About 1 month in ...

artanis50
artanis50 Posts: 96 Member
edited November 21 in Motivation and Support
I'm creeping up on one month of counting calories and trying to get in more exercise. I'm a serial "starter" and this is usually about the time I give up. I've seen some progress but the ultimate goal is so far away it seems impossible to achieve.

The past few days I've found myself snacking a little more and more. Falling into my old habits again. I promised myself THIS TIME would be the LAST TIME I start to get healthy. I promised myself I wouldn't give up. I promised myself no matter how long it takes me, I WILL reach my goal.

My starting weight was about 210. I'm down to 200 in a little less than 30 days. That's huge! Why don't I see this as success? Why doesn't this push me to keep going in itself? I don't know.

In June I told myself I'd walk the dog every morning. I lasted 2 days. Pathetic. I could barely make it half a mile without feeling like I would die. Even at a quarter mile I thought I couldn't go on - but obviously I had to. I could just sit down on the sidewalk. I pushed myself and got home.

this morning I took the dog for a walk again. I finished that half mile I did in June and kept going another half mile. I probably could have kept going. Why can't I see THIS as success? At the beginning of August I got back on my bike. I could barely finish 5 miles. 2 days ago I completed 11 miles. Why can't I see this as success?

I don't have the answers to any of these questions and maybe nobody else does either. All I do know is that I'm not giving up. I'm not throwing in the towel and living content as the "fat girl".

As Dory would say ... "Just keep swimming ....".

Replies

  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    I'm one month in too, 7.5lbs down. I see your struggle but you've done soooo good. You need to keep going. Keep thinking about how great you'll feel (honestly, I felt better with just 5lbs off). Keep thinking of how much you can do if you just keep going. Keep thinking about that moment when you finally have to go shopping for smaller clothes (this is constantly my motivation...he he). Or even getting into those clothes you stashed away just in case you lost the weight.

    Dory was a very smart fish.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    It takes time and everyone is different. As long as you maintain a calorie deficit you will continue to lose weight. That is where the disciple comes in. Figure out the mean calories between maintenance and weight loss and use that as your TOP number you allow when you are snacking... for me it covers 2 TBSP of no sugar added peanut butter, or 3 dark chocolate candy bites, or 12 itty bitty chocolate cookies... just build it in and keep on swimming.

    One of the things that I found was that depending on my stress level and time of month, I had different triggers. So, now, I try to plan for them and expect them and try to not beat myself up.
  • GoKasey5
    GoKasey5 Posts: 13 Member
    Same! To keep myself from giving up/giving in, I tell myself "just for today" or "not today". I'm going to workout, just for today. Or I'm not going to have that ice cream, not today. This helps me focus on what I'm doing right now and gives me less anxiety/frustration about how far I still have to go. It just helps remind me to take things one day at a time and that it doesn't mean I can't ever have that ice cream, just not today
  • skymningen
    skymningen Posts: 532 Member
    You changed three things last month. You started to count calories. You took your dog for walks. You started biking again. That is more than most other people change in a month. And more than that: All of it showed progress. Maybe you can't see it as a success, because you did not reach your goal yet. But it is definitely progress, right? Maybe you can set up small goals for next month. 5 more miles on the bike. 3 longish walks with the dog per week. 7 more lbs lost. Goals you can reach. Goals that will be a success and make you proud of yourself. And then the progress will be a small success already.
    There is still your goal weight and the generally healthier you that you want to reach. That might take a while. But you are getting there. You are making the right kind of progress.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,538 Member
    I think it's an interesting point about seeing success. I don't know the answer but I noticed it right away. A .2 loss is, in fact, a step in the right direction. People come on this board and are traumatized by only losing .2.

    There seems to be something about the overweight brain that works so hard to twist everything into a negative and hang on for dear life.

    I think I was finally successful at weight loss because I learned to argue with myself and beat back the negativity.

    Accept that the negativity cannot be stopped. Our brains just go on constantly. We call it thinking but most of it is junk. Some outright bazaar.
    To get better at positive thinking its not necessary to flip the negatives to positives. But it is necessary to push back with conviction.

    I'll give you an answer to your "why can't I see...as success." Habit. You have bad thinking habits. I dont know if that works for you, but it might.

    So next time what if you ride your bike 10 miles and your brains says "Meh, shoulda done 15" and you say "There you go again. That's just a bad habit. Fact is, I just did something that helps me toward my goal."? And it is a real fact.

    Last thought. Goal. What if you change your goal from X lbs to a weekly weigh in chart with a downward trend? You can do that in a month or 2. Just work on the trend line. Thinking about a big number to lose will make you crazy. The longer you go the better it will be. But note- no human endeavor tracks on a straight line. Good luck.
  • katiestein28
    katiestein28 Posts: 11 Member
    I just started counting calories 13 days ago. I tried to just eat better and less before that but i needed to see the numbers to control myself. I started at 206. I hadnt weighed myself in year and never thought I'd see the day I was in the 200s. That's what hit me. I could accept 170, 180, 190... but as soon as I saw 206 I knew I had to do something. 13ish days in and I'm down to exactly 200. I finally went out today to buy a battery for my scale. I knew I had lost something only because I was able to pull up and wear my shorts from a few years ago. If I hadn't tried to put those on I'd never have known I lost anything. But being able to put those on gave me the boost I needed to keep going. I usually quit diets and challenges less than a week in. Like you said, im just going to keep going.

    I think what helped me the most was eating continously throughout the day. Before I fasted all day until I got home from work, then it was snacks and binging at dinner. I still have a hard time eating breakfast but I make a point to eat lunch. And I draw lunch out until the end of the work day instead of eating it all at once. Then I'm not starving by the time I get home.
  • Tulip9
    Tulip9 Posts: 145 Member
    Make sure you take your picture every couple of weeks, as well as your measurements. You probably already look a little different. I'm losing at a slow and steady pace, but I'm developing better habits. Like you, my energy is increasing. I've stuck with this for 5 months (longer than I ever have). I try on my tighter cloths every once in a while to see my progress. You can do this!
  • KelBlundell
    KelBlundell Posts: 47 Member
    I wrote a list of my achievements (in two months) - took a photo and have them as my phone background

    - lost 19lbs
    - can cycle 20 miles
    - lost 2" from waist
    - my breakfast routine
    - getting into size 16 trousers again
    - My size 18 jackets all being too big

    Looking at this helps when I feel dejected. I also look at my progress graphs on MFP to motivate me!

    The other thing I did is try and tell myself I'm only trying to get to 200lbs (2lbs to go!). That's a success point where I am allowed to buy some clothes.

    I also have a spreadsheet where I monitor weekly targets - how many aerobics/Hiit sessions, how many bike rides and weight lost and I update this every Sunday night. "This week I'm going to..."

    This hasn't come easy, I just don't have a lot else going on in my life at the moment!

    Keep your achievements in mind every time you feel down. Dare yourself - can you do it? Add in celebration points - and rewards - I'm having a vegan knickerbocker glory when I get to 200lbs

    And try a walk by minutes not distance - then you may find you go further in half hour than before.

    And keep in mind you've done amazingly! You can do it!

  • LizzieEEllis
    LizzieEEllis Posts: 33 Member
    It could be that you DO see your accomplishments as successes, but aren't getting any excitement/motivation from them because you already knew you could do it. It's nothing new- you've done it before. Many times. You know how this story ends for you whether you stick with it or not and it's getting old. You may want to do something to break the monotony of your routine, something you've never tried before that you aren't certain you can do. Make this time different from all the rest. Physical activities that have a purpose beyond fitness are good if you aren't motivated by scale victories. Martial arts or dance classes. Gardening. Volunteering with something like Habitat for Humanity or a local animal shelter. If you can find something that interests you in a deeper way, you'll be more likely to stick with it long term.
  • artanis50
    artanis50 Posts: 96 Member
    Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I really appreciate it. Today is officially the last day of my first month. Just hit 199.2 on the scale! This was a huge milestone for me and I'm happy to have reached it.
    GoKasey5 wrote: »
    Same! To keep myself from giving up/giving in, I tell myself "just for today" or "not today". I'm going to workout, just for today. Or I'm not going to have that ice cream, not today. This helps me focus on what I'm doing right now and gives me less anxiety/frustration about how far I still have to go. It just helps remind me to take things one day at a time and that it doesn't mean I can't ever have that ice cream, just not today

    I like this. I've actually been doing the "Just give me 10 days" challenge here on MFP. If I think about it in these short increments, it helps!
    Tulip9 wrote: »
    Make sure you take your picture every couple of weeks, as well as your measurements. You probably already look a little different. I'm losing at a slow and steady pace, but I'm developing better habits. Like you, my energy is increasing. I've stuck with this for 5 months (longer than I ever have). I try on my tighter cloths every once in a while to see my progress. You can do this!

    I'm going to take monthly pictures. I took one at the beginning and it is DISGUSTING. Funny that I didn't feel as big as I look in the photo. But the 1st of every month I'll take a new one and hopefully see progress. I also started to take measurements - first set done yesterday. I wish I had done that at the beginning too.

    Again, thank you all for your encouragement! I'm still plugging along and I'll be back here again for MORE support in the future. :blush:
  • swim777
    swim777 Posts: 599 Member
    artanis50 wrote: »
    I'm creeping up on one month of counting calories and trying to get in more exercise. I'm a serial "starter" and this is usually about the time I give up. I've seen some progress but the ultimate goal is so far away it seems impossible to achieve.

    The past few days I've found myself snacking a little more and more. Falling into my old habits again. I promised myself THIS TIME would be the LAST TIME I start to get healthy. I promised myself I wouldn't give up. I promised myself no matter how long it takes me, I WILL reach my goal.

    My starting weight was about 210. I'm down to 200 in a little less than 30 days. That's huge! Why don't I see this as success? Why doesn't this push me to keep going in itself? I don't know.

    In June I told myself I'd walk the dog every morning. I lasted 2 days. Pathetic. I could barely make it half a mile without feeling like I would die. Even at a quarter mile I thought I couldn't go on - but obviously I had to. I could just sit down on the sidewalk. I pushed myself and got home.

    this morning I took the dog for a walk again. I finished that half mile I did in June and kept going another half mile. I probably could have kept going. Why can't I see THIS as success? At the beginning of August I got back on my bike. I could barely finish 5 miles. 2 days ago I completed 11 miles. Why can't I see this as success?

    I don't have the answers to any of these questions and maybe nobody else does either. All I do know is that I'm not giving up. I'm not throwing in the towel and living content as the "fat girl".

    As Dory would say ... "Just keep swimming ....".

    Definitely keep swimming, Dory!! Find reasonable exercise that you can work in your day without feeling tortured. Park as far away as you can when you shop. Wear an activity tracker. I have a shine 2 and I absolutely love it. I had tons of clothes that didn't fit in my closet. I know it's silly, but if I felt less motivated, I'd pick out something closer to the size I was and try it on as I lost weight. My husband teased me about shopping in my closet. But I love clothes and it motivated me. I also exercise first thing. I make it important. I walk a mile on the treadmill and now a mile with the dog. All those steps add up. Start out as you can keep on. I lost over 70 lbs doing that along with logging and watching calories. I didn't think I could but I did. You can do this!
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