Feeling a little lost... can anyone relate?

arussell134
arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
edited November 8 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I hit my goal weight this week after 7 months of intentional hard work and years before of yo-yo dieting. It was an amazing feeling, seeing that scale hit "135." I've set fitness goals for myself to continue the path, but I'm feeling a bit lost. I think I imagined I would have these feelings, when I got here - that I'd arrived, or something... but I'm honestly feeling a bit lost or taken off-guard that I'm actually HERE (even though I've worked up to this for a long time). Maybe it's a bit that I've had this goal to work on for soooo long, but now it's over. (Is it possible I'm sad about that?! I really don't know.)

Sorry if I'm having a hard time articulating all this... I just am finding myself having a bit of mixed emotions lately. Of course, I'm super happy & proud of all I've done, but I'm in a bit of a place of "now what?"! Maybe I'm just having trouble adjusting my thinking to yeah - this is the new me/new normal now? I really don't know.

Just wondering if anyone can relate. How did you feel once the initial excitement of your weight loss goal wore off?

Replies

  • feralX
    feralX Posts: 334 Member
    Congratulations! Give yourself a big pat on the back, splurge and treat yourself to something special, enjoy the moment, then set yourself a new goal. Better performance, greater strength....anything you wish. But keep a goal, best to have a focal point to help stay on track and keep motivated. :)
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Fret not, I think most people reach their goal and want to see balloons spontaneously erupt from the kitchen floor. I always do.
    If you are a bit down, celebrate by throwing a dinner party. You chose the menu, so there is no fear of all deep fried or calorie rich sauces. If you have shared your goal with friends and family ask them along and serve a fruit and yogurt sundae with candles for a celebtatory desert.
    I know a fun run, a new outfit for the gym or renewing a membership is the sensible thing to do, but heck, a dinner party with friends is a a lovely way to talk over your hard work.

    Congratulations on your achievement.
    Cheers, h.
  • kirianna55
    kirianna55 Posts: 459 Member
    ^ balloons coming out of the floor would be amazing! I haven't reached my goal yet, honestly I am no where near it but I want those balloons when I reach my goal.

    I would suggest finding a new goal, like greater strength, more muscle definition, run a 5k if you haven't, do something you would never have been able to do before your weight loss.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    Not Penny's Boat



    Oh wait, you said you were feeling lost, not LOST. My bad.
  • 4ever420
    4ever420 Posts: 4,088 Member
    I can relate, I feel a little sad that part of my journey is over. I've found focusing on fitness has really helped to transition mentally from losing to maintaining.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    Congratulations on hitting your goal! I felt a little lost also when I finally hit mine. i thought i'd look and feel a little different than I actually did. So now I want to get into lifting. I want to be stronger. I've begun that this year, however come January i'm kicking it into a higher gear. Enjoy Christmas, enjoy hitting your goal then as someone said, set a new one. New Year, new goal.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Congrats :)

    I can totally relate (not this time but times I've got there then relapsed in the past).

    Set new goals. Whether it's fitness related, a new PR on running or lifting or whatever. Or working on bf%. I'll be bulking and cutting now till I'm an old dear =D. You don't need to do that, obvs, but new goals will give you something to work towards rather than thinking, now what?
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Yes, it's important to start looking for other goals. Many people get stuck in the weight-loss mindset and don't move on. It's sort of understandable since it was a focus for so long. But if you stay there you miss the rest of your life.

    There are so many more things to obsess about than weight. :-)
  • r5d5
    r5d5 Posts: 219 Member
    SaintGiff wrote: »
    Not Penny's Boat



    Oh wait, you said you were feeling lost, not LOST. My bad.

    hahaha I miss that show so much...

    But hey congrats on reaching your goal! Fantastic!
  • baroquepop
    baroquepop Posts: 34 Member
    Congratulations reaching your goal weight, great job! These are super suggestions to set new physical health goals, or celebrate in a way you love, and I would add ask yourself what else you wanted a weight loss goal to achieve for you - maybe it isn't about weight at some level, maybe it's you thought you'd be "........" now. Something important to you, you fill in the wish and go for it - step by step in a manageable way like you so successfully achieved your weight goals. The skies the limit. Again congrats!
  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
    Bwahahahahah you all made me smile!! :)

    The funny thing is I *do* have fitness goals. I just clocked a 26:24 5K 2 weeks ago and am hoping to break a 25-min next. I am running my 5th half marathon next month (I've also done full marathons). I've been participating in races for 15 years now (5K - full marathon) and have definitely seen improvement in my time and set new goals that way. I think I'll continue to invest myself in those goals (as well as strength - I'm working up to unassisted pull ups and would love to do a handstand at some point!).

    I think the folks that said - spontaneous balloons erupting from the floor? Yeah, I think I sort of hoped that would happen! In my family, unfortunately some of my big success went unnoticed due to more pressing situations that came up (understandable!). It's the day to day stuff about food I'm also kind of like - ok, I'm logging... but what am I doing with this, exactly? I'm nervous to not eat at a deficit and find that new calorie thresh hold. I'm sure I'll figure it out. Thanks for the thoughts & good humor too. ;)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited December 2014
    I felt like that too. I wondered if it was going to stick. I wondered if I should lose more. I worried about eating all I was supposed to . . . I think we always feel that way when we get to something we've worked hard for for a long time.

    It's 2 years later. Weight still off. I feel and look better than I have in years. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

    Congratulations! Remember, you've accomplished the first step towards your goal - getting to a healthy weight. Now you have the next step - maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I can so relate. But then maintaining a health weight for the rest of my life and setting new fitness goals is my new lifestyle. Some days I would like festive balloons just for getting through the day! One thing that has helped me maintain here is to continue to log and weigh myself daily. So it is just like building on what I did to lose the excess weight.
  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I felt like that too. I wondered if it was going to stick. I wondered if I should lose more. I worried about eating all I was supposed to . . . I think we always feel that way when we get to something we've worked hard for for a long time.

    It's 2 years later. Weight still off. I feel and look better than I have in years. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

    Congratulations! Remember, you've accomplished the first step towards your goal - getting to a healthy weight. Now you have the next step - maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime.

    This was super encouraging and articulated what I was feeling! Thanks for writing.
  • cblue315
    cblue315 Posts: 3,836 Member
    Success is not final
    Failure is not fatal
    Courage to go on is the key
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Congratz. Im some months off and still in the thick of the fight, but it appears to be just as big a fight to maintain and make it stick, so you have plenty to do as you adjust. When I get there it will be a change of plan with a different emphasis, but preserving the disicipline and lessons you have already learned will be at the centre of it. In the meantime chill and enjoy the view because you made it happen and the journey was part of the point.
  • pinkiezoom
    pinkiezoom Posts: 409 Member
    Firstly congrats on getting to your goal, and i can relate totally, but on a different Topic, I quit smoking in Feb, and to be honest, it was all a bit of a let down, still is.... no fan fare when i reached a month, or any! Odd but I thought i would feel a bit more euphoric than i do :neutral_face:
  • cathiggs
    cathiggs Posts: 21 Member
    Congratuations on reaching your goal! How about setting yourself new goals? I have a few ongoing goals along side my weight loss like entering 5/10km runs and entering powerlifting championships. So how about finding something you enjoy and aim for it?
  • Matthewlavender2013
    Matthewlavender2013 Posts: 1 Member
    This same things happens to my clients fairly regularly. The key though is consistency, so when you achieve your goal, the next one should be to keep it, that in itself can be a challenge especially if you have a history of yoyo dieting. So a common goal would be to keep to that weight for a month, once you have established that you are consistent and can now maintain a certain weight and of course the lifestyle that it comes with, the next step would be to set another goal(doesn't have to be fitness) think of what you have put off doing or sacrificed in order for you to achieve this body and then reward yourself by setting this as your new goal, happy in the knowledge that you now have control of your body .....well done!
  • serendipity57
    serendipity57 Posts: 153 Member
    arussell134 wrote: »
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I felt like that too. I wondered if it was going to stick. I wondered if I should lose more. I worried about eating all I was supposed to . . . I think we always feel that way when we get to something we've worked hard for for a long time.

    It's 2 years later. Weight still off. I feel and look better than I have in years. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

    Congratulations! Remember, you've accomplished the first step towards your goal - getting to a healthy weight. Now you have the next step - maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime.

    This was super encouraging and articulated what I was feeling! Thanks for writing.

    Definately this for me!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    "Fret not, I think most people reach their goal and want to see balloons spontaneously erupt from the kitchen floor. I always do." - I envisioned a firework display, but this is much more creative! Love it!

    Great advice has already been given OP, and I see that you do have new goals set, so keep it up!

    I also think there's a teeny, tiny part of us that believed once we reached our goal weight we'd be "happy". I'm not saying that you're not, but sometimes the dream is that all of our other problems in life will disappear, too. Instead, we are just a smaller, healthier person in the same exact life. Not a bad thing. I just think that sometimes we envision things differently.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    The journey isn't over. Your heart is still beating. Time to set your new goals. You already know what to do. You put it in your About Me section in your profile.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    I can relate to this...after a year it was a a bit anti-climactic! Like others have said, I changed my focus from weight loss to meeting my protein goals and committing to weight training 4 days/week.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    You are definitely not alone, I too was waiting for that moment of YIPPEEE oh look balloons! I didn't get them and I did feel lost however I decided it was about me so it was up to me to find a way to make it feel special. I sometimes wonder if once we reach goal we wonder why it seemed so difficult before. Perhaps that's all a part of it, the unknown.

    Congratulations to you and all the others that have reach their weight goal and are now striving to keep on top of the fitness goals.

    Goals can also be set in your kitchen, find new ways to recreate a favorite dish that might not be as healthy as you'd like. Continue to try new foods, new flavors and soon enough you'll realize you've stayed right where you always wanted to be.
  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    The journey isn't over. Your heart is still beating. Time to set your new goals. You already know what to do. You put it in your About Me section in your profile.

    Thanks for the reminder :)

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