Help keeping motivated

havok1113 wrote: »

My first day seriously using this app. But I've been on a diet/work out for about 3 weeks. My goal weight is 140.

Very good! That's 2 lbs per week. I've been doing approximately 1 lb per week and have lost 8 lbs. There will be weeks when you don't lose any, but we're here to keep each other encouraged.

Welcome to MFP! Stick with it, remember why you started this journey, and try not to expect too much too fast... and yes, there will be weeks when you won't lose anything or may even go up a pound or two. It's all normal, so try not to worry about it.

I resigned myself to taking at least a year to get my weight off, and have to remember that it crept up over many years so if it takes one or two to get it off again that's not really too bad! I started in mid-January at 217 and I'm currently 181, so that's an average of just over 1lb per week. I'm happy with that! (I'm aiming for 150 at first, and will assess how I look and feel when I get there.)

In that time I've taken three breaks where I've eaten at maintenance calorie levels; I've had days where I've eaten more than I should have (accidentally or deliberately!); I've had many, many days when I've done no exercise whatsoever; I've eaten chocolate, bacon, ice cream, pizza, burgers, etc. as well as more veggies and smaller portions; and, most importantly, I've rarely felt hungry and never miserable or deprived. I'm so happy that I learned from this site that I can still eat the foods I like and lose weight, so long as I don't eat as much of them as I'd like!

You've made a great start - try not to focus too much on your actual weight, if it makes you anxious, and think instead about how you feel, how your clothes fit, whether you can walk further without getting winded, etc. Take progress photos, and measure yourself regularly - it really helps to have other ways of gauging progress when the scale doesn't move for a while! Set small goals, don't think of it as one big goal of losing 90lbs because that can be overwhelming. You don't have to change everything at once; take it slow and steady and make changes you can stick with for life.

There will be days when you don't make good choices - log them anyway, accept them, and carry on. Don't let yourself spiral into a week or a month of overeating - we're all human and we all make mistakes. It's all good. You can do it, if you really want to.

When I first started losing weight I was obsessed with the scale. It wasn't changing very fast but I noticed was losing inches. I focused more on that by trying a pair of my "skinny" jeans on once a week. Every week they fit a little better until they were eventually too big. That motivated me more than the scale. Hang in there! You are already doing great.

You are doing great. I am not going to beat around the Bush and tell you to keep trying. I can already tell you it is definitely possible. Just be consistent and push yourself harder when you feel your body has gotten used to your workout . Changing your routine weekly makes it a lot easier. I learned from my weighloss at the time that bigger girls like ourselves lose more weight than others. Ofcourse it is tough but at the end of your session you feel great and your end results will make you feel like a completely different person. Stay positive you have already started that shows you have the motivation. It's time to test your limit.