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

This

That's actually such a good question. I have around 40 lbs to lose (have already lost 10) and need tips to stay motivated

I see a lot of you guys have lost a great deal of weight (impressive) and I was wondering if you would share 1. What is your strategy / tactics 2. how long did it take and 3. what was the hardest part for you personally?

1 - starting is your first strategy and your first success I did a whole lot of researching & reading on here and labels at the grocery store. Once I had a plan..I ran with it. I was determined! I Started with 1200 cals (like most newbies) quickly went to TDEE-% and used that for most of my loss and then stuck to a base number that seemed to work better for me now than previously since my workouts vary now. As of this week - i am entrusting MFP calculations and eating back some of my work out calories.

2. One month shy of a year (with November and December maintain purposely done) so technically 9 months. I have less than 10 pounds now to goal.

3. Trying not to obsess about everything!!! Example of how my mind works "am I over my calories, did I work out enough, did I give myself the right goal, should I follow my macros" all these thoughts ran through my mind constantly. I was and still am obsessing over numbers - no matter how successful i have been I was and still am afraid I was doing it wrong lol Therefore I am forever researching things.

I entrusted MFP community boards and the TDEE - it worked!! I am now entrusting MFP calculators to get me to the finish line. There are days when I just do NOT want to work out...I do it anyways and ALWAYS ALWAYS feel better after I am done!!!

My best advice : research and find a plan that works for you - STICK to it. Find an activity that you enjoy and do it as often as possible!! Never stop looking at labels and be as accurate as possible when logging: this means weighing your food...every morsel It really becomes habit..second nature after awhile This needs to be a lifestyle change - not a diet. Diets you start over and over again..life style changes become your life so make it something you can live with!!

I cant live without my coffee - so I make room for it daily!! If there is something you can not live without - moderation is your key. Make room for it in your daily goal and you can have it!

One day at a time. And it's OK to make mistakes.

The best advice I can give you is...

* Daily tracking - and be honest. Scales don't (usually) lie! ...

* Exercise often. I have Rheumatory Arthritis and even through my worst pain, I keep moving. It does a body and soul, good!

* Sleep!!!

* Don't deprive yourself. Give in, take a little and move on. Don't let it drive you bat**** like it would me if you didn't!

Right there....Having R.A. and still movjng. Lost 60 lbs in 18 months. Still losing but toning now

1) I weigh every morning without fail, logging a change when it is sustained over 3+ days.

I am set to "sedentary" and losing 1.5 lb/week so my daily calorie goal is currently 1,270 which sounds awfully low but does not feel like it, especially as I DO eat back exercise calories (more on that below).

I drink a lot of water and I do drink diet soda, but limit myself to 1-4 cans per week. I have 1 cup of coffee every morning and a cup of hot tea a few afternoons per week. I eat everything in moderation, including carbs, sugar, etc. Nothing is banned from my diet although I really do not care to eat cereal, pretzels, potato chips, cake, mac n' cheese, etc - I'd rather "spend" my carbs on things like rice, pasta, frosting, etc...or chocolate ;-)

My exercise is between 1200-2000 calories burned per week but not via organized workouts, DVDs, gym, etc. I hike, bike, and walk. I eat back about 70% of my exercise calories.

I do not really snack. I eat breakfast at 7 am, lunch at 11:30 or 12, and dinner around 5:30-6 with nothing after that most days. Not because I think it is some magical early hour to stop eating. Just because that's when I am hungry and don't feel like eating later so I "use" all of my calories at those 3 meals.

2)

I started out in Nov 2008 at 307 lb, my highest weight ever. Like many others here, I was stabbing in the dark at exercise & "healthy eating" without really knowing what healthy food was, and no clue of how many calories my body needed. That meant a LOT of miles walked and a lot of crazy sporadic calories such as 600 one day, 2,500+ the next day, for several years. Doing that it took me 4+ years to lose my first 45 lb.

Once I joined MFP (March 2013) it was much, much easier to lose steadily and I've lost 71 lb in the past year. I currently weigh 191.

3)

The hardest part for me personally was having no positive feedback when I was losing the first 45 lb mentioned in #2 above. I felt a million times better physically and was so proud of my hard work and progress, but seriously no one noticed and I was still in the same size 22 pants/jeans, and only moved from 3X down to 2X shirts. That was TOUGH. But honestly the past year has been fairly easy to me. I know that sounds overly simplistic...of course there have been times I was bummed that I went over my calories or really wanted to get a patty melt and ate a small omelet with veggies instead. But overall it's been easy and the extreme positive feedback I've received from people around me (which started after only like 7-10 lb lost on MFP) has been super motivating.

Sorry that was a LOT of text. Hope it helps add to your arsenal of info. Best of luck!!!