I didn't believe it was true until I did it. I had so many times of losing the same 30 lbs (and not going beyond) that I didn't really think losing 100 was possible. It is definitely possible.

This is the motivation I needed today, being sick I've been feeling down, and this made me smile.

Another absolutely, 100% yes answer from me. It's really, really possible, and maintainable.

This thread is so motivational. I am going to subscribe to it, and read this whenever I feel down on myself, or that I am attempting the impossible.

I was a lurker for a while, but posts like this finally made me join this site. Kudos to all of you ladies that motivate and inspire me! Keep it coming!

Originally Posted by renstwin:
This thread is so motivational. I am going to subscribe to it, and read this whenever I feel down on myself, or that I am attempting the impossible.

I was a lurker for a while, but posts like this finally made me join this site. Kudos to all of you ladies that motivate and inspire me! Keep it coming!

This!

Thank you all!

Two things I always thought were SO CORNY!!! when people said "If I can do it, anyone can!" and "It's about a healthy lifestyle, not dieting"

omg as IF they turned out to be true???? LOL

For me, it wasn't about commitment, honestly. I mean, i woke up every Monday of my life fully and utterly convinced i was 100% committed to it, and boom! by Wednesday I was completely and utterly back to square ONE!

I had to address WHY I ate the way I did, what small thing I could change and not freak out about it. Then 1 more thing. And before you knew it I love 5 lbs., and that motivated me enough to change another thing, and then another. Before long i was down about 50lbs., and decided to STOP. Sounds weird, but I wanted to maintain that loss for a good long time (about 8 months it turned out) to see if I could live that way. Then I did another 20 lbs., and maintained. Basically, if I can't live it without freaking out that i'm deprived and it's not worth it, then I'd quit! SO far so good!

good luck to you girlie, if I can do it, anyone can ;)

Originally Posted by TheActress:
Nelie- I know what you mean. I keep losing the same 20-30lbs and then putting them back on plus some over and over and over.... I either get discouraged because I cheat so I quit or I just get lazy. I'm determined this time!

One thing you have to remember is that you lose 30 lbs, you can maintain that loss. Giving up is what will cause the regain but once you pass that 30 lb or so mark and keep going, I think you'll feel more empowered and remember we are here to help :)

welcome Actress!
I'm fairly new here too and don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said, but I know we can both do it.
Like many have said, you don't have to lose 100+ pounds, you just have to lose 5lbs at a time...and losing 5lbs is easy :)

im just trying to loose ten pounds ten times! haha good luck lady stick around and we will all get through this together!

I agree with everyone else - it does seem impossible sometimes, when focusing on the number we have to lose, but it is TOTALLY doable. Heck, even in the middle of a pregnancy, with no car, and two other toddlers, It is doable for me because I am committed to my lifestyle and improving the quality of every day I spend with my family. It's just one choice at a time.

I cannot stress enough the importance of setting goals for yourself and achieving them. SMALL goals, five pound increments or an inch lost off your hips, etc, are really the way to go. Make the reward something you REALLY want, like a new pair of shoes or clothes, a pedicure, massage, flowers for yourself, a date with your spouse... All of these things are wonderfu rewards to reinforce positive behaviors and don't make you feel deprived.

Find a sensible method of weight loss that works for you. For me, I need the accountability of food logging daily and weighing/charting my weight daily. Especially in the middle of a pregnancy, when it is so easy to slide into unhealthy habits, that accountability every meal, every day, keeps me focused on my goals.

Good luck, you CAN do it, but as Robin so wisely put it, you must DECIDE to do it. For me, at least, my life depends on my commitment to this, and I have been given a heck of a lot to live for!

It's so interesting you brought this up - it has been true for me, as well, that crucial to my personal success, self confidence, and commitment to doing this forever has had to include several periods of forced (and circumstantial :D) maintenance.

By sitting at a weight for a few months and just proving to myself that I COULD live with these habits without everything being a battle, I proved to myself that I was capable of making this forever. I needed to gain skills and self confidence during maintenance to further myself in this weight loss journey, and now I have NO fear of significant regain. It's funny to say, but true, I honestly believe that I can do this no matter what. And if that includes relaxing and maintaining for a bit, or even putting aside active weight management and just focusing on other things, that I will be okay, healthy, and be able to pick up right where I left off when I am able to.

I would LOVE to have had this weight gone in six months or a year, and it could have been possible if I had a more strict food budget each day and more frequent exercise. But I know myself, and I know I need a very moderate, flexible, easy approach, and LOTS of time to process the 'new me' in stages, so I don't freak out psychologically and lose my way.


What works for some people doesn't work for others, and I'd rather lose slowly and steadily over a few years than lose it all and have a regain and then some!

Originally Posted by Trazey34:
Two things I always thought were SO CORNY!!! when people said "If I can do it, anyone can!" and "It's about a healthy lifestyle, not dieting"

omg as IF they turned out to be true???? LOL

For me, it wasn't about commitment, honestly. I mean, i woke up every Monday of my life fully and utterly convinced i was 100% committed to it, and boom! by Wednesday I was completely and utterly back to square ONE!

I had to address WHY I ate the way I did, what small thing I could change and not freak out about it. Then 1 more thing. And before you knew it I love 5 lbs., and that motivated me enough to change another thing, and then another. Before long i was down about 50lbs., and decided to STOP. Sounds weird, but I wanted to maintain that loss for a good long time (about 8 months it turned out) to see if I could live that way. Then I did another 20 lbs., and maintained. Basically, if I can't live it without freaking out that i'm deprived and it's not worth it, then I'd quit! SO far so good!

good luck to you girlie, if I can do it, anyone can ;)

I love how different we all are, and the great thing about 3FC is that there are so many ways of "doing it right..." you just have to find the one that works for you...

But, I must say that I LOVE the expression "if I can do it, then anyone can..."

I remember reading that here and thinking "what if it's true? what if they ARE just like me...?" Because for years, whenever I read one of those inspirational stories in a magazine about a person who lost a whole bunch of weight I always assumed that that person was NOT like me-- in my mind, there was a crucial difference, and the difference was that I was INCAPABLE....

But it turned out that I wasn't special, I wasn't incapable, I didn't have some special psychological quirk that rendered me incapable. I COULD do it. Anyone can do it.

Who knew?

It's totally possible. :) I felt the same way when I started out.... it seemed that 100lb loss that I wanted was light years away. Deep down inside, I truly believe I secretly wondered if I could do it.

Now, it's as if I blinked my eyes and the 60+lbs I've lost this past year just fell off. I can't believe I'm just about 3/4 of the way to my 100lb loss goal! But I am. :) I don't really think I could add to what the ladies above have said.... but they're all definitely right. Plan, commit, and don't give up. If you screw up a day... just get right back on and don't throw in the towel.

You CAN do it!

Yes, it's completely possible.

Just as people are saying, "Don't think of the whole 100 pounds, think of 10 pounds, or five pounds," I'm going to say what really helped me was to think in smaller units of time.

Don't think things like "I can NEVER eat that again" or wondering, "How long will I have to keep this up?" or, after you've had a little success, fearfully wondering, "Have I really changed? Can I keep this going FOREVER?"

Just think, "Okay, for the next hour, I will NOT go down to the vending machine. I will not go near that plate of cookies in the office kitchen."

And then when you're lying in bed at night, think, "Well done."

The next morning, just think of it as another day to get through, another day when you will be on plan. Don't think any further. (Which doesn't mean not planning ahead, as others have said.) Take it day to day.

The days add up eventually. Trust me. But it's easier if you just face the immediate future. This choice, right in front of you, of whether to eat this or leave it, or to eat this or that. Just focus on that.