Hi everyone:
I wanted to ask those of you who have been doing this for awhile how you keep the momentum going? I was dedicated, excited, and working hard on weight loss when I first started. Now I seem stuck. I feel less motivated and can easily talk myself into eating things I shouldn't. I have not gained anything back but am not losing either. Any tips would certainly be appreciated!
The truth is that sometimes you just can't. That's especially true when you have substantial weight to lose. I'm a baseball fan, and the way I look at it is like a pitcher who doesn't have his stuff. It is easy when all your pitches are working, and you aren't hurting anywhere. The mark of a great pitcher is the one who can find a way to win on those days that he doesn't have his best stuff--he's tired, hurting, or just can't get the curveball to break right. He battles through it, tries other pitches, lets his teammates make plays for him, and generally doesn't give up. On a long term diet, there are days you just aren't going to "feel" it. That's when you just have to do the best you can, and let us help you get those outs.
I changed my fall back plan.. so when I dont feel like working on weight loss -- instead of movies and fast food... I do pilates (while watching movies) and eat subway and cheesy lean cuisines. That way when I dont feel like trying... I'm still doing better than I was at my highest weight.
31 lbs is awesome for just starting in jan. I also started in jan . Look back at hte amount you have lost each week. Im sure that will inspire you. I know it sucks to get stuck...but jsut think if you keep it up in a few months it will be 50lbs.
I also change up my food when i get bored. I try new recipes from the sticky at the top of the 300+ page. I also try on somthing that didnt fit before and now does.Coming here daily and posting and making friends is making my journey easier!!!
good luck and hang in there..Your worth it!!!!!!!
debi
I have a long way to go but plan on doing this for as long as it takes..
A few things keep me focused..
journaling my food - for some reason looking at it on the page makes it more real to me and if I have a slip up I think about how to address it the next time
give in to an urge. If I am dieing for a pizza .. I plan for it and get the very best version I can that will satisfy me. and eat only what I plan for ...i.e. 2 pieces and a salad.
plan a day off...... give yourself permission to take a day off of dieting whether it be once a month or every two week or whatever works for you.
Reward yourself - think of non-food rewards that will make you happy. I love to do photography so when I meet another goal I plan a whole day to do something that I love.. i.e pack a lunch and go to a place I have never been and take pictures and enjoy the whole day of exploring.
DO NOT weight yourself every day.. for me that is discouraging.. once a week is plenty...... then celebrate either a loss or even Maintaining for the week....... no gain is a reason to celebrate as well
Those are a few things that are keeping me focused and on plan. I am gaining a new appreciation for other things in life.. Might be a good time to take up a new hobby or visit a library or museum... something that is outside your comfort zone that will stimulate your mind...
Anyone else have any good ideas????
Sit down and write a list of things you do for others in your life.....
then sit down and write a list of things you do for yourself, this list is usually way shorter than the other one.
Make a new list of things you would like to do for yourself.....now things that you can do whenever and then things that you will be able to do once you reach a certain goal weight......and then things that you want to do when you reach your goal weight.....
take this list and post it on your mirror as you do these things highlight them with a bright color......don't cross them off your list you may want to do them over and over again........
This is where women in general......but more so overweight women tend to struggle. They don't feel they deserve to do for themselves and they need to do for others......kind of a peninance for being "fat" We all need to shower ourselves with love as well as others!
The truth of the matter is that for everyone, at some point the motivation that got them started fades. And then what?
I am by no means perfect everyday (very very far from it), but I know I can't rely on motivation all the time. Many days I have to focus on the commitments I've made to myself.
And then, when THAT fails, and I go off plan.... first, I have to forgive myself. What's done is done, and NOW is the chance to get back on track.
And then I have to get back on the horse. This is very hard for me when I'm under stress. Sometimes I have to take baby steps to get back on plan, just like when I started....
Thank you everyone for the support! You all have excellent ideas...I have noticed clothes fitting differently as well as the seat belt! I need to keep reminding myself of those things.
I think for me it's changed from motivation to commitment. When I first started the weight loss was almost daily (as it usually is). You get weeks with higher numbers and that motivates you to do more, to keep going. Somewhere along the way I seem to have made a commitment to this new lifestyle I've picked. Although at times there are things I miss, I don't seem to crave them like I did.
This right now, is who I am. I'm committed to it. I recently found my logs from the first time I lost weight. Although I ate less, I can see that I wasn't committed to it. I even lost more, but there were days I didn't log (which means I likely ate badly), and days I did log under 1500 calories, but 800 calories of it was junk.
So, commit to your new lifestyle. Make it a way of life. No matter if you're in it for a short while (ie. less to lose) or a long while, it's not about motivating yourself. It's about making a commitment to being the new you.
Somedays it's rough but for me it's about never wanting to look back. Even if there is a bad day you ignore it and keep going... In reality it ends up being a life-long job so it's something you just need to accept.
Although I've found that since I've given myself a scary goal that forces me to be as fit as I can be in the next 5 months (2 triathalons signed up and paid for!) that sure is incentive to stay off my butt! Afterall it's a lot easier to run around without a 30lbs backpack on.
I'll check back in and address the OP's question but I just wanted to share this for now:
How are you sabotaging yourself?
"If you play it safe in life you've decided that you don't want to grow any more."
-- Shirley Hufstedler
How are you sabotaging your potential for change?
We unconsciously use defense mechanisms to shield us from situations we perceive to be scary or painful. A part of you may want to grow and change, but another part may be resisting because change always moves you into new territory in your thinking and emotions.
If you find you are getting anxious, fearful, angry, frustrated, dismissive or unmotivated, then defence mechanisms are at work. Watch for them and know them to be signs of fear that wants to hold you back. Then courageously move through them.
"I have never been contained except I made the prison."
-- Mary Evans
All of that can apply to the excess fat I allowed myself to pack on. It makes one think!
I love these responses, and Catherine's baseball pitcher analogy really resonated with me. My answer is similar - sometimes I am not motivated to do it. And I have had some really bad days along the way. But I do think that focusing on the commitment and all of the gains I have made from choosing a different type of lifestyle convince me that I have to work to get that momentum back. I do that in a variety of ways - watching shows about the struggles of the morbidly obese tends to help me regain lost focus, looking at my one "before" picture, etc. It's about finding the motivation again and again, and then squeezing every bit of advantage from those golden moments when even cookie dough doesn't even tempt me and I look forward to running!
And remember - you do not ever have to be perfect to lose weight or maintain the loss. You just have to create a calorie deficit for weight loss or break even to maintain. When I thought that I would have to be the type of person who never even considered eating a cookie again, I would think I was a horrible person doomed to failure if I slipped up even once. I am quite happy to report that I no longer think that way. I do more good things than bad things for my body now, and that's all it takes.
How do you keep the momentum?
