I’ve been on a quite a few weight-loss or get-healthy plans, but after doing well for a while, some how something goes wrong. I lose my motivation. I get bored with what I’m eating, etc, etc.

I’m happy report that I’ve now been at this for 2 months, the longest I’ve stuck with any “get healthy” plan in years. I’ve lost weight at a slower pace than in the past … but I’m still going down … what’s different this time?

Well, for starters, I told myself this isn’t a race, I have the rest of my life to straighten myself out … but that putting it off is NOT an option! I also gave myself “permission” to NOT be a “perfect dieter”. What exactly does this mean … well for me, this means that I don’t choose foods ONLY because they are low in calories. TASTE MATTERS!!! I have never liked “fat free” salad dressings … so this time I’m using “light” dressings: more calories and, in my opinion, better taste – the result of this is that after two months, I still look forward to eating salad … where as in the past the thought of a salad w/ fat-free dressing would have been annoying after a couple of weeks and I would have made less healthy decisions. The same goes w/ the yogurt … I don’t like aspartame-sweetened anything … sure, I could get the same protein/calcium with half the calories if I went with the low-cal yogurt, but after a week, I probably would have replaced it w/ a candy bar which has slightly more calories than the sweetened yogurt, and none of the nutritional value … so fat-free w/ no artificial sweeteners is the way to go for me.

And what about cooking? In the past, I tried to do EVERYTHING from scratch. Lots of work and easy to say “never mind” if you are pressed for time. This time I’m allowing myself some convenience … bagged salad greens, frozen veggies, and for “emergencies”, a couple of Lean Cuisine dinners in the freezer at all times. (Although in two months, I’ve only eaten 2) And … take out is not something to say “NEVER” to. We get pizza once a week … on Monday or Tuesday when it’s “the 2 for $10” at our local shop. Only I’ve learned to buy a salad (or open my bag of salad mix) to go w/ that pizza so I stop at 2 slices. And it still gives me the convenience of leftovers to put into my kids’ lunch boxes.

Enough about me … what’s different for YOU this time? I'd love to hear from everbody ... those just starting out and those of you who have been successfully doing this for more than a year.

Thanks!

Two things were different for me this time. The first was that when I started, I was really focusing on getting healthier more than the weight loss. I was so tired of being unhealthy and out of shape. I was tired of not being able to walk across a parking lot without getting out of breath. I wanted to be healthy and tried to focus on that.

The other thing was that instead of trying to stick to a diet plan that somebody else designed, I found what worked for me. I knew which things I felt like I had to have, which things I was willing to give up, and found what worked for me. I had to design an eating plan that I knew I could live with, and not something that somebody else had put together. I think that the biggest strategy is just finding what works for you and what you can live with.

i agree mothergoose, i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and i thought i have got to fix this. i have made a complete lifestyle change. i am not on a diet. i too, am loosing weight slower this time, but the weight is still going down, and this what matters. my diabetes is pretty much under control and i feel so much better. i want to spend a long life with my wonderful husband and i want grandkids and i want to see how my girls grow up and how they turn out. those things are what are different this time. sometimes it takes an eye-opening experience.

I had a sense that I was running out of time - not so much agewise, but more with regard to attitude. I was becoming accustomed to being fat/unhealthy and starting to accept it as "well, I guess that's just the way it is..." I was very close to not caring much anymore. Then something inside said "No way are you going to allow that to happen!" and took that first step of going with a girlfriend to Weight Watchers.

I can't say I was terribly motivated at first because the idea of losing 125lbs. was very daunting, but once I put some energy into it (both mental and physical) I became quite excited. I had a 5.6lb loss that first week (oh for those days to return) and even though it was just a drop in the bucket, it helped me to start believing the rest of my life wouldn't be spent overweight and unhealthy.

Many have said this, but it bears repeating. We can know in our hearts and mind that we have to take action to improve our situation, and that nobody can do it for us, but something really has to spark inside of your soul for you to actually go out and do it. Some never get that spark of incentive and that's terribly sad. I'm glad I was able to capture it and I truly hope my story can help spur others to searching for it (especially those who feel it's an unattainable goal). To those of you who need it, I say GO SPARK YOURSELF!