[moon safari]

I'm having trouble recognizing that I've made progress. I have lost a bit over 25lbs but I still feel like it's a drop in a bucket. I'm halfway to my first mini goal of 50lbs but I still can't stop thinking about the monumental task ahead of me of getting to a "normal" weight. I know if I just keep my head down and keep going I WILL get there but I'm afraid that I won't have any motivation if I can't feel proud of myself for what is, actually, a pretty awesome achievement.

Does anyone else feel this way? How have you overcome it? How do you keep yourself in perspective?

[ksmommy]

oh girl. I had the same feelings. I've lost 15 (as of last sunday) and I have 85 to go. Its very disheartening, but look at it this way, that's 25 down from where you were. As someone told me when I posted, think about how large 25 pounds is, and realize YOU LOST IT. And you're still going, and several months from now, that number will continue to grow. Its a big deal, you made a choice to change and lose weight. Don't discount that. You're awesome. We're all awesome! Cheer up lady!

[ncuneo]

All I can say, is just stick with it and it will happen. You must must get over that feeling because it can weight you down, trust me I've been there I felt it often, even up until the end when I had 25 lbs to lose or so, it STILL felt like a long way to go because at the end it took a month or more just lose 10 lbs. You are doing an incredible job and when it's all over you won't even remember that it took x amount of months to lose the weight or years for that matter, all you'll care is that you achieved your goal.

[TheBunneh]

Find something that weighs 25 pounds and pick it up. That'll put into perspective how much extra weight you've taken off of your body! I was shocked at how heavy 50 pounds was when I tried to move it.

You've done a great job! Even the fact that you're doing this, regardless of progress, is something to be proud of! Just stick with it. The days are going to pass by whether or not you're losing. So you might as well keep going.

[TornadoSiren]

This is where the whole "don't think of it as dieting. Think of it as a lifestyle change" thing comes into play. Yes, you are currently making your changes with the goal being to see the weight go down. But it might help to think of the weight loss as simply a side effect of healthier living. Don't tell people you are deiting, tell them you are living healthier. If one day, or one week, the weight does not drop, or it seems that it is going much slower than you want it to, just remember you are still living healthier, and that is the real goal! Fake it till ya make it!

[spixiet]

I feel exactly like you do! People are starting to notice my weight loss a little, and instead of just being happy with what I've lost, I feel ashamed that I have so much more to lose

I love TheBunneh's suggestion. I just piled 25 pounds of books on my scale, and, I gotta say, I'm now feeling much more successful

[islandchick1]

I started out at 270. I didn't make a big deal about being on a diet, because to me it's not. I decided to change forever the way I ate. So I began my journey. My best friend knew and was/is very supportive ( I call her #2 because she is as skinny as a #2 pencil lol). I got very discouraged at the 25 lbs ish mark. I KNEW I was losing, but also knew I had so much more to lose (still do). One thing, do you measure yourself as well as weigh? THAT was a big deal for meal. I was discourage at the scales and posted so on this forum. Some real knowledgeable chicks here told me to stop using the scales as my victory. The tape measure tells the REAL story. When you see those inches melting away it is SO reassuring. I have now lost 50 lbs. Still have ALOT more to go. So many people are noticing now and that is nice too. Have you ever tried to pick up a 25 lb bag of ANYTHING? It's heavy. But that's what you lost and you should be VERY PROUD of that Don't give up. Come here when you feel discouraged and disheartened It is a journey. Gaining is SO much easier than losing (we all know that) but losing IS worth the effort.Best wishes to you dear, you're not alone

[Sunday]

I have felt overwhelmed at times but what really helped me was making my plan as easy and suited to me as possible, and the biggie: getting a life. Rather than making WL the main focus of my life, just doing what I said I would do and enjoying other interests as well. It's really easy to obsess, but you know what they say about a watched pot, right?

Something I read here put things in perspective, too. We have three choices: lose, maintain, or gain. I know which one appeals to me most!

I am finding a big part of this process is a waiting game, but we're losing all of these pounds for the last time.

I hope you're proud of your loss, you've done a great job!

[ebb&flow]

I get overwhelmed too. Sometimes I try on clothes that used to fit or be tight, but now are loose to compare before and "only" 25 pounds. Then I see it's not "only". I also convert it into something I can see visually. 25 pounds. That's 100 sticks of butter. You lost 100 sticks of butter. visualize that on your kitchen table and imagine how much smaller that makes you. Sure you have more to lose, but look how much you've already accomplished. If all else fails and I'm still bummed I remind myself that I didn't gain this much weight suddenly and overnight. I gained it pound by pound and inch by inch. So, I remind myself I'll lose it pound by pound and inch by inch. Each individual pound brings me one step closer to my goal. Don't even think of the larger number.

[ebb&flow]

Oh! and I also had the experience of getting frustrated and giving up because I wasn't losing fast enough and I got discouraged. I gained all of it back.... then I had to lose it again. I think if I hadn't gained it back I would totally be done by now!! Instead I lost the same pounds twice! I won't do that again!

[Nola Celeste]

TheBunneh's suggestion is one that never fails. Picking up a 10-pound bag of onions, a 25-pound bag of pet food, a 50-pound bag of garden soil will really put weight loss into perspective. Picking up a heavy burden makes you glad to set it down; you've managed to set down one of yours, a goal that many of us still have in our futures. You've already accomplished it, though, and deserve to take pride in it!

Another thing that might help is to try on some new (or "new") clothes. If you have things in your closet that you haven't been able to wear or that you wished had fit better, try them on--they may be just right now. If you don't have smaller clothes lying around, go shopping even if you aren't buying. You'll get in touch with your current size, see what styles work for you, and get a major lift from being able to wear things successfully that you hadn't been able to manage before.

This is my one-month mark and I've only lost just under 12 pounds, so I definitely empathize with you about the road ahead looking long. Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes I'm downright angry with myself for not starting sooner. But all we can do is look back on past landmarks and victories and know that there are bigger victories ahead.

[moon safari]

I am definitely going to try and find something that weighs 25lbs and put it in a prominent place. I'm a very visual and tactile person and maybe part of my problem is that I can't see it or feel it so it's not real to me.

I never even thought of that idea or some of the others that were suggested, thanks you guys! I try not to get bogged down with negative thoughts. It really does help to know that other people feel this way, too and have dealt with it positively.

I wonder if it would help to break my goals down even further? I have, as of right now, split it into 3 50lb goals but I realize that may be too broad. Do you guys prefer to have small goals of 5 or 10lbs or is a larger goal working?

[TheBunneh]

I take the whole thing 10 pounds at a time. Each new "decade" is like a notch down a pole, I still have to get to the bottom but it's a victory when I get a step closer. =)

[popspry]

I prefer smaller goals, because for me I can't wrap my brain around how much I have to lose, it's too overwhelming for me.

[islandchick1]

I do 10lbs goals. At the beginning of each month I set new goals. MAking the goals smaller really makes it seem like you are accomplishing something (which by the way, YOU ARE!)