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Old 06-26-2011, 06:24 PM   #1  
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Default Reasons why I refuse to be down about slow weight loss

Hi, guys. There are times when I start to get discouraged about not losing weight as fast as I would like, and then I just have to stop my negative thinking and my inner critic in it's tracks with positive reasons as to why I am proud of myself whether I've lost 2 or 10 pounds in a month. I know I am not the only one who gets discouraged now and again, so maybe those of us that have been feeling a little down about our weight loss not being a wild torrent of weekly losses would feel better looking at our other more subtle accomplishments. Here are the reasons that I have thought of for the day:

1. My body is transforming, and every time I work out, I really see it. It's not a wild transformation, but a little tone here, and a few inches gone there goes a long way
2. I may not always have control over how much weight I lose in a given week/month but I am in direct control over my athletic goals. I have consistently gone above and beyond in that area, even when I wasn't sure it was within my reach.
3. I work hard every single day on my calorie counting and exercise routine.
4. I have proven to myself that I am not lazy-each time I am done exercise and feel like I've taken a shower with my clothes on proves this fact. I work hard even when I feel like quitting and finish my workout.
5. I don't let the fact that I am too financially challenged to buy a lot of fancy workout clothes or equipment stand in my way, and even on a limited budget I can still make healthy food choices.
6. Above all, I am just proud that I have stuck with it for so long where I have failed in the past. I have learned to gauge the severity of the anxiety I have from this new lifestyle in comparison with living the rest of my life unhealthily and overweight-the latter is much more emotionally painful, and I am proud that I see this, and that has been part of my success.

Thanks for listening to my reasons. What are yours?

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Old 06-26-2011, 06:40 PM   #2  
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Thanks for posting! GREAT reasons.

We're not only here to lose weight (although losing weight is certainly good), but also to get FIT!

I have to say that nothing excites me more than thinking about myself at a lower weight and pushing myself athletically further than I ever imagined I could do.

As a girl who used to have to walk that mile for the fitness test in EVERY. SINGLE. GRADE. Guh, and who almost always ended up last... Damnit... I want to run it. I want to run it, and I want to run it and come out under the "fit" category! I want to pass that stupid presidential fitness test with flying colors!

Ahem. Sorry, got sidetracked!

-I am more flexible now than I was two months ago.
-I am able to walk further.
-My knees aren't hurting as much when I climb the stairs to my apartment.
-I have more energy for doing everyday things, and when I'm out shopping for groceries, etc.
-I'm taking "no excuses" to heart, and really making it a priority to get in extra activity.
-Eating less is great, and is certainly helping me lose weight, but I really feel like I weigh less when I exercise.
-I also must say that sticking through some tough days make it all the more worthwhile after. Just looking back and recognizing that while I may have had a grumpy week, I was able to deal with emotions without using food.
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Old 06-26-2011, 06:43 PM   #3  
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Thanks!!!
I'm not letting it get me down because in the past I have lost A LOT of weight really fast with no working out. This caused me to not value the losses and to begin careless eating again once my goals were met.
It's definitely harder now. I've lost 25 pounds in 5 months when in the past I've lost this amount in maybe 6 weeks. But I feel healthier, stronger and more proud of myself now than I ever did before.
And it's so hard no way am I going to ruin it this time!
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Old 06-26-2011, 06:54 PM   #4  
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I'm not letting it get me down because:

...I can feel my clothes getting loose.
...I want to look good in a costume for Halloween.
...I see people who have lost weight and I can't wait to tell everyone that "Yes, I lost 40lbs!"
...I can wake up and get up in the morning.
...I feel like I'm making change. No more, "In the future, maybe I'll be thin" it's now, "I'm going to look GREAT in the future."
...My arms are starting to look muscular.
...I smile more.
...My hair is getting shinier, and my acne is going away.
...I like telling people I work out.
...I feel accomplished when I go to bed knowing I have done everything right that day.
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Old 06-26-2011, 06:56 PM   #5  
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Ladies, great reasons, great job! Lovely, I was also that girl! I am sure a number of us were, but because I was so embarrassed, I never even tried to run it. My gym teacher one year just asked me if I wanted to staple papers instead, and I preferred that, but looking back, that's sad. I want to do everything, and be a great athlete because I always thought it was impossible. Go, girl. You're doing GREAT!!

I definitely understand what you mean, mzKiki! I have lost this weight in a much shorter time before, but never kept it off and never felt this healthy. We all slip up, but you're doing great. Slow and steady is just fine. Sometimes it's hard mentally, but we're strong, and you are very strong!
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Old 06-26-2011, 06:57 PM   #6  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kurisitaru View Post
I'm not letting it get me down because:

...I can feel my clothes getting loose.
...I want to look good in a costume for Halloween.
...I see people who have lost weight and I can't wait to tell everyone that "Yes, I lost 40lbs!"
...I can wake up and get up in the morning.
...I feel like I'm making change. No more, "In the future, maybe I'll be thin" it's now, "I'm going to look GREAT in the future."
...My arms are starting to look muscular.
...I smile more.
...My hair is getting shinier, and my acne is going away.
...I like telling people I work out.
...I feel accomplished when I go to bed knowing I have done everything right that day.
Amazing reasons. I feel like those are all on my list too, except I've only lost 33. But, it's all good! I love that my arms are more muscular too...
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Old 06-27-2011, 06:38 PM   #7  
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I don't mind slow weight loss because it helps me understand my body better. Losing weight really fast gives a different appreciation that losing weight slowly. It's kind of like savoring the moment I guess.
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Old 06-27-2011, 06:53 PM   #8  
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These are all good reasons; a lot of good posts here.
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Old 06-27-2011, 08:54 PM   #9  
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Thank you SO much for posting this....I have recently gained a bunch of weight and stopped even coming to 3fc for months because I didnt want to face myself.

Back in the saddle of weight loss and its coming off soooo slow, makes me want to cry and scream.

Your post/reasons are all 100% awesome and helped to remind me that progress is still progress....I cant fix this overnight and a meltdown on the scale every morning isnt helping me!

The one reason I had kept in mind to retain any sanity: I am doing the very best I can.
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Old 06-27-2011, 09:15 PM   #10  
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That's a great point, Lillies...it reminds one to really enjoy every moment, even though we might not like certain aspects of our lives in the now-but right now is where we are in right now and that's all we have control over. That's a reason to celebrate in and of itself.

xty, I seriously understand where you're coming from. I have done that time and time again, and during this specific journey, I have done it as well. A few days ago, I am ashamed to admit that I skipped my cal count on certain items because I was ashamed that I ate them and wanted to continue to be in denial. However, every day is a new day, and we're doing the best we can right now. We can't change what we have done, but right now, I think we should be proud. Also, proud of our past selves; even if we led ourselves to weight gain, we're leading ourselves right back out and that is pure strength. As many people have said here, even a maintenance of one pound is success and progress. Proud of you!
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Old 06-27-2011, 11:06 PM   #11  
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I love this thread and I thank you for starting it, FFFanatic. Your optimism and self-respect are a phenomenal example to set. You deserve that sense of pride in your strength--and y'know, I do too.

Love all the comments so far, and I'll add a couple more:

- Slow weight loss makes me more conscious of my own effort; I feel as though I'm earning every bit of muscle definition, greater endurance, and feeling of pride.

- Losing more slowly means getting to think about other stuff during my day than "hungry hungry hungry, man I sure am hungry, ugh, hungry!" the way I used to on faster, but more restrictive diets (and the fact that I'm here tells you how well those worked in the long run).

- I'm more body-conscious and less self-conscious. Losing slowly has really made me aware of how much more capable my fortyish fat body still is than what I believed it was.

- I don't have to have "bad" foods and "good" foods. They're all just...foods.

- I can finally eat almost everything in moderation because nothing is forbidden. That slows me down, and I know that a more ascetic plan would lead me to lose more quickly initially, but I also know that the bounce-back from rigid restriction makes me miserable.

- I'm enjoying the process. Losing weight and becoming more fit slowly is giving me the chance to experiment a little and try new stuff that I never thought I'd like.
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Old 06-28-2011, 12:55 AM   #12  
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YAY awesome post, ferretfanatic!!

For me, it's usually "I could have made the decision today to eat junk and to sit around. But I made the decision to do what I know is better for me physically and emotionally, in spite of all the reasons I shouldn't, in spite of having slow or no immediate results, I was able to connect my immediate actions with long term consequences and made the right decision for tomorrow instead of the immediate."
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Old 06-28-2011, 12:58 AM   #13  
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Great thread!

"The longest journey begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu

"There are times when I start to get discouraged about not losing weight as fast as I would like, and then I just have to stop my negative thinking and my inner critic in it's tracks with positive reasons as to why I am proud of myself." - Fatferretfanatic

EXCELLENT
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Old 06-28-2011, 09:40 AM   #14  
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What a wonderful thread!

I've tried sooo many of the LOSE 200 POUNDS IN FOUR HOURS GUARANTEED!!! diets, and what I started to discover was that after a while, I had absolutely no motivation to start them because I knew the result would be a huge bounce-back later on. I felt it was a pointless waste of my time, so I didn't even try. But now that I'm in a transitionary period in my life (just graduated from college in PA, about to move to CA for grad school) I feel more prepared for the blood sweat and tears that comes from an honest-to-goodness lifestyle change.

Maintaining slow progress is hard to do in today's 'instant results, instant gratification' culture. Especially since in my case, my family is all overweight, and they laugh at my excitement over losing two pounds per week. But slow and steady really does win the race! Going slow helps you to understand the specifics of how your body works, and that is the key to really grasping the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure." Peter Marshall
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Old 06-28-2011, 10:20 AM   #15  
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Amazing reasons, guys. I just want everyone to pat themselves on the back right now for being so amazing. Seriously, it's inspiring. I think every single reason that has been listed has been one that I have used with myself before or should use with myself. For every bad thing we have to say about our amazing accomplishments, there are a million more good things. I do think it is very important to take a step back and realize that even though it would be great to go to sleep and wake up fit and thin....but where's the adventure in that? Sure, nothing is ever easy, but at least it is a worth a lot more than if it were in the end. My reason for the day is because I am really enjoying the path there, not just the thought of the destination.

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