I'm always really excited when I first start out, but I tend to fizzle fast. If I don't see a few pound lost in the first week, I get discouraged. I know I have to stop that thinking, and I am doing better this time around. It seems like anything that could possible get in my way, has gotten in the way since I joined 3FC in February. But I'm still poking around here, and still committed to lose the weight. Now I just have to support that commitment with ACTION.
I found that I really started to get encouraged and motivated after the first 10 lb is lost.
When I first start out (it has been 3 "starts" in the past 6 years) I tend to adopt the "just do it" attitude. I try not to make big fanfare about it or make it into a big production.
I start to get motivated and excited after about 10 lb is lost.
[QUOTE=CountingDown;2703419]I think of all of the times I toyed with the idea of losing the weight. Each time, I thought about how long it would take, how old I was, how much weight I had to lose to get to even a "normal" weight - let alone a "goal" weight. I amassed so much negative energy, that I derailed each attempt right from the beginning.
This time was different, for many reasons.
1. I set a smaller, very realistic goal - get to "onederland". 15 lbs - I could DO this.
I think this is so important!! - setting mini goals...I set major goals and mini goals inbetween and reward myself for them. This makes it seem not so unrealistic to attain. To be honest, because I gain muscle so quickly, I use a pair of pants as my true scale most of the time. If I am sticking to my meal and nutrition plan weighing myself all the time is not necessary.
When I first start to lose weight - I feel really motivated. At that time, I AM SICK of being fat. So I have lots of motivation to change.
The past times I tried to lose weight, I got discouraged as I would plateau out. End up gaining back over the next year.
This time tho, something's changed. I want this to my final weight loss journey. I've plateaued a few times but so far, I haven't given up. Instead, I feel motivated to finally accomplish this goal!
For me, this time is soooo different. I used to start off with some insane fast and think that I could go all the way once the fast was over. I wouldn't even last on the fast! Everyday it seemed like I was gung ho-ready to do it and then it would be some half a**** attempt. Then I would get frustrated and eat and eat and eat. Then came the diet pills and the "motivation' to get going because I was so tired of being fat. I would cry and carry on, but motivation wasn't enough.
This time its different. This time I am committed. I am determined not to fail. I am doing things differently, like journaling and coming online to this site and other sites to help me out. I am being honest about my feelings and the emotions that go along with losing the weight. This is the last time I am doing this weight loss thing and I have never been more committed like I am now.
Not only did I have a sense of dread and the feeling that I couldn't really do it, in previous and failed attempts...
So did I - now or never - life or death. I was going down hill and fast. I simply could not go on the way that I was. It was DO or DIE.
This is an excellent thread.
I've had SOOOO many false starts that I'm now discouraged just thinking about starting again, yet I know I HAVE to keep trying because I'm another one "going down hill fast".
I'm starting again today, but really have no hope of getting anywhere, so I don't know how that'll work.
There doesn't really seem to be a starting out for me. I've been toying with it off and on for years now. Just sometimes I do better. I guess I feel discouraged a lot of the time, but I'm also very forgiving.
Just because I had pizza this weekend doesn't mean there's no point! One day at a time. It's impossible for me to be motivated all the time, but that doesn't mean I should give up. Just keep on dragging along as best I can.
well..as many have said--i would become motivated-then give up...i feel really scared and worried that i wont be able to stick with this, or the weight will come back-etc etc..but as most of you have said i am COMITTED this time..its going to happen-so each day i wake up and keep on keepin on..we are all in this together and i hope we can continue to stick together and motivate each other if one of us is having an "off" day
Just as in the above post. I have lost/gained/tried/failed but this time I made an actual committment. I paid money. That was the difference, in a time where there is not really any money to spare I saved up, joined LAWL and have lost 15 pounds in 8 weeks. I have kept it off with only an 8 oz gain for 8 weeks. I know that is not an amazing accomplishment to some, but to me it is. It is a slow process, but it is staying off, I am now exercising and builing up stamina and I am proud of myself for staying on plan. I do not feel deprived. I am still tempted and wish people would quit brining donuts every morning to work. But to me I had to realize it is more important for my health and well being to not eat that donut than to be happy for the 30 seconds it takes me to eat it.
I think everyone on this site is inspiring and I feel motivated to stay on plan everytime I logg on..
When I first started at 250 lbs. a couple of years ago I was very motivated and didn't worry too much about the total (90 lbs.) that I wanted to lose. Because I was so heavy and so sedentary as soon as I changed my diet and started walking the pounds literally flew off and I thought, "hey this is easy, it's a snap!" I was never really discouraged or anything. Then as I got lower it got harder (of course) and now those pounds don't fly off anymore. I really have to work at them! I'm having more trouble staying motivated now than when I first started
I was discouraged at first because I felt like I had so far to go. I didn't know anyone personally who had successfully lost more than 20 or 30 pounds. The weight was slow to come off in the beginning, which made me sad. Then, one day, I stepped on the scale, and LO and BEHOLD, the number MOVED! It was something like a 5 pound loss, but I was still REALLY HAPPY about it and knew it was just a sign of good things to come
This time around, I only have around ten pounds to lose. They are vanity pounds to get back to where I was after losing the weight and maintaining the loss for over a year. I started slackin' and *WHAM!* the pounds hit me harder than a prize fighter. And again... I have mixed feelings. I guess I am indecisive and can never pick one or the other
I think so many of us have to fail, sometimes more than once to FINALLY make a real commitment to make the lifestyle change to reach our goals. So I really don't think of slip ups as failures...I think of them as motivation to succeed...another head game I play with myself.
This time around, my big motivator was the fact that I didn't want another summer to go by where I felt like crap. I want to fit in cute shorts. I want to feel healthy so I can take advantage of nice weather...being on the east coast, there isn't much of that, so we need to enjoy as much as we can. Anyway...
