Those who have lost a significant amount of weight, how did you stay motivated for the long haul?

Hi,
I've lost 40lbs in the past two years, but I still have about 75lbs more to lose. I'm struggling to be consistent and lose weight steadily. I managed to yo-yo down 20lbs last year and I've done the same this year. I'll get a spurt of motivation and stay good for a couple of months...then I get bored and stop for a while. I know a lot about healthy eating and IIFYM, Calorie counting, Keto, "Clean eating"-- but truthfully knowing doesn't equate to doing.

So what were the things that helped you to keep going? How did you set your short-term goals?
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Replies

  • DCharlie2
    DCharlie2 Posts: 1 Member
    To rely on motivation is a bit dangerous. It's such an ephemeral thing -- over and done in a day. For whatever it's worth, I've lost 50 lb. (my goal is to lose 100!) by keeping a routine and sticking strictly to it. I keep an honest food diary (I use a food scale, measuring spoons, and measuring cups as needed -- no guessing), I stick to my exercise routine (walking 30 mins/day, and a 20-minute HIIT routine 3 times/week), and I weigh in and measure weekly. I reward myself in my mind for each small victory along the way, and I try to take setbacks in stride -- not always easy. As the saying goes, losing a lot of weight is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm in it for the long, long multi-year haul, to get rid of it, get healthy, and keep it off for good.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    Ditto to everyone else saying that motivation is fleeting. It's really all about habits, consistency, and structured discipline. Think of how long it took and how ingrained the habits were that brought you to be overweight; you'll have to permanently buck those trends to sustain success. Given your comments it sounds like when you're "on" you're trying to follow restrictive nutritional methodology, which may ultimately be too restrictive for you to realistically sustain or need to work up to doing so in a sustainable fashion. Don't think about it as "being good" or "staying on track"; it needs more of a gradual progression of improvement and sustainable changes to your nutrition and lifestyle. Take a hard look at what happens when you stop "staying good", as you put. Learn those habits and pitfalls and take measures against them. Don't just say "well I'm just going to try to avoid doing that again for <insert time interval>", make the best choice also be an easy choice.

    This is going to look differently for everyone. For instance, I was torpedoing my nutrition with a vending machine habit, getting a honey bun or other junk when I needed a break at work. To fix this I stopped carrying cash/small bills and it's made a big difference. It's harder to eat junk if you don't buy it so my wife and I grocery shop together to keep each other accountable about the type of food we bring into our home. I also make a point to lay out my workout clothes and pre-workout powder with my work clothes before I go to bed each night so I can easily be ready for my workout upon waking, even if I hit the snooze one too many times. That said I didn't come to these conclusions overnight, it was the result of quite a bit of trial-and-error and time learning from those errors. Keep at and commit to getting better everyday and you'll get closer and closer to your goal.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    because i still dont want to be fat.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Accepting there is no end point. It isn't a case of "I just need to do this for x weeks/months whatever" but it's a lifetime. So I just keep going. 2.5 years, not yet at goal, not always compliant enough to lose large amounts of weight but I have never regained unknowingly (things like holidays are times I know I'm likely to have a gain and that's okay). I just keep going. Keep implementing the habits I have developed. I'm better sometimes than others and that's also okay.

    So I might not always be moving forward as it were but I'm never reversing. And most of the time there is no motivation as others say, it's pure habit and discipline.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I lost 100 pounds in about 2.5 years. I agree that motivation isn't a great way to look at it. Both motivation and willpower are finite and if you're relying on those things, you won't be able to sustain them over the long term. Weight loss and maintenance of your weight loss are really about changing your routines. You're learning new ways to eat and view your relationship with food, and those new routines need to be sustainable over the long term.

    I didn't eliminate any foods that I liked, because I don't want to live like that forever; I just learned to eat less of them or eat them on days when they fit my calorie goals. I didn't do "cheat days" because they can easily eliminate a week's calorie deficit and they create a mentality of overeating on certain days rather than having a sustainable routine. I didn't add any new "diet foods." I just ate within my calorie goals, and I started exercising more because it's good for my body, and also because I like eating more. Weight loss is about math. Nothing more or less.

    tl;dr, motivation is short term. New routines are for the long term.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    edited November 2017
    It's been really hard. I first started on MFP in February 2016. I had already lost quite a bit through weight watchers but wanted something free. I lose a lot slower doing MFP but it works if you hang in there and stay at it. I see it as a lifestyle change. I don't want to overeat on a consistent basis and only want to eat what my body needs or until I feel satisfied so that's where weighing my food comes in. It's hard because this is my third go at this. Also, I don't cut out any foods I like but I do make sure I count every thing I eat.

    I got to goal in spring 2016 and gained it all back last winter out of pure laziness and stress eating. It's up to me to do it because no one can do this for me.
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I lost 70 lbs. in 2006. I've yo-yo'd a bit since then, but never more than 15 lbs. from my goal. I feel pretty successful overall.

    When I was in deficit, I treated it like a second job. And it was a lot of work. I held myself accountable for several "rules" and "tasks" just like in the workplace. The list of strategies is so long, it's probably better for a different thread.

    I also tried to be realistic. 60 lbs. in, I knew my real job was going to be super stressful for about 7 months. I just tried to maintain at that time, and knew I could get back at it later.

    After a couple of years of carrying around measuring spoons and that sort of thing, most of those helpful behaviors were habit, ingrained, and I could slack off focusing so hard. At this point, the only thing really keeping me going is remembering that losing all that weight was the hardest thing I ever did and I really don't want to have to do it all over again.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    First of all I do not rely on motivation. I setup a strategy with short term tactics to hit established goals. I set up realistic short term goals which feed into long term goals all of which support maintaining a healthy weight and a level of physical fitness.

    I compete in running events, biking events, swimming events, triathlons, obstacle course races, etc. none of which I could do if I allowed myself to get overweight.

    I do the following exercise:

    I write down 5 "bad" habits that I want to change and prioritize these 1-5 and cross out 2-5. I focus on the number one habit and figure out a "good" habit I'm going to replace this with. Once this new habit becomes part of my everyday behavior and fully ingrained I repeat this exercise and focus on the next habit.
  • annagashi
    annagashi Posts: 5 Member
    I was on the same boat as you- till I approached my friend a provider in Stanford hospital in Cali. She introduced me to an awesome dense nutrition that I use to replace one meal a day. Lost 16lbs in 2 months! now that I have all the energy I do 80% nutrition and 20%exercise. and I feel great and love the results.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I'm still losing weight but I just find that every day im excited to see if theres a change, or if theres something new I can do.

    Fitting into new clothes and having people notice keeps me motivated, so do NSV like being able to do a hike I wasnt able to without thinking I was dying 8 months ago.

    I ate a little more than usual this past weekend and didnt track as much as I should and I cant tell you how great it felt to get back on track today. It was a special occasion (I got into a school I had been hoping to and my husband had his birthday and started applying to medical schools) but its amazing how different my life and choices were at the beginning of 2017 and at the end.
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
    I have lost 75+ lbs, but am not always motivated. I have developed good habits, which are now second nature to me. Even if I'm not motivated it doesn't matter as my habits keep me on track, at worst I go to maintance levels.
  • JasonMcS
    JasonMcS Posts: 96 Member
    I am working on 38 pounds. I have only been here for 81 days or so my streak says. I wondered the same thing several times. Why will this time be any different than the last time? What will keep me from giving up and going back? I gave myself 2 answers.
    1) I am really enjoying this! I like being able to fit clothes better. I like watching that scale falling. It feels GOOD to see those small goals and progress toward the big ones. I am smaller than I have been in 15 years or longer. I just like this better than feeling miserable after trying to eat half a chocolate cake. I love it!

    2) If I fail I fail. So what (not that I want to). If I decide to go back to eating everything I see tomorrow It still don't take away the fun I am having today. I am doing this for me because I want to. I want to. I always plan for failure and it always looms over my head. Not this time, not this battle. If it happens that I forget the things I have learned and start gaining again, I will still have had the fun of killing these goals and hitting these personal bests that I keep hitting. This is my journey, for me. The experience will pull me back if I fall off because it feels so good to loose.

    I say to have a blast doing this for you. That is my plan! I know you said you wanted input from folks that have been successful but I couldn't help jumping in. Enjoy your journey!
  • JoLightensUp
    JoLightensUp Posts: 140 Member
    I love this thread. I'm still losing (and only a moderate amount) so I'm no expert, but one thing I am noticing is that good habits can be just as powerful as bad ones. We often focus on how hard it is to break a bad habit, but I feel uncomfortable when my good habits don't go to plan as well.

    Just an example: Wednesday night is my swimming night. I am in such a routine that it annoyed me when I was running late for it the other week and had to cut my session short. That's when I realised my new habit had stuck and had power. It would have taken more energy for me to decide not to go. I'm just trying to gradually add good habits bit by bit.

    And I love the mindset suggested by @VintageFeline of not having an endpoint.
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