Sometimes the number is just too big

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2

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  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 1,926 Member
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    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: 648 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Accept that this will be a long journey. I have been told that this a marathon not a sprint.
  • BrieLP
    BrieLP Posts: 300 Member
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    bumping for later... I will so need this. :smile: one day at a time.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    It is overwhelming sometimes when you have so much to lose. Even if you are losing a couple of pounds a week, you have so far to go it seems like you will never get there. But just stay focused, and keep doing what works for you. Those couple of pounds do add up more quickly than you realize. I have lost over 100 pounds, and still have a ways to go. Some days I still get in the dumps thinking about it. But I just drag myself back out and keep going !
  • jmeyer925
    jmeyer925 Posts: 326 Member
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    You know, when I first "started" I didn't realize I was "starting". I didn't set any goals, didn't have any time references (of course I wanted to be thinner, but just had no idea how to do it so i didnt try).

    I had actually switched schools. So I was no longer near fast food as much, and was put into fitness P.E, which had public weigh ins. So when I first weighed in in that class I was at my highest, and just wanted to roll into a ball and die.

    And you know what? I lost 50 pounds in about 5 months! Without consciously trying, and doing just the workouts and strength training in that class (like 45 minutes a day). When I saw that I had lost that much my jaw dropped to the floor, I seriously told them that their scale was broken.

    Long story short, don't think about the long term right now. Focus on things you can do right here and now to better yourself, and I can GUARANTEE you that you'll see results. When you get a little further, then you can start thinking about where you want to be :flowerforyou:
  • sarahg148
    sarahg148 Posts: 701 Member
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    Ditto to what everybody else has said. I'd even break it down to smaller increments...5 lbs at a time. Then for each 5 you reach...reward yourself with something small. Or put money in a jar...$1-5 for every pound you lose. Then WHEN you hit goal...go shopping or take a vacation. :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • jenniferrow
    jenniferrow Posts: 203
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    One pound at a time, my friend. One pound at a time.
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
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    You CAN do it. One day at a time. One week at a time. It can be done. Just remember, it didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight either. Be patient, work hard and it will happen.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I agree with mini-goals. I set some for myself and have found them to be very motivating as I achieve them, approximately one every month or two.
  • Sindaelys
    Sindaelys Posts: 37 Member
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    I like what the myfitnesspal app does once I finish logging my food for the day: it shows me my possible weight in five weeks. Granted, this works better when I'm under my calorie limit, but it's good motivation. Think about how awesome it'll be getting on the scale and seeing that number go down. Heck, graph it weekly and really see that visual line! While it's good to have a goal in mind, I think that focusing too much on it is counterproductive. Make your changes, see what happens, and enjoy focusing on that instead!
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
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    I don't think about the number. Ever. I couldn't even tell you how far exactly I am from my goal. I think about what I've accomplished and eating smart and getting some exercise every day, but I don't think about what's left to lose. I can't control how long it's going to take, but I can control what I do today and hopefully those actions will take me where I want to go eventually. I never set xx amount by xx date goals. That's not within my control. I do the work, the scale responds how it wants.

    Think of it this way: you are going to have to eat sensibly and exercise regularly for the rest of your life to be a normal weight. So start doing that now. Live that life now and your weight has no other option but to come down. If you do that, the actual number and the time it takes to get there becomes less important.

    So don't think about the number. Start living the life and focus on that. The rest will follow. :smile:
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
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    I have 2 pounds to go for 100 pounds lost from my all-time high and I did it in 3 phases and it ended up taking about 4 years. I lost about 25 and took a break for my body to adjust. Six months later I lost about 25 more and gave my body time to adjust. I gained 10 back when I got into a new relationship and enjoyed going out to eat. I panicked and said enough is enough and over 9 the last months have lost the 10 pounds that I gained and then some. It is hard work and not very exciting, but it is now honestly a way of life. I'll be happy when I lose the last 2, but I'm more focused on the long term successes now. I try to focus on the positive things associated with my weight loss along the way. Feeling better. Looking better. Fitting into smaller sizes (going from an 18/20 to a 2/4). My ability to see my muscles now. Slim people at work telling me how small I am. It took time and it happened slowly, but eventually it happened.

    Good luck and don't give up!

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