120 lbs to lose and feeling overwhelmed
KolaCabana
Posts: 19
How do those with a lot to lose stay motivated? I feel overwhelmed by the amount of weight I have to lose and often give up before I've even started. I am interested to learn new ways to change my thinking and adopting different habits. Have any tips or sage advice to share? I could use them! Thanks!
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Replies
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Set mini goals! thats what I do..Im gonna lose 10 lbs this month...reward yourself for your mini goals.0
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Hey girl! Set small goals - at 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 15 lbs and so on - and schedule rewards for each goal reach. The bigger the goal, the better the reward!!
You can do this chica!0 -
Hi don't even think about the final goal, just aim to loose 1 to 2 lb. a week, if you loose more think of it as a bonus,
ou stay the same or gain, don't worry just stick with the plan, drink more water and do a bit more exercise.
I have lost 22lb in the last 14 weeks and am very happy with this progress, even though I have lots more to go. I am just about starting to see a difference in my clothes, they are a bit looser now. If you loose it slowly and steadily its more likely to stay off as you eating habits change. Good luck and don't give up. 0 -
I agree with everyone about setting small 5-10lb goals. Looking at it in the big picture can be very frustrating. Start small and those little victories will add up!0
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Those above me ABSOLUTELY speak the truth. My wife who's lost, for her, what is a considerable amount of weight, did exactly that. Set smaller goals, "I wanna lose X Amount of Weight by X-Date" . Don't focus on the total amount of weight you want to lose, that is your worst enemy. Weigh yourself, set a small go, hide your scale, work hard, reach your date, weigh yourself again. Don't get over obsessed with it, just work hard, stay positive, and despite taking a lot of time I'm sure, good results will come. Believe in yourself.
But also, imo, keep something VERY important in mind, it's not the worst thing in the world if you don't reach your goal, if you get close. Push yourself, you know you, you know how much you can take, and try as hard as you can. If you're a few pounds off, then adjust your next couple of goals to compensate, eventually you'll be smashing through goals like they were made of paper, but it's not easy, I can only imagine it'll be the hardest thing you've ever done. Don't let it get you down, don't lose your smile and positive attitude, because THOSE are the things that are going to get you through it.
Good luck!
P.S. The reward thing is also a really good Idea, imo, do that! Give yourself something to look forward to.0 -
When I started out I bought myself a day planner and some stickers. Every day that I stuck to my diet I got a sticker in the day planner. It's a silly little reward and it gave me a quick visual on whether or not I was skipping too many days.
That's what worked for me. It may or may not work for you. But look around and see if you can find some small, non-food thing to reward yourself with.0 -
Like previous posters have said, set mini goals. When I started, I had 86.4 lbs to lose. Now I have less than 16. I created an excel spreadsheet with 5 lbs increments so that is all I'd look at. It didn't seem so hard then. OH and don' t set a timeline, like I'll lose 20 lbs by this date. If you make it, it feels incredible, but if you don't, then I always felt like a failure and wanted to give up. Just break it into manageable chunks and you'll be amazed at what you can do.0
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I was looking at 50 pounds to lose. I felt overwhelmed by that as I couldn't even lose 10 pounds and keep it up. It was a mountain. I get that 120 seems overwhelming. If it didn't, it would mean you didn't understand the journey ahead of you. You have to change your thinking to learn to stick with it. I had to accept that I may not meet my "mini" goals but would set them and try to get to them. I had to accept when I was having a bad day, I couldn't eat McDonald's because I could use that excuse too often. I had to learn that it was ok to cheat occasionally or else I would not stick with it. I had to learn what excuses I used in the past and ways to get past them. The good thing is, the weight comes off easier in the beginning because we have more to lose. Closer to the goal, it will get more difficult so it is motivating to see it start to come off and want to keep it up. I agree - set mini goals, find ways to change your thinking. You need to be excited - fake it until you make it. I say, I am looking forward to my walk/jog and the food I am eating is good, even though most times I am not. You can trick your mind. It gets easier once you accept it and get deep enough in your journey. We are all here for you! Good luck! You got this!0
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I have a lot to lose too shall we do it together? We will be thin! Might as well start now with little changes and then it doesn't seem so overwhelming. I am stopping alcohol and cutting out take away foods this week , x0
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Give yourself small goals - and each time you meet that goal, give yourself a new goal!
I just started 10 weeks ago, and I had 90-100 lbs to lose. Now, 100 lbs sounds totally overwhelming, especially when you realize that it will most likely take a year or more to reach my final goal. So my first goal was to lose 5% of my body weight, which was just about 12 lbs. I hit that goal about 7 weeks in! When I reached that goal, my next goal was to lose 10%, which is about 25 lbs. I am currently working on that goal, and have 9 more to go. When I reach that goal, my next goal will be to get under 200 lbs... after that, I'm not sure what I goals will be, yet. Having these small goals - goals that you still have to work at, but that are attainable in shorter periods of time, make it so much easier to deal with, mentally!
The other thing that I am working on is fitness goals - so I have two sets of goals that, together, are making each other happen. My first goal was to start exercising at least 3 times a week. As part of that I started a couch to 5K running program. Once I reached my workout goal, I decided that my next goal was to run a mile in less than 13 minutes. I hit that goal on May 9th when I ran in a 1-mile race - my first chip-timed run ever. I beat my personal goal by 10 seconds and finished in 12:50! My next goal, now, is to run a 5K by the end of September. These fitness goals are helping my weight loss, and as an added bonus, I am seeing a huge drop in my tape measurements, too!! And they help keep me motivated: even though my weight loss doesn't seem to be huge, I'm obviously gaining a LOT of muscle because I've lost over 15 inches in tape measurements!
Anyway, keep at it - and don't get discouraged at the big picture! Think small victories! And lean on supporters! I'd love to hook up with you here on MFP and cheer you on - as long as you can do the same for me!
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Absolutely get where you're coming from. As you can see from my ticker, I'm chasing about the same amount down as you and I felt about the same way back in February when I got serious. I remember the beginning of March thinking, "I only lost 12.5 pounds and God, this'll take forever!"
My husband, God bless that awesome man for loving me, responded like this: "Do that again next month and you'll be down 25, and that's a lot." It only seems small at first. But as you keep going, you start feeling better.
I didn't rely on exercise the first two months, but as my energy level went up (having lost 20+, and started moving at least a little), I've branched out into actual exercise.
I still feel like it'll take forever, but I've come to realize that's okay. I'm not feeling deprived, I'm not in a race. This is a choice I've made, and a lifestyle I can live with, even at maintenance. When I'm done, heck, I'll be able to eat more than I do now and if you check out my diary, I clearly don't starve myself to keep going.
Just take it one day at a time and soon enough you'll find yourself getting into this and being excited about what you're doing.
ETA: Personally, I'm getting super excited as I close in on the 60 pound mark. That's a huge point for me (no pun intended), because after that, I'll be able to say "I've lost more weight than I still have left to lose", and that is awesome!0 -
This may sound strange but I've been searching for "motivational quotes" on google images or tumblr and reading them always gets me really motivated. It's really hard to change and break habits but I think if you can redirect your thoughts to some of these positive and encouraging quotes, it might help you. Hope so! Good luck, my friend!0
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Just feel good about whatever it is that you've accomplished thus far. And really feel good about it. Before you know it, it'll become routine and you'll be wondering how you ever had a concern.0
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You know what? I LOVE to look at the 'success stories' section of the message boards and look at the people who have lost a WHOLE bunch of weight. Then I think to myself, "Damn, real people did that with no surgeries or weird diets and I can too." It keeps me inspired. I don't set a time frame, I just set those small goals. I still haven't made friends with the exercise thing yet, so that's my next step. There will be days when we say, "screw it" and feel guilty over something. Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!!! It's going to take time but it will be soooooo worth it!0
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Someone else just did it
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/996886-140-pounds-lost0 -
I really suggest reading through this thread thats going on now:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/994529-success-tips-that-helped-you-the-most
There are some amazing tips on there now that might help you on your journey.0 -
I started with 120 to lose, and knew I would be overwhelmed. So I decided to look at it in five pound increments. I need to lose five pounds.
Twenty-four times over.
So far I've hit my goal four times. :-) I don't let myself get overwhelmed by the fact that I still have 100 lbs I want to lose. I'm only focused on the next five.
If you need a friend, I'm always willing to support folks. Feel free to add me.0 -
I am with everyone else. Do not focus on the finish line. Focus instead on today. Eat right and move more today. If you do that every day before you know it you will find yourself within site of the the goal. I started in July 2012 with 133 pounds to lose. I'm now 23 pounds from my goal and actually thinking of lowering my goal!0
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So much great advice already given. I would just be re-itterating. I can tell you though, that 124 pounds ago, I felt the same way. When I changed the way I thought and decided not to worry about how fast or how much I had to lose, it seemed to go quickly. There were times ( like now) where I felt stalled, but then I would have a sudden drop. Just stick with it even when you aren't seeing immediate results. You can definitely do it.0
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"They", whoever they are, say that you can increase your health and decrease health problems by losing 10% of your weight. So, for you, lose 12 lbs. You will feel better. Then lose another 10%.
I'm not even halfway to my goal, but I feel so much better. My blood pressure pills have been reduced and will be reduced more next month. My clothes are fitting better and people are noticing.
You can do this too!0 -
Patience and Perseverance will be your best friend. ( plus all the wonderful support on this site)
Stick to what you can stick to....for the long run :flowerforyou:0 -
Set small goals and if you 'fail' one day or a few days get over it and go back to your goal.0
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Giving yourself mini weight goals is awesome, but I'd also suggest finding other things to focus on! Please please please take measurements other than the scale! It helps so much to be able to see all the inches fall off even if the scale isn't moving.
Maybe try setting fitness goals too! Like, "I want to work out X days a week." or "I want to try X many new exercises a month" or "I want to eat this many servings of fruits and veggies a day" or "I want to try out this many new recipes this month" and then reward yourself for reaching those goals!
Oh! And finding an exercise that doesn't feel like exercise (for me, that's hoop dance) helps SO much. When fitness is fun it doesn't feel like a chore.
If you don't focus so much on the weight aspect, maybe it won't seem so daunting.
And of course, add plenty of friends on MFP (and in real life!) to help you stay motivated! (You can definitely add me, if you like!)0 -
I agree with many of the other comments. Set small goals. "I want to lose 5 pounds." Then, just keep setting that goal until you arrive at your destination. I often think of the line from the Bill Murray movie "What about Bob?": "Baby steps, untie the knots."0
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don't say "I can't" or any other excuse...I can't cook properly, I can't exercise, my family refuses to eat what I cook, etc. Once the negative thoughts come into your head, it's tough to get rid of them. It might be hard to grocery shop properly, but there's always a way.0
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Sometimes it helps me to set non pound related goal. For example, today I just need to walk for 30 minutes. I need to do that 5 times a week. Focusing on this instead of "I need to loose 2 lbs this week" really helps me because I can meet the goal of walking even if the weight doesn't come off right away. Once you start to meet goals like this after a few weeks it becomes routine and that helps too. Eating an extra piece of fruit or more veggies, swapping out a healthier desert, or not getting seconds are some other non-pound related goals you can set. I think no mater what the goal is, achieving it feels good and feeling good about it can help too.0
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I stay completely away from setting weight related goals, no matter how small they are.
I do this , because weight loss is not something I can control, because so many different factors play into it.
I set other goals.
I am fairly new here and my first goal was to log in with honesty for 30 days without missing a day and staying within my calories. I was successful.Now I aim to do the same for hundred days. In a few days I will reach " 50 days posted " and that is when I will implement a new exercise goal and add to my daily walks with my dog also 30 minutes of " brisk walking ". I will also add to eat a salad each day, even though nutritionally I think I am doing well.
I figure by not concentrating on actual weight loss, but on the activities that bring weight loss about, I have a good chance to stay positive throughout the long haul.
I weigh myself every two weeks to avoid " scale fever " and that also seems to work ok.....:o).0 -
Setting small goals leading up to your big goal has been working for me! Also set "rewards" when reaching your goals. Example: when I lose 33 More lbs I am doing something different to my hair, when I get back to ONEderland I'm getting a new tattoo. Things like that :-) Also the more support the better! I have a very similar goal to you so feel free to add me! I would love to help get you to your goal! Feeling overwhelmed is normal, but having people that "get it" make all he difference! :-) good luck!0
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You set small goals that aren't necessarily scale-related and just keep going one day at a time. Focus on your good habits and the scale will follow. Celebrate any and all victories, including logging all your food no matter how good or bad the day was, any exercise, and any loss - whether it be weight OR inches. Take. your. measurements! When weight loss seems like it is slowing, your measurements might be changing and if you don't take your measurements, you won't realize that.
Be kind and patient to yourself. If you fall off the wagon one day, dust yourself off and get right back on. You didn't gain the weight in one day and you won't lose it in one day either. To that extent, one mess up isn't going to make you gain everything back either so focus on the big picture.
Your weight loss will not be linear so don't freak out about a weigh in with no loss or even *gasp* a gain. Look at your trend over time. My weight loss graph looks like a roller coaster, but overall it goes down and in a year, I've lost over 60 pounds. That's pretty good progress, even with all the times I saw a maintain or gain!
Good luck. You can do it if you just keep moving, one step in front of the other, day after day!0 -
first things first.. do not look at it as a whole total of 120lbs. that seems so hard. start little by little. set mini goals. i started at 327lbs so my goals were like to just get to 300. then it was to have lost 50lbs total. then it was to weigh 250. then it was to lose 100lbs total. then it was to be in ONEderland.. now its to get to 163ish to weigh HALF of what i used to be. then maybe 150.. re-evaluate. you can get there.. it does take time. do not give up. ANYTHING you change is an accomplishment. now get at it, girl.
best of luck with your journey. 0
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