[nelie]

Pookie, I hope you are doing well

The motivation is a struggle after you lose a lot of weight. I was just thinking this morning "Can I lose 200 lbs? The first 100 has been such a battle". The real problem is that to me, it doesn't really matter if I lose another 100 lbs, but I want it to matter. I want to be angry at myself for being the weight I am, which is how I think I lost the first 100 lbs. I was so angry at myself for being 350 lbs and letting myself stay there for so long that I used that anger to fuel my weight loss. I can't be angry at myself for being at my current weight, so now what?

So now what is that I lose weight more slowly than I lost the first 100. I fight for every pound. I make sure my eating is on track, my calories are right and my exercise is there. I find goals and try to meet them. My most recent goal was to fit into size 18 pants (plus size) and now that I met that goal and my closet has a few pairs of 18 in it, my goal is to get out of the 20s solidly and move into 16s. I also want to get into the 240s which shouldn't be too hard.

I will also say that winter is always hard for me. I gain a few lbs and then I end up fighting all January to get rid of them. This year wasn't any different.

[MonkeyBref]

Thanks so much Pookie for bumping this...it was really helpful and inspiring!

[original_serendipity]

I'm finding that I am having the opposite problem. I'm worried that I will never feel "done". I am having surgery for excess skin at the end of the month. It will probably take me from my current size (about 15, sometimes 14) to what I assume to be a 12. I know I won't be done then, because I know I still have more to lose from the areas that won't be taken care of during surgery (i.e., thighs, upper abdomen, hips...). I have this image of being a size 26 so ingrained in my mind that I think I still look like a 26, not a 14. I'm hoping to feel what ya'll feel soon, lol.

[neurotic_scavenger]

It's been a while since anyone posted on this thread, but I understand a lot of the sentiments going on and I thought I would add my two cents.

One of the things that has been difficult is I lost most of my weight from adjusting my diet, now I am trying to focus on staying active and exercising regularly, but that is a whole different ball game and time management is much more difficult for me that making wiser food choices.

The clothing thing was such motivation. It was really nice to be able to wear clothes I could never get into before, however I have maintained my weight for a while now and I am coming to learn that even though I am much smaller, I am built different than average (or so I gather). My shoulders are too wide and my torso is too long, plus being slightly taller than average jeans are never as long as I want them to be. =( So clothes shopping has once again become a pain in the butt.

And the skin! Someone mentioned that it must be a cruel joke of Nature and I whole-heartedly agree. Even though I lost as much as I did and I look a lot better and healthier that extra skin drives me nuts! And yes, it makes those bikinis things of dreams.

I like the way you look at it LaGina that even if the same motivation isn't there, I made a goal and it has taken so long and I have come too far to stop just short of the finish line.

Trying to get back into the mindset of one day at a time is what I am trying to do. Instead of using that anger mentioned earlier, I have to become much more patient with myself. I think community is really an excellent thing to fight it though. It can be a heavy burden (no pun intended) to carry alone.

[nelie]

Pookie,

I'm surprised about how people mention bikinis here and there. Even if I had the body to wear one, I'm not sure I would. I already am willing to wear shorts although the only thing I don't like about shorts is they ride up. I much rather wear capris. I also wear tank tops but if my arms start hanging more then I may give that up.

Although I'm not ready to declare a victory, I think I've been able to refind my motivation. I feel good and as if nothing can take me off course. I do have this fear that I will get derailed one day and lose the motivation I feel. It is still early to see how far this current burst of motivation will help me lose I really want to be in the lower 200s or even 100s by the end of this year. For the moment, the apathy seems to have disappeared and I hope it stays away for a while

[neurotic_scavenger]

You know Nelie I have to agree with you on the bikini thing. It be nice to have the option, but really... that is very little and ill-fastened clothing for me to run around in in public. ^o^ ha ha. Call me modest, puritanical or maybe just insightful, but just because you have the body for it doesn't mean you have to wear it or that it has somehow become fashionable. Short shorts will never be my style.