deal with the "inbetween" until you reach your goal

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  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    da-mo-166.jpg

    I love this......
  • EllieBMackal
    EllieBMackal Posts: 116 Member
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    yep! thats exactly and 150% me and the way i think
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    Also, I have a long view of this. I figure it will take me one year to get the body I want. In the meantime, I am focusing on the following:

    - adding more weight each week to my heavy lifting program and trying new strength training exercises
    - finding new cardio exercises that I enjoy to mix things up - just started spinning!
    - trying to reach my macro ratios every day....which takes some work and I only succeed maybe twice a week to get it spot on
    - making sure I eat enough throughout the day and that my workouts and recovery are properly fueled

    My old "diet" mentality would have been to drop as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, not even thinking about making sure not to lose a lot of muscle mass. I would deprive myself of things I liked, would feel guilty about eating, was obsessed with food (and what I couldn't have) and eventually would "fall off the wagon" because what I was doing was negative, self-loathing, and perfectionistic and unsustainable.

    This is probably the first true "lifestyle" change I've seriously made and I feel great! Oh....and there is no wagon!
  • toadg53
    toadg53 Posts: 302 Member
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    Since I started on my weight loss journey last July I have lost a total of 104#. 85 of those I've lost while on MFP and 19 I lost before I started on here. I did it with a plan I got from my nutritional doctor. He wanted to see what I was eating, so I got a small tablet and kept track of what I ate, along with my journaling on MFP. I decided rather than looking at the "big picture" I would instead concentrate on losing 10% of my then current weight at a time. I would have to do that 7 times. At this point I have 2 times left to accomplish. I noticed that MFP tells you each day that you will be "X" amount in 5 weeks. So I started writing down each day, 5 weeks in advance, what MFP tells me what I would be if I continued eating/exercising as I was. And you know, THAT was a huge motivator for me. A lot of the time, I met or exceeded where MFP told me I would be. And if I ever got into the rut of thinking, Oh my God, how am I ever gonna do this ,.. I just looked those 5 weeks ahead and saw that, wow, I need to stay on track and YES I will do this. And yes, I have. So, it's just a thought. Maybe it could help you too. Good luck.
  • toadg53
    toadg53 Posts: 302 Member
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    This is AWESOME !!! I luv it :bigsmile:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    focus on your overall health, nutrition, and fitness rather than some number. Realize that these things are life long endeavors...you are never done. Reaching a healthy weight is just the beginning...it is not the finish line...it is actually just the starting line of a much longer race.

    Just try to be a little better today than you were yesterday and sleep well in the knowledge that you're going to rock it tomorrow...and so on and so forth into perpetuity.
  • lorocks61
    lorocks61 Posts: 15
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    i focus on 10 pounds at a time. this has really helped. also more focussed on eating healthy to live instead of eating junk that will only hurt me.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    focus on your overall health, nutrition, and fitness rather than some number. Realize that these things are life long endeavors...you are never done. Reaching a healthy weight is just the beginning...it is not the finish line...it is actually just the starting line of a much longer race.

    Just try to be a little better today than you were yesterday and sleep well in the knowledge that you're going to rock it tomorrow...and so on and so forth into perpetuity.

    awesome advice

    enjoy your small victories - the end goal isn't necessarily the ultimate goal, your attitude and thoughts on the matter will change as you progress - every bit you lose along the way is part of your journey, you will enjoy the way your clothes fit better and eventually don't fit anymore, the way you feel when you eat healthier and start to exercise more, etc etc

    Also congrats on your loss so far!
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    I would suggest smaller goals. I set my goal at 5 lbs at a time, see how I felt, made sure I was not starving myself, let myself have a treat day. Then reset based upon the outcome. I lost slowly but didn't want to burn out. Back again to take off a few lbs I gained last year.

    This is the way I see it too. Even when I weigh in and am one pound down that is a small goal that is a foundation for my larger goal of being healthy. (I don't have a set weight I'm shooting for. I figure weight is only one aspect of being healthy)

    Best of luck and don't be impatient. You're not on a diet, you're changing your lifestyle.
  • KhatLady
    KhatLady Posts: 51 Member
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    I am pretty big on paying more attention to and reminding myself of the successes. Numbers alone are deceptive, especially as a woman. There's weeks where I don't lose anything, there's weeks where I gain, and those are always a bummer no matter how much I feel like I'm rockin' it.

    So I remind myself that I'm still rockin' it. I'm not just sitting around moping, I'm actively working on improving myself. I take the time to notice "Hey! There's muscle under there now!" I remind myself of the little happy dance I did when I slipped into a tshirt that I hadn't worn in years rather than yanking on one of my husband's old shirts. I think about how running used to be a light jog to the kitchen when I forgot about something on the stove, and now I can actually run at a decent speed for an hour straight. I revel in how much "lighter" garbage and groceries are now that I've been strength training.

    The numbers on the scale can't take those moments or that progress away from me, I've already had them. They're mine forever. I just have to remember that and remind myself not to throw that away over something temporary, like current weight. As long as I choose to let those moments drive me, it's easy to keep working.

    There's a reason there's a billion quotes out there about life/success/etc being about the journey, not the destination. Every bit of progress is success, not just the end goal. It ALL counts.
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Hi & Welcome to MFP! I wake up most mornings feeling restless, irritable, and discontent. Fortunately, I have a morning routine designed to pull myself out of that space. It includes prayer, meditation, journaling, reviewing & visualizing my goals, prepping for the tasks, exercise and meals I have ahead of me, yoga, coffee, and breakfast. If I'm still not feeling revved up for my day, by the time I've reviewed my tasks, I have a Happy Dance Party (where I dance in my room to a youtube playlist of songs that make me happy). Sometimes, even if I am feeling revved up, I'll have a Happy Dance Party.

    I find that if I start off my day encouraging myself and believing that everything is possible, the momentum carries me through even the most difficult days. When I am derailed from this positive attitude, I just stop what I'm doing and do one of the things in my am routine to get grounded again.

    I don't know what will work for you, but I encourage you to figure out what snaps you out of that negative mindset. Sometimes, just checking in on MFP can pull me out of it. Make lots of supportive friends and your newsfeed will be full of things to make you believe that success is possible!
  • BobzStuff
    BobzStuff Posts: 121 Member
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    Go look in the mirror. Spend some time there and really see your beauty. It took me awhile before I could look in the mirror and see all the beauty, even though I'm not perfect and I have fat I am still beautiful and I have ever right to feel beautiful and hell even say it aloud. I hate that society always tries to tell us to be quiet when we should be celebrating how beautiful each of us are. I had to stop body shaming myself and others around me. Without even trying I was secretly judging and comparing. It's not right, it's not okay. We are all different but we are all beautiful in our own unique way. Change the way you view beauty and you will change your life and your relationship with your body. Or else even when you lose the weight you will not lose the poor body image.

    Also, stop trying to lose weight. You didn't try to gain weight did you? Were you on the scale each week like "I only gained a pound. I'm going to drown myself in a salad." No, it was a series of small changes over a period of time and that is how you lose it too.

    Good luck!
  • bellabananas
    bellabananas Posts: 20 Member
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    Sometimes what helps me is really breaking down my goals, even into one week increments. I have been struggling with consistency and on Monday I made weekly weight loss goals. I have been doing much better this week and feel confident about making my goal tomorrow! I also set up rewards, not always for weight loss but for healthy behaviors, such as working out or tracking. It can be something as simple as new dumbbells or a jump rope. Seeing the overal picture (I have 30 pounds to lose) feels so overwhelming and like it will take forever. But as someone else said, the time will pass anyways, might as well spend it working towards your goals!
  • newlisa2014
    newlisa2014 Posts: 25
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    I feel low when i look at the parts of my body that i am disappointed with.. So lately i have been focusing on the good parts and trying to be positive and feel confident and it is really helping me keep going. I like to pretend i already have my dream body and it gives me a sense of excitment

    Maybe that could work for you too?

    Thanks! I imagine myself walking on the beach in aruba in the clothes I feel comfortable in and feeling a sense of happiness I dont feel like eveyone is looking at me!!! Thats my long term goal but im also focusing on the smaller stuff along the way.......making sure I have some fruit every day, making sure I log all my food and exercise and drink plenty of water.........these goals should get me to that beach in aruba next year!!!
  • newlisa2014
    newlisa2014 Posts: 25
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    Go look in the mirror. Spend some time there and really see your beauty. It took me awhile before I could look in the mirror and see all the beauty, even though I'm not perfect and I have fat I am still beautiful and I have ever right to feel beautiful and hell even say it aloud. I hate that society always tries to tell us to be quiet when we should be celebrating how beautiful each of us are. I had to stop body shaming myself and others around me. Without even trying I was secretly judging and comparing. It's not right, it's not okay. We are all different but we are all beautiful in our own unique way. Change the way you view beauty and you will change your life and your relationship with your body. Or else even when you lose the weight you will not lose the poor body image.

    Also, stop trying to lose weight. You didn't try to gain weight did you? Were you on the scale each week like "I only gained a pound. I'm going to drown myself in a salad." No, it was a series of small changes over a period of time and that is how you lose it too.

    Good luck!

    Thanks bobzstuff all very sound advice and I never thought of it like that regarding gaining weight!!! I never thought about it I was too busy enjoying myself with all the food so now going to turn it on its head and enjoy other types of food and trying new and healthy things and the weight will fall off without me thinking about it to much!
  • newlisa2014
    newlisa2014 Posts: 25
    Options
    Hi & Welcome to MFP! I wake up most mornings feeling restless, irritable, and discontent. Fortunately, I have a morning routine designed to pull myself out of that space. It includes prayer, meditation, journaling, reviewing & visualizing my goals, prepping for the tasks, exercise and meals I have ahead of me, yoga, coffee, and breakfast. If I'm still not feeling revved up for my day, by the time I've reviewed my tasks, I have a Happy Dance Party (where I dance in my room to a youtube playlist of songs that make me happy). Sometimes, even if I am feeling revved up, I'll have a Happy Dance Party.

    I find that if I start off my day encouraging myself and believing that everything is possible, the momentum carries me through even the most difficult days. When I am derailed from this positive attitude, I just stop what I'm doing and do one of the things in my am routine to get grounded again.

    I don't know what will work for you, but I encourage you to figure out what snaps you out of that negative mindset. Sometimes, just checking in on MFP can pull me out of it. Make lots of supportive friends and your newsfeed will be full of things to make you believe that success is possible!

    Im loving the happy dance party idea, I love a good dance and the music always cheers me up!!!

    I have loads of clothes that either dont fit or never fit (ive never figured out why I bought them.......) and im dedicating the weekends going through all my clothes and sorting me out a whole new wardrobe so that when I feel like the pounds are dropping ill try them on and feel fantastic when they start to fit!!

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