Question for people who have lost 40 + lbs or more

I have already lost around 85 pounds - most of which was before I joined. It has taken a little over three years because I was just increasing exercise and trying to eat a little less without any sort of monitoring. Once I joined this site, the weight came off a little quicker, but I haven't really been at it since Christmas. I am just trying to get back into tracking on a daily basis. The hardest part for me is to continue when the motivation is gone. I have a hard time pushing myself once my "LET'S DO THIS!" has left.

1. I have had many strategies over the last couple of years (I have lost over 100 pounds), weighing and tracking food seems to keep me on target better than anything

2. I lost the first 70 pounds in about four months, the next 20 took about 8 months and I have vacillated up and down since

3. Seeing myself how I am now instead of how I was for most of my life.

Always ask myself: In 6 months, do you want to be smaller, or the same/potentially BIGGER than you are right now??? I would always think that with so much to lose that 6-18 months to see progress was, well, not good enough or fast enough and kept me from my goals... now I just tell myself in 6 MORE months how much more AHMAZING I will look and to keep up the good work :flowerforyou:

I started in August 2013.
LOG and WEIGH all the food.
I believe that exercise is my "insurance" that I will lose SOMETHING that week.
Accept that I may only lose 0.5 lbs one week, but will generally show a lager loss the following week :-)
Don't give up... Really, just 1 lb at a time
I still eat (too many) treats, BUT I am in control! There are a few trigger foods I know I cannot have in my house (Little Debbie, I'm looking at YOU!), but I still eat pizza, beer, and stuff. Just wayyyyy less. I used to eat platter of restaurant nachos for dinner like once a week, so progress is progress.

Good luck to you

i lost 60 lbs and have maintained for 5 years. It took me 5-6 months to accomplish that number.. has taken me 5 years and 5-6 months to accomplish that number. The lifestyle never ends.. it truly is a way of life.. not a diet, not a fad.

Consistency and accountability is my secret weapon.. that i why i am still on this site logging my food, supporting others and gaining support from people who are in the same boat.

The hardest part is the mind/body connection. Still to this day, i see that girl who weighed 200 lbs in the mirror. Just like anything in life.. ya get good days and bad days, It's what happens next. Don't let one bad day discourage continued progress.

Take pics see your progress as you go. Reflect back on how far you have come, not on how far you have to go to get there. Small goals at a time. Enjoy your victories and accomplishments. Don't be so dependent on success by numbers .... especially those on a scale. The scale is evil. If you want to focus on numbers, measure yourself.. recheck them once a month. You will see progress. You will feel progress in your energy, and in the way things fit you. Celebrate those victories. Your health is the best victory of all.

Best of luck on the journey!!!

- realize it took years to put it on...it wont come off in days
- if youre going to live by the scale pick a time and always weigh yourself then (saturday mornings 8am for me)
- accept the fact that your weight will yo yo
- accept the fact your weight may even go up even though you did ever thing the same as last week that you lost
- dont make this a X week thing. make the change for good.


best of luck

took me about 2.5 years..I was on ww's..for the last year Ive been using mfp and working out..still figuring it out ..and figuring out what works..

for me the hardest part is seeing the work i've done..others can see it..I still really just cant..unless I put a picture up side by side..then I'll see it..but if i go look in the mirror now..no

I lost the first 37 lbs before I started actively logging my food. I did that by changing the foods I ate, cutting down my portion sizes, and cutting out soda as a daily beverage of choice. I started drinking more water, eating more fruits and veggies, and limiting fast food. I also cut out a lot of prepackaged, processed foods.

I knew that as I got closer to my goal weight it would take more effort and get harder, so I decided to come back to this site and start tracking. As the loss started to slow down, I found that weighing my food has helped me to better understand portion sizes and to keep the downward trend going.

I added in exercise last month, when it started getting more comfortable and easier on my joints.

I don't think there really is a "secret" to weight loss. For me, it has been about being honest with myself.

1. What is your strategy / tactics 2. how long did it take and 3. what was the hardest part for you personally?

1. Eat less calories than I burn in a day, both of which I track as consistently as I am able (accuracy is only so possible since everything we really have is estimates, but consistency helps make up for flaws in the accuracy). I walk a lot more now (13-14,000 steps a day), and wear an activity tracker to count those steps and calories, and I go to the gym 3x a week for some strength training, but that's the most I do exercise-wise

2. I've lost 65 lbs so far and it has taken me 8 months. I started in June, but was trying different things so I don't count one month of trial/error figuring out. I started out at 2 lbs/week goal, and switched to 1 lbs/week about 7 lbs ago.

3. Logging accurately. I have some psychological block when I know I'm going over my calorie allowance where I don't want to write it down when it puts me over. I've gotten much better about it though, especially about tracking all the little things like cooking oil and when I have a piece of mentos once in a while. I know the numbers are what matter so I have to remind myself that I need those numbers to be as honest as possible. My body counts it even if I don't count if here, so I just have to remember that every time I don't want to log something.

My only promise to myself at first (even before I found MFP) was that I had to do something that I can do for life. So I decided to eat the food my family eats in a reasonable portion, and stop being a ridiculous pig with snacks. I was eating probably 4000 or 5000 calories a day which got me up to 340. A good half of that was treat food, binging daily on whatever food no one could see me eat.

The hardest part remains, I will likely always struggle to control my eating during the week before and week of my period. The hunger is real and the cravings are many.

My biggest tip is to start slow and make changes you can live with, because, sister, diets WILL fail. Always and forever. You must change your relationship with food and your activity level in order to make a permanent change in your weight. Losing it once is hard. Losing it over and over and over will kill you inside, heart and soul.

I've lost 77 pounds (a few of those before I found MFP) since mid-June. (Size 30/32 down to size 20 jeans!) I have maintained my losses with only a 2 pound fluctuation here and there. (mainly hormonal) It hasn't been easy but it's definitely something that I can live with forever.

- realize it took years to put it on...it wont come off in days
- if youre going to live by the scale pick a time and always weigh yourself then (saturday mornings 8am for me)
- accept the fact that your weight will yo yo
- accept the fact your weight may even go up even though you did ever thing the same as last week that you lost
- dont make this a X week thing. make the change for good.


best of luck

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