How do you do it, especially those who have lost so much
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YaMon22072
Posts: 14
Why is it that starting a program and actually sticking with it can be so difficult? If you want something, such as losing weight, you would think that you would just be able to start a program and stick with it. Not me, I get annoyed with myself, discouraged, and disgusted. It is much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy. I need a kick in the *kitten*. 
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Replies
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I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!0 -
~ I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Being accurate is very important. For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it.
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
That's really great advice.
You have to make changes that you can live with forever. That means being patient with yourself, finding exercises you enjoy, and learning how to eat a balanced diet. Eat lots of healthy foods that help you stay within your calorie goals and hit your macros for the day, but allow yourself the room to have foods that you enjoy. There's no way I'm going to live the rest of my life without beer, pizza, or chocolate, so I work those things into my calories whenever I want them. If you don't feel deprived of anything, you have no reason quit.
You can do it! Just make small changes.0 -
I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
QFT. Brilliant, inspirational advice! I haven't lost a lot yet, but it becoming clear to me how crucial it is that the changes I make are sustainable.0 -
It's not easy. I've "failed" more times than I care to imagine. Honestly, I'm back on day 2 of a 3 day F it mode. The scale started to stick and the weight loss slowed down and I got discouraged. It happens. All that matters is you get back up and start working at it again. The good thing about messing up is that you can fix the problem. Yes, you may from time to time say screw it and gain a pound or 2, but you can also lose that weight again and learn from it.0
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I'm not in the "lost so much" category yet either, but I'm doing OK. I think most that have been successful over the long haul make reasonable changes that can be sustained forever. They aren't at the gym 16 hours a day and eating nothing but celery and lettuce. They have good days and bad days (and don't freak out because they "blew it" and quit). They are eating foods they enjoy, and being active in ways they enjoy. They eat cookies and ice cream and pizza and bacon cheeseburgers-they just don't eat all of them. Activity is anything other than sitting on the couch. All activity burns calories. You don't have to run 10 miles just to burn calories. I burn more calories doing things like parking further from the store, walking around the yard with the dogs, being inefficient doing laundry (making lots of trips up and down the stairs) on an everyday, all day basis than I do "working out". Do whatever you can and more importantly, do something you actually enjoy. The options are endless. To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body burns. Move more (to burn more calories), eat less (or less calorie dense/more nutrient-rich foods). And for goodness sake, don't give up because you had a bad day.0
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I decided what I want most. I am not going to allow anything, anyone, any food, to keep me from becoming the best me I can be.
As already mentioned, lifestyle changes are important. I have a long diet history so I looked back at what things were good and where things went wrong. I added the behaviors that worked & eliminated those that did not. I also eliminated foods that repeatedly proved to be unhealthy for me. If something makes me have horrible cravings and want to eat nonstop it does not belong in my life.
I have made some hard choices that, at one time, I would have thought impossible. But once they were made I discovered those choices made losing easier. I am happy with how I eat & I can eat this way forever. I have no uncontrollable food temptations. There are no days when I eat junk food but there are no days when I want it. I've eliminated the things that caused me to fail in the past.
I work every day to make sure I eat healthy meals and don't get over-hungry. I track my food & exercise mostly to make sure I don't under-eat. I listen to my body.
And I am aware every single day that I am just one bad choice away from undoing everything good I've accomplished.0 -
Why is it sometimes really difficult? Trying to change too much too quickly and ending up in a punishment / reward cycle. If you make small changes gradually over a long period of time, it's a lot easier to stick with it.
The only thing I did cold-turkey was giving up meat (and that was done with the help of a lot of documentaries which put me off meat and I never looked back). After that, I just started flooding my diet with vegetables and making little adjustments every two weeks or so, and the weight just started falling off.0 -
Why is it sometimes really difficult? Trying to change too much too quickly and ending up in a punishment / reward cycle. If you make small changes gradually over a long period of time, it's a lot easier to stick with it.
The only thing I did cold-turkey was giving up meat (and that was done with the help of a lot of documentaries which put me off meat and I never looked back). After that, I just started flooding my diet with vegetables and making little adjustments every two weeks or so, and the weight just started falling off.
Unlike Cora, not only will I eat the meat but kill the animal it will be coming from
I am not really in the "lost so much" category either but it looks like you have already been given great advice.0 -
Why is it that starting a program and actually sticking with it can be so difficult? If you want something, such as losing weight, you would think that you would just be able to start a program and stick with it. Not me, I get annoyed with myself, discouraged, and disgusted. It is much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy. I need a kick in the *kitten*.
Funnily enough, I was thinking the same last night!! I too get annoyed with myself, discouraged, and disgusted. And yes, I was also thinking, It is much much much easier being fat, eating whatever you want and being lazy. I want the end results, without the hardwork :blushing: (Yes I'm aware thats not possible!!!) and the mental upset! (Stress, tears, annoyance, disgustedness!)
I go to the gym, then instead of feeling good, I feel awful after looking at myself in those hidious mirrors for so long!!
It's so hard, but I suppose anything that you do want in life, you have to work for it! We did a good job of gaining the weight, and its so easy to do, we need to concentrate on a target and hopefully, one day, we will all get to our own personal goals.
Until then.... I guess I'll have to personally work on the mental side of things!!!
:sad:
Good luck to you in your own challenge! 0 -
Sorry - Forgot to add.... Im not in the 'lost so much' catagory either! Just wanted to say, I feel the same as you do sometimes!0
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What a good well-balanced and encouraging post. Thank you.0
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I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
This ^^^ pretty much says it.
Ohh and NEVER GIVE UP0 -
I Love this reply - it was very inspirational. I am just starting out too! 0
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I don't think I'm in the 'lost so much' category... yet... but I can relate to how you're feeling. I need to remind myself on a daily (hourly..., minutely..., secondly!) basis why I want to lose weight/get healthy. Lots of the time I listen to myself... Sometimes I don't. What others say may help inspire me and keep me going or get me back on track, but it's me who has to do the hard work of making good choices. And it is hard. But the more often I listen to my own good advice and the good advice of others, the better results I see and the better I feel. And that helps me to persevere.
Lessons I'm constantly reminding myself of in my daily challenge of getting healthier (and hopefully thinner):
~ It's a damned slow process. But I didn't get this way overnight so shouldn't expect to undo it all over night. 1-2lbs per week is a reasonable expectation for me. If that means I only lose 5lbs in a month, I have to be okay with that, and pleased with my achievements. There is no such things as a magic pill.
~ Whatever I do has to be sustainable forever. If I 'diet' by cutting all sugar, or all baked goods, or if I live on just white and green foods, I will lose weight. But as soon as I re-introduce the no-no foods, I'll gain the weight back. And probably a few extra lbs too as my body's way of saying "Take that for depriving me!". My new normal way of eating (reasonable portion sizes, lots of water, much lower amounts of 'junk food', a lot more healthy foods, within a specific daily calorie limit) has to be something I can do for the rest of my life.
~ Tracking my food and exercise makes me a lot more aware of what (and how much) I'm eating. It also makes me think twice about how I'm going to spend my calories. Yes, I think of my daily allotment like an account with limited funds in it that I need to make last for the whole day! Being accurate is very important. Overdrafts are costly (to my goals and my self esteem). For me, no foods are off limits, but if my goal is to be healthier, I will reach that faster by making better food choices. I'm more likely to make bad choices on days I don't track my food and exercise (or more likely to not track if I eat poorly or don't exercise). So tracking is important.
~ While weight loss is 90% about what I eat, exercise will help make me feel better. And if I feel better, I'm more likely to make better choices. But, again, the activity I do has to be something I enjoy, something I can do easily. Otherwise it's too easy to talk myself out of it. It's nice to exercise with a friend, but I can't rely on friends for my motivation. I have to motivate me and make a commitment to myself in order to reach my goals. If I can help friends at the same time, yeh!
~ While I'm entitled to have a stern word with myself when I mess up, I can't beat myself up and use it as an excuse to give up. I have to do my best to learn from my mistakes and then put them behind me and start over again.
Persevering to achieve a weight loss goal is difficult because it's hard work. Change is almost always hard. Even change for the better. But when that hard work starts to pay off, and your changes are paying dividends, it's sooo worth it!
brilliant advice :flowerforyou:0 -
A great post!!! I have lost, maintained and now gained a few lbs back. I am back on track and love to read these motivational posts. I know my downfall food is wine. In May when the weather got good, I loved to sit outside, sip a glass and enjoy the day. However, one glass turned into more and then a binge. This went on for a few months and now I find myself with 10 extra lbs. I stopped the habit and am back on track. I have to keep in mind that some foods I cannot have as I can't do moderation (not yet). I am back to my habit of daily weighing, food and exercise logging and reading posts to keep me going. Yes, get back on track and don't give up.0
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That's why I put it off for so long, honestly. It was easier and more satisfactory to just eat whatever I wanted and not gain much weight (seriously, I put on what, 8 lbs in 3 years?). Then one day I got sick of being fat and eating junk all the time, and it was much easier to stick to it.0
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I didn't try to make all the changes in one day. I started with one change, then added others as I went.0
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Don't be too hard on yourself. I have a problem with being really hard on my self. It takes time to lose weight, so it takes a little patience.0
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Between work and a busy family schedule, I haven't found that answer either, but I am more determined than ever. Losing weight gets harder each year. If THAT's NOT motivation, nothing is.0
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You have to really want it!
The emotional joy I got from sticking to it was so unexpected.
I will never be overweight again.
It is a life process.
Good luck to you0
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