What determines success?

I think this is my first official "bump"!

I have been one of the slow losers. I think for some people the weight does not magically fall off like for others. It takes time to lose the weight physically and mentally. When you are very overweight there might be a physical reason like slow thyroid, or no exercise, but 90% of what got you to the weight in the first place is your emotions and mental state. It is low self esteem, events that happened in your life, emotions that were not delt with and other things. I am also learning in my own journey that with an actual medical condition you have to work within your limits and not do things that fight your body. I have lost 55 lbs but it took me two years to do it. I still have 45 lbs to lose and just went to the nutritionist on Thursday and she made many adjustments to my diet and now I am hoping that my weight loss will get back on track again

I think its all down to state of mind and determination to reach a goal by keeping focused on the end result.

i think as i am discovering weight lose isnt as simple as cutting down food and exercising you have to cut down the right way you need to look at your fat and carbs and protein too and you have to make sure you arent eating too little either the amount of people on here that arnt losing weight and cant understand why when they are only consuming 900kcals a day is crazy also as we all know looking at that scale every week can be so disheartening and as i have been told the more weight you lose the harder it is to shift the remaining weight and i think thats where most people fall down you lose a fair amount in the first couple of weeks when you are motivated then the scales slight to slow or even stop and so people get disappointed and give in i am exercising 6 times a week and with TOM here this week i have stood on the scales and nothing has changed its so disheartening coz i am working my butt off

Personally for me: I was able to lose 90 pounds in about 6 months....Now let me say this...I am only 5 9 and weighed 246.2 when I started. So I had a LOT to loose. I can tell you if I would try to starting loosing weight now (im 155.2) It would take a LOT longer, as I have much less to "rid".

For me, it was a package deal I had to change my mindset, eating habits, and exercise habits(well I needed to start exercisng in general). I needed to be paitent with myself and others around me. I didn't gain all that over night, and since the only real way (in my opinon) to keep it off, is diet and exercise, I surely wouldn't lose it over night.

Looking back, Im not proud of where I started, but I am proud of where I am today. That is MY success. What works for me, may not work for others. Im surely no doctor!!

I have never had a problem with being overweight. I eat healthy, but by no means have ever "watched" what I eat. Only now, approaching 40, have I noticed that it is easier for me to put on a couple extra pounds (which actually has only placed me right in the middle of my BMI range). All my life people have constantly commented on my weight and size (being tall and thin) and were always frustrated to hear that I don't do a lot other than normal healthy eating and daily activities - and I am a big sweet eater.

So to answer your question, I am sorry to say, that I do believe A LOT of weight tendencies are simply genetic - how tall you are to balance the weight, your metabolism, and how you burn and carry fat. Unfortunately (easy for me to say since I am not one of them!), it seems one person can eat the exact same thing as another and lose or gain weight totally different based on their genetic make-up.

As I was reading my post, I realized that my comments make it seem hopeless if you don't have the "right" genes. Obviously the goal is to be healthy and what I was trying to say is that is different for every person. I know it is natural to compare your progress to others, but it can also be very frustrating and almost impossible. I think the best thing a person can do is try to look at other people's progress as a motivator (even if your weight loss isn't as big or fast) and know that if you keep at it, you'll get there too.

I think our desire for "instant gratification" is the major culprit. In today's society with instant access thanks to the internet, microwave meals, faster cars, ATMs-- the list goes on and on-- we can get what we want when we want it at the blink of an eye. So-- why shouldn't it be the same with weight loss?

I'm one of those lucky ones who lose the same 5lbs over and over and I admit that I'm one of the instant gratification junkies. I feel like I've eaten good for a couple of weeks, worked my *kitten* off at the gym so there- I should be 40lbs lighter and look like a super model. When it doesn't happen I get all moody and depressed and I eat. It's a bad relationship with food as well as an unhealthy look at the reality of weight loss.