is slow

Hi all,

I'll try to keep this short. I recently started using my MFP account again after my husband and I booked a big trip to Turkey and Greece later this year. The trip is my main motivation for wanting to lose weight this time around--I'll be in a lot of pictures, the weather will be warm, I want to be comfortable on a long-haul flight, etc. (I'm 5'4 and 226 lbs, for reference). I did the South Beach Diet a couple of years ago and though I lost 20 pounds (and am still maintaining that loss), it didn't make much of a difference in my appearance. I know that a 20-pound weight loss is something to be proud of, but frankly, I was disappointed.

Anyway, my enthusiasm for South Beach kind of dwindled, I got off track around the holidays, and the rest is history. I want to pick up where I left off through MFP and calorie counting. So far I'm doing well--I've been logging my meals for a week, exercising more, and I've lost 2 pounds so far.

So my question for everyone is: how do you stay motivated when it takes awhile to see results? It's so easy to start out gung-ho and then fizzle out once it's been a couple of months and you're still wearing the same jeans. I know that anything more than a couple pounds a week is unhealthy, and I really do want to lose weight in a healthy way. But it's a slow process. So how you do keep yourself going when you're in the doldrums?

Replies

  • missylee117
    missylee117 Posts: 66 Member
    Add a friend and see what others are doing, it helps me to stay focused and on track, a little feedback from everyone else never hurts, cause we are all in this together. Also try to find something that you really love to do and let it kill you, it can be gardening, riding a bike, skipping rope etc. You will find your happiness inside to keep you on track and help others in the process.
  • EstyPorter
    EstyPorter Posts: 39 Member
    SOmetimes when you have a lot to lose, its starts coming off fast when you change your lfestyle. Towards the middle to end, it can slow down because you dont have as much to lose.
    You can try changing your diet, maybe South beach worked when you were bigger, but now you need somehing different. if your diet isright and youre exercising, youll lose. so stay on track and dont give up. you WILL make it to your goal.