Pitfalls for those needing to lose 100+?

Thank you for posting about this. So many people don't think about things to avoid while their losing weight in a healthy way. Or even think about the fact that things will be changing as time permits and you're going to look different but how do you deal with all of that? I've been on my weight loss journey for over 3 years now.. I'm still nowhere I'd like to be.. mainly because of illnesses and getting caught in those pitfalls that you've mentioned. It's not easy by any means to keep motivation for that long. Truthfully, even extremely healthy people who go to the gym everyday don't want to do that. Trust me, I know many of them. But they do it anyway because their goals are more important than their excuses. I'm coming around to that mentality. It's taken a while. Sometime it doesn't take as long as it's taken me. However, I do know that it's possible. To keep myself motivated, first I have surrounded myself with people who want to help me reach my goals. So they are there for moral, emotional, physical and even spiritual support because it's definitely not easy in any of those categories. Second, I have a vision board. A board of things I'd like to accomplish if I only were healthier, some things are simple like doing a marathon (though that's not really that simple huh?) other things are being able to play with my kids when I have them, having my husband (when I get married, December!! yay!!) being able to carry me over the threshold, I have pictures printed out and put on the wall so I can see them everyday to keep me motivated. Find what keeps you motivated like those things and put your reasons as to why you need to stay motivated in front of you so you can push forward!! BTW, congrats on the weight loss so far!!!!!! That's a huge accomplishment!! Also, take pictures every month so you can see your progress. Since we're with ourselves all the time it's hard to see a change but take pictures and measurements to see how well you're doing!! And go ahead and ask me any questions that you might need to!! I'd love to help.

Welcome to MFP. If you want to start a blog, you can go here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lisaforalways

As for tips. Well, here's a couple:

First of all, how in the world do you stay motivated for THAT LONG? Holy crap.

I think one of the most important/useful things you can do is to get it into your head that this is a permanent thing. It doesn't take "that long" - "that long" being the time it takes you to get the weight off and reach your goal. It doesn't stop there. Reaching your goal is only the beginning. Do not fall into the trap of thinking of it as a temporary diet that you do until you lose the weight, and then go back to normal. That's not how it works, not if you want to keep it off. You'll hear "lifestyle change" thrown around a lot, but even then, sometimes it's just words. It really has to be a permanent lifestyle change, and one that has no finish line. I've been maintaining for over a year, and it's still just as hard work as the losing phase. For some, maintaining is quite easy, but for a lot of others, it's very hard (hence why most people regain the weight!) It seems to be harder for those that have always struggled with their weight and/or are emotional/compulsive etc eaters.

Weight loss is hard work, and it takes a long time. It's also boring and tedious (and maintenance is 10x worse in that respect). You will not always feel motivated. As desperate as you may be now to get the weight off, motivation comes and goes, and you can't rely on that to keep you going.

So, with that in mind, don't make drastic changes you can't stick to. Don't "go on a diet". First, make only the changes you need to to see the weight come off. Don't try to lose fast, or expect it to happen fast. It will go a bit quicker while you still have a way to go, but will slow down a lot. In the beginning, 2 lbs a week is a good rate. Later, 1 lb and then even 0.5 lbs a week will be better. It's tempting to lose as fast as possible, but it's important to try to maintain your lean mass (muscle, bone density etc) as you lose weight. Better for your health, better for your metabolism and better for how you look when you reach your goal.

Don't worry about "eating healthy", especially at the start. (And, by the way, I think good nutrition is hugely important - I'm just saying don't get hung up on the details in the beginning). To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. To lose mostly fat, you need that calorie deficit not to be too extreme. Track your food accurately (a food scale is good for this) and gradually start paying attention to the nutritional balance.

Eat the foods you enjoy. Don't cut out ll your favourites because they don't seem like what you should eat "on a diet". If anything, if your diet isn't very balanced, try to add more things in. Focus on getting enough protein, enough fibre, enough good fats etc. As you do that, you may find some of the more calorific but less nutritious foods get squeezed out a bit. Let it be a natural process though. Don't be too restrictive, and make a point of still including some of the foods you really enjoy. On the other hand, it's a good opportunity to cut down on some of the foods you don't really enjoy as much, but have got in the habit of eating. I've got to repeat it: make small, gradual changes you can stick with.

Try not to fall into the "good food"/"bad food" or "healthy"/"unhealthy" "clean eating"/"dirty eating" dichotomies. Food is food. Different foods have different ranges of nutrients, some of which you need more of than others. Look at your overall diet and judge how balanced it is. Don't be afraid of eating certain foods. Dieting can mess with your head, and for a lot of people, it can make unhealthy eating patterns or unhealthy thoughts about food worse. Food is not bad, or evil. Calories are not evil. It just needs to be eaten in appropriate quantities.

If you can, get active. Pick some form of exercise you enjoy and again, can sustain. Walking is a great way to start getting more active. Exercise isn't the be-all and end-all of weight loss, but it is wonderful for your health and helps you burn a few extra cals. Make sure to eat at least a good portion of those cals back though, to make sure your calorie deficit doesn't get too big.

The mental aspect can be tough if you've always been overweight. You may experience a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. You will probably find that your mind takes longer to catch up with what you actually look like, as you lose the weight. You'll probably see yourself as fatter than you are, eventually. For a while anyway. You might find it difficult to see yourself as thinner, and some people struggle to accept their smaller body. Everyone's different, but some people have good psychological reasons for being overweight in the first place. Whatever issues or hangups you might have with weight, or your body... try to deal with those from the outset, as you go along. Don't expect to reach your goal and wake up one day full of self esteem and confidence. (I don't mean to make assumptions - maybe you are full of those things now! Just talking generally from what I've seen happen to a lot of people). Losing the weight can be life changing, but it can also be an anticlimax. If you're not happy with your body/self/life now, then losing the weight isn't a magic wand. Insecurities you have now won't disappear overnight with the fat. I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, just something to be aware of. Address this stuff now. If you are one that struggles with the changes, remember you can always stop and maintain for a while, to give yourself a chance to get used to it. Don't let that make you give up and gain the weight back.

tl;dr: Create a lifestyle that you can actually enjoy and sustain, that allows you to lose the weight and then maintain that loss. Don't expect motivation to stick around. It's about making a decision and deciding that the outcome (being a healthy weight) is worth putting the effort in. Think of it in the same vein as other important things like holding a job down, or maintaining a relationship, or getting a degree. You might not always feel "motivated" to go to work, but keeping your job is important, so you go. Same thing here. This is not an easy process, but it is a simple one, and there is a lot you can do to make it easier on yourself.

Check this link out as a good overview of the basics: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Howdy, friend! I know I'm just about as early in this as you, but I think us sticking together will help a LOT. Maybe we should do even more together even though it's hard with our schedules. Like pre-making our meals for the next day together.

Getting 10,000 steps in on a workday is great, certainly don't stop that, but since it's spread out over the day and you're not getting your heart rate up as much, it's not going to do nearly as much as getting your heart rate up for 30 min. I know days off are so lovely to get down time on, but you may want to have those be the days you focus on getting in active time if workdays are just too exhausting for you. You should be able to have plenty of alone/sleep/down time and still get at least 30 min of straight heart rate action. For me, on the days I actually workout, I seem to be more motivated to eat right, I feel better, I lose more, and I sleep better. As you know I'm not so good at being consistent with this either, but as much as I hate it beforehand, I feel soooo much more accomplished and motivated to continue this journey when I workout.