Did you know FOR SURE that you were going to do it this time? This was prompted by another thread, where several people, myself included, chimed in that there was no doubt in their minds that "this time" they were going to lose the weight.
I wrote, after responding to a couple of different posters:
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I had ZERO doubts that I would get it done this time. Zero. So odd. I simply can't explain it. It was a blessing. A true blessing. I am sure of it.
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I made the decision to lose the weight - once and for all. Just realized that I didn't have to be fat if I didn't want to be. And I decided that I was going to lose the weight (and keep it off). And I was relieved. I was excited and relieved. Because I knew, having made that decision that the end of my misery was nearing. I had never felt that way before about it. Not even close.
Upon making that wonderful, life-altering decison, I did do my best to set myself up for success, by researching what were the best foods to eat to keep me full, by calorie counting, by ridding my home of all the junk, by adding in the good stuff, yada, yada, yada, you all know what I do. It was the first time I really, really DELVED and SEEKED out a good plan. I wonder which came first here. The chicken or the egg. Because I wanted it off so badly, would ANY plan have "worked" or because I wanted it so badly, did I devise the best plan possible? Hmmm. I wonder. Perhaps a combination of the both.
Anyway, I was just wondering how many of us maintainers had similar feelings of absolute certainty and how many DIDN'T, yet went on to lose the weight and keep it off ANYway.
I didn't have the feeling of certainty until well into losing. I also didn't know about maintenance until well into losing either.
On the other hand, I did have more certainty than I had in the past, since I started my last weight loss journey after graduating from college. Up until that point my meals had been at the mercy of either parents or dining halls. Once I graduated and moved into my own apartment, I was finally in control of making my own food for EVERY meal. I honestly believe I would not have been able to lose if I had had to continue eating food prepared by others.
I too KNEW I was going to keep it off. I think the fact that I was 46 and 216 pounds was a real wake up call for me. I was always out of breath, my joints hurt and I realized I was spiraling out of control. I knew if I could kick the sugar habit I had a real chance of maintaining my goal weight. I never had too much of a problem with regular food, it was always the sweets that did me in. With the help of Sugar Busters I was able to lose the sugar addiction, and I feel very positive about maintaining. We really can do anything we set our minds to.
Hi Robin, Interesting question! When I decided that I had to lose weight, it was just that - I HAD to lose weight - one way or another. I told myself that if the first way I tried didn't work, I had to keep trying until I found a way to do it. I had weighed at the doctor's office to discover that I was actually as high as 346, I didn't have a scale at home that went above 300. The only scale I could find close by only went up to 330 lbs, but I purchased it and brought it home. I had no idea if the plan I was doing (Somersizing) was working or not for about a month, because I didn't have a scale that would weight me until I had lost the first 16 lbs. I was almost frantic wondering if this was working or not (somersizing wasn't the "traditional" diet I was used to -- i.e., grapefruit, broccoli, chicken -- and I was still eating until I was full so I really was unsure if I would lose weight or not). When the scale first showed 330 lbs and not ERR, I was overjoyed! At that point, I knew that I was going to lose it! I didn't have a goal for at least the first 75 lbs, I just wanted to lose some weight and feel better.
I think that the whole attitude of knowing I had to do it helped. That and keeping a picture in my head of what life would be like after I lost weight. I used that a lot to keep myself motivated.
Yes. I was so #*$(#% mad at myself for regaining and so scared I had screwed up my metabolism that I knew I had no choice. I knew it was going to happen and I made sure it did. I am scared to gain it back, but fear is good in this situation. I know that stopped the behaviors will make me gain it back. So I don't stop the behaviors.
In my heart, I didn't believe that I could really lose all my excess weight at first. I remember sitting across the desk at my fitness assessment when I joined Ballys and the trainer telling me to write my weight loss goal down in my workout book. I wrote "lose 97 pounds" (my original goal was 160, my lowest adult weight) and can remember mentally rolling my eyes and thinking "yeah, right". So for me, I had plenty of doubts that this time would be any different from the thousand times before.
BUT there was a difference between this time and all the other times I tried and failed. I knew this time that I would not quit. I couldn't quit. I didn't know that I would succeed, but I felt like if I failed again, something inside of me would die. I had failed at weight loss over and over and over again, and each failure felt like it was killing my spirit a little bit more each time. I knew that if I tried again, it had to be for real or else something really awful was going to happen to my sense of self. It's hard to explain, but it really felt that drastic.
Funny, my stubborn refusal to quit was really all it took to get me to my goal. As the saying goes: "the only way to fail to reach your goal is to stop before you get there." I didn't believe that I could do it, but still I refused to stop trying. After all, what was the alternative? To accept the fact that I would be morbidly obese for the rest of my life? Unthinkable.
Once I lost the first 50 pounds, THEN I believed! And there was nothing in the world that could have stopped me from going all the way. If you had offered me a million dollars to eat one cookie at that point, I would have turned you down. I was that committed and wanted it that badly. And I wanted it ASAP!! I didn't want to be fat one single day longer than necessary. So no baby steps or cheat days for me. I kept my eyes on the prize, believed with every ounce of my being, raced around third, and slid into home plate with the world's biggest grin on my face.
The issue of maintenance is a whole different story! No one was talking about maintenance back in 2002 and we didn't have the Maintainers forum then. I was lost when I reached goal. I knew how to lose weight just fine, but had no idea how to keep it off. The three months after I reached goal were the biggest struggle of my whole weight loss experience. I had no faith in my ability to keep the weight off and no idea what to do.
It took me that summer to realize that maintenance looks just like weight loss, with a few extra calories. Nothing changed. I ate the same foods, exercised the same, journaled, counted calories, planned meals, weighed and measured portions etc. Hey, this was all stuff I knew how to do and was good at! So again, just like with weight loss, I didn't believe I would keep the weight off until I managed to do it for a while.
Now that I've been at this since 2001, I'm getting reasonably confident that I'll be able to keep the weight off for the rest of my life. Or it's probably more accurate to say that I'm confident that I have the skills and knowledge to keep the weight off for the rest of my life. Sometimes I wonder if I'll reach a point where I decide it's just not worth the effort and sacrifices -- where the costs outweigh the benefits? Will I ever lose my motivation and let myself become morbidly obese again? I can't see it happening, but who knows?
I started out ABSOLUTELY not believing I could do this. I had ten bazillion excuses for why my body was incapable of losing weight, and frankly, I was starting out of desperation because of my upcoming wedding. I really believed I would be a fat bride.
It didn't really shift until I lost the first 20 lbs and did something that I never would have done at my highest weight (went whitewater rafting with coworkers). THEN I started to believe I was on a positive path that could actually take me to where I wanted to be.
I also had the click, mostly because I was SO MAD at myself.
I had started working out again when I broke my ankle in several places, requiring surgery. I literally laid on my couch for a month straight getting more and more aggrivated and angry with the fact that if I didn't change my eating now, this was the turning point to me getting morbidly obese.
It just... clicked. Ironically, I had lost about 35 pounds during the time I was laid up. It wasn't necessarily healthy (imagine me: depressed and hopped up on pain pills, living off of cigarettes, peanut butter m&ms and diet coke ), but it proved to me that it was physically possible to lose weight.
I knew, positively absolutely - that when I was ready I would do a fabulous job at losing weight. Therefore, it really annoyed me when comments were made about my size (mother, doctor mostly) because I KNEW that the weight would come off when I was ready. The problem was that I just needed the click to happen - I was waiting.
The ready point came Christmas 2007 when my son and husband gave me clothing gifts that I couldn't fit into. I set a cliche start date of January 1st, 2008 and KNEW that whatever I chose to do would work.
I had this calm, steady - almost eerie feeling on the 1st. It was my time, now, no turning back. I started and didn't quit. It's been the best joyride of my life, losing weight, discovering myself and becoming strong and healthy. Everything I KNEW it would be.
I had exercised in the past, convinced I could lose the weight and get in better shape. This time I really only started a whim, a support for DH. I had lost down to 132 a couple of years ago and was back close to 150 when I started this time. I was pretty convinced I WOULDN'T be able to lose weight, that 150 was my 'natural size'. When the weight started to come off and I could see myself more clearly I realized that I really could do this. I also was much more serious about exercise this time around, so the entire experience felt different.
I absolutely knew that I was going to lose all the weight this time. How long it took was another matter, but once I realized that I wasn't going to lose 100 lbs. in a year, I told myself that it didn't matter how long it took as long as I made my goal. Persistence is my motto.
I posted in your other thread. In previous weight loss attempts, I had feelings of positive motivation, but nothing like the feeling I had the last time. I still remember exactly. I was standing in Barnes & Noble, leafing through a copy of Super Foods Rx, and I just KNEW, right then, exactly how to do it this time. Instead of a lot of diets where I started "on Monday" I started that very second and I never doubted for a second that it would work.
As I posted in the other thread, I did feel "electrified with purpose" when I started but that feeling faded over time. By time that "burst" feeling had faded, I had habits in place to support me. I would say, 70% of the time, I just feel normal - this is just how I live. 5% of the time I'm a whiny baby, hating that I can't eat as many scones/cookies/M&Ms/McDonalds fries as I want. 25% of the time, I'm exhilerated and delighted by the new me
I knew I could do it...I'd done it before and maintained for years...but I didn't WANT to do it. Last time was, literally, one of the most awful experiences of my life, eating way too few calories and getting way too much exercise and a list of other problems that made me miserable day in and day out...unhealthy and tired ALL THE TIME.
For me, it was realizing this did not HAVE to be "all or nothing". That moderation WAS a possibility...even for a woman who often expects perfection from herself in everything she does. I would just "perfect" moderation. And it was an epiphany...and so when I started, I felt so RELIEVED, and it worked! And this time around, I would say, it was mostly an enjoyable experience. I mean, yes, I was hungry sometimes, and I was out of shape when I started, but getting to my goals without killing myself was SO amazing, and I loved watching my body get slimmer and seeing the emerging definition in my muscles. It was great. And it wasn't a race, or some kind of test of whether I was "good enough".
P.S. A few of you saw my original "good-bye" post -- and posted replies, but I can't remember everyone who did so I cannot send you guys PMs. Anyway, I have reconsidered my decision, and will be sticking around for the foreseeable future...so ignore my previously issued farewell. I still need you guys!!!
I really didn't know. I just knew that I was going to try again. I couldn't face another day with the scale going up.
I know now that I will keep the weight off. For the past year or so, I have become very comfortable in knowing my body and what I need to do to lose/maintain in an appropriate manner. I couldn't connect the two before.
Height: 5 ft 8.5" athlete who can give a punch & certainly take one too! :)
For me, it was the same 10 lbs that I struggled with over and over with when I was younger. But I admit back then my weightloss attempts were 1/2 @ss attempts, I always chose the latest diet craze of the week!
But something clicked at age 39, (now that I was older and wiser I suppose?) When I sustained an ankle injury, a hairline fracture, I packed on an additional 15 lbs, due to me comforting myself with sweets and junk to soothe my soul. By then, the big 40 was soon approaching, and this time 'round, I made weightloss a priority and I went full throttle, balls to the wall if you will, with no looking back. I knew that eating healthy, plus working out would get me fit as a fiddle. Besides, I wanted to be fit and fabulous before turning 40 & I succeeded!
I love the new and improved me. I feel amazing and I look pretty damn amazing too for a soon to be 42 year ole lady! I still feel like I am 18 though, I have more energy than that energizer bunny! I chock that up to eating healthy, exercise and vitamins! I will continue to keep holding my own, so I can continue to be fit & fabulous further into my 40's, 50's & 60's. Once I hit 70 though, I'm thinkin', to **** with it, all bets are off, I'm eating what I want!
For those that have lost MAJORITY of their weight
), but it proved to me that it was physically possible to lose weight.
