Over and over again

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avjets
avjets Posts: 18 Member
in Getting Started
Hello All,
I am once again starting a weight loss journey. Was doing great a few years ago and then slid. Was doing well last year and then new job, house etc and I am back where I started, not an excuse just the truth. I am about to turn 44 in a few weeks and embarking on a new journey starting this weekend I am calling "Mission 45". The mission is by the time I turn 45 I want to be down 35 lbs. Current stats 5'8" 217 lbs. In the past I have tried to do 1.5 lbs lost per week and was successful but not at maintenance. I would really like to make this the lasting, lifelong journey and do this at a more realistic pace for my lifestyle. I am active and workout 5-6 times a week.

Any advice, wise sayings, kick in the pants, you would like to offer would be extremely appreciated.

Thank you and the best to you and your personal journey!!

Sean

Replies

  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
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    I think most of us can relate. I've done a couple of "diets" to lose weight. Only after I realized that it was not a "diet" that I needed but permanent changes to my life which I have to sustain, the path became clear. I know now that I cannot go back to "eating as before" because that "eating as before" got me overweight. Again and again.

    Now it's very clear for me that I need to log until whenever - no end date - in order to stay in the greatest shape of my life. I'm hoping that some time in the feature I will finally train my body and my mind to properly assess food portions, but it's not on my priority list. If it happens it happens - I'll be happy.

    My last weight loss I started at my heaviest 230 (6', 44 y.o.) and planned 200 as my goal because I thought I was "big boned" and there was no way in hell I could be, as BMI tables suggest, 184 (normal BMI). Well, I am in the normal range of BMI, and not surprisingly - I'm not "big boned" :smile:

    My opinion is that, if you remove the time constraint from this journey and go about it the healthy way - the process will be easy. You will not freak out if you don't lose any pounds one week, or lose less than you expected - it will happen when it happens - the rest of your life is ahead of you.

    Choose a healthy weight loss rate, read a lot, ask questions, log honestly and consistently - and reaching your goal is simply inevitable. There is no other way.

    I wish you success.
  • H34v3nlySinsx3
    H34v3nlySinsx3 Posts: 65 Member
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    Glad to hear you have a great goal! It's definitely possible, I've lost my 34lbs in a year!

    Definitely work on maintaining your weight once you've reached your goal remember, it's a life style change... Not a diet

    Good luck to you!
  • robmcleod613
    robmcleod613 Posts: 11 Member
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    Routine. It takes 21 days to establish a new habit. Get into yours!

    The thing about establishing a healthy routine is that you can and will go about it on autopilot even if you do not want to.

    Work it.
  • eugenia94102
    eugenia94102 Posts: 126 Member
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    I'll add to the good advice you've received here to say this: rename your mission to "Mission 85". Make a lifelong commitment to control your food intake. Best of luck.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Do something you can stick to for life

    Have your eye in how you will maintain rather than a goal scale weight
  • avjets
    avjets Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks all
  • rtp_slg52181
    rtp_slg52181 Posts: 73 Member
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    I found monthly naked pics at maintenance helped me visually keep myself in check and knowing the pic was coming helped me to stay active and keep my indulgences in check.
  • AmyMgetsfit
    AmyMgetsfit Posts: 636 Member
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    I too am starting up again after gaining some back do to illness, injury and lack of motivation. Luckily I didn't gain it all back, so I am not starting completely over. I am going about it very slow this time. Instead of trying to pull in the big numbers like The Biggest Loser, my goal is about a lb a week. If I lose more, great, if I don't that's fine. Instead of weighing myself every morning like I did in the past, I weigh once a week and record once a month. I am looking at this as more of a lifestyle change and not instant gratification. Also at my age it is harder for the skin to keep up during fast big losses. I don't want baggy skin, so I figure going at a slower pace should help with that too. Also I am not going to deprive myself of an indulgence once in awhile or on special occasions. That would be a sure way for me to fail, if I was too strict.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    As you seem to be good at weight loss but unsuccessful at weight maintenance perhaps consider a different approach? Set your calorie goal to maintain at your goal weight.

    Your rate of loss would naturally taper off as you got close to goal (not a bad thing anyway) but there's no transition to maintenance and the habits you need to maintain are already ingrained.

    Alan Aragon and Lou Schuler wrote a book about the approach.

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