It just seems so far away
ashmantious
Posts: 3 Member
I was 253 pounds when I started using fitness pal to track my calories. At the beginning of summer 2011, I was down to 206. I stopped tracking and my weight crept back up to 238 by the beginning of this summer. I am back down to 223 and I would really like to get under 200 by my 40th birthday (next April). If I hit that mark, I will be lighter than I have ever been since I was in college. The crazy thing is I will still be considered obese. I have to get under 195 to merely be overweight instead of obese. It is just so hard to get the pounds off and it seems so far away. I just am having a real hard time seeing the finish line much less the 200 line.
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Replies
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Don't worry about your 40th birthday a an end date. Just hit it one day at a time. Think LONG journey with short trips.0
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This is why I set mini goals for myself. My first mini goal was 30 lbs. down by September 15th and I've already reached that so I'm ahead of the game.
My next is 50 lbs. total by December 15th. And treating yourself along the way helps too. A new top, a meal out, etc.
Time is going to pass either way. You can either spend that time working on your health and shedding a few pounds or keep staying down about your weight. <<< That is what I tell myself when I'm feeling hopeless.0 -
23 pounds by April is TOTALLY doable. You can do this! For your family, for your health.....hang in there. Keep on keeping on! It does work.0
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I hear you!! It seems that the first 25 were so much easier!! Now it seems that my workouts aren't as effective (maybe because of muscle?? idk) But what I do know is that I want to get past that 200 (on the way down) mark too!! I look at hot chicks on here and I'm like, "I want to be a hot chick!" So just know that you are NOT alone, and that if they can do it so can we!! The key I truly believe is too never give up!! Keep Tracking, KEEP exercising, and Keep looking at that GOAL!!! I will be 39 next June and hopefully we'll be exactly where we want to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!0
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@ Michelle W.- I like your picture message!!!!!!!!!0
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Focus on it one week at a time, trust me it helps. If you look at the bigger picture so early on it can get you down. Focus on weekly/monthly goals and before you know it you will be there. You can do it!0
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Hey Hey. dont worry bout gettin it done by a certain time, look at the progress you have already made!! Anyone who carries excess weight around knows how hard it is to get off. Take that to the gym. I plan to! Anytime I feel fat, or not healthy, Im going to go to the gym, or go for a walk. Im literally gonna take my aggression out on the gym, on my body, in a healthy way this time:) You can do this!!0
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23 pounds by April is TOTALLY doable! With some committment and dedication, you could easily lose twice that. What I tell myself when I am down on how hard making these changes are, I try to remember that I did not get so overweight overnight. I look for ways other than the scales to count progress and make mini-goals too. You can do this! Just try to keep in mind alll the reasons that you want to lose.0
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Goals are always nice to have, but what will you do when you meet this next goal? You're pretty good at logging to lose, but I challenge you to spend an additional year after you met your weight-loss goal logging to maintain.0
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Don't look at the big picture. Take one day at a time and learn to enjoy the new habits you are creating. I have a lot to lose too, but I haven't put a time frame on when I want to lose it all by. I'm focusing more on small, achievable goals which in the end will create a healthy me. Back in April I couldn't even walk a quarter of a mile, I'm walking a 5K in two weeks. Back in April, I couldn't bend over to tie my shoes without huffing and puffing and getting out of breath, now I can sit on the floor and put them on! Back in April, I thought healthy eating was anything but fast food, now I shop the perimeter of the grocery store and have so much energy. It didn't happen all at once, but those small changes that make a difference.
April isn't that far away in the scheme of things. Take one day at a time and celebrate each victory! :flowerforyou:0 -
Its quite overwhelming to think of weight loss over a matter of time,truth is time goes by pretty darn fast,I think its easier to focus on this one meal at a time,one day at a time.Soon those dayswill turn to weeks,then months before we realize it a whole year has passed.I have been overweight most of my 41 years on this earth,I think its time I spent each day really teaching myself how and what to eat,enjoying what I eat,and no more self loathing.I see alot of people on here with huge success,im glad to be here 0
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I was 253 pounds when I started using fitness pal to track my calories. At the beginning of summer 2011, I was down to 206. I stopped tracking and my weight crept back up to 238 by the beginning of this summer. I am back down to 223 and I would really like to get under 200 by my 40th birthday (next April). If I hit that mark, I will be lighter than I have ever been since I was in college. The crazy thing is I will still be considered obese. I have to get under 195 to merely be overweight instead of obese. It is just so hard to get the pounds off and it seems so far away. I just am having a real hard time seeing the finish line much less the 200 line.
Been on my journey for 38 straight months, that is 38 straight months eating in a calorie deficit. When I first started I had to get in a pool to walk laps cause I could not support my own weight at 560 lbs. 38 months now of doing exercise at least 5 or 6 days a week, I have lost 311 pounds in that time and currently weigh 249 lbs. and yes am still considered Obese..lol but I will not let some chart or BMI calculator tell me what I know isn't true... But through it all, I still take it one day at a time... Continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to set achievable goals. But the biggest difference is this time it is nothing short of a Total Lifestyle Change now so I just keep on keeping on cause this is my life now... Best of Luck...0 -
I agree with everyone here, it will take a while. When I have my what I call 'mini doubts', I look at all the stories of people that have achieved their goal, I keep telling myself that if they can do it, then so can I. It will just take time, every day on MFP is a day closer to your goal. I wish you all the best with your journey xx0
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Don't be discouraged, we all have to start somewhere! I started at over 200 and at that point I thought I would never be eble to get under 200 lbs. It can be done, it just doesn't happen overnight - you didn't gain the weigt overnight, did you? Best of luck to you!
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The only thing to focus on is intake / output. If you are taking in less than you are putting out you will lose the rest. I have not given myself a hard time limit. If I do I suspect that I may be disappointed close to any deadline I set.
Use this as an opportunity to change the way you think about food, from the ground up. Never even consider returning to your pre diet regime. Otherwise you will just repeat old mistakes. Find healthy stuff that makes you happy when you eat it.
Don't be overly strict about going over calories: especially if it is healthy fruit and vegetables. They will give you the energy for workouts without the crash you get with sugar snacks. If you go over your allowance, don't beat yourself up; try to see it as an excuse to exercise more.
The most important thing you can do losing weight is to have fun. Create those associations and it will get a lot easier! I think dancing around the living room is great fun. Better around the kitchen maybe?0 -
a year from now you will be a year older no matter what your weight.0
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Eat lots of protein and fewer carbs? It really keeps you feeling much fuller for longer. You don't need to drastically cut carbs, just to about 120g a day or so , whatever works for you. That's helping me anyway. I have FAR fewer sugar cravings now and can go longer without eating without getting cranky etc. Then maybe it won't feel like such a tough journey for you. Good luck! You can do it!0
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You can do it. Believe me you can, just put you mind to it. I had a goal of 42 pounds by December 2013, my 50th birthday. I have reached that goal and now working on 3 small mini goals. Just put your mind to it and get it done. I really thought I could not do it either I now see it can be done0
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Ignore the big goal. Set yourself a smaller challenge, for example lose 10 by November or Christmas. Then when you've reached that goal then set the next one.
Think about the Olympic athletes. They have a big goal - to win a medal but they only get that chance once every four years. So they break their goal down - work on speed, strength, technique - so that when that day arrives they are ready. Thats what you need to do - break up your goal with targets in eating and fitness. There might be set backs aling the way but if you keep your smaller goals in mind in the end the overall goal will come into your reach.0 -
I hope I don't repeat too much or sound as if I'm being simplistic!
Definitely concentrate on the small milestones. Just like you would if you were going on a physical journey. I count my weight in stones and pounds, so for me, it's been getting down each stone, one at a time.
Would it make the weight you've lost any less impressive and fantastic if it's not a few pounds more by the time you're 40? Absolutely not! It will still be amazing, however much you've lost by your birthday!0 -
Just take one day at a time. If your goal is to eat more vegetables and less sugar today, you can do that, right? Just eat less sugar and more vegetables today. Worry about tomorrow, when it gets here.
I found myself worrying about Halloween candy the other day. Yeah, Halloween is pretty far away still, yet I giving myself anxiety over candy that will be available 2 months from now. When I put it into perspective about what exactly I was getting all stressed out about, I felt much better.
Our emotions don't distinguish between present, past and future. If we think about something that already happened or something that might happen someday, we get just as worked up about it as if it were happening to us right now. It sounds like you are worrying about your present weight while thinking about your future birthday. Give your brain a break and just worry about what is happening right now.0 -
It seemed far away to me six months ago too...and if I hadn't kicked my butt in gear and gotten going, it would still be just as far away now. Instead, the destination is a lot closer and the changes are obvious. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - and it continues with putting one foot in front of the other, over and over again until you reach the destination.0
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Short trips. It's the only way.
I, personally, find those interum goals tough. I just hit the lowest I've been in maybe 20 years - and I'm 18 pounds down and this was my first goal. But now that I'm there, it's obvious I should lose another 20. Sigh.
But your birthday is a LONG way off and you're not that far from your next goal. You can do it. One step at a time.0 -
It is hard when you first start and have so much to lose. I want to lose 100 lbs at least but it was so discouraging thinking about losing all of that in the beginning. It kinda made me feel like why even try? But i finally did and slowly the days turned into months and the pounds were coming off. Now im 30 lbs away from my 100 lb goal and i feel its SO possible. I just couldnt look at the bigger picture. I would focus on 10 lbs at a time.0
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It helps me to remember that the real goal is to live healthily for the rest of my life. The weight loss goal is just a result of that healthy lifestyle, and it will be attained eventually.0
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Here's what helped me:
First, set small achievable goals. My first was to get under 300. Then was 275. Then was going from morbidly obese to obese...and so on. Early on the goals were 20-25 lbs apart. Later as I got closer and my loss therefore slowed down they got closer together...never more than 10 lbs apart. I had a small non-food reward planned as I hit each mini-goal.
Second, don't set timelines. You can control your eating, you can control your exercise, you can't control the scale. Nothing is worse than wanting to lose 20 lbs by xxx date, losing 19 and feeling like a failure because you missed some artificial timeline when you're really a success for ditching the 19 lbs.
Third, don't weigh every day. If necessary, have someone hide the scale. Weigh weekly, at the same time and on the same day, first thing in the morning wearing your birthday suit. There will still be fluctuations in hydration, but that's the closest you'll get to consistent conditions.
Finally, I had 4 mini-stalls on the way down, the longest one was 4 weeks. I always lost inches and clothing size during the stalls, but I also at first tended to freak out and think I had to change something. Stalls happen. If you stay on plan, they also break.
Good luck!0 -
Vypeters- very helpful! One question, you did nothing during the stalls to get it going again? I've been stalled for 2 weeks now (I know that's not long) but I've never stalled & I'm getting anxious. Did you notice a bigger loss after those 4 weeks?
And congrats!!!!!! You're awesome!0 -
Sounds like we have a lot in common regarding our goals! I started at 288 pounds, I got as low as 218 and then gained back up to 232 and now I'm 226. The other day I got back at this more seriously because I set a goal to finally be under 200 pounds by my 40th birthday which is also in April!
I know I can lose 26 pounds in 7 months and that will be my little gift to myself. Then I'll need to lose at least 50 more pounds to get to my goal.
I like mini goals. Setting little achievable goals makes it seem less overwhelming. It's taken me a long time to get to where I am and in a way I'm glad because it also gave me time to really change my relationship with food and exercise.
I hope you get to your goal in April too I'm sure you can do it! Just keep at it! 0 -
Thank you all for your encouragement and advice!0
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Time is going to pass either way. You can either spend that time working on your health and shedding a few pounds or keep staying down about your weight. <<< That is what I tell myself when I'm feeling hopeless.
This is exactly what I tell myself.
Well, that and the old standby: Never, never, never give up. (Thanks, Churchill.)0
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