How do you keep this up?

EOHerrera
EOHerrera Posts: 45
in Motivation and Support
How do you manage to keep the motivation to keep doing this month after month, year after year, for the rest of your life when there are just sooo many foods that you can't eat & still manage to keep your calories and macros where they should be? I've been at it for 3 months on April 3 and I'm really getting tired of struggling to lose an "average" of one pound a week. Most weeks it's nothing at all. I want to feel like it's worth it, but honestly I'm beginning to wonder at this point.
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Replies

  • maggs155
    maggs155 Posts: 258
    I eat all the foods i love i just dont eat as much as i used to.I also make sure i get a good burn on. After i loose all my weight i dont plan on logging my food the rest off my life. After so long u learn how much is a normal helping, so i will just use what i have learned with this weight loss journey to keep my weight off. I do plan to keep exercising the rest of my life because its good for the body and will help keep ur weight off. Thats my plan:) Also if you want to loose weight a little faster maybe increasing ur exercise would help you. Also if you quit doing what ur doing u may put what weight u have lost back on and then some and u dont want that. Its better to just keep pushing on even if ur loosing slowly...
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    i didnt, ive started, lost, stopped, gained, restarted a few times. when i hit 10 in jeans i know i have work to do, now in an 8 lol
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Losing seemed easier than maintaining.(for me) i keep this up cuz i don't want to go back down that road !
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Wait, there is food I can't eat? I've lost about 50 pound between here and another weight loss site eating what I wanted in proper portions and not obsessing about being perfect. I started in 2004 -- I haven't had a substantial gain ever. It's all about doing what you can live with.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    Get your spouse involved, too. My wife and I are doing this together and it means we encourage and motivate each other.
  • CharityGC
    CharityGC Posts: 499 Member
    I haven't eliminated anything completely from my diet. And I have a couple days a month that I have a meal where I don't even count calories, usually because we go out to small restaurants that aren't chains so I can't be sure how much I'm having. And that helps me keep going. Right now I'm eating gummy bears. It's definitely more work to eat healthy and within your calories/macros but it's worth it, at least to me.
  • bombedpop
    bombedpop Posts: 2,227 Member
    I`ll bite. What exactly can`t you eat?

    edited since I have since read the whole post. So losing a lb a week is not progress? Did you gain at faster rate? Doubt it. Buck up.
  • silversociety
    silversociety Posts: 222 Member
    Two more pounds for me then I'm in holding mode... That'll be like an extra 400 calories a day so I'm assuming that'll offset any feelings of not being able to keep up. Just look at the pot of gold at the end of the road. If that doesn't work look at pictures of fat people and know that you don't have to be one of them...

    Works for me.
  • col443
    col443 Posts: 17
    I still enjoy everything I used to. In fact tonight I had pizza and wine. Just make sure it fits into your calorie goals for the day.

    The last time I tried losing weight I went on a strict diet. Sure, I lost weight but I was so miserable that I eventually gave up and stopped. This time around I refuse to deprive myself. If I want donuts I eat one (instead of 3 like I used to). Everything in moderation.
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    I don't see any food as something I can't eat...If I truly want something I eat it... in a reasonable amount. I don't look at this as dieting but as a lifestyle change.. a change I make one day at a time only. If I truly want a candy bar.. I get a "fun size" rather than a huge one.. it satisfies the craving without a huge calorie bomb.I exercise everyday in some fashion and choose to eat healthier portions ( my usual were huge).. By eating several times a day I don't miss the extra...
    If you are having trouble losing check your stats (BMR and so forth) you may not be eating enough.. I just went through this...figured out I was not eating enough calories.. so my body was um "conserving" and I was not losing...I upped my calories a bit and started to lose again... hope that helps!
  • om3guz
    om3guz Posts: 48
    I still eat the foods I love and have maintained at goal for about half a year (it took me about half a year to reach goal). I still log everyday to keep myself in check, but I typically eat then log. I don't plan out/log my meals before preparing them. It's a good indicator whether or not I can fit a late night snack into my calorie budget.

    It's more about portion size and accounting for higher-calorie meals or snacks that otherwise would ruin a day than restricting foods from your diet. If I have a big lunch, I have a smaller dinner. If I want a slice of cheesecake later, I'll cut calories throughout the day to make room for dessert.
  • arsimpson1
    arsimpson1 Posts: 59 Member
    I think just reminding myself everyday of why I'm doing it. One thing I like to do is give myself short challenges to help keep things interesting. Almost like bonus points in a game if I complete the challenge.
  • lyndawilson986
    lyndawilson986 Posts: 20
    It's a matter of thinking, "boo hoo..I've only lost 12 lbs since in the past couple months" or thinking "Wow..I've lost 12 lbs which is like carrying a big bag of potatoes around and in another couple months, If I stay positive, I could be down another 12 lbs which is 25 lbs LESS and you will be feeling so great about yourself this summer. And if you track your calories which is a breeze with MFP, you can have any foods you want...just count them. If you want pizza and cake, track them and just have fruit for breakfast or whatever. BUT STAY POSITIVE:::: YOU have done great..so what. If it's coming off slowly..the thing is - ITS COMING OFF!! ????
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,276 Member
    I just made a choice....do I want to be thin and stay that way for the rest of my life or go back to being a slug? You can guess what I picked. :)
  • kjoy_
    kjoy_ Posts: 316 Member
    once you make your goal weight then it's about maintaining. which you still get to eat all the foods you love, just in more regular portions and doing it while making smaller, healthier choices. it may seem like a mountain to climb now but once you're there you'll have all the tools and strategies you need to keep the weight off. yes there will be sacrifices in the process but it wont be like this forever! remember the time will pass whether you're dieting or not. you don't want to look back a year from now and say "man i could be at my goal right now"...do you really remember what you ate even a week ago? just putting it all in perspective helps.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Everything in moderation. Occasional splurges.
  • shosho420
    shosho420 Posts: 220 Member
    Its just more of a lifestyle change for me. I won't ever go back to gorging on 5k-10k calories a day. If I eat 1300-1400 calories a day I naturally just lose 1 pound a week. If I meet my -3500 a week I lose 1 pound, I just have to think where I will be in 6 months.
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
    Losing seemed easier than maintaining.(for me) i keep this up cuz i don't want to go back down that road !

    this
  • gothikgrrl
    gothikgrrl Posts: 23 Member
    I haven't really denied myself anything either. I think now what I do is just think more about what I eat. I haven't lost anything and I started months ago. When I get depressed about the slowness of the process I ask myself if I want to stay fat and single or lose weight and start dating. It's usually a pretty easy decision, most of the time LOL.
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
    Having a mindset of you "can't" do something is making it harder on yourself. The more something is off limits, the more you think about it, the more you want it. All things in moderation. Learn to take your unhealthier meals/foods and tweak them so they're healthier. Or if you want to eat them in all their unhealthy glory, just eat LESS of it. To make this work, it has to be sustainable. It shouldn't feel like torture...or at least not for very long. All change is uncomfortable,that's just part of the process, but it should become less so as you adapt to those changes. Here's an article I read over the weekend that may prove helpful to you. Your thoughts, how you view things can AND will determine how successful you are in your weight loss journey, as well as other aspects of your life. Change your mindset. Change your life. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/achieving-goals_b_2907422.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
  • moodyshannon15
    moodyshannon15 Posts: 39 Member
    Instill eat what I love, I just don't over eat anymore. I watch my portions and I don't feel deprived
  • Suffer4beauty
    Suffer4beauty Posts: 44 Member
    As long as you keep at least a 500 calorie per day deficit, you will lose a pound per week or so. To that note - I exercise to "earn" extra calories. Sometimes I use them and eat a treat. Other times I "save" them so that maybe I will loose 3 pounds in 2 week's time.
    To exercise, admittedly I do some not-fun stuff (like Barry's Bootcamp video) because it helps me to loose A LOT of calories fast. But I also do fun things and I roped in friends and family. I LOVE dance videos - so i dance with my kids. I love to walk - so one friend walks 2 miles with me each morning. If I want to walk in the afternoon, sometimes I plan the walk with a friend, other times it's spontaneous and I call to see if anyone can walk with me. Making my walks to destinations - like, to 7-11 to buy milk or to work or to a friend's house, helps with this. Sometimes I listen to music while walking, other times I pray to God about things. I sometimes even get the entire family out walking,explaining to my young children that the walking helps "kill the bad guys that get into us with some of the not-so-healthy food." Those walks are a little slower - but we get to chat and my son feels like he got a lot of quality time with me.
    Mostly - find some exercises you enjoy. Hiking? Dancing? Walking? Step aerobic (another favorite of mine). Also, when doing those cardio videos - go with the easiest mode that still makes your heart go up some - and STOP before exhausted. A wise women once told me, "if you always work until you are tired, you will not look at exercise positively - you will look at work-out times with dread. Work hard enough to raise your heart rate and STOP when you feel like you can do more - this sets you up to feel good that you exercised, makes you happy to have "extra" calories, and raises your endorphins just because that is what exercise - without exhaustion - does."
  • beckylawrence70
    beckylawrence70 Posts: 752 Member
    I eat what I want in moderation........
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
    You should be able to enjoy a variety of foods as well as treats and 'naughty' foods into your calorie goals!

    But of course.. no one is perfect, we all go over our calorie goals every now and then. I've done it multiple times. Especially those who suffer from binging.

    You can even give yourself one day a week where you don't log, and eat whatever you like! Thats fine :) OR you can just eat what you like, and fit it in your goal. But remember - healthier/wholesome foods fill you up more.

    But yeah - this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE - no missing out!!!! You can eat your fav foods, and still lose weight/body fat!
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I keep this up by not saying "foods I can't have." I will have any food I damn well please. I'll make it fit, or just go over... the world won't end if I do.

    Exercising is another matter, and I take a break off it when I feel burned out. I recently took a week off exercising, and after that I jumped right back in because its too important not to keep up.

    Same with the calorie counting. It sometimes gets tedious, but on the same token after you've been at this for a while you're able to eyeball a lot easier, and just constantly remembering WHY I'm doing this is a major motivation to keep this up.

    It's been a year and a half since I've started watching my diet and exercising, and that 1 1/2 years included days where I stopped exercising for long periods, said "**** it" and ate **** for weeks on end, and periods where I've had cheat meals, cheat days, and days where I felt like I can't do this for the long term... and I always end up back in the right mindset because giving up and going back to misery is NOT an option. That's why I threw out my old clothes - I can't afford to re-build my wardrobe a second time, I have to remain this size - for the entirety of my life.
  • Pimpmonkey
    Pimpmonkey Posts: 566
    The more I've been researching my own health, the more I have realized that I can have what I want within reason. Then again, the more I research, the more I realize that some of the foods I love are not in my best interest, and I replace them with ones that are.
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    You find a way of eating and exercising that you feel you can comfortably do forever. It may be slower, but figure out how you think you need to live to maintain your goal body and live that way.
  • MouseTmom
    MouseTmom Posts: 201 Member
    Where did you come up with the idea that there are foods you can't eat?? You can eat anything you want - just use portion control and log it.
  • EOHerrera
    EOHerrera Posts: 45
    REPLY TO "BOMBEDPOP"'s comment: So losing a lb a week is not progress? Did you gain at faster rate? Doubt it. Buck up.

    Actually, YES, I DO gain faster than that - MUCH faster.
    And as for your comment to "buck up" - how are comments like that supposed to be "motivation and support"? Do you seriously think that's what people who are getting discouraged really need to hear? Well, it's not! So thanks, but no thanks for your comments.
  • EOHerrera
    EOHerrera Posts: 45
    Thanks for the positive thoughts!

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