Weight Loss Support - On a scale of 1-10, how sure are you that you can achieve permanent weight loss?

I read this article on the weekend via Peer Trainer (I read it while I was on my phone, and now I can't find the actual article).

But basically, the article asked on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being that you don't believe and 10 being that you truly believe), how much do you believe that permanent weight loss is achievable for you?

I looked inside myself, was really honest, and came up with 3/10.

I am trying so hard, and have been trying for so many years, have achieved some weight loss, but when I was honest and asked myself this question, I realized that basically I truly do not believe this is achievable for me - I will never be the weight that I desire to be.

This was a huge moment for me, as obviously this is something I need to work on - I just don't know how. If I don't truly believe it, then how can I believe it? You know?

Thoughts anyone?

~BreathingSpace~

From your S/C/G on the side there, it looks like you have already made quite a bit of progress! You should be proud of yourself. One thing I'm trying to convince myself of lately is that my past mistakes and mess ups with losing weight don't matter. If I tell myself enough that this time is different, I believe I can convince myself that it's true. With that said, I think my number would be a 6/10 right now. I feel more confident right now because I have proven to myself over the course of this week that I CAN eat right and exercise regularly...and not die from it lol. But there is still that voice in the back of my head telling me that I've tried sooo many times and failed. But I can't stop believing in myself (and neither can you) because if you never try...then you don't even have a chance.

Hi

I started a thread about this very topic the other day. I have bounced around so much and never maintained a healthy weight before. I have all the willpower in the world to lose the weight, but no experience with maintenance.

I think my worries are based on fear. Fear of the unknown. I have never known maintenance, so that is the unknown for me. I would imagine that when I get to goal, and each day I am able to maintain will build a base for me.

I am holding on with everything I've got and trying to be positive about all of this. It is a constant test of my mental strength. But, I would rather have this feeling than the fear of being trapped in my out-of-shape, huge, uncomfortable body.

On a scale of 1-10, currently I am probably about a 7. I am working on it though!

Perminate weightloss is about making substantial changes to your life. If you aren't confident in these changes and you think you'll fail you probably will. Just try and believe in yourself and let yourself know that this isn't about losing weight it's about changing your life.

If I had to pick a number for me I'd say 8/10. I'm still young and I plan to have children one day and I know that can be really hard on my body. I know that I will never let myself get as big I was but I'm not sure if I will be at my goal forever I just know that I really want it and I'm going to do my best to acheive my goal and keep it off.

10. Definitely 10. I'm of the strong belief that if you tell yourself that you're going to do something, and you keep telling yourself this and that belief is strong in your heart, you'll do it. The same goes for when you tell yourself that you won't or can't do something.. you probably won't do it.

The best advice I can give is to fake it. Tell yourself that you CAN achieve permanent weight loss, and when those doubtful thoughts come into your mind, replace them with positive thoughts of how you will do it. Even if you don't really believe it at first, if you keep telling yourself that you can and you will... you might just begin to really see the truth in those words in the end.

From your S/C/G on the side there, it looks like you have already made quite a bit of progress! You should be proud of yourself.

I guess the thing is, I've hovered around 160 lb for literally years. YEARS! That's why I just think it's not possible to get any lower. :(

~BreathingSpace~

One thing I'm trying to convince myself of lately is that my past mistakes and mess ups with losing weight don't matter.

They DO matter though. You learned something every time you failed. If you think back on it, what did you learn that you will do differently? They say it takes the average smoker X amount of attempts to finally get it right. And we all know plenty of ex-smokers, don't we? I've come to believe weight loss is similar. It's a trial and error/finding what works for you/learning experience. So please don't forget those times you failed!

I really like the thought of 1-10. I have never been higher than a 5 in the past (and I failed each of those times). But something is different this time. It's a matter of when, not if for me these days. I've been consistently probably an 8 out of 10 for the past several months. I AM going to do it this time!!!!

Wow! So you have been maintaining a 40 lb. weight loss for years! That's terrific. You really should be proud.

I really like the thought of 1-10. I have never been higher than a 5 in the past (and I failed each of those times). But something is different this time. It's a matter of when, not if for me these days. I've been consistently probably an 8 out of 10 for the past several months. I AM going to do it this time!!!!

That brings up a good point. When I lost a huge amount of weight at first, I started Weight Watchers and probably was at 10/10 on the scale. It didn't occur to me that I *wouldn't* lose weight, you know?

I guess now that it has been years, I have lost all confidence. There was a point where I got down to 154 lb in August 2010, but that's because I was doing a 30-day hot yoga challenge - something I couldn't keep up. It did spark something inside me as my weight went down, but then after months of not being able to exercise due to health reasons, the weight just crept right back up again.

and now I'm left at 3/10 again!

"fake it til you make it"
I like this thread, cuz i've never really thought about my confidence about maintenance.
like someone else mentioned, my main thing is fear of the unknown. I've always been Big. When i was little i was always the tallest in my class, and so even though i wasnt overweight for my height, i was big for my age and so i still felt uncomfortable with my size. Once i stopped growing in height, i kept growing out, and so even once the other kids caught up to me in height, i still weighed more. Once i realized this, my desire to lose weigh began, and its still going on today. I've never known a time where i felt like my body was the correct size. And its scary to think of getting there, because i won't know what to do with myself.
I'm afraid of self sabotage.
I do it all the time. Mostly with food. Ill binge, and it's just recently that i've learned to identify my self-sabotage binges while they are happening, but its still so hard to take myself away from the food, and pick myself back up from the mental state of wanting to throw it all away and not have to think about my weight ever again.

My confidence in losing all the weight would be a 9.
But my confidence in maintaining permanent weight loss is more lingering at like a 6.
I think that once i can get over my fear of the being content with my body, fear of the unknown world of not dreading pant shopping, fear of looking good in a bikini, then ill be at a 10.

100percentme-

I hear you, totally. I think that we are taught to believe that losing the weight will make us magically turn into people with 100% self esteem. Getting there is only about 25% of the battle. That is probably the main reason why I have never been able to maintain.

100percentME - It seems like I have also always been big. I was always the tallest (boy or girl) until high school. I played varsity softball and basketball, was on the track team and in pretty good shape. But I was always the biggest. I can't remember ever being a healthy weight. Maybe back in elementary school when no one really thought about those things. But even then, I remember being bigger. I'm just sooooo ready to be healthy. I am a little scared of the unknown, but I figure I need to just get there and worry about whatever pops up when it actually pops up.

9/10 for me.

This time around, it has been a true lifestyle and knowledge change. I didn't know anything about health and nutrition until I started working on it. Any previous attempt at losing weight was more like a wish or a gimmick, rather than a true understanding of what's going on in my body.

I feel pretty confident, because my weight loss is really about health. Even if my weight loss has been slow, the fact that I am staying healthy as my motivator is even better than just some random goal on the scale or dress size.

The reason it isn't a 10/10 is because I don't know what will happen in the future in terms of my health or how it might get harder as I get older. But I hope that everything that I've learned in this process will help me then when I have to make more changes to stay healthy.

I can relate to what Rana wrote, changes that are long term, not a diet but a new relationship with food. Food was for me something that gave me pleasure, it filled a void and I am changing my way of thinking, I look at it as fuel for my body, the void I can fill with activities instead of food.

I will give myself a 5 just to keep me honest and dont feel too confident, keeping in the back of my mind that each choices I make will influence the long term
result.

This is a weird one. Right now I'm 10 lbs away from my high school weight senior year. I've even posted feeling unsure about succeeding and my head game. I got down to 205 or so when I was 23, and gained it all back. Using unsustainable starvation methods.

So back when I started this time around, it is a zero. Now, I'm feeling like a 5. But this is the thing: I Don't Care What My Head Says. I feel good counting calories and eating a natural, whole food based diet. Since this is a lifestyle change, I'm going to keep going. By the time I make it to maintenance, I think I'll be a 10.

I would say I'm a 10 right now. My body is responding to what I'm doing. I know the process will be slower than I like, but that everyday I will get closer to my goal.

We can all do this! Just keep imagining how great you will look and feel once you get there. Don't give up! :hug:

I would say I'm a 8-9/10; I am closer to goal than I ever got before because my determination is strong, but having never been in maintenance at goal, and having lost weight only to gain it back before, I have tiny doubts.

I'm a 9. Not a 10, in case I get hit by a boulder or something.

Everytime I see a group of numbers (say, mid 170's) pass me by, I say a little funeral for them in my head. Because they will have to FIGHT to come back on me.

I have made many sincere attempts at losing weight by many, many different methods - no results. I was in a very low place personally when I started this latest method. My BF of 4 years had just left me for another woman, I was burning out at the end of another impossible academic semester, and I was unable to even look at myself in the mirror anymore. At one point I was in the car - screaming, crying and praying, and I told God that if he made this the answer, then I would do all the work. I started losing.

I have no idea how much I'll be able to lose or how long it will take, but I'm NOT giving this back.

8-9. I have faith in my stubbornness and I think have learned enough from my past experiences. :p

10 for sure, which I can't say of any other attempt. I look at weight loss a lot different now though. In the past, I saw maintenance as somthing to start thinking about when you reach goal weight (or at least get close). I didn't see it as something that you started with the very first pound. I also didn't see weight loss as something that "counted" or mattered until or unless you reached goal weight.

Now I see every pound as important, and weight maintenance is an even higher priority than weight loss. As always, I sometimes feel like I cannot lose even another pound. In the past I would have used that as a reason to give up and regain (I'll never be thin, so what's the point, what's the use, I might as well eat what I want, because I'll always be fat).

Now I remind myself that every pound matters, and even when I feel like I can't LOSE weight I remind myself that I can at least maintain my weight (and weight loss maintenance is as difficult as losing weight, so I might as well try to lose "just one more pound," while I'm at it, and even if I fail at weight loss, I can still succeed at weight maintenance).

It means that I don't give up when I'm frustrated, because I know the result will be weight gain. Giving up doesn't mean giving up on weight loss, it means accepting weight gain, and it's the only one "written in stone" I have "this time," not giving up, not accepting weight gain as inevitable.

10 for sure, which I can't say of any other attempt. I look at weight loss a lot different now though. In the past, I saw maintenance as somthing to start thinking about when you reach goal weight (or at least get close). I didn't see it as something that you started with the very first pound. I also didn't see weight loss as something that "counted" or mattered until or unless you reached goal weight.

:carrot:

Great idea! I have absolutely no idea. If you'd asked me last week, I would totally be a 10. I had been eating such better portions, logging everything, and losing. But after just three days of unhealthy eating that led to a no-loss week, I now feel like a 1, maybe more a 0.5.

I need to re-think my thinking, obviously.

I probably bounce around between a 4 and an 8.

This was my first real attempt at losing weight, I lost nearly 60lbs in one shot, and I've maintained for about 7 months now. That in itself is a success, and I'm very proud of myself for it. I know that logically, my weight is 100% in my control. I know exactly how to maintain it. But it frustrates me so much that even after all these months of calorie counting, eating on plan, and forming healthy habits...the lure of unhealthy eating is still so powerful. I wish I could just eat healthy normal and be content with it. Healthy normal as in eating the proper portions of healthy foods with treats in moderation and feel completely satisfied. Because even though I love the on plan foods that I eat, and I'm never hungry...I still have a constant nagging, and sometimes desperate, desire to overeat and to eat junk. I know how to maintain and I have maintained, but the fact that I still long for eating half a pizza in one sitting scares me a bit.

So I am still afraid that I'll fall back in old habits. And it's an odd feeling because I know that it's 100% in my control, but I fear it like it's something that is not in my control at all. Like falling off the wagon is something that "would happen to me" because I was unlucky or something not because I consciously stopped making healthy choices.

But at the same time, I think that fear of failing keeps me on track to an extent. I weigh everyday, and while minor daily fluctuations don't bother me, if I go up two or three pounds and stay there, it does bother me and it does scare me and it does make me clean up my eating and exercise. So on one hand I don't think I should fear the scale or the number, part of me has to. Because if I didn't care if I slipped up by a couple pounds, I might not care if I slipped up by a few more pounds...then a few more. Through all of this I've had to accept that I don't have the normal eating/weight control. It's not intuitive. I have to weigh myself daily, count calories, and consciously track my food/exercise/weight to make sure I'm maintaining. Things that some people do naturally. So for me, a little bit of fear of the scale and the fear of regaining the weight is good. It is far better than apathy or overconfidence.

I do hope, though, that one day I can just be content with it all. Not worry so much about the scale and not long for my old unhealthy eating. But if I need to have a little bit of fear of regaining the weight to keep me on track, then so be it.

Thank you for an interesting topic... I wasn't sure how I felt...

I know I will never go past 200 again with the certainty of a 10.

as to the rest--- don't know right now...
as to getting to my goal weight- I am actually not even sure my goal weight is achievable. I just decided when I started that I would then lose half my weight. In actuality I haven't been that little in over 15 years and have since had 2 babies... I really need to ask my trainer what he thinks a realistic goal weight is for me...

Funny, but I would have already given the OP a 10. The question was acheiving permanent weight loss. You've already kept 40 lbs off for years. I'd say you've already acheived permanent weight loss. You may not have landed at the weight you'd like to be, but you've proven you can lose weight and keep it off.

9 for me. It isn't a 10 only because I know that grim statistic that only 5% of us are able to maintain a loss. I like keeping that in the back of mind as it keeps me on my toes.

But I am extremely confident. I am confident because I am well into my second year of this lifestyle and it feels normal. It feels weird to think of doing anything else at this point. I love every change I have made just as much as I love the feeling the weight loss has given me. I love seeing everyone at the gym in the morning. My routine is sustainable and...well...routine. The foods I eat are not different than pre-diet, just smaller portioned. I've learned I actually PREFER my own healthy version of pizza to that of a restaurant. Never thought I'd say that!!

So yeah, I'm really very good to go. But I know the statistics.

Wow, for me this is a tough question. While I have a great amount of faith that I can get the weight off, I don't know about keeping it off. I have questions that I can't seem to get answers to, and if I can't find an enjoyable way to make healthy low calorie foods, then I honestly don't know that I will be able to maintain.

^ Now is the time to start figuring that stuff out. I'm striving to eat "on a diet" the way I plan to eat from now on. I am in the process of "training" myself to love, love, love healthy, fresh, whole foods. And already, after 8 months or so, I am eating this way, having a blast with it, truly SATISFIED, and just feel really good about the whole thing (and about myself). I never thought I'd be able to say this, but I would RATHER eat what I eat than what I used to. That is deep down honest. At this point, there really isn't much deprivation involved. I am not gagging down boiled chicken and veggies, being miserable until some magic number on the scale tells me I don't have to suffer anymore. It's fun, and delicious! It just takes the time to get a really good plan under your belt and the time to let it set in -- then it's just living life a healthy way, and watching the pounds fall off as they may.

^I agree, and I am working towards feeling the same way about healthy eating as you do now. Sadly, when I ask questions, they basically go unanswered, and it's really frustrating. I WANT to enjoy healthy eating, but right now I feel like I have bitten off more than I can chew.

^I agree, and I am working towards feeling the same way about healthy eating as you do now. Sadly, when I ask questions, they basically go unanswered, and it's really frustrating. I WANT to enjoy healthy eating, but right now I feel like I have bitten off more than I can chew.

I think you'll find that with practice, repitition, time, finding new on-plan foods and recipes you enjoy, etc etc it becomes so natural that you will come to enjoy it. And if you slip up and go way off plan for a day or even a meal, you'll be AMAZED by how crummy and bloated and lethargic you feel after eating the way you used to. I know when I have slip ups, or even planned cheats, I can't wait to get back on plan just so I feel better.

I really do enjoy eating healthy. I like being a "health nut," and I love the foods that I eat, I don't feel deprived, and of course I love maintaining my current weight. I do have a good sustainable plan for me. It's habit, it's not a diet, it's just how I live my life. Buuuut...it would be dishonest of me to say that I don't miss my old eating habits on some level. I hated being overweight, and I feel 100% better at this weight and being fit and eating good foods, so I know that I don't WANT to go back to how I used to. But some part of my brain misses the carefree overindulgence. I miss eating absolutely any junk I wanted, however much I wanted, whenever I wanted with absolutely zero thought about calories or what the scale would say in the morning. It's so hard to explain because part of me misses it, but part of me is so glad that I'm not that way anymore. I know the consequences of that lifestyle and I am happy how I am now, so I won't go back. But I can't lie...it does concern and frustrate me sometimes that the draw for overindulgence is lingering.

I'd say 8 or 9. I've maintained a 150 lb loss for 3+ years and a 100 lb loss for longer than that. I've had some challenges and some of those challenges have been really scary. I think as long as I am vigilant and aware, then I can continue to maintain my loss and hopefully increase the loss.

Funny, but I would have already given the OP a 10. The question was acheiving permanent weight loss. You've already kept 40 lbs off for years. I'd say you've already acheived permanent weight loss. You may not have landed at the weight you'd like to be, but you've proven you can lose weight and keep it off.

:hug: thanks, good point!

5.

i'm not very confident in myself right now.

I'm a 10. This sort of surprises me, but... my actions and my words are in good alignment and have been long enough for me to have some confidence in them. For example:

- I'm working on a sport. I think I have to have someplace to put my exercise energy that is sustainable, and having a sport will help me with interest, progress and motivation.

- I had significant medical setbacks last fall and gained a bit of weight during that period. As soon as I was healthy again (early January) I got back on the wagon and am moving forward. I didn't derail and spiral out of control!

- I've been at this for over a year.

- I continue to participate in this and other fora, I write, I read, and so on. Very important to keep reading and writing. All my old behaviors and habits are still lurking, waiting for opportunities to pounce on me, so like Nelie I have to be vigilant.

I am 100% confident I'll be able to maintain weight loss. The question is, how much might I regain through life happenings. I am still having children, that event more than almost any other short of permanent disability, causes massive swings in the body's chemistry and weight. I will likely gain a bit during the next pregnanc that I have to work to ake off, but I am completely confident I can get it off again, unless something goes hugely awry.

So if I never got pregnant again, I'd give myself a 10/10 for keeping all but maybe five swing pounds of weight off, wherever I finally settle as goal. With pregnancy, I give myself a 9/10, since my weight will necessarily fluctuate more significantly.

But I am completely committed to always, always getting those extra baby pounds off again. There is no other option.

I got stuck for many years thinking I could no longer lose weight. Even though I had in the past, for some reason I just couldn't stick to a diet long enough to make a difference.

In Sept 2009, I just did it. I stuck to a diet. Day in and day out. I am still on that diet. Will it stick? If I can feel this great, feel the power of making a commitment and sticking to it, then I do believe I can make my goal weight and stay there. The power to do so has always been within me, it just took believing in myself.

Honestly, I only occasionally think about my weight loss in the long term. I am, however, 10/10 that I will be on plan tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll be 10/10 that I'll be on play the day after tomorrow. And so on.

I'm sorry if that sounds like I'm copping out or missing the point - I promise I'm not! :) It's just the best way for me to think about this. I get overwhelmed easily, and I think if I worried about maintaining the weight loss for the next 5, 10, 15+ years I would give up in the face of hopelessness. I mean, that crazy 5% success statistic is constantly thrown around, and I would believe it if I allowed myself to.

So, instead, I choose to NOT think about it. I think about today, and then tomorrow. That's what's been working for me and I'm going to stick with it!

There is a weird difference in me. I have two different numbers. I've been trying to lose weight and failed so many times, that I really have a 1/10 outlook at being able to do it on my own.
Now, with the aid of surgery, and the force of being sick if I don't change my lifestyle, I have a 9/10 outlook. I need to force and sudden all or nothing to get me to do this.

I've been thinking about this since yesterday and I'm still a bit undecided. I can imagine getting to and maintaining a healthy weight but I find that my confidence in my ability to do it within a reasonable time limit is about a 4/10.

When I first started my diet at 345 pounds I honestly never thought that permanent weight loss was ever going to be achievable. I didn't even think that any weight loss at all would be happening, really. Now I'm at about 215, people tell me I look 180! I'm positive that once I hit my goal I will be there forever (unless I have a child or something.. *shudders*) I'm going to be 20 when I'm done with this diet, and I'm 10/10 that I'll finish and stay down forever :)

Hm, a lot of you seem more confident in your ability to lose the weight than in your ability to keep it off. For me, it's just the opposite. Maybe that's because I've only ever consciously succeeded in losing ten pounds. I know that, if I do get this weight off, it's staying off (barring some medical misfortune). So, my number is maybe...a 6 right now? Better than it's been in the past. But I'm still worried I won't follow through.

if I do get this weight off, it's staying off (barring some medical misfortune).

I always said this too, and wholeheartedly belived it. The problem was I didn't say or think "every pound I get off, I'm going to make sure stays off."

Whether or not I realized it, stating it that way (if I do get this weight off, it's staying off) made it an all-or-nothing proposition. I had no contingency plan for getting some, but not all of the weight off.

In high school I had a close brush with an almost normal weight. I had lost 70 lbs from 225 to 155 lbs. My goal was 150, and I was stuck at 155 for more than six months. I was struggling like mad, and feeling like I'd never make it to my goal weight. I was getting very frustrated and then my doctor unwittingly pulled the rug out from under me. In hindsight, I think he thought that I had decided that 155 lbs was "close enough," and that I'd stopped trying.

To "motivate me" (I think) he declared that I needed to get down to 145 lbs. I was absolutely devastated. I thought that if 150 seemed unreachable, 145 lbs might as well be the moon. I felt like all that work had been for nothing, that I was still fat, would always be fat so "what's the use."

I gave up and regained 120 lbs. 50 more than I'd started with, all because I hadn't lost "all" of the weight.

I had to decide that I would keep off every pound I lost, even if it was my last. And that's still how I look at it. I still feel (and look) almost as fat as when I started. I've lost only 1/3 of the weight I need to, but even if I never lose another pound, I'm committed to keeping off what I've lost so far. I have to be, because if I say "if I get this weight off," I've given myself an out. Keeping it off is only something I have to do when/if I make it to goal.

I wasn't consciously thinking that way, but for all practical purposes that's what I was doing, because when weight loss became frustrating it felt like what I had lost didn't count unless I had all the weight off. Now I realize every ounce counts.