Question for those of you who've had success...

Think small. Seriously.

If you think you have to lose 100 lbs or whatever -it's like why bother. I was like that till I got diagnosed with type 2 DM, then I changed my way of thinking....set small goals, 5 lbs at a time if you need that.

I just took it one day, one pound & then as the weight came off, one step at a time.

Don't look at the BIG picture (pun intended).

You need to get and keep your mindset where it needs to be, you didn't put the pounds on overnite and there is no way they're going to come off overnite.

kwrecks wrote:

Big success stories are things that happen to others, not me. I can do all the necessary things to try to
lose weight but because I can't actually imagine myself losing all the weight I want to lose, I don't work hard
enough at it. It shows that this whole thing is just as much mental as it is physical.

So my question is, how many of you felt this same way, and how were you able to get past it? How did you change
your frame of mind to make yourself feel like you actually were able to accomplish something so big?

Start with small success and build on it.
(How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.)

My initial goal is to lose 110 lb to get just under the top end of a healthy BMI weight range.
That is a totally overwhelming and un-doable goal. So I focussed on small, managable goals.
I made a list of every 5 lb I was going to lose, every time I'd drop 1 BMI number, when I'd go from obese to
overweight to healthy. As I hit those goals, I wrote the date on the line next to them.

I weigh myself every morning and write it on the calendar.
I can look back a few weeks or months and see how well I've done so far.

I look to the next 5 lb, while realizing that there is a bigger goal out there.
But anyone can lose 5 lb. Heck, I've done it 16 times so far!

First, get your calories in under control. Figure out a reasonable amount you should be eating, and do that.
Then start gradually adding exercise, to increase calories out. (But don't eat them back; ignore "net" calories.)

Make a list, or maybe a "job jar" where you can draw a random slip of paper, to reward yourself for each small goal.
Have something big for the end, and maybe major milestones along the way (50 or 100 lb, for example).
Try to avoid making them food-related. I've gotten new earbuds, cute socks, and colored my hair.
Oh, and I've had to replace my bras twice now. Ditto for pants & shirts.
Not sure if that counts as a reward, but it's nice being a smaller size.

.



ETA: forgot that I update my shirt every 10 lb I lose... started it at 50 lb down. It's the same front &
back - it says "I'VE LOST...", and then has every 10 lb listed & crossed out, until the current milestone
(which isn't crossed out yet). This was in DEC14 at 70 lb lost.


For comparison, here I was at the end of APR14 at 20 lb down, so 50 lb heavier than ^^ that picture.


BTW, if you're going to make your own brag shirt, don't make the mistake I did...
The first one, I used a sharpie. It bled when I sweated. Guess they're not really permanent.
Get a couple colors of fabric paint. It's cheap. I used one color for the writing, & red to cross out the numbers.

BTW, this article might interest you... http://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits

The Recipe for Sustained Success

Changing your beliefs isn’t nearly as hard as you might think. There are two steps.

1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Note: I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to start with incredibly small steps. The goal is not
to achieve results at first, the goal is to become the type of person who can achieve those things.

If I can do it, anyone can. I hated the thought of losing weight. I never thought I could do it. I started at 267 pounds on July 21, 2014 and I am currently 162 pounds. I want to lose at least another 30. It is so much easier than I expected. Once you start losing and dropping sizes you become motivated. I pretty much eliminated all carbs. I eat as much as I want and I am never hungry. I haven't exercised although I know I should, but just keeping my carbs under 20g a day has helped me lose weight quickly. You just need to figure out which eating plan you would like best since it is for life. Set small goals and celebrate weather it is by getting your hair or nails done, buying a new pair of jeans or going out for the night. It honestly becomes fun after you get through the first couple weeks. Good luck

kwrecks wrote: »

Sorry if this doesn't belong on this board, but I figured who better to ask than those who've had success!
Thank you for asking the question. It was the answer I needed for me to stop stopping and starting. Because the number is so big.


I came to the realization tonight that a major reason I have trouble losing weight is because I can't imagine myself losing weight. Being able to lose a large amount of weight, like I need to lose, is something that I just always think happens to other people. Such as winning the lottery. If you really want to win the lottery, you will keep buying tickets. And you imagine yourself winning millions of dollars and becoming rich, but when it boils down to it, and after so long of not winning, you realize that you most likely aren't going to win, so you stop playing.

That's how weight loss is to me. Big success stories are things that happen to others, not me. I can do all the necessary things to try to lose weight but because I can't actually imagine myself losing all the weight I want to lose, I don't work hard enough at it. It shows that this whole thing is just as much mental as it is physical.

So my question is, how many of you felt this same way, and how were you able to get past it? How did you change your frame of mind to make yourself feel like you actually were able to accomplish something so big? I feel like I am sabotaging myself because I have this mindset, and I'm just not sure how to change it.

Thank you for asking the question. It was the answer I needed for

wonna13 wrote: »

MKEgal wrote: »

BTW, this article might interest you... http://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits

The Recipe for Sustained Success

Changing your beliefs isn’t nearly as hard as you might think. There are two steps.

1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Note: I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to start with incredibly small steps. The goal is not
to achieve results at first, the goal is to become the type of person who can achieve those things.

Thank you so much for the website. I know it will change my life. I am going to start now with the tips. This was my missing piece to my puzzle. Thank you again.

kwrecks wrote: »

Sorry if this doesn't belong on this board, but I figured who better to ask than those who've had success!

I came to the realization tonight that a major reason I have trouble losing weight is because I can't imagine myself losing weight. Being able to lose a large amount of weight, like I need to lose, is something that I just always think happens to other people. Such as winning the lottery. If you really want to win the lottery, you will keep buying tickets. And you imagine yourself winning millions of dollars and becoming rich, but when it boils down to it, and after so long of not winning, you realize that you most likely aren't going to win, so you stop playing.

That's how weight loss is to me. Big success stories are things that happen to others, not me. I can do all the necessary things to try to lose weight but because I can't actually imagine myself losing all the weight I want to lose, I don't work hard enough at it. It shows that this whole thing is just as much mental as it is physical.

So my question is, how many of you felt this same way, and how were you able to get past it? How did you change your frame of mind to make yourself feel like you actually were able to accomplish something so big? I feel like I am sabotaging myself because I have this mindset, and I'm just not sure how to change it.