How do you make yourself lose weight?

I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids and, for eight years, I completely ignored my health. With the birth of each child, I gained weight and I never really realized how big I'd gotten until I stepped on the scale four months after having my youngest and saw the number 251.9 staring back at me. I was horrified and decided that I needed a change. Over the next 6 months I exercised sporadically and tried to be a little more careful about what I ate. I lost 30 pounds but then I sat at that weight for a very long time.

In January of this year, one of my good friends (who had been bugging me for 5 years to join her at her bootcamp) finally convinced me to try a semi-private session with her trainer. At the same time, my now sister-in-law (who is 10 years my junior) asked me to stand up with her when she married my brother. I decided that I didn't want to be the old, fat person in the wedding party. 9 months later, I've lost 80 lbs and I'm the fittest I've ever been I spent 8 years making excuses and I'm so grateful to my pushy friend and my sister-in-law for finally motivating me to get my life back!

One morning I got on the scale and saw 150 and almost freaked out. I'd been working a lot, not exercising and eating whatever was easy. Not anymore. I joined up here, log almost every day and have lost 25lbs since September.

What you need to remember is to recommit yourself EVERY single morning and just take it day by day. Some weeks you won't see a loss, but you're still getting healthy and, if you're workout, strong. Focus on your goal and take before pictures and measurements to keep you motivated.

I saw a picture of myself and decided to stop eating cake for a month. 2 weeks later I joined MFP.
I stick with it because I want this. And it's not hard. I don't deprive myself of what I like.

I woke up one day and said, I'm gonna do it......simple as that.

me too. cleaned up my eating, started going to the gym..... the rest is history. I'm getting ready to run my second half marathon next weekend - first one was almost a month ago.

Eat less and move more. It's that simple. Don't wait for a "special" day, ie. I'll wait for Monday, until after the holidays, etc. Track your food, MOVE--whether it's walking, swimming, lifting, etc, and for all that is noodly and good, DON'T THINK THAT STARVING YOURSELF IS THE WAY TO GO.

You have to want to do it. No one can help you with that.

I ran across the Keto subreddit on reddit. I read and thought about it for a few weeks and then just tried it. 3 months and almost 40 pounds later, it's working.

You have to want to do it. No one can help you with that.

Yup. Everyone in the world (with little exception) would like to be skinny/smaller/in shape/fit. You have to truly want it bad enough if it's going to happen. Until then, you'll just be floundering around.

I have to get into my workout clothes immediately after work for it to happen. In the mood or not, I put on my sports bra and Lululemon pants and think, "These few crunches will matter tomorrow." Then I do as many as I can, counting out loud (AND LOUD! Saying each number, in full and aloud, helps to motivate me) till I get to the OMGDYING point and have to take a break.

By then I'm in the right mindset to keep going with dance cardio, weights, etc.

For me it was a combination of fears - I had started to feel like a stroke or a heart attack might happen at any minute, my 70 year old mother could walk faster than me, I was worried I'd never make anything in my life better and I really needed to. The main thing I asked myself was, if you aren't going to do this now (be healthier), are you EVER going to? I was scared that the answer might be no, and I knew that was bad. So I pushed all my toys out of the pram in one go - cut out everything I knew was keeping me down and started to reach for what I wanted. I quit my horrendous job (yes, I should have gotten another job first but I needed to feel the fear before I would get my butt off the seat) I signed up for classes, found a new job I LOVE, and started to put the things I enjoy first, instead of constantly worrying too much about what others think. Its not easy. I'm a bit twisted - certain people in my life are DESPERATE for me to lose weight and that has made me push hard against doing it. I shut out everyone's voice but mine and said what do you want, really? And the answer was to be healthy, to cook and enjoy food, but to have energy and vitality and be able to wear nice things. To have the confidence to go after other things I want out of life. Now I know that I'm doing it for me and no one else, and I have a strong reason for doing it, I've been able to let go and enjoy it Good luck with your journey.... sorry for rambling :0)

I saw a picture of myself on a beach in a swimsuit that I thought I looked good in. I was wrong, now that swimsuit is too big.

I looked horrible it pictures. Double chin and bags under my eyes. Whoa...I was only 36 and supposed to be in my prime! So I found this site and set the cal goal and stuck to it. Who knows how much I was eating before...I would guess 2500-3000 based on the choices. Now my motivation is loving what I see happening...cheek bones, hip bones, no double chin and no sucking it in. That feeling is better than any box of mac n cheese! Plus I still eat what I want but I have to earn it....do I really really want to workout for an extra hour to burn off that little *kitten* cheese burger??? Naw.

Hi Nickey,

For me it was the 3rd round of cancer treatment that got me. My endocrinologist once told me that cancer feeds of fat cells and if you are fat the likelihood of it coming back is greater. So i was to lose the weight and be healthy so i can avoid another round of treatment. I am also doing this for my girls. They mean everything to me.

Sorry to hear about your situation. You should google fasting and chemo. I read something about it helping in some way.

Have to decide what your motivation is and then refocus on that motivating factor every single day. You have to modify it when it stops being effective, adjust it when there are goals you've met, find something completely new when you continually hit a brick wall. This will be a battle for the rest of your life, be ready for it!

I decided I would lose weight. I read and researched how to do it. I formulated a plan. I followed my plan.