Fat girl stuck in her ways.

amberhollands95
amberhollands95 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 21 in Getting Started
I've always been a big girl and I'm sure youve all heard someone say 'i've tried everything' and I always felt like I had but I've come to see as time goes on and my weights just steadly increased that I haven't and it all falls down to a complete lack of motivation and confidence to push myself harder. Anyone have an advice on how to keep my self motivationed and confident when trying to lose weight? Please!
Sincerely a fat girl stuck in her ways!

Replies

  • lthaus
    lthaus Posts: 26 Member
    My wife and I started this program last month.... What I have come to understand is loosing is a very slow process. If you try and speed it up you will only starve one day and binge the next. Find some type of exercise you like.. Wife, she walks. I, like to ride bikes. it really does not take much to make a dent in the net calories. Walk for 20 min first...work up to 40.. push to 60.. 4 or so times a week and LOG everything you eat. You will start to make the connection that your hour of walking is worth 400~ calories.. That Cake your looking at is 1.5 hours of walking.. once you see progress, SLOW progress you start to feel better and not defeated..... You can do it.. Friend me if you wish and i'll help encourage your baby steps.

    v
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    You don't need to have self confidence enough for a 200 mile run.

    You only need to be willing to take one step forward.

    Don't look at the end of the road.

    Look at the next good choice you can make now

    It all gets back to the next choice you make. Life consists of an accumulation of each one of those next choices.

    You can do it. No need to build it up as a big deal.

    Just start

  • Mistapholeezkat
    Mistapholeezkat Posts: 80 Member
    It seems that whenever I had tried to "diet" I would do really well for two weeks. My weight would drop like, by 2lbs a week or something. After that initial 2 weeks my weight loss would stall and I would think, "why the hell am I exercising and going without my favorite foods for this...it's not working....I quit!" But one time......just one time I kept eating well and dieting even after I stalled and had only lost like 5 lbs...I kept it up and after like 2 more weeks ...BAM! I dropped another 5lbs. I never worked through that little plateau before to realize it would still come off. I think it took me 6 months to lose 25 lbs but I never put it back on. Whenever my scale creeps up more than 5 lbs I start watching the food choices I make and perhaps walk more during the week and then it would come off again. I need to stay focused on it often otherwise I think weight and bad habits creep up on you and before long you put all the weight on you lost.

    Hope this helps. Also, little changes will make a difference in the long run. Maybe instead of eating less calories, just focus on eating more veggies, all you can eat. Then you won't feel hungry and eat cake or whatever your vice is. Little steps!
  • spatulathumbs
    spatulathumbs Posts: 125 Member
    Honestly? You have to decide to want it. All of the motivation must come from within, or it won't come at all. You must decide whether you want to be having this conversation at age 20 with 70 lbs to lose, or at age 30 with 70 lbs to lose. Start today. Put in honest numbers, set to a comfortable, slow weight loss pace, and just begin logging now. ProfessionalHobbyist up there is right--All you need to do right now is take little steps forward and never look back. In a lot of ways I wish I had started at 20! So you are already ahead of the game, even though you might think you are behind.
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    I know it's hard but you can do it, one day at a time. Journal your food here or on paper so you can see what and how many calories your eating, buy a food scale so you can weigh your food if not use measuring cups so you can be as accurate as possible, read food labels, drink plenty of water. bake, broil, boil your food and only the occasional fried food if you eat fried food that is and do your best to stay away from the fast food or eat the healthiest take out and restaurant food you can everything in moderation. It takes time to get used to eating and living a healthier lifestyle and realizing you can have what you might consider naughty food but in small amount while getting to a healthier weight and maintaining a healthier weight. I've done it and lost 60 lbs, you can tool.
  • lthaus
    lthaus Posts: 26 Member
    Mistapholeezkat wrote: »
    After that initial 2 weeks my weight loss would stall and I would think, "why the hell am I exercising and going without my favorite foods for this...it's not working....I quit!"

    I dropped about 10-15 and then sat between 219-223 for a month.. Riding over 50miles a week and thinking I was watching my eating.... I was furious when I saw 218 turn into 222 over night. So, I started logging my food with MFP.... I don't think i'm 'counting calories' but i'm logging everything and trying to make better decisions. 2 weeks after I started that I saw 218 go to 215.. My next scale date is Sunday.. ..We had a short vacation last week and I'm only hoping i'm between 215-218. But i'm home again and will have about 80 miles on the bike by Sunday if weather holds!

    Moral of that story... That plateau sucks... but watch intake and stay the course.... body will realize its ok and continue.
  • megantischner
    megantischner Posts: 85 Member
    Start by logging everything you eat to find out how many calories you consume on a day to day basis. This was absolutely eye-opening for me, I had no idea I was eating so many calories -- not surprisingly, that's why I was steadily gaining weight.

    Once I did that, I was able to start make adjustments to my diet (cut out a lot of the higher-calorie options, pick lower-calorie, more filling options). By logging everything I ate, I was able to stay within my calorie limit. Doing this, I lost over 45 lbs in 1.5 years -- yes, it took awhile, and yes, some weeks I saw the scale go up a bit, and that was frustrating -- but the end result was +45 lbs lost.

    So, log everything, keep your eye on the long-term goal, and be patient with yourself when you occasionally slip up or when you have a week with no progress (despite doing everything right). Weight loss isn't linear, but over time, you'll see your weight trending down and you'll get to your goal weight in time!
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    I am also a perpetuatlly heavy girl who has tried everything to lose weight. Here's a small tip from a lesson I learned this time around (which has been my most successful):

    Don't rely on the "high" of motivation. There are going to be days when you just don't want to do it. This is going to make you feel bad, maybe even guilty, and you're going to wonder where your motivation went and why this doesn't excite you anymore. Those who rely on "motivation" fail very quickly when it vanishes.

    The secret is to do it anyway. When you've had a bad day and you don't feel like working out, just put on your tennis shoes and move. Didn't beat your all-time record speed? That's okay. You moved.

    Feeling a little down and really want to eat that ice cream that's been in the freezer for a year? Don't. It's as simple as that. If you break and eat it anyway, log it, move on with your day and be better.

    Success is a choice; failure is a choice. If you try to remain motivated all of the time, you're going to eat and live by your emotional state, which is exactly what you should be learning not to do.

    So when you want to give up, remember that the key is consistancy. Yeah, you might feel unmotivated or depressed today, but if you make smart choices today in the midst of the funk, you're going to be able to make smart choices tomorrow, when you're feeling better. And after a while, all of those individual days when you made smart choices are going to start to add up and you're going to see results.
  • Bruceapple
    Bruceapple Posts: 2,027 Member
    Start slow, but do start. You will have good and bad days, but that is part of it. I keep my setting on -1 pound a month. This allows me to eat plenty. Exercise, I like to swim, when I started I would only swim or walk 5 laps in the pool a day for a week. The next week I added 5 additional laps, in two months I was up to 35 laps or about a mile in a 25YD pool. Now I swim regularly 2 miles a day five days a week. My first mile took me over 2 hours to complete, now I swim 1 mile in 30 minutes.
  • Noodle797
    Noodle797 Posts: 366 Member
    I used to think the exact same thing, but I realized I really didn't try anything for a significant amount of time and I didn't really try the only thing that actually works, which is to eat a deficit and to exercise my body. I didn't really want to do it, I mean who the hell wants to diet & exercise? It's not easy & it's not fun, but it's more easy & fun than being fat for the rest of my life. I've been able to make it this far not by dieting, but by eating a deficit & exercising. I haven't given anything up, as you can see if you look at my food diary, but I'm definitely making better choices & I make a point to exercise as much as I can. I chose something that I knew I'd be able to do and that I actually enjoyed doing. I love to swim & so i don't mind swimming every day. If I had to walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike I wouldn't have lasted this long. I also have great support from my co-workers, friends & family. I told everyone what I was doing before I did it so I would be accountable. When i tried to lose weight in the past I'd never tell anyone for fear of failing & looking stupid, but now I tell everyone so that they can encourage me on & having them ask me how it's going keep me accountable. Welcome to MFP & good luck in your journey!
  • EmmaFitzwilliam
    EmmaFitzwilliam Posts: 482 Member
    I've dropped over 70 pounds in the past year. (My total loss to date is 75, but I put a couple of pounds back on. Do you understand how you put the weight on? For me, my portions were out of control, as were my choices.

    Since I started last June, I've learned that for myself, I will always need to measure my portions because my natural instinct is to serve (at least) a double portion.

    There are also foods I love that come with a huge calorie hit. I have made the choice to enjoy those foods occasionally, and in moderation. When I choose to have them, I make a big deal about enjoying them on that occasion.

    A lot of my success hinges on my mindset. There are no "bad" or "naughty" foods; there is no "wagon". It's okay to make choices that do not lead to my weight loss goals, whether because of celebrations or because of challenges.

    I have also found other foods I love, that better support my long term goals. That comes with time and experience.

    One hard truth: It really is virtually impossible to out-exercise poor nutrition choices. Conversely, it is entirely possible to make good choices in terms of healthy eating and lose weight without ever hitting the gym (though I do walk up to 2.25 miles a day, at an easy to moderate pace).
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    edited July 2015
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation

    Intrinsic is all you ...

    And none of us have any way of providing you with Extrinsic, because we have no ability to impact your day to day life.

    We can encourage you, and I am sure if you join a challenge group or gather a group of friends, you can find that here pretty easily.

    The best exercise for weight loss is triceps extensions ....

    .... push away from the table.

    .... push the refrigerator door closed.

    .... put that junk back on the store shelf.
  • Dustinsteven22
    Dustinsteven22 Posts: 280 Member
    You can do this. There is no secret out there that will magically change your ways. There are 3 keys to fitness: Nutrition, Exercise, and Support. It all starts with you. Why do you want to lose weight? This is a deep question. Some are tired of covering up during the summer. Some are tired of the jokes. Some are tired of sweating while watching TV. You got this, stop looking to your past as an excuse for your failure. The day that you "had enough" and will do what it takes to change is the day that you will be free. Feel free to add me!
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    edited July 2015
    amberhollands95 wrote: »
    I've always been a big girl and I'm sure youve all heard someone say 'i've tried everything' and I always felt like I had but I've come to see as time goes on and my weights just steadly increased that I haven't and it all falls down to a complete lack of motivation and confidence to push myself harder. Anyone have an advice on how to keep my self motivationed and confident when trying to lose weight? Please!
    Sincerely a fat girl stuck in her ways!

    Have you ever asked yourself WHY you want to lose weight? Answer the why with brutal honesty & you will be on the right track of finding your motivation, passion, & determination to make a permanent change.

    For me, to my own surprise my lust for vanity just wasn't a motivator for me to stick with anything because it was a 'want' to lose weight not a 'need' to lose weight.

    When I finally went to my very first annual physical and discovered that I was heading down the road to diabetes THEN it was that I 'needed' to lose the weight. Fear of diabetes and all the complications it comes (blindness, loss of limbs, etc) with was my motivator.

    You have to do some deep soul searching & figure out your own 'why' in order for this venture to stick.

    Best of luck to you!
  • headofphat
    headofphat Posts: 1,597 Member
    Step 1: decide you don't want to be a fat girl anymore.
    Step 2: burn more calories than you take in.
    Step 3: exercise
    Step 4: begin enjoying mirrors again.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories