My advice is start writing everything you eat down! lol
I agree. Doing this was a huge help for me- I don't do it right now.....but, last summer I wrote everything down and I now remember more or less the calories in each food item. Anyway, while doing this method I lost weight consistently and steadily and it was a real eye opener.
The reason I keep thinking "I should" be losing more weight SueBee (sp) is because I know that I can look better than I do. If I remove another ten pounds, then the muscles I have worked hard at building will show more definition. However, this is the stage I got to the last time I lost weight...I got to the point where I looked and felt great, then stopped completely. This time, at least I am maintaining instead of gaining a pile. I go up a few lbs, but then refocus and remove those couple of lbs again. Pointing out what I wrote has really given me something to think about SueBee...I keep thinking that if I am happy here, maybe this is where I should be staying. At least until I become uncomfortable with this size.
I took some pics of myself in a bikini the other night, and I don't think I look too bad...I could actually go to the beach in public wearing it and feel confident. My belly is still soft and kinda wobbly, but I have been working at more crunches/abs work to get that area toned up more since I tend to neglect it.
Maybe I will just stay where I am right now since I do feel good at this size, and continue on focusing and getting used to maintenance. Learning how to keep this size has been a challenge in itself. Normally, by now, I would be full scale back to ice cream. Instead, I am slowly learning how to have treats and still stick to eating healthy most of the time.
In the meantime though, if anyone wants to add in what they do for motivation on losing the last ten pounds, I will gladly read it and store that information away in my head for future reference. It never hurts to know what other folks do to stay inspired...
And I have returned to food tracking and have found out that I am mostly eating in a maintenance range.
I actually have 15 lbs I'd like to lose- hope it's okay for me to post in here
Today I purchased a really cute outfit, actually a few outfits- all in a size 4. I'm currently a size 6. I know it sounds silly to buy clothing that doesn't fit but, I use that as motivation. I don't just buy anything in a size 4, I bought 5 items that I truly love and get excited about wearing, comfortably. I have a trip coming up also and I plan to wear these items during the trip. I know for sure that I will fit in these clothes in around five weeks, I'm going to make sure of it. I'm an all or nothing type of person, there is no maybe in this weight loss situation for me, the weight will be gone :P
Also, I signed up for a half marathon so that keeps me on my toes
I never buy clothes in a smaller size in anticipation of being able to wear them for the simple reason that they may not look as good as I think they will. I prefer to buy the size I need for the weight I am. And sizing being what it is my size can vary. I buy what I like and what looks good at the time.
The biggest motivation to me is the scale, if it doesn't show a gain I am happy and if it shows a loss I am ecstatic.
I have outfits that fit five years ago that I have held onto, and I put them front and center in my closet as motivation. Today I am happy to say that I am wearing a size 6 pencil-skirt suit and my hubby said I looked fabulous this morning, so it is working I think!
My closet ranges from about a size 6 up to size 14. I am good with pins, and have altered a lot of the larger clothes. The existing smaller clothes in my wardrobe work as inspiration. I no longer buy things that are too small, preferring to get something that fits well now as it is usually "now" that I need the boost.
I enjoy hearing about other folks' inspiration, finding that there are some good tidbits to tuck away for future reference. Thank you for sharing!
I recently bought a sexy back dress to wear to a work event in September. It's a little too small (although I can get it on)... and it's the perfect motivation for me to lose weight. When I'm running on the treadmill and I think of stopping I just think about how I want to look in that dress..
Also, this may sound silly, but I also really want to do a triathalon but have never wanted to do it because I dont want to have to wear the unitard-swimsuit thing. So I also imagine myself really strong and fit coming out of the water. It really helps me. I know, that's silly.
As far as food goes, I love sweets! I wish I didnt. I bet I would be thin if I didnt. But I've found that if I bring a big bottle of water to work and put a pack of crystal light in it, it fills me up and solves the sweets problem..
Just my thoughts
Using visualization as a technique for weight loss isn't silly at all, it is a very smart idea and an important component. It is rather hard to work towards a goal if we can't envision it. Seeing yourself climbing out of the pool wearing the unitard is an excellent motivator. As is seeing yourself in your dress. Both of those are visions which can pull you through your weight removal journey.
Theloula, congrats on your weight loss, and good luck on the last few pounds! I hope you don't mind me posting the following question on your thread, but it's so closely related to your first post that I didn't want to start a new one.
This is the first time I'm posting in the featherweights forum, because until recently I have never been considered a featherweight! Two years ago I was morbidly obese, and I've finally made it to a healthy weight rage. I'm actually hoping to lose a few more pounds to become a real featherweight, hence why I'm posting here.
I've now lost over 130 pounds and am a few pounds above goal, though I've recently decided to aim for 140 instead of 150. I need to get rid of this spare tire and thunder thighs! The only problem is that my weight loss has slowed to a crawl, so I was hoping you guys could give me some advice since many of you are close to my size.
How many calories are you eating in a day to lose weight? How quickly (or slowly) is it coming off? Are there any tips I should know about?
My current aim is about half a pound a week and I am eating about 1400 calories to do that. I've only started losing again for two weeks after maintaining since September, but I decided I wanted to lose another stone (14 lb) by August when we go away.
I've currently lost over 2 lb so far, so I'm ahead of the game.
The only tips I can think of really are not to expect it to come off as quickly as it used to, and not to give up. Oh, and run! Running is great.
I have lost 160 Lbs with WLS. I keep getting down past my goal to where I want to be then gain back up between 8-10 lbs. Losing it, gaining it, losing it, gaining it. Right now I need to lose it again. My thinking, whether right or wrong, is if I keep fighting it back and forth, I won't gain all the way back the entire total. Does any of this make sense?
When I was on WW about a year ago, I stopped writing everything down and kept track of my "points" in my head.....that's how I got to where I am today! I guess I will have to write everything down for the rest of my life if I want to stay on track.
I don't mind you posting in here at all Drina, and am happy that you are. Your question is quite similar to mine so it makes sense to put them together. btw...Congratulations on your huge weight loss! I always have so much admiration for someone who loses a large amount of weight like that, it must take ever so much dedication and self belief. You have done wonderful!
As to advice on removing the last few pounds, I can't say much being that I am in about the same position myself. Only thing is that I feel good where I am, and am just going to stick with maintenance for the time being. Even tonight at work, my co-workers were complimenting me on how good I look, how much weight I have lost, and suggesting that I don't lose any more as I look good like this. I actually have not lost any weight since November, but have continued on with the gym so am still firming up.
Hopefully, someone else can give you some better words of wisdom, words that I will also be looking for once I decide to start losing once more.
Unfortunately, from my understanding, crunches are the only way to get your belly in prime shape. I hate crunches too, and rarely do them thus having a softer belly than I should for the rest of my body. One thing a man who owned a gym, and who I worked out under, taught me is to pay attention to your abs when lifting weights, keep your core tightened. Almost every exercise in weight lifting involves core work and through tightening and focusing on the abs while doing the exercises, the abs themselves get a small workout. I have found in the past that, if I am in good shape, that my abs look okay without doing crunches; still a little soft but acceptable.
To work on abs these days, I will often go to a Body Flow class at the gym which has a good ten minute segment on abs work, else I will hit the mats after lifting weights and will go through a song's worth of toe taps and crunches. In the past, I used to get my abs work done while watching Seinfeld in the evening. A half hour show = a half hour of laying on the floor, feet on a chair, doing sporadic abs work while the show was on. It is the only time in my life I had abs definition. I was also too skinny at the time too though from eating low fat and from exercising and eating too much.
Good luck with your abs! The positive point is that once they are in shape, it is a breeze to do your workout!
