Dear Everyone Who Has Lost the Weight...

[SilverMetal]

Dear Everyone Who Has Lost the Weight:

I have a question, and I need an answer. I have REstarted my weightloss journey AGAIN (i have lost count of how many times i have tried) and I always seem to return to my bad habits after a months time.

• How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?
  
• How do you keep yourself motivated?
  
• How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?
  
• How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?

Thanks,

Silver​

 

[Derrick]

I had the same problem for years and years. In May of 2008 I was up to 251 pounds and well over 30% body fat. I was simply very curious as to just how well I could do if I truly gave a 100% effort week after week after week. I had success right away, losing about 12 pounds the first month. I thought, "ok, you've worked hard for a month and the results show." I realized I could either pat myself on the back and call it good enough or pat myself on the back and remind myself I hadn't accomplished a damn thing yet other than a good start. So at 239 pounds I asked myself, "can you get to 229?" When that number came, once again I patted myself on the back and asked, "how about 219?" After one full year I had made it all the way to 193 pounds and 13% body fat. I hit a plateau and and wasn't able to go any farther but I am proud of what I accomplished in 2008/2009. Anyone can do it but there are things that can make it very difficult such as thyroid issues or certain medications which can cause rapid weight gain.

Unfortunately I ran into the latter. Since July of 2009 I have gained back 35 pounds despite continuing to exercise most of that time. I recently quit the medicine though and I'm trying to pick myself back up and fight my way back down to 200 again. 2008 serves as a reminder to myself that I can do it as does many other success stories on this forum.

You just have to ask yourself what you really want, a few compliments after a good month or a brand new body after a good year?

Best wishes,

Derrick

 

[Harold14370]

[*]How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?

I never had a 1 month hump.

[*]How do you keep yourself motivated?

Fear is a good motivator. I have Type 2 diabetes. I need to keep exercising and control my diet or I could end up having a heart attack, going blind, or having feet amputated. Perhaps you could use that for motivation, and try to keep from ever getting in that situation, but most of us cannot look that far ahead.

[*]How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?

It helps to be aware of the relationship between food calories and weight gain. So for example, if you need 2000 calories per day to stay the same weight and you eat 3000 on one day, that's a binge, but you have only gained 1000/3500 which is less than a third of a pound. No need to panic.

[*]How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?

I don't. The weight loss is its own reward.

 

[Shy219]

For the month hump;
Change it up, eat a litttle differnt do a new excersise just twist it up.
I keep myself motivated by my weightloss and focusing on my goal,
keep reading peoples sucsess, and just think of whats gonna happen. Push myself
to the limits and set mini goals, like 2lbs 4lbs etc. Run one more minute than yesterday
stuff like that.
By yourself some new clothes, new gym clothes, pamper yourself a little or something.

 

[jjjay]

How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?
I know that it takes me at LEAST a month to start to see the effects of the weight loss so I pick a "motivating date" that is like 6 - 8 weeks in the future and then when it is only 4 weeks away, rather than getting demotivated becuase I haven't lost anything much yet, I get MORE SCARED that I'm not going to lose anything and stick with the plan. After that, as the weight is coming off, I am even more motivated to carry on.

How do you keep yourself motivated?
I tend to find someone to flirt with and visualise them seeing me binge eat or being a fat wobbly slacker at the gym and then this shames me into working harder and not being as tempted.

How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?
hmm...I try not to let one binge or one failure turn into a "well done that now so why not carry on" as one bad day is just that...one bad day, but if you turn it into an excuse for another one...and then another one...

How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?
New clothes? Arranging coffee/lunch/dinner/night out with someone I fancy as I know I'm looking and feeling good...

 

[Garfield67]

[*]How do you keep yourself motivated?

The most important aspect, IMO.

It will be loooong... and it is ok! This is my mantra.

However it is not enough.

I accepted that, like a person with diabete, it will be for life. The "missing link" was my bi-weekly cheating day. One day every fourteen that I do not eat in a controlled way. So convenient for social event, almost a must. I use this cycle for 48 weeks out of 52; I reserve 4 weeks for holiday periods and vacations. The drawback is slowing the weight loss.... but I still lose weight, so I meet my goal of being lighter and lighter along the years. Again I am ok with this.

 

[Kiksalu]

Dear Everyone Who Has Lost the Weight:

I have a question, and I need an answer. I have REstarted my weightloss journey AGAIN (i have lost count of how many times i have tried) and I always seem to return to my bad habits after a months time.

• How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?
  
• How do you keep yourself motivated?
  
• How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?
  
• How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?

Thanks,

Silver​

1) never had a month hump near the end it was sloooow like 4lbs a month but I was still loosing.

2) Look at old pics. I still have them around it is a REAL motivator to stay on track with pics of me 130lbs ago all over.

3) I never binged. I came to accept that sometimes I have a craving and I would work it into my days calories. If I want pizza for dinner that is fine. Have a light breakfast and lunch and limit the pizza to 2-3 slices depending on toppings and size. I found making sure what ever I was craving was eaten in a responsible manner kept me from binge eating.

4) My biggest reward was new clothes and personal care. I loved watching my size get smaller and smaller and buying 1-4 new items when my old clothes would fall off. Nothing feels as awesome as getting into those single digit dress sizes did! I also would spend money on things like lotion or teeth whitening or maybe a massage or facial or pedicure etc. When you love yourself you want to take care of yourself which leads to more determination to stay on track because you deserve to!

Hope that helps! Stay strong and remember it takes time to get to where you want to be!

 

[KaraCooks]

This is my personal experience ...

It didn't happen until I was 100% ready to make it happen. It wasn't about "motivation". It was about commitment.

Here's my mantra: There are things that I do every day that are part of being an adult that are not necessarily things I enjoy or want to do. I wash the dishes. I do laundry. I get up every morning when the alarm goes off and go to work. Do I want to? No, I'd rather sleep in until 10 and lounge around the house and watch TV. Do I want to do the dishes? Not really - it's my least favorite chore in the world.

But I do all those things because the consequences of not doing them are unpleasant.

So that's why I work out. That's why I eat well. I realized that the consequences of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted were unpleasant. I didn't want to be fat anymore. I didn't want to be out of shape. I didn't want to be unhealthy. I'm in my 40s and I didn't want to be the fat woman sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to be out there going for hikes, riding motorcycles, dressing up and going out with my guy and looking hot. I wanted all those things ... and as an adult I know I can't have them unless I take responsibility.

So I did. I made the conscious choice to NOT be fat any more.

And I honestly don't know that there's any way to "give" that to anyone else. Each person has to reach that realization on their own and make that commitment on their own.

 

[directorjt]

And I honestly don't know that there's any way to "give" that to anyone else. Each person has to reach that realization on their own and make that commitment on their own.

Very well said.

 

[disneymomof4]

This is my personal experience ...

It didn't happen until I was 100% ready to make it happen. It wasn't about "motivation". It was about commitment.

Here's my mantra: There are things that I do every day that are part of being an adult that are not necessarily things I enjoy or want to do. I wash the dishes. I do laundry. I get up every morning when the alarm goes off and go to work. Do I want to? No, I'd rather sleep in until 10 and lounge around the house and watch TV. Do I want to do the dishes? Not really - it's my least favorite chore in the world.

But I do all those things because the consequences of not doing them are unpleasant.

So that's why I work out. That's why I eat well. I realized that the consequences of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted were unpleasant. I didn't want to be fat anymore. I didn't want to be out of shape. I didn't want to be unhealthy. I'm in my 40s and I didn't want to be the fat woman sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to be out there going for hikes, riding motorcycles, dressing up and going out with my guy and looking hot. I wanted all those things ... and as an adult I know I can't have them unless I take responsibility.

So I did. I made the conscious choice to NOT be fat any more.

And I honestly don't know that there's any way to "give" that to anyone else. Each person has to reach that realization on their own and make that commitment on their own.

I absolutely agree with all of this. I had complained about the way I looked for years, had stopped and started a million different "diets" and had listened to my children make comments about my weight (even though they weren't done to be mean.) I don't know how to describe it, but I just got up one morning and decided that that was the day I would change and from that point forward there has never been a doubt in my mind that I will reach my final goal.

I never binge or cheat. If I want something, I do as a previous poster said and work out my days meals and calories ahead of time. I don't sacrifice anything, but I do it in a way so that it will not cause me to go over my daily allowance. I have had a Hershey's bar, eaten at McDonald's and gone to Red Lobster all while losing weight, but it is because I made the sacrifices in my day's allowance elsewhere and was able to enjoy a treat without feeling guilty.

 

[mizzie]

• How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?
  
• How do you keep yourself motivated?
  
• How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?
  
• How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?

1. I've never had that. Now, I have had times when I just didn't care anymore and wanted to give up, but I've always just taken a look at how far I've come and at all the reasons I want this and it keeps me going.

2. Like I said, I list out all the reasons I need to lose weight (much more than how I look!), I look at old photos of myself to see how far I've come and even older photos to see how good I used to look, I visit this forum often, I think of my rewards, I think about how much better I feel and look, and how I'll feel and look even better yet if I stick with it!

3. Just shake it off. You can't go back and undo it. The thing is, we all fall off the wagon, so to speak, but the key is to get right back on right away. Don't feel like you've undone everything because you had one bad night. It happens, move on. If you feel you need to atone somehow, have a hard core exercise session to help undo some of the damage. But don't get all mad and give up, and don't do it again. It's not ok, but it's over.

4. I have a pretty solid reward system in place. My big reward for getting to my goal weight is that I get to take scuba lessons, so at 25 pounds lost I get the book for the lessons (although I do still need to get that, lol!), at 50 pounds I get a scuba mask and at 70 I get the lessons. I also have an unofficial reward of something (undecided, maybe a tattoo or highlights in my hair) if I get to 85 pounds lost. So, don't reward with food if that just makes you fall. Get yourself some new clothes, or that book you've been wanting, or whatever it is that you like to buy or do.


But I actually agree with Kara. You will succeed in weight loss when you finally want it more than you want to eat junk and not exercise. If eating whatever you want is more important to you, than you are almost sure to fail. For 10 years I whined about my weight but never did anything about it. Then one day I finally said enough is enough. Something just snapped in me and I cared more.

Also, weight loss isn't one huge decision then the hard part is over. No, it starts with one big decision, but then it's a million smaller ones after that. Every time you decide what to eat, every time you decide whether or not to exercise, every time you feel like giving up, it's another decision. The key is to make as many good ones as you can.

 

[SilverMetal]

...But don't get all mad and give up, and don't do it again. It's not ok, but it's over.

...I have a pretty solid reward system in place. My big reward for getting to my goal weight is that I get to take scuba lessons, so at 25 pounds lost I get the book for the lessons (although I do still need to get that, lol!), at 50 pounds I get a scuba mask and at 70 I get the lessons. I also have an unofficial reward of something (undecided, maybe a tattoo or highlights in my hair) if I get to 85 pounds lost. So, don't reward with food if that just makes you fall. Get yourself some new clothes, or that book you've been wanting, or whatever it is that you like to buy or do.

...If eating whatever you want is more important to you, than you are almost sure to fail.

...Also, weight loss isn't one huge decision then the hard part is over. No, it starts with one big decision, but then it's a million smaller ones after that. Every time you decide what to eat, every time you decide whether or not to exercise, every time you feel like giving up, it's another decision. The key is to make as many good ones as you can.

Thank you so much for this!!I love that first thing you said, "It's not ok, but its over." I keep looking back on all the times I have failed and have been tripping myself up on the past so much that I can't see what I'm doing in the moment.

The Award system you have going to sounds AMAZING!! I think I might just do the same!! Thank you so much for all your wonderful advice!!

 

[AlexPlatups]

* How do you get over the (what I call) the "Month Hump"?

You make a conscious choice that no matter what happens you will never
quit or give up...period! So you take two steps forward, then you take
one step back, then you take two steps forward, and then one step back,
and so on!

...as you can see, in the long run, even if you have a hump or two, or three,
or more, you will still be moving toward your goal...AS LONG AS YOU NEVER
QUIT AND NEVER GIVE UP!

...this is the ultimate secret in accomplishing any result in life!

* How do you keep yourself motivated?

Spend 10% of your time focusing on the vision of your future self, and
90% on your current reality, i.e., where you are at the present moment.

...the majority of people spend 50% on visualizing their future self, and
50% on worrying about the BS that happened in the past, and forget
about the present moment.

...folks, the present moment is all we ever had, have now, and ever will
have in our lives, the faster you realize this FACT, the better your life
situation will become!

* How do you treat yourself after binges and failures?

After falling off the wagon, you get up, wipe off the dust, and remind
yourself that you made a conscious choice and that no matter what happens
you will never quit or give up.

...once reality happens, all you can do is admit it, and take the next step
in the direction of your primary objective, all else is a waste of time!

* How do you reward yourself for loosing weight WITHOUT food?

...you probably mean for losing weight eating healthy food? without food
is not a good way to lose weight!

But for losing weight eating healthy food, the best rewards are things that
you like, love, that are important, and that matter to you...

...for me my physical and emotional health, plus the well-being that I felt
was the biggest reward, and obviously I visualized how I would go out and
buy new clothes for me when I will reach my ideal weight.

...but, after reaching my ideal weight, looking in the mirror every day and
seeing my lean, healthy body was all the reward that I actually needed.

...you know how the saying goes..."the best things in life are free!"

...well it's actually TRUE!!!