at what point do you consider yourself "successful"?

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deanne525
deanne525 Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi everyone,

just sitting here working and thought I would take a break

I started a diet and exercise program about 3 months ago. Im down 18lbs so far. Question..at what point in your weight loss journey do you start thinking "hey...im actually doing this??!"

I really don't start getting excited about my weight loss until I hit about 15lbs lost and then I start saying to myself that I can actually do this if I stick with it! I have about 50lbs to lose and have started and stopped more Mondays then I care to remember. This is the first time in a long long time that I am actually making real changes. I am tracking my food all day, every day and a friend and I have been going to Jazzercise classes 4x per week. I have 2 more lbs to make it to my next mini goal of 20lbs lost!


no right or wrong answers...just wondering what others think.
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Replies

  • HStheBusyBee
    HStheBusyBee Posts: 1,366 Member
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    Definitely celebrate all of your successes. For me every pound down is another step closer to my goal.

    Congratulations with all your progress so far! Keep up the good work.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    I considered myself successful once I realized that I could comfortably eat at my maintenance goal without the need for excessive exercise. This was during my weight loss process. I knew the weight loss would follow and it would set me up nicely for my new lifestyle.
  • karmelpopcorn
    karmelpopcorn Posts: 77 Member
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    Every day I try.
  • BrendaRey74
    BrendaRey74 Posts: 31 Member
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    -If I log my food everyday, regardless of what I ate :# , and I weigh in every week, even if I know I'm up, I feel successful.

    -Other people noticing my weight loss was an eye opener in the beginning. It sort of made it more real.

    -I tend to plateau a lot so not gaining overall is a big one for me.

    -A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)
  • Rdsgoal16
    Rdsgoal16 Posts: 302 Member
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    When my back stopped hurting (20 pounds off) and my cardio started coming back I let my self start thinking, maybe I can do this. At 30 pounds my pants were loose and I started thinking "hell yes, I really think I can do this" at 40 pounds off I started doing stuff I sat on the sidelines from for years and I say "I KNOW I am going to do this"
    Best of luck to you!
    Rob
  • megzchica23
    megzchica23 Posts: 419 Member
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    Everything I do to me is a success. Every day I wake up, every day I log food, every time I make a healthy food choice, every time I exercise, every time I think positively. I like to be happy and feel successful with everything I do.
  • deanne525
    deanne525 Posts: 69 Member
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    BrendaRey74 wrote: »
    -If I log my food everyday, regardless of what I ate :# , and I weigh in every week, even if I know I'm up, I feel successful.

    -Other people noticing my weight loss was an eye opener in the beginning. It sort of made it more real.

    -I tend to plateau a lot so not gaining overall is a big one for me.

    -A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)

    I am with you there...everyday I track and exercise I feel successful too! Its definitely not always about the number on the scale. Some days its really hard to get myself to class to exercise but I keep reminding myself how good I ALWAYS feel when Im done. So just making it to the class is successful in itself

    Keep up the good work everyone!!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,978 Member
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    I consider everyday that I log a successful day. I guess I feel successful every time I hit a goal. My first 2 goals were to weigh less than my husband, and to get my bmi out of the obese category. Thirty pounds lost was my halfway point so I felt really successful then too. Now I'm just about 8 pounds from being out of the overweight category. I guess over all I feel pretty successful.
  • deanne525
    deanne525 Posts: 69 Member
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    Rdsgoal16 wrote: »
    When my back stopped hurting (20 pounds off) and my cardio started coming back I let my self start thinking, maybe I can do this. At 30 pounds my pants were loose and I started thinking "hell yes, I really think I can do this" at 40 pounds off I started doing stuff I sat on the sidelines from for years and I say "I KNOW I am going to do this"
    Best of luck to you!
    Rob

    That's AWESOME!! Good for you!!

  • GabinkaP
    GabinkaP Posts: 188 Member
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    Getting my formals zipped all the way up! But otherwise, seeing that general downward trend when I looked at my weight report, at at least 3 months out (90 day view, 180 is even better). It lets me see past the ups and downs and see the progress. Reaching my goal was a success. Then deciding on my maintenance plan and losing even more, getting closer and closer to my ideal weight without feeling like I've deprived myself or having to exercise excessively. Walking is really my main form of exercise. 10k steps a day.
  • deanne525
    deanne525 Posts: 69 Member
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    kgirlhart wrote: »
    I consider everyday that I log a successful day. I guess I feel successful every time I hit a goal. My first 2 goals were to weigh less than my husband, and to get my bmi out of the obese category. Thirty pounds lost was my halfway point so I felt really successful then too. Now I'm just about 8 pounds from being out of the overweight category. I guess over all I feel pretty successful.


    this is great!! love reading success stories like this!
  • rnelson88
    rnelson88 Posts: 122 Member
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    It gets real for me when I train my body to reach for the apple instead of the ice cream. At that point, I no longer see food as something I just eat for pleasure, but as fuel. When eating crappy its like putting nasty corn substitute in your sports car. It may keep your car alive and running for a little while, but it won't be performing sufficiently, will need more maintenance, and just won't last. On the other hand, if you put 93 Octane(healthy food) in your sports car, it will run efficiently, require less maintenance, and last way longer.
  • bri170lb
    bri170lb Posts: 1,375 Member
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    BrendaRey74 wrote: »

    -A weird ego one for me was getting smaller than my always prettier sister. (OK we are exactly the same weight now but I will be smaller than her real soon!)

    I am exactly the same size as my always smaller and prettier daughter! Slightly smaller in some ways because I'm a little taller, actually! Feels good, not gonna lie!
  • nsa352
    nsa352 Posts: 40 Member
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    I only needed to lose 15 lbs or less, depending on how heavy my muscles would be. Lost 11 lbs and I think I actually don't need to lose 4 lbs more ( I weigh 104 lbs for 5 feet tall) as I am building muscles and going under 102 lbs would be too small because of that even if I used to weight 100 lbs before.
    Shrinking in my clothes and even panties. Feel my muscles more dense and see my soon to be 4 pack under a little layer of fat. Not see my belly pushing against my tops. People telling me I am more muscly.
  • ald783
    ald783 Posts: 690 Member
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    I tried to pat myself on the back pretty frequently as I was losing but I think it was probably a few months in of doing it and tracking regularly and losing consistently that it felt like I was really progressing.

    I still try not to think of it as if after a certain point it's officially a success where it's no longer possible for me to regain weight or regress backwards. I don't think I will ever be able to stop working at it and, for better at worse, things change and anything can happen so I try not to let myself feel too smug about it. But after enough years of doing this, I at least feel like I've made a lot of positive changes in my life and health.
  • jaynee7283
    jaynee7283 Posts: 160 Member
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    Every five pounds down is milestone success and all I need to keep going.
  • nsa352
    nsa352 Posts: 40 Member
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    I also consider lifting heavy and working out a success. It means I would gain muscles and burn more calories while watching a show. In terms of food I stopped being a slave to sweets after 1 month of changing my diet. How eating healthy changes your cravings.
  • chiptease
    chiptease Posts: 70 Member
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    Decreasing my mile time. Saying no to free donuts/muffins in the break room. But honestly, I try not to get complacent. I enjoy challenging myself and trying new things. I reached my goal weight and now I set new goals moving forward.
  • BlueberryJoghurt
    BlueberryJoghurt Posts: 67 Member
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    Even though I just started, every weeks weigh-in that is lower than the last week is already a success to me it keeps me motivated! I dont treat myself to anything because I already have my "cheat/treats" aka low calorie flavoured rice/corn crisps. So second weigh-in so far lost another kg and it motivates me everytime I see the weight go down! (:
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
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    Me? after I lose 10lb. I lost a bunch, gained a little back - but have had a heck of a time getting back on the horse. Once I lose that first 10lb, it's much easier. Like a lot of people said, anytime I go to the gym, log my food, and stay on track = success! Once I get the rhythm back - it's easy, but getting it back is so hard.

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