How do you prepare yourself mentally for starting a weightloss journey?
Hi everyone,
I am currently the good part of 300 pound; 265 pounds at last check. I have had multiple surgeries and set backs for losing weight. I start and I try hard, then I get sick, need surgery or really hurt myself, and I have to take a break from regular exercise, and I end up gaining all the weight I had lost, and then some.
My question is this; how do you prepare yourself mentally for starting over on your weight loss journey? I am so scared of failure, and my health has never been great, I am only in my mid 20s, and I am struggling to start again. I really struggle with negative thoughts/self talk!
Welcome caldawg89!
Find something that works for you.
Make a chart.
Read motivating books.
Look at before after pictures.
Keep a journal with your hopes and dreams.
Fill pinterest up with motivating ideas.
Put up motivating post its around your house.
Find a buddy or commit to one of the many groups here.
Remind yourself several times a day this is a lifestyle change that you need to stick to. If you go back to your old ways the weight comes right back.
Be kind to yourself.
Good luck on your journey.
Thankyou so much for getting back to me. I have tried and failed several times to lose weight and I really struggle with negative self talk. I will try some of your suggestions. I have made heaps of excuses and now that has to stop. Thanks again
caldawg89 please consider joining in our 300+ chat thread. It is great for support and someone will always chime in and remind you not to get too negative with your thoughts and feelings.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
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Calda, I'm a big believer in having a graph on the fridge. Do you have some software that would let you enter your latest weigh-in and generate a graph for you? Or some tech-savvy person who could set it up for you? When I look at the graph on my fridge, I feel like I can will that line to go down, down, down. Silly me, perhaps, but it might work for you, too. =smile=
Thanks to everyone who posted. It is amazing how much good exercise and diet improves your mental state. I started a new diet/exercise plan a week ago, and I have hardly had any negative thoughts, except for last night when I was anxious about my weigh in today. Thankyou so much for supporting me! It means more than you know.
Let us know how your weigh in went its also of great help to see the progress of other people. For me checking pics of me in a lower weight helps a lot
make a list of reasons why you are doing it. put it somewhere you will see it regularly e.g. (and im not meaning this cheeky) the fridge door.
Mine is a photographic list in that i have a picture of me at 200lbs looking and feeling miserable. 1 of me a bit lighter and one of the bikini i want to rock this summer and one of me and my man happy together.
Your habits are the foundation of your life. Habits are (generally) decisions that you make each and every day without even thinking about them. They will either facilitate your ability to achieve the life you desire, or act as a barrier. If you can work on recognizing and modifying your habits to better facilitate the achievement of whatever your goals are, then you are in a better position to transform your life.
The change you are looking for, however, does not happen overnight. It will take time and a lot of people (myself included) struggle with that.
Willpower/motivation is naturally somewhat of a fleeting resource. There will be times that you're highly motivated and excited about the changes that are happening and this will push you further. But there will also be other times where you feel frustrated and impatient and feel like giving up because change is not happening fast enough. You're human--this is natural. Somedays you will take one step forward followed by two steps backwards. It may feel an awful lot like failure, but it's not. Long-term success is not linear.
Finally, appreciate that each day is a new day...the stumbles are not the end of the world. In fact, they give you better insight into whether you may need to adjust a habit that you have. All you need for long-term success is progress, not perfection. Perfection is an unrealistic and unsustainable goal we often unfairly set for ourselves...and in the long-run, it only sets each of us up for failure. Nobody is perfect 100% of the time, nor should they be. You deserve to be happy with the life you're living. You're worth it.
How do you prepare yourself mentally for starting a weightloss journey?
