I've tried a lot of different things to lose weight. Diet pills, calorie counting, cutting fat and just watching what I eat. When I was in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade and my mom was going to WW I would go with her and I tried to do WW back then. But I was unsuccessful. I've got to do something and this was my last resort because everything else just didn't stick or didn't work. I really hope the meetings help and that little extra added support helps. My mom got back on WW I think back in November and has lost 50lbs so far! She looks great. I feel like my motivation just isn't there because I have failed so many times. I guess what I'm trying to get to is what motivates you and how do you stay motivated? Especially if you have failed so many times before.
I try not to rely too much on motivation itself, as that comes and goes. What helps me to stay on track though, is celebrating all the little things and routine. I try my best to take things one day at a time, and not really focus on the bigger picture. I started this journey with around 110lbs to lose total. I lose at around 1lb per week. That'd take me a whole 2 years to get the weight off and thinking about that can be demotivating. So instead I focus on doing good daily, reminding myself that this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I'm not changing what I eat just to lose weight, I'm shifting what I eat to lead a healthier lifestyle. For routine, I have the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. Dinner gets switched up. That may not work for you, I'm not the type to get bored with foods. I also schedule my exercise and then stick to the schedule the same I would with any meeting.
When I say I celebrate small stuff, I really do mean small. I celebrate making a good choice during the day, logging all my food, drinking enough water, getting my exercise in, being under points, and losing weight.. anything I can find that I did well. Some days are better than others. Sometimes the only thing I have to celebrate is that I logged my food. What it ends up translating to though, is an overall positive experience because I'm always doing something worth celebrating. The minigoals also help keep me focused on the day to day, because they're day to day oriented.
Now, I have to say that WW as a diet also works for me. I know it doesn't work for everyone that tries it. Definitely give it a go for a few months to see how you do and how you feel on it! I think the most important part of the weight loss journey is to find something that will work as a lifestyle change for you, and something that is easy for you to stick to long term.
I started WW about 2 weeks ago. I am giving my self to December 31st to reach my goal, and I have monthly goals to reach. It is definitely a day to day challenge for me. I have tried so many different "diets". I like weight watchers because I can eat real food, and nothing is excluded like carbs....etc. I am going to incorporate walking as soon as I lose a little more weight. Every time I start exercising I gain weight, and of course gaining weight will not help in the motivation area. Plus, exercise makes me super hungry, so right now I am just working on staying within my points, I know the rest will come. In the past, I have tried to change everything at once, so this time I am taking a different approach.
sunarie, your reply was super motivating, thanks for sharing!!
Thank yall so much for your replies! I attended my first meeting in Thursday and it went well. When I weighed I guess it was a reality check because I knew how much I weighed but for some reason it didn't sink in until then. I started patting myself on the back for the small thing and it's working so far!
I am having an issue getting all my points in though. They gave me 36 points and yesterday was my first day to get all my points in but I was forcing myself to add more stuff to hit 36. Any advice? I guess I'm afraid of that many points because I feel like I won't lose anything eating that much but then I'm scared because they said to try and get all your points in!
Do not be afraid of eating all your points. My suggestion is to not use low fat/non fat products. When I had lots of points I stuck with 1% milk, regular yogurt and cheese etc. then I switched to more low fat products as I lost points. By the time you hit 26pts. You are looking for every point you can. If you have some pts left eat a table spoon of peanut butter, protein but also 3 Pts. Save a few points for a small treat.
I do think that the most important think I get from Weight Watchers is going to the meeting and the weekly weigh in. The weigh in gives me a short term goal that I'm always focused on. I want to have a loss and so that is what I think about. I don't focus so much on the ultimate goal, just having a loss this week. The meetings are good because they keep me focused on thinking about weight loss.
As for motivation, I think that motivation is something that can come and go. I try to focus more on the commitment I've made to do certain things. I commit to eating within my points. I commit to a certain amount of activity. And so on.
I find it helps me to not keep foods at home that are hard for me to resist. For example, I don't keep cookies at home because I find it hard to control how much I eat of them. So, I just eat those away from home occasionally and don't have them in the house. That is probably the most important thing for me in keeping on track.
As for eating out, I really have reduced the amount of fast food I eat. So much if it is so high in points and hard to control the amount eaten, that I find it easier just to avoid it. Same thing on restaurants. I avoid going very often to restaurants where I find it hard to control what I eat. And, I go to restaurants mostly where I know what I'm going to order before I get there and I figure out the points in advance.
When I get tempted to go off the rails (and I do) I try to remember my long term goal. It can help to right out a 3 x 5 card with something about your reasons for losing weight and look at that when you feel tempted.
I try not to rely too much on motivation itself, as that comes and goes. What helps me to stay on track though, is celebrating all the little things and routine. I try my best to take things one day at a time, and not really focus on the bigger picture. I started this journey with around 110lbs to lose total. I lose at around 1lb per week. That'd take me a whole 2 years to get the weight off and thinking about that can be demotivating. So instead I focus on doing good daily, reminding myself that this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I'm not changing what I eat just to lose weight, I'm shifting what I eat to lead a healthier lifestyle.
First off, welcome! I absolutely agree with Sunarie, just take it one day at a time. I officially restarted WW on Feburary 28, 2015, though this is probably my 4th restart (but it's the best I've done and the best I've stuck with it). I wish I knew what caused me to stop all those previous times, but right now, I just go one day at a time. I can tell that eating healthier makes me feel better. Exercising makes me feel better and sleep better. Even on days where I don't do great on counting points, or maybe I splurge on a piece of dessert, I still feel better than I did when I was eating fast food/crappy food/snacking all day long at work.
I don't rely on motivation, but I have a few things I use when I want to cheat or when I want to give up. My mom passed away in 2011 at age 55, and I want to be healthy and live! On the more vain side of motivation, my sister is getting married in Maui next year and when I tried on a bridesmaid dress that should have fit, I knew I wanted to lose weight. I also don't want to use a seatbelt extender on the plane, and I want to be comfortable flying coach from St. Louis to Maui.
I have set up some goals to reward myself along the way. At 10 pounds lost, I bought new shoes and a new dress (I'm a maxi dress addict). At 25 pounds I plan to get a new, small tattoo. At 50 pounds, I'm getting a bigger tattoo that I've wanted for a long time! I haven't set goals yet for anything past that!
Just joined WW
