Question for those just starting their weightloss journey....

I think for me knowing why I'm doing it is keeping me focused

Hey OP, first of all I think shifting and/or expanding your mindset would be beneficial to keep you on track. I do believe that having an "ultimate goal" is beneficial to give direction throughout your journey, but having non-scale-related goals can help keep one on the wagon when the inevitable speed bumps come along, and have intermediate scale/mirror/clothes-related goals can help maintain focus. This is going to be different for everyone, but think about other things you want to be able to accomplish along the way to your big goal. Maybe it's a physical task, eliminating/cutting down on vices, improving your sleep, or getting others to join in on the journey, be it friends, family members, coworkers, etc. For me, I really got into weightlifting a little over two years ago. I'm a very quantitative person so being able to assign numbers to performance in the form of weight, sets, and reps keeps me motivated to keep showing up and improving even if I'm not seeing as measurable success in the kitchen or on the scale.

Additionally,the fact you've restarted this quest a number of times tells me your methodology is holding you back. Motivation only gets you so far and can cause people to overcompensate for previous downfalls at the start, only setting them up for long-term failure. This usually sounds like: "I did well doing 3 days/week at the gym for a few weeks last time, let me try 5/ this time and I bet that will work!" or "I lost 5 lbs that one month I stuck to <50 g carbs, so I'll just cut them out completely and be ripped in no time!". I know I've had those thoughts and tried to follow through on wholesale changes all at once before and haven't gotten them to work. Take a more methodical approach; I suggest logging without any dietary changes for at least a full week and really take an objective look at the numbers and patterns to find what the biggest problems are. Is one meal way higher in calories than others, are you snacking more calories than you think, hidden liquid calories, etc. There are likely some low-hanging fruit you can phase out that will get you started. Focus on IMPROVING HABITS, not thinking about things as a quick fix, and continually make small sustainable changes which will set you up for the long-term. As you can probably attest from previous attempts, motivation itself will only get you so far before you fall back to your old habits; take measures to keep those old habits from being an option and it will keep you from falling back to them. One thing for me was getting junk from the vending machine at work; that fix was simple, I stopped carrying cash, or at least small bills.

Further, keep the big picture in mind. It's estimated that you need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. That 3500 calorie deficit isn't going to be won or lost on one decision, or even on one day; consistency is what breads success. NerdFitness.com has some interesting free resources on mindset and I'm going to paraphrase some of that here as it pertained to my journey, and I think is applicable to many others. Don't beat yourself up if you have a weak moment or encounter the proverbial bump in the road; just don't compound those misteps. Never miss two-in-a-row (be it a poor meal choice, a skipped workout, etc.), double down on the next one to compensate, and stay right back on track. I used to have a bad habit of compounding errors, letting what should've been an isolated incident prompt be to throw in the towel on the whole day (or longer) and use it as an excuse to stop caring for short-term gratification, a decision I always regretted.

I think this time, it's how I am refocusing my goals.

I always wanted to lose weight but I never actually tried to do so. I saw my wife lose 10lbs in the last one and a half month while using MFP and I thought why not. It was my first day today and my wife accompanying me in this journey will keep me motivated

steveko89 wrote: »

maggibailey wrote: »

I am in the same boat. I did reach my ultimate goal though and have since realized it is not a maintainable weight for me to live a happy life. So I have reevaluated and know that I can get to my "happy" weight without any issue. But the what then question bothers me. I am fantastic at reaching goals but the idea of counting forever bothers me and I don't see any other option if I want to keep fitting in my pants. I am thinking I'll keep weighing everyday when I hit my goal and if I vary up by more than 3 pounds I'll count again until I get back.

Hey MaggiBailey, congrats on hitting your goal weight! I want to preface what I'm going to throw out about your "what then?" question by saying I'm in no way trying to diminish the efforts you made and/or the success you've been able to achieve, but I am going to challenge you in a few areas.

- You reference your "happy" weight. Does that weight equal everything you thought it could be from an overall physique standpoint? Are you truly happy with how you look at that weight or are there physical goals you've yet to achieve that aren't quantified by the scale?

- I understand that people use MFP and want to lose weight for a variety of different purposes. That said, I find that sustainability is often overlooked in favor of the weight loss process itself on here, and by your comment I think this is where you find yourself. Have you really achieved your goal if you're struggling to maintain this new weight? Shouldn't weight loss success be better defined by the permanence and sustainability of the change you've made? I would argue that's your goal now; continue to improve your habits, whether they be nutritional, fitness-related, or both, such that you literally can have your cake, and eat it, within the construct of maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.

Since it appears you already weigh yourself everyday I would encourage you to start using this spreadsheet I found on Reddit and have been using for the last 7 weeks, found in "Step 1" following this https://reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started. It requires calorie logging but collecting data for a few weeks will give you a better number for TDEE than any estimate from a calculator. Finding your actual TDEE you can truly eat at a maintenance level when desired. Calorie counting doesn't have to mean you're restricting your calories for weight loss, you're just making sure you don't undo any of the hard work you've already put in.

Oh I should have been more clear! I got to my goal weight and loved it. Then moved across the country got married switched jobs and got happy and relaxed with a sweet husband who loves to cook and loves to feed me and gained it back lol. So the moment in back in the lose the weight again (this time with the added issue of the sweet husband who also hates the idea of me dieting). I'm well aware of where I went wrong. My issue will be when I'm back at a weight I prefer how do I not just relax and get fed like a princess of old and let it sneak back on. I think I have a plan now. So we shall see when it comes time to execute it! But I can certainly see your point in the weight loss needing to not be the most important part. And needing it to be sustained. It got a little addictive and I had to say to myself "hey girl here is a good place to stop!" Or I'd have gotten too skinny. I'm a volume eater I love food. I'm just going to have to figure out that relationship long term. I have had my tdee figured using one of those fancy pods and a fitness test so I'm pretty clear on how much I can eat. But the sheet will be interesting to try none the less! Thank you for your very detailed response.

I'm thinking about all the activities that I'll be able to do (run, jog, dance, for one) and the energy I am going to have. I started 2 months ago and I have 84 lbs. (lost 16 so far) to lose. I have been a normal size for most of my life (with a few years of being somewhat overweight but not obese), but the last 6 years were hellish and I let my eating get out of control. The fact that I've been logging on MFP and it is WORKING is a good incentive for me to continue. I don't have a problem with logging in food and exercise for the rest of my life. It gives me a sense of peace and control that I know what I'm eating instead of emotional eating and overeating for no good reason. I spent at least the last 6 years eating whatever I felt like eating and I don't like the result! I'm really looking forward to not having to carry around this extra weight. Already my stamina has improved and no more knee issues. I was having digestive issues and those have more or less disappeared since I started MFP. By eating less (about half of what I was eating before) I no longer am stressing my digestive system. I expect when I see my doctor in 10 months that my blood sugar will be lower (I was getting to be pre-diabetic) and hopefully cholesterol too. These have gotten worse with the weight over the last few years, and were normal before.

I do visualization of what I want my body to look like and seeing myself doing the physical activities I like to do and feeling energetic. I think this helps because the subconscious has that positive image to work with.

I practice meditation and setting intentions. I visualize what life will be like when I reach my goals. This makes the end point real to me and creates a picture I want to achieve. I also try to approach decisions one at a time, trying to make the best choices each time without looking to the past at maybe bad decisions that were made or looking to all the future healthy decisions I have to make as that makes things feel daunting and overwhelming. I try to practice being present and enjoy each phase of life as it comes. My reality right now is that I need to lose weight and want to be healthier so I try to enjoy the now as I move towards a new reality.