Why were you successful this time round?

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  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    I conceptualized it as making permanent changes to my life this time. I'm making changes gradually, one thing at a time, rather than trying to change everything all at once. This is the most weight I have *ever* lost in a single attempt. I've always given up after losing 15 pounds or so in the past. The way you frame it cognitively makes a huge difference.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    In my case, a lot of it had to do with having diabetes and wanting to stop taking the meds as well as having to go to the doctor every 3 months. And I wanted to improve so I didn't look like I didn't care when I stepped in his office.

    Now after a year, its has really become my life. This is how I will eat forever. It has become a habit and even though I have days when I stray, its not enough to make me want to give up......not after all this time and all the progress I have made. And, heck, we all need to splurge once in awhile.
  • briggsy13
    briggsy13 Posts: 161 Member
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    I stopped making excuses. I used to have tons of them, I don't have the time, it costs too much to eat healthy, you name it I've probably said it. I want this, I want healthy, I want to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I want to raise my kids in a healthy environment and I want them to grow up with a healthy happy Mom.
  • turboturtlepower
    turboturtlepower Posts: 79
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    Last time, I lost rapidly and lived on 5 hour energy, and consumed under 1,000 calories on a regular basis. This time? I was 170 in January, I'm 154 now...and I have definition that I never had before. On average I eat 1,500 to 2,500 calories a day, I'm active, healthy, eat clean...but most of all I'm mentally stable, have the right mindset, and I am patient. Lift heavy, eat clean, do a little bit of cardio. :)
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 819 Member
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    I decided that even if I wasn't losing weight I was still eating better and working out. I just kept repeating this to myself - over and over again.

    Then I went to the Doctors and found I had lost 5kg and it was just this lovely boost - I felt like I could do it. Then my pants started to get baggy and it was exciting! I have not been as strict about logging/ working out/ eating better these past two weeks - BUT I am still eating better than I was and working out more than I was before!

    I think it helps to have a goal other than "lose weight". Mine is to beat the treadmill - run further than I have before. I have heard people say that if you have a lot to lose it helps to break it up into smaller goals: soon (hopefully by the end of the month) I will have lost 10% of my original body weight and be a little over 10kgs down.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
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    Anger.

    Embrace the Dark Side of the Force.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
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    I changed my lifestyle. I don't deprive myself of things I realize I was becoming my mother (GOD I love this woman, but I don't want to be her or have her problems.) I worked toward changing it slowly step by step ( I had to fight my husband who resists change, esp. things that don't let him eat pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken morning, noon, and night). Then my son at 9yrs. old was diagnosed with severely high cholesterol, and what I wanted became super important for him too! My husband hung up the boxing gloves, and jump sides. He now (for the most part) embraces the lifestyle shift I have created in our house. Don't get me wrong. I will eat Pizza, cake, and ice cream! I love them, but now we are aware of how often, and how much we give into these delicious pitfalls. We workout separate (for my sanity), and we have family workouts. We don't want Dalton missing out on things like enjoying cake at a birthday party, but we want him to think about healthy choice at least 80% of the time. The other 20% can be the splurges we all love. We plan out splurge days (we don't call them cheat days b/c that implies we are doing something wrong). Most of all we know there is not a quick fix, or that this is a temporary part of our life. We don't treat it that way either. It is not about restriction, it is about moderation (no need to guilt someone into not eating enough or for having too much) If you do move on and love yourself enough to stop, and think about what you are doing, saying, and consuming!:flowerforyou:
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
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    The reasons I am being successful this time:

    (i) MFP - the fact that it keeps me focused on a goal, and stops me from getting complacent. Before, I would have lost 10 pounds, felt a bit better, and gotten lazy. This time, I'm focused on the fact that I'm not done until I get to at least 35 if not 40 pounds, and then the challenge will be to stay there.

    (ii) I realised that a drop in motivation or a crazy weekend when I drink 1000 calories doesn't mean I throw the whole thing out the window. It's a long journey and sometimes I'm more motivated and sometimes less. And that's ok.
  • bikinisuited
    bikinisuited Posts: 881 Member
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    Simple. I gained knowledge reading about my calorie intake and follow my own advice. Daily weigh-ins are simple accuracy as to whether you are meeting deficit after a week or not. This works for me. Scale is higher, too many calories. Scale is lower and steady, you got this! Now start plugging away, hit macros cut and paste same food journal for several weeks with modifications during the week. I see the scale moving....Jumping of joy!
  • MelisMusing
    MelisMusing Posts: 421 Member
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    I cycle my carbs and calories, and have one "free" day a week (similar to Chris Powells Choose to Lose). I eat REAL food, and if I have a craving, I can be satisfied with knowing that if I can't have it today- I can have it in moderation on Saturday. I don't feel deprived, and I eat to meet my macro goals.

    I do exercise I like, to music that I love, so it doesn't feel like a chore.

    Aside from that- I know that what I want to achieve won't happen unless I really DECIDE. I am in control. Not the food, not the emotions (feelings aren't facts) and not the people around me.

    Oh- also, PLAN. You have to plan, and make sure you aren't surrounded by temptation.
  • CanuckLove
    CanuckLove Posts: 673 Member
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    I saw this quote on a friend's profile and it resinated with me...
    "If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done"
  • alliemarie77
    alliemarie77 Posts: 378 Member
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    This time around..... I had just lost my mother to a heart attack after losing my dad 8 months before that.

    I was going through a lot, and I felt like I needed a CHANGE in my life. I couldn't talk to anyone without feeling more alone than before.

    So, I decided that I couldn't expect anyone else to change.... I had to be the one to change. I needed to get in shape and be healthy so I could live to be older than 59, or 60. I needed to take care of me! So here I am....
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    Because I enjoy eating regular kinds/amounts of food and I also discovered that I need to exercise to keep healthy AND sane, and neither of these facts are going to change over the course of my lifetime, so I may as well find my sweet spot and make it work. Which is what I have done through enough years of trial and error.

    Also because I have finally accepted that I don't need to lose XXlbs. by XX.XX.20XX. When you toss out that nonsense then this whole journey becomes a lot easier on you and your body and mind in several ways.
  • norrisski
    norrisski Posts: 1,217 Member
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    Because I really, really wanted it. I was fed up of being fat and unfit, and realised that only I could change that. So I did.

    I get constant feedback when I look in the mirror. I also can't stop paying attention to what I eat so I will keep my food diary for life and I have fallen in love with swimming all over again, and weight lifting. I love my shoulders in a sleeveless top. Only you can make the decisions everyday about what goes in your mouth and how to spend your time. The long term reward is much better than the extra chocolate chip cookies. Good Luck. BTW I have maintained 130's on scale now for 7 months. Still have a stubborn 6 pounds to go but I will not give up. I HAVE GOT THIS!!!!!!!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I have tried more times than I can count over the last twenty years. I usually never made it more than a few days and to be honest I really had no higher expectations this time Around. What I did differently this time is I really thought and planned how I would do it. I thought about what would work best for me and what caused me to quit before. I hate to cook, so if I had to cook elaberate things I would give up. I apparently can't do low carb either lol. I set small goals and only worried about getting to there, when I was in the 260's I focused only on getting to the 250's for example. I also tell myself I will never consider this truly a success until the day I die at my goal weight. It is a life time change. And I tell myself I can't fail if I don't give up.
  • pippywillow
    pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
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    This time is different because I'm doing it for more energy not just to look better. I could spend the rest of my life without being sexy or thin and I'd still be happy, what I can't do is spend the rest of my life not being able to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath.

    Oh and I find my days go better when I start off with some protein for breakfast.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Because I really, really wanted it. I was fed up of being fat and unfit, and realised that only I could change that. So I did.
    And it is quoted yet again. Do you notice a trend between her and the people who quoted her? We all have trackers and lots of progress. We are putting it out there and being accountable. Almost any diet plan will work if you make a very serious decision to stick to it. Wanting it is not enough. You have to commit to doing it; not trying to - doing it!
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    focus on the process and focus on changing your habits...eating better and more nutritiously...getting your fitness on, etc. Focus on that rather than the arbitrary number on the scale an know that it takes time. Good Livin' isn't about today or tomorrow or next week or next month...it's about your life and how you're livin' your life overall; Good Livin' and the benefits thereof takes time.

    Focus on the results and you rarely see the change; focus on the change and you'll always see the results...that's good livin'

    Totally this, but I would add it is about the NOW. What you are doing in this moment is either helping or hurting your goals. Choose the activities in the NOW that are helping.
  • markbolch
    markbolch Posts: 24 Member
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    What helped me is I looked again at my goals. I needed to lose close to 100 pounds. For me setting that goal was so unobtainable. I then set smaller goals. Even if your goal is to move more and eat less for today or this week, Days turn into weeks , weeks turn into months and I am 80+ down. If I mess up for a day rather than giving up and going back to my old habits tomorrow is another day and strive to do better. After a while you will see results. After you see some results it snowballs into more motivation. If I miss a day of exercise that’s okay but I try to never miss 2 in a row. I also do what works for me through trial and error. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here, I’m not one of those. There are a lot of opinionated people on here and I may be one of those. I don’t put much thought into” you have to do this or you can’t do that”. I read it all but in the end I do what works for me and I’m sure some would say you can’t do that :-).. Take it all in, sort it out and bottom line do what works for you and if one day you fail don’t give up try again the next. The other thing I did was take a good look at the stuff going on wrong in my head that caused me to overeat to begin with and ended up in a happier place..
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    In the beginning, I was just completely fed up with how I looked and felt and was determined to make a long-term change to improve my health, fitness and looks. As I've gone through the process, I've learned new things and even lost track a couple times but then I refocus my goals, find new tools, exercise, recipes - whatever it takes to keep it interesting and keep myself motivated.

    I did a lot of self examining too. It's not easy for sure! A friend of mine asked me why i thought I failed the last diet (Atkins, lost about 50 pounds then dumped the diet and gained it all back and then some) and at first I blew off the question but it stuck with me and I gave it some serious thought. And I realized that deprivation was my biggest source of failure. Every diet I'd tried before I wouldn't let myself have pizza or chocolate or whatever and of course that was what I really wanted. So this time I found ways to still have the foods I enjoyed but tweaked them a bit so they were healthier and lower cal or I'd have them but less often and with smaller portions.

    You may have to deal with your own fears and set backs as we all do but the thing that's important is that you keep going. Even if you slip for a weekend or week or even month, get back on track and continue moving forward. Don't give up.

    As far as support goes. Have a good talk with your family. Get them to join you as much as you can but the rest is ultimately up to you. There are still cookies and movie butter popcorn in my cupboard but those are his, and I have my own healthy snacks if I want something.

    Definitely get back to the logging - it's a valuable tool! Good luck!

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