Trying to go from 195 to 135... Tips?

tywashere8 · July 31

Not great at keeping motivated but I'm at my highest weight ever rn and really want to lose 60lbs. Any advice on staying motivated?

csplatt · July 31

Expect it to take a long time. Too many people say "this just doesn't work for me" and give up instead of saying "what changes can I make so it will start working?"

tulips_and_tea · July 31

Agree with @csplatt: be patient and consistent. You didn't put on 60 lbs overnight, so it won't go away that quickly, either.

Input your info here. What's your calorie goal? Read the helpful threads as to how to accurately weigh and measure and log your food. It's a learning process, so just do it and don't get discouraged if you mess up.

Don't worry about motivation. You don't need that. You need a plan and a way to execute that plan MOST of the time. Don't even shoot for perfection. Start working on changing small things. Small habits really add up and have huge benefits!

AnnPT77 · July 31

If it took constant motivation, I'd still be class 1 obese, instead of having been at a healthy weight for several years now (after about 30 previous years of overweight/obesity).

My advice would be to work at finding new eating and activity habits that make losing weight relatively easier, rather than trying to make it faster.

It's the majority of my days that cause the majority of my results, not the rare day when I eat too much cake or work out for 5 hours.

For me, that put a priority on finding new routine daily life habits that were ideally pleasant (but at least tolerable and practical), then repeating those with the limited budget of willpower I do have until they were grooved in as the way I live my life. I wanted new habits that could run almost on autopilot when other parts of life got challenging, because they have a way of doing that.

I'm talking about figuring out exercise that's enjoyable, food that's tasty and filling. Misery has got to be optional.

What that looks like is going to be different for each person, because we all have unique preferences, strengths, challenges and lifestyles. Other people can give us ideas to try, but only we can figure out which ones will work for us.

I'd give high odds that most people are going to do better if they throw out the nonsense pop mythology about weight loss that's pushed in the blogosphere, on TV, and in tabloids. Extreme food restrictions and punitively intense exercise IMO are likely to be counter-productive for a whole host of reasons . . . not least the fact that they require constant "motivation" (or discipline, or willpower). I don't know about you, but I have a very limited budget of motivation, willpower and discipline!

Honestly, if a hedonistic aging-hippie flake like me can do this, I think most people can. I'll bet you can . . . and I'm cheering for you to succeed, because the results are worth the effort.

Best wishes!

pony4us · July 31

I addition to all the wonderful advice above I would add....take things in small easy goals..like first "I want to get out of the 190s" I want to exercise for 15 min three times a week...anything counts like walking around the house. I want to log very carefully three times a week. For me I set these somewhat low bar goals each month. Most of the time I was better than the goal, but the goal wasn't too hard for me. Then for my goal weight I looked at what maintenance would be and picked my goal based on what I could easily live with. True...I'm 75 so "for the rest of my life" may not be as long as for others but at this age I've maintained for about two years, my exercise goals are still modest but doable, I'm active and painfree AND on no meds. My goal weight is still 5 pounds "overweight" but my doctor has said not to lose anything to try to be "normal"
The key is to be honest and to just make things as easy as possible.

SueBarry1 · August 20

We are very similar-I am in the process of going from 200 to 140. So far at 192, cant wait to see the 180s. I am 72 years old and recently found out that I have several health problems that I was unaware of. No time like the present to finally get this done and stay there-I hate having 5 different size clothes in my closet

Viridian1539 · August 20

Like @SueBarry1 I'm also in the process of going down from 200 to ~140. This is my third try because I keep bouncing back into the low 190s and losing my confidence I can actually do it.

This time feels different because I'm not focusing on the weight - I'm focusing on my mental health and physical strength, and how what I eat plays into those. Sure, the weight loss is an awesome side effect, but at least for me, I've found if the weight loss is the only reason you're doing it, chances are you're not going to be able to keep it off.

Also, comparison pictures are really really helpful! I've seen 2 lbs make my face go from chubby to not, and had days where it felt like I had no progress, only to look at an old photo and see that while the numbers are the same, more of it is muscle now!

SueBarry1 · August 22

Interesting that you mentioned photos-I came across one yesterday-the last time I was at 140 was 4 years ago-looked damn good-I have noticed changes in my 9 pound loss already. For some reason I notice in my stomach this time-which is usually the last place and my chin is back to normal. Heres to better health for both of us!

ninerbuff · August 22

You create a plan, stick to the plan day in day out. Like brushing your teeth out of habit, you won't need much motivation if you are consistent day in and day out. Repetition is everything with staying on course or learning something regardless of what it is. Playing an instrument takes repetition, swimming faster takes repetition, learning how to dance well takes repetition. Weight loss is no different.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hobartlemagne · August 22

Here's a good instructional and motivational video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbVKI9kAFTg
In the tradition of a bodybuilder bulk & cut, this method is called Grind and Chill.
You do some disciplined weight loss for a while, then switch to maintenance for a while. You alternate until you reach your goal. The advantage of this is it helps you to avoid catastrophic diet fatigue.

Trying to go from 195 to 135... Tips?

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