Hey everyone...So I have a problem I can't seem to get over... & Im lookin for some advice..I've been 175lbs since August (on purpose)..so im basically maintaining this weight. But its NOT what I want. When i first started i was strict with my diet & exercised 5 times a week...now that im 175 i exercise 3-4 days a week and stay to my diet 4-5 days a week...Its like I lost my motivation..im happy..I really love the way my legs look & that i can fit into a size 10 & can buy pretty clothes & for the first time i feel PRETTY......& i can run long distance for a long time without stopping which i haven't been able to do in forever & I don't feel awkward in public anymore.. i know im not small at all but I don't feel HUGE. But im only 5'3 so 175 isn't healthy for me. I feel like im settling, that this size is good enough for me..but its not!! & i don't want to settle..but is it wrong to feel pretty and happy & even AT TIMES feel content at this weight? Sometimes i hate that i feel this way at times, because i feel like its the reason I've lost some of my dedication. Im not sure if im getting my point across here...At 234lbs i was miserable and so un happy with myself that i felt like i HAD TO DO THIS..I had all the dedication in the world. I want to get back to the dedication I had when I was 234lbs while still feeling happy and pretty like i do now...how can i get the motivation and dedication back?? Any ideas? I don't want to get comfortable at this size..and im scared that im starting to...but do i have to hate the way i look to make my a** work hard!?!?

What's wrong with just maintaining your loss until you feel dedicated again?

Dang, you're basically my height and my weight and I'm a size 14 in pants! Jealous you are 10!!

If you are happy with how you look and feel right now then HECK NO it's not wrong for you to feel pretty and happy. Thats AMAZING! Embrace your success and healthier body! You worked your butt off and you lost a lot of weight and if you are happy with the results, there is NOTHING wrong with that.

If you are worried about getting to comfortable at this weight, even if you are pretty much happy at it, maybe set a goal to lose 10 lbs, or do some sort of walk/run marathon, set some sort of goal or challenge and instead of thinking "I need to lose so much weight so I can be happy and skinny" try to lose a little more as a challenge to yourself, to see what you can do. Definitely DO NOT stop working out and eating well, you must keep pressing on with a healthy lifestyle.

You have to do it for yourself, if you are worrying about being complacent make sure you stay in the gym and stay healthy, the motivation will come, just dont stop being healthy, you have come so far!!!! Be proud and happy for yourself!!!!!

I just posted something similar to your post about a week ago!! I know how you feel! I have fallen into this "contented" state where I just am not as driven as I was when I couldn't stand the way I looked and felt. Yet I know that I need to be smaller. I don't weigh myself, but I'm your height and I "sometimes" wear a ten (12's are loose, but not all 10's fit---this hasn't stopped me from changing my ticker, though --LOL!).

I've decided to coast for a while. Two weeks ago, I ate at maintenance calories for a week (i.e., maintenance calories for my goal weight of 140). Last week, I ate at losing calories. This week, I seem to be just a bit above losing calories but not quite at maintenance calories. I've decided to think of this as "practice" for maintenance.

Thanks guys...Im still exercising & always will or i know i'll go back to 234lbs or bigger! I just gotta figure out what im gonna do..maintain for a while or stick to loosing because this in between is driving me nuts! ...I also feel like that being at 175lbs and being okay with it is wrong, that the dedication should still be there..that im still consider obese by six pounds so why am happy with my looks at times? but i cant help how i feel ? idk..im so confused. lol

No and you shouldn't feel like hating the way you look is a pre-requisite to weight loss! I like the way I look and I want to keep losing weight. You can have both! Feeling pretty and happy is a wonderful thing- embrace that!

Try to think of reasons beyond vanity that can be a driving force for you. Wanting to love the way you look is a reason a lot of people lose weight, but you're already there! So dig a little deeper- maybe reasons that are health related? Wanting to have a long, healthy life? Wanting to avoid obesity-related diseases? Setting fitness goals is really motivating for me and keeps me going hard in the gym. You mentioned you're a runner, losing weight would definitely help you become stronger in this area. You could train for a race or try to improve your mile time- anything that is meaningful to work towards.

Whatever you decide, know that you are worth achieving whatever goal you have for yourself- if that's maintenance, great. If you know it feels like settling to stop, then don't!

Hang in there .

I lost weight and have been maintaining for 6 years. How can anyone stay motivated for 7.5 years?

You can't.

I don't need motivation, I have habits. I have my life, this is how I live, every day. I made changes I could stick to, changes that were maintainable for the rest of my life. I don't have to be motivated to do it, I deliberately picked a plan that was doable on any old normal day.

Amy,
My motivation to do something more (and I'm at the beginning of my journey), came from my check-up with my doctor. I don't like my weight (201), but he actually walked through my BMI calculation, of which beforehand I hadn't even realized I was classified as obese. What really impacted me was when he pulled up some pictures of the heart of a woman not much older than me that died of a heart attack - it was absolutely smothered by fat and oversized because of the work it did just to pump extra. It almost made me sick. At 5'3" and 171, you're at a 31 BMI, or obese. Do an image search of obesity and heart - sometimes facts are the biggest motivator...

The fact that you've maintained is great!! Think of it as practice for when you get to goal and must maintain an even lower weight.

I'm the same height as you and I remember loving how I looked at 175 too (although I couldn't get into size 10 until I hit 170!). I was stuck at 170 for a while and thought that maybe I should stop even though I was still considered obese. I don't really know what finally pushed me to keep trying, but even though I was happy with myself I kept saying "You know what, I could be even happier!"

I'm happy now! I'm a size 8 and I've NEVER been in single digit pants in my life. Clothes from MIDDLE SCHOOL are too big on me (why I still have them is beyond me)—but I know I could be even happier with my body. I KNOW I could get down even further and have even more fun shopping, going out, etc.

I've mentioned it before on the forums, but I was happy at my starting weight too. You DON'T need to hate yourself to lose weight. In fact I would encourage people to learn to love themselves BEFORE trying to lose some weight.

I guess I would not be so quick to make the leap that your current weight = unhealthy. Have you seen a doctor who has told you there are concerns about anything (concerns that are specific to YOU and not some generic "your BMI is X, therefore you must be unhealthy")

If your medical indicators are ok, and you are happy with the way you look and feel, and what your body is capable of, then I don't think you need to motivate yourself to believe that is wrong. You can certainly be a fit, active and healthy size 10. At some point, you may decide you'd rather be a fit, active and healthy size 8 and that's fine too, but really, so few of us ever get to a point of being truly happy in our own bodies, whatever size they are. And if you are there right now, then that's a GOOD thing!

Just wanted to pop in and say that SO many of us are deeply unhappy with our bodies...enjoy the feeling of satisfaction and beauty! you worked your butt off (quite literally) to lose those lbs hun, enjoy it!

You're still exercising and eating (relatively) on plan, so I really wouldn't beat yourself up. When I get content, I give up entirely so *high five* for this being your lax state. I'm with several other posters that suggest you take up a fitness goal or something other than vanity, if you are happy with how you look not but know you need to lose more.

An aside: at 167, I'm a size 14 because I don't exercise. So WAY TO GO on your size 10!

I have a similar height and starting weight and I went through a similar thing at a similar weight (173, size 10). I did a lot of things to try to get the mojo back, I'm not sure which ones turned it back on for me or if they will help you as well. I wrote down reasons why I still wanted to lose more. I gave myself permission to like what I looked like, but still want to lose more weight - and by that I mean that I actually looked at myself in the mirror and talked to myself (it's a thing I learned from my friend's psychiatrist father). I set some new non-scale goals. I bought myself some really cute workout clothes. I thought of the reasons other than my weight that the off plan foods I was eating were not good for me. I gave myself a good stern 'talkin to' (again, literally). I reminded myself that I didn't just want to be better than I was, I wanted to be the best I could be. Something in there worked because I am now back to plan 100%, working out 6-7 days/week, 162 pounds and size 8/9.

It is ok to be happy with the way you look and I'm sure you look awesome and feel so much better. It is also ok to want more. I hope something in the things that helped me helps you too.