*waves* Hi I think this is where I belong!
 

Hey guys, new here. I'm Dani, 24 and live with my boyfriend.

I'm 5'6" and found out my weight is 342 tonight. I was reading past posts in here and everyone seems so positive.

My struggle is how to get POSITIVE motivation to move forward and lose weight. I just feel so overwhelmed by how much I have to lose that I'm just depressed.

Please give me your best advice to get through this part! I'm so looking forward to sitting on the lifeboat with you lovely people!

Thanks in advance guys!

Hey, Dani, welcome!

The thing that keeps me motivated is knowing that even though this is a long process, there are little rewards all along the way.

20 pounds in, I found that I was getting less winded when I walked at my fastest pace and that my endurance had picked up when exercising. 25 pounds in, some clothes that didn't fit 25 pounds ago suddenly fit, and other clothes had to be given away. Just in the past week I found that I looked at a restaurant booth, thought, "I'll never fit in there," tried it, and fit just fine!

And I still have a long way to go.

Did I mention how much fun it is to get down to 299 and say goodbye to that darn 3? I almost had a party.

There are so many good things to look forward to: right now, I sometimes fit into size 24 pants, but I have two size 24 skirts that don't fit yet; I pull them out once in a while and think about how cool it'll be that one day I'll try them and they'll just slide right on. I'm also looking forward to the 280s like nobody's business. I've been hovering right around 290 long enough that I honestly believe I'm not going back above 300, and I can't wait to feel that way about 290. I'm looking forward to being able to walk at a fast pace for 45 minutes instead of 30 and not feel like it's a struggle.

All this, I guess, is a long way of saying: think about what the first 10 or 15 pounds will do, not what it's going to take 100 pounds to achieve. Those little differences in quality of life are worth the effort it takes to get to them.

Have fun!

Thanks for the support! All of your suggestions are fantastic! Also, what does "POP" stand for?

I think right now the major hurdle is just accepting that this is going to be a lifestyle change and there's nothing wrong about what I do! I will always have good and bad days! I'm looking forward to noticing those changes!

Congrats on your success!

Hello Dani!
I am new here too! I did a little happy dance when I found this place...some place where I finally belong! :) Thus far I have lost 29 lbs. (hoping tomorrow that I reach 30)... So the best advice that I can give is to stick with it. There will be hard days and but so many awesome days as well. Focus on the smaller steps instead of the BIG picture. I mean, have your ultimate happy place in mind but focus more on the little things that you will do to get you there. Step by step, day by day...

Don't look at it too big. Just one chunk at a time.

I get overwhelmed if I think like "I have to lose 100+ lbs? Uggggh."

I rather think "Ok, just 10 lbs. I'll worry about the next thing later. Just 10 for now."

A.

Welcome!

POP is "perfectly on plan"

Everyone is going to be different, but for me, the positives so far have been feeling better from exercising even when I don't lose much weight, plus also realizing I can achieve goals I didn't think I could. Small ones so far, but they add up! And with the support from people here on the 300+ club I realize that just getting back on the wagon even when I've fallen off for a few days is something to be proud of. It's very motivating -- I think you'll like it here!

:welcome:

Join us on our Lifeboat accountability thread, positive thread and monthly threads. I look forward to getting to know you!

Hugs,
Ratkity

*waves* Hey Dani!!

I definitely agree with taking it in small sections. I started about where you are and if I stopped to actually think about the number that I have to lose, I'd be so overwhelmed I'd probably not be able to even think about putting one foot in front of the other.

So, I decided that I didn't have to lose 100+ pounds. I only had to loose 5 pounds. That was it. Just 5 tiny little pounds. When I reached that goal, I set another for the next 5 pounds and so on. Every 5 pounds was cause for celebration - even this far into my weight loss journey I don't look at the whole picture. I just eye the next 5 - 10 pounds.

It won't take too many of those goals to start seeing other goals being met as well. Those jeans in the back of your closet that haven't fit for a few years? They'll start fitting. The jeans you've been wearing because they're so comfy? They'll start falling off of you. ;)

For me the weight loss/life style change isn't about maintaining positive motivation - it's about being committed to the process. Sometimes I'm so UNmotivated that I will throw an inner temper tantrum because I want something that I know I *shouldn't* have - but I've committed to being healthier and making some positive changes in my life. So I let my inner three year old scream and yell in my head (incidentally, it's the same voice that screams and yells every morning when I have to haul my tired self out of my warm, cozy bed and go to work) and then I get on with doing what I have to do.

Also, I've learned another important part of the process for me was to recognize that it IS a process. Sometimes I'm going to make bad choices, sometimes I'm going to slip up and sometimes I'm just flat out going to decide that something is "worth" the extra carbs, fat, calories, etc. and that's okay. The important thing is to not let that slip become a defining moment in my journey. A slip doesn't mean I've "ruined my diet" and therefore give me leave to continue eating anything and everything I want. A slip is just a temporary deviation from my new normal.

You can do this!!!

Hey, my name is Dani as well.

I agree with the other posters. Don't focus on what you need to lose as a whole. You'll eventually begin to think that it is too much. Or at least that's what happened to me in all of my attempts.

Focus on your first 10 and go from there. :)


Good luck on your journey! You'll find much inspiration and motivation here. :hug:

I am so happy to have you guys here! I know that whenever I have a craving, or feel I'm going to struggle I can come here!

I realized the next day after having weighed myself that I was wearing my heaviest sweater and jeans, etc and had just finished dinner and it was the end of the day. So I reweighed myself the next morning and saw what I thought I was at. I'm still up 10 lbs from where I thought, but that's okay! 10 lbs I can handle!

10 lbs is my first mini-goal and I'm super excited! THANKS EVERYONE! :hug: