A cool little motivator

StrongHealthyPowerful
StrongHealthyPowerful Posts: 98 Member
edited November 7 in Motivation and Support
If you’re stalled in your weight loss, don’t forget to appreciate the work that you’ve done. Next time you’re at the gym, go over to the free weights section and find a weight that equals the amount you’ve lost (a gallon of milk also works. It’s 8.7lbs). Lift it and really feel its weight. Think of how your joints must be thanking you, even if it’s a small difference. Congratulate yourself for that! For me, if I can hold it in my hand and think about that weight and how it is no longer clinging to my body and weighing on my knees, it brings it home. I have a hard time lifting the 50lb dumbbells, but I’ve lost more than that from my frame (or more than 6 gallons of milk!). Kind of crazy…

Remember to appreciate your body at whatever weight it is. Love it and it will love you back. If you are always criticizing your body at that higher-than-you-want weight, it can be hard to break that habit once you’ve reached your goal.
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Replies

  • caitrocks8
    caitrocks8 Posts: 10
    Great idea!

    My progress is slow. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not making any at all. I need to be more appreciative of how far I've come - Thanks!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    This is a great idea. I've heard people use bags of flour or sugar as a symbol of their weightloss but this is a great idea, too. Way to stay positive!
  • kamri2002
    kamri2002 Posts: 3
    Awesome way to look at things. You are definitely right! Every pound loss is success!!
  • ChapinaGrande
    ChapinaGrande Posts: 289 Member
    I do the same thing, but with big buckets of lard (5 lb) or pound packages of butter at the store. Since it's pure fat, it gives me a visual as well as physical sense of my change in size and weight. good tip, OP!
  • acoustophoresis
    acoustophoresis Posts: 49 Member
    I'm a total lurker on this website - in fact, this is my first community post ever. But I just had to say that this is the best thing I've read on the forums.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    This is the best idea I have seen. Thank you. Sometimes it's hard when I go for weeks at a time without a single ounce lost, for whatever reason. To see my progress as something tangible will keep me from getting discouraged. Thank you so much.
  • Mikkimeow
    Mikkimeow Posts: 1,282 Member
    This is awesome.
  • donnat238
    donnat238 Posts: 309 Member
    Great idea! I'm going to trying this tonight!
  • klkateri
    klkateri Posts: 432 Member
    Good idea. Currently, I'm at a gain/lose cycle of about 3 pounds and I'm incredibly frustrated. But, then I see my dog running around and remember that I just lost what he weighs and I'm amazed. Sometimes, I'll pick him up and weigh with him and then put him down and weigh without him just to see that drastic change!!
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
    I buy 1-lb of butter for every pound of weight I lose. I stick it in the freezer, and it's getting pretty full. Now when I get discouraged I just open the freezer and look at all that FAT! Fat that I am no longer carrying around!
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  • 1HappyRedhead
    1HappyRedhead Posts: 413 Member
    Thank you! :flowerforyou:
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  • _Pseudonymous_
    _Pseudonymous_ Posts: 1,671 Member
    This is such a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing this. I think we all discredit our hard work here from time to time.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Very cool
  • LaurasClimb
    LaurasClimb Posts: 211 Member
    Great post! Thanks.
  • richardositosanchez
    richardositosanchez Posts: 260 Member
    Great motivation. It's easy to get caught up in the end result and fail to see the progress made so far.
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
    Fantastic idea.

    When I go shopping, I put my groceries in a backpack and walk home (it's just a mile). A couple of months ago, I did this and was curious to find out how much was in the pack (it was pretty heavy...) I weighed myself with and without it when I got home and was surprised to find that a) it was 20lb and b) that I'd lost three of them. Judging by the way my knees felt after carrying it, goodness knows how they managed to support me when I was still carrying all three!

    Still got one and a half 20lb backpacks to go though.
  • logiatype
    logiatype Posts: 110 Member
    Definitely need to try this. I still feel as fat as I was when I started out.
    Thanks
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    i carried a 50 pound bag of corn feed the other day, i can't imagine i was carrying twice that around everywhere with me.
  • FatPanda93
    FatPanda93 Posts: 9
    That's my fear, not being able to stop after I get to my goal. Or maybe not realizing that my goal is unrealistic. Which is why I try to tell myself: "120 lbs or whenever I look and feel healthy."
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    I use this technique a lot with clients who seem to feel that all their work is for naught. "I've been doing this for 3 months now and I'm not losing fast enough" is a common complaint. So I take the weight they've lost and have them do a few sets of stair climbs (actually climbing stairs while holding lost weight). Funny how it changes their attitudes right away.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • lalee93
    lalee93 Posts: 52 Member
    Thanks for this. I really needed it today. I've never had a stall this long, and I feel it is hormone related, but it really has me down. I know it will work itself out soon, but it can be discouraging. This was a nice picker-upper.

    :flowerforyou:
  • cpislander
    cpislander Posts: 9 Member
    It has taken me 7 months to lose 34 lbs but that 34 lbs is gone and I look at it this way. Those months would have gone by anyway and if I hadn't changed my way of eating, I'd still be fat! Some weeks I lose nothing or 1/2 a lb at most but most months I lose 3 to 4 lbs so keep your goal in mind and it will come off. I stopped eating all white sugar, potatoes, pasta and bread to begin with. Now I eat one very small potato once a week and one slice of low carb bread. I will never go back to white sugar, corn or vegetable oils, all bad stuff!
  • rcillo219
    rcillo219 Posts: 76 Member
    Thanks I needed this today :)
  • jennybinney1987
    jennybinney1987 Posts: 130 Member
    thank you for posting this.
  • logiatype
    logiatype Posts: 110 Member
    Thanks for this. I really needed it today. I've never had a stall this long, and I feel it is hormone related, but it really has me down. I know it will work itself out soon, but it can be discouraging. This was a nice picker-upper.

    :flowerforyou:
    My weight finally dropped after a 3 month stall. I didn't do anything other than continue with my goal. So, like many others on MFP have said, keep at it!
    :smile:
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    This is a fantastic post! :)

    I would love to toss all the weight I lost (90lbs) in a backpack and carry it around for a day but I'm afraid I'd fall over at this point. It's really hard to see what you've really lost until you try to carry that weight again. It's pretty amazing what the human body can/will do.
  • kbailey374
    kbailey374 Posts: 71 Member
    good point! thanks!
  • Twix856
    Twix856 Posts: 6 Member
    I'm right there with you. I feel like I'm moving at a snails pace compared to others. I'm nowhere near where I thought I would be.
  • nlsalvatore
    nlsalvatore Posts: 519 Member
    Love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
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