I also try to keep it perspective. I didn't gain my 100lbs. overnight; you didn't gain your 130lbs overnight. I can't expect it to just fall off, no matter how bad I want it to.
I like mini-goals as well. Short-term goals help remind me how far I've come and what I have left. Plus, you get to check those off your list faster
Its a journey, to be sure, but worth it. Reminding yourself how much you stand to gain by losing is the biggest reason to just keep going.
I understand how daunting that feels, I started out with a similar amount to lose. It felt very overwhelming, and I'll be honest, occasionally I still feel it. But that feeling also began to significantly diminish for me with the more weight I lost. Especially after the first 40-50 pounds, eventually I hit a point where I felt: "alll right!!! it's downhill from here!!! " Because long before you reach your 130lb loss goal, you're going to experience many, MANY amazing rewards. And then once you're on your way, you learn to keep putting one foot in front of the other and it becomes more about a lb or 2 here and there, and before you know it, you've lost another XX lbs.
I *know* how difficult it can feel, but a) you can do this, and b) once you find a different focus, it'll become easier. Find things you look forward to along the way, and focus on those. You can do this and you deserve to do this for yourself. And you'll be so glad you've stuck it out when you begin looking back at this time.
Last edited by beautifulone; 12-19-2009 at 06:21 PM.
Welcome to the forum. Everyone has their own way of trying to stay motivated, and the key is to figure out what works for you. Before I started my weight loss journey I had to lose 175lbs. Knowing I had to lose so much weight kept me from trying because it seemed impossible. Earlier this year I started my lifestyle change, I avoided the scale completely and strictly focused on my eating habits and trying to live a healthy lifestyle. After a few weeks I began to see results (looser clothes), and after a few months I was down 4 sizes. Once my eating was under control, then I began a more regimented fitness routine and began weighing myself. I have 68lbs to go and at times it seems soooo far away. I've broken it up into more manageable mini-goals (e.g. reach onderland, BMI under 30, ...).
Judy Lynn said it best and you just have to keep the focus small and try to lose one pound at a time so you don't get discouraged. Stay strong!
When I first started I came across a saying in one of the Biggest Loser books. I stored it in my cell phone as a message to myself so I saw it every day. It's just a basic thought and not a new one either, but the way it was worded...it just spoke to me. It said, "Concentrate on what you need to do today and acheiving your end goal will take care of itself" And that's what I did. I just got through each "today".
I sat down and set small goals for myself, yet ones that I knew would have significance to me. I figured out what 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35% etc of my original weight was and I went for each one. There's something about thinking of losing a 10th or a quarter of myself that really inspired me.
When I started the total weight I had to lose was a bit scary to me so after reading advice here I broke it down to 10lb mini goals and that helped Focusing on the smaller amounts and the day to day things you have to do distracted me enough where I wasn't too overwhelmed with things.
I also started with 130 to lose. It is very daunting, but it is doable.
~break it down into smaller goals
~have goals that have nothing to do with the scale - the number of pushups you can do, how many minutes you can do on whatever exercise equipment you favor, jeans size, how many new healthy recipes you have learned - it can't be all about weight.
~think about the fact that if you do the things you know you should you will be healthier even if you do not lose a single pound
~one day at a time, heck one meal and one workout at a time.
I have goals in mind, I want to run a 5k in feb, and build up to a full marathon by september.
Also i set my mini goals at 10% less from each goal, so i'm coming up to my first goal soon. Also, since it's calculated each time a goal is reached the goals get close together. this is nice because as you get smaller, so does the amount you lose.
Time is going to pass whether your eating everything bad for you or eating healthy. I decided I dont want to be the fat mom anymore.I didnt set goals at first...just try and see how many ON PLAN days I could string together. I have hit some bumps in the road but I can tell you this..i look and feel so much better even though I still have some more weight to lose.
I have at the very least 100 lbs to lose. What has helped me not feel so overwhelmed is to break up that 100 lbs into 4 mini goals. Each time I lose 25 lbs, I give myself a reward . It really does help! I've already passed my 1st 25 lb goal, so I KNOW that I can reach the next one, because I've already lost 25 lbs once :].
you are all soo right! I have just about the same goal as you! I just look at every monday (when I weigh myself) My goal is 2-3 pounds....more than that YAY...less then that...try harder next week!
There is so much good advice in this thread. Mini goals have become really important for me. Celebrating hitting a new "decade" on the scale. Recognizing when I finally got to the point where I officially have less than 100 lbs to lose to reach my ultimate goal. Acknowledging when my BMI dropped me from the category of morbidly obese to obese.
But all the mini goals put together still doesn't compare with how much better I feel overall. That's not to say I still don't have my days where it seems impossible and like I'll never get anywhere near my ultimate goal....but that's where a quick look back on what I have already accomplished helps alot.
Start with that first pound and then keep going. You can do it.
There is so much good advice in this thread. Mini goals have become really important for me. Celebrating hitting a new "decade" on the scale. Recognizing when I finally got to the point where I officially have less than 100 lbs to lose to reach my ultimate goal. Acknowledging when my BMI dropped me from the category of morbidly obese to obese.
But all the mini goals put together still doesn't compare with how much better I feel overall. That's not to say I still don't have my days where it seems impossible and like I'll never get anywhere near my ultimate goal....but that's where a quick look back on what I have already accomplished helps alot.
Start with that first pound and then keep going. You can do it.
Yep, I'm loving my new signature. I keep looking at all those mini goals which are all within about 10 lbs of each other, some less. Each one looks totally doable from the one before it. I'm looking forward to ticking these puppies off one by one.
When I first started I came across a saying in one of the Biggest Loser books. I stored it in my cell phone as a message to myself so I saw it every day. It's just a basic thought and not a new one either, but the way it was worded...it just spoke to me. It said, "Concentrate on what you need to do today and acheiving your end goal will take care of itself" And that's what I did. I just got through each "today".
Thank you for that quote! I have gone past this thread a couple of times because I didn't want to read about how much weight I have to loose. I too have a lot to loose and the idea of getting board or burn out scares me.
I am really trying to stay in the focus of how good the 19 lbs feels. How great I feel physically, emotionally and spiritually. The reply's to this post have been a Godsend...thank you!
1 have 160 lbs to lose, which is very daunting, but I am finding that breaking it up into mini goals as the experts say here really helps. I have lost quite a bit of that weight before, only to put it back on, so I know I can do it. I find 10lbs is a good mini goal for me. I have already reached my first 10lb mini goal. (I started my journey in mid November, and only just joined this forum.)
So much of the reason I put the weight on was due to stress, emotional eating, and negative thinking, and I want to take the weight off by having a long term healthy outlook. Dieting is not going to take 160 lbs off so much as changing the way I cope with my life long term is.
I was very overwhelmed by the thought of having over 100 pounds to lose. The suggestion to think of it in decades of weight helped me so much. Then as I got closer to goal I got excited over every single pound that came off. Every pound down gets you closer to where you want to be.
I felt so much better after losing 20 pounds, it truely amazed me. I wanted to feel better and better. That kept me going, along with looking better. I was surprised to find out that most of my aches and pains and exhaustion were from the weight. Those benefits come pretty quickly.
It took me about 18 months to lose the weight and when I look back it seems like the time went pretty fast. I'm so glad that I commited to the journey and enjoyed all the amazing changes along the way.
" Because long before you reach your 130lb loss goal, you're going to experience many, MANY amazing rewards. And then once you're on your way, you learn to keep putting one foot in front of the other and it becomes more about a lb or 2 here and there, and before you know it, you've lost another XX lbs. 
. It really does help! I've already passed my 1st 25 lb goal, so I KNOW that I can reach the next one, because I've already lost 25 lbs once :].
