Lost motivation after losing 100 lbs

To keep the weight off, you have to log what you eat. Some people can eat "intuitively", but you clearly can't because you have regained. If you keep doing what you're doing now, statistics say you'll regain all you lost AND MORE.

It's like balancing your checkbook. You have to keep doing it, or you'll go into debt. Not easy, but simple.

Cee - here's a "been there done that" that hopefully will help.

I'm an expert at losing weight. Heck, a few years ago I lost 40 lbs and now in the present I've lost 20 lbs on my way to losing 67. Eat fewer calories and work your tail off in the gym works every time for me. Unfortunately, I stink at keeping the weight off and 40 lbs of my 67 this time around are the same lbs that I worked so hard to lose a few years ago. I'm the scenario you read about where you gain back all the weight and then some, and your BF% is much higher and your lean body mass is much lower. Ugggghhhh - take it from me - what I've done is not where you want to be.

Why am I in the situation I'm in? Because a few years ago I stopped making managing my weight and fitness a priority. I had other things that I wanted to do more (and IMHO - they are AWESOME excuses . . . as far as excuses go).

Here's what I'm doing now to give me the best chance of being successful at keeping it off this time around:

1. I'm educating myself now on how folks do it. I've started my education by spending several hours pouring through the "Goal: Maintaining Weight" posts. Most people state they keep logging, exercising, weighing regularly and setting a 5 lb range where they allow their weight to fluctuate. Once outside their range, they tighten up on scale use, exercise, etc. until they recover to goal weight. My assumption is that while they are in their 5 lb range, they use more intuition / estimation vs. intensive meal planning, weighing, etc. Strategy makes sense to me.

2. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to have to manage / put forth effort on the maintenance front the rest of my life. I keep hearing my Mom say - nothing worthwhile ever came without effort!!

3. I constantly reinforce my goals and reaffirm that this is what I really want.

4. I also realize that the management part gets easier all the time. A few years ago, I had to do most everything by hand and personalized spreadsheets. Data entry via MFP and scanning bar-codes is a DREAM COME TRUE!

You've accomplished a 100 lb loss. That's amazing! While I've never done that, I think I've done enough to understand the incredible amount of will, determination and WORK that took. So you've proven you've got it in you. I know it, you know it and so does most everyone on MFP. I urge you to read through the posts in the maintaining weight forum with the goal of self-education, figure out what you think it takes to "make it happen", and then making a personal decision to do it. And yes, it is going to take some effort and yes, it probably is forever. But given what you've already accomplished, there's no question that you can.

cee134 wrote: »

Hello,
I did so well, it took me 3 years but I lost 100 lbs (I got down to 215, but need to get down to below 200). I did take little breaks from my diet but nothing to long or to bad, until now. I still make myself log calories but I stop after lunch so I don't really know how much I end up with. I'm just tired from doing this for 3 years. I have gained back 30 lbs since I stopped, at least... I need help/motivation to keep up my diet/life style change. I don't want to undo what I did. I want to keep the weight off and be healthy.

I had this happen to a client that lost 50lbs and was starting to fall off the wagon. So I kindly took her to the squat rack, had her grab 2 25lb dumbells and then then walk up the stairs with them. At the top she was huffing and puffing, then looked down at me and said "I get it now."

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff wrote: »

I had this happen to a client that lost 50lbs and was starting to fall off the wagon. So I kindly took her to the squat rack, had her grab 2 25lb dumbells and then then walk up the stairs with them. At the top she was huffing and puffing, then looked down at me and said "I get it now."

That's brilliant!

cee134 wrote: »

Lots of good advice. Thanks. Here is a joke: who balances their check book anymore, or uses checks.

I balance my checkbook the old fashioned way every month. I write fewer checks than I used to but i still write a few. LOL I guess you can tell I'm from an older generation

cee134 wrote: »

Lots of good advice. Thanks. Here is a joke: who balances their check book anymore, or uses checks.

Hey, we're still balancing our income and spending. Just because we're downloading transactions from online banking into a budgeting software instead of using pen and paper... well, hey, that's kind of like using MFP instead of pen and paper to count calories, isn't it?

Technology is wonderful.

(And I still have to write cheques to my landlord, who's stuck in 1975. Annoying as all heck.)

cee134 wrote: »

Just bitcoin your landlord.

Hahaha. I'd love to have a landlord who'd accept Bitcoin.

(Then again, I'd also love to have a landlord who actually fixes stuff when it breaks, does any maintenance whatsoever, or answers her phone when I call to report a water leak. Keep dreaming, right?)

BFDeal wrote: »

Yeah it's a hassle. The people who pretend it isn't are kidding themselves. You're basically supposed to live your entire life to balance out a bunch of numbers. Want to go out to eat? Nope, think again. You won't know what numbers to punch in. Sure, you could guess but then you'll just worry if you guessed right. Plus you're a bad person for guessing. People will say you're lying about your intake. I mean, you're supposed to weigh EVERYTHING right? I'm right there with you. I'm considering just counting loosely since I've lost all motivation for the process too.

I love BF, he just lays it out there! Perhaps OP and BF could do the My Plate method at least for now. This is how my doctor explains it: Almost half the plate is nonstarchy vegetables (with a sliver of that half being fruit, according to the latest update), 1/4 is some type of carb/starch, and 1/4 is lean meat. No drowning things in butter and gravy; that sabotages you. Cook with olive oil when an added fat is needed. This way you are not logging or strictly measuring but you have a guideline which if you are honest with yourself about the plate divisions, will not "creep" ever bigger. It was developed to work on a standard size dinner plate. You can get illustrations online too if you are a visual thinker.

And, of course, the exercise. Walking, swimming, hula hooping, whatever's fun and affordable for you. Some people park their workout machine in front of the TV so they don't get bored out of their gourd. I think that's a pretty good idea if you have any kind of machine at home. If not, you can do your body weight exercises or calisthenics in front of the TV for entertainment.

I hope some of this is helpful. You already invested so much hard work after all!

Congratulations on the 100lb loss! I've been doing this for almost 3 years too - lost about 60lb, then maintained and now trying to lose a bit more. At the moment, I've had enough of calorie counting so I'm sticking to three meals a day (no snacks) most days, being careful with portions and writing down what I eat. I'm losing weight, but it feels liberating not having to count the calories. Maybe something like that would help?