Looking to get down to 200 pounds need motivation

[longhorns38]

Hey yall when I started this weight loss journey I started out at 232.8 and I'm currently down to 226.8 and my first goal is getting down to 200 pounds and than my second goal is getting down to 160 would be my goal.  I know I can do this but I'll need all the motivation and support I can get, I'm also working on eating better and drinking more water and trying to imit my soda to 2 cans a day.  Please feel free to add me as a friend as I need all the support I can get.

[Shyangel74]

Hi @longhorns38 I would also love to be down to around 200 and get down to 160 also I am on my second week with the fitbit and am finding it very hard getting to the 10,000 steps the most I've gotten to is around 6,000 and I'm trying to stay active every day but haven't lost anything so far but I am loving it and yes I will add you I need lots of support and encouragement also and btw my name is Jen.

[WendyB]

Woot @longhorns38 Sounds like your doing it! Please keep us posted!

[Mukluk4]

I would suggest breaking that down to smaller attainable goals so you can see benefits regularly and will keep you motivated.

[ricanpecan21]

My best advise to you, train your body to eat correct first, Definitly NO SODA'S!!!!!!!

That is Bad, Bad, Bad.  you lost some weight already that is exciting, that is just the begining process of your journy.  Make your self a board of what you invision youself will be, look at it every morning and remember this every single day.  You said 200 pounds, give your self a date of when you want to be 200 pounds less.  When you get to that point reward yourself, with a vacation, cause girl you will make it there.  

[emili]

@longhorns38 that's great... real weightloss is a lifestyle change, not a quick diet. It's good you are working towards healthy habits. Good luck in your journey!

[bcalvanese]

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@longhorns38 wrote:

Hey yall when I started this weight loss journey I started out at 232.8 and I'm currently down to 226.8 and my first goal is getting down to 200 pounds and than my second goal is getting down to 160 would be my goal.  I know I can do this but I'll need all the motivation and support I can get, I'm also working on eating better and drinking more water and trying to imit my soda to 2 cans a day.  Please feel free to add me as a friend as I need all the support I can get.

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I was about 230 lbs. when I started, and set my goal to be within the healthy weight range for my height/age which is also about 160 lbs. I figured that I have to get to that weight anyway, so why not just make that my goal.

I also know that it takes months and years to have long term success, so I set my goal to lose 1 lb. per week. In the first 52 weeks I lost 57 lbs.

Here are some tips that may help you.

Slowly work towards getting 300 minutes of exercise per week.

Slowly change your diet to a healthier one.

Start tracking you exercise (record your sessions with your fitbit)

Start logging your food (set up a weight goal plan in your fitbit app to lose 1 lb. per week).

I say slowly because drastic changes normally result in failure, and slow and steady normally result in developing habits, and better chance for long term success.

Focus mainly on cardio to lose weight and burn more calories. I started power walking every day, and at first I could barely walk 1 mile at a 3 mph pace. Now I can walk up to 10 miles at close to a 4.5 mph pace. Now I have a hard time getting my heart into the cardio zone just from power walking so I started adding jog intervals into my power walks. I started with a 30 second interval, and now I can jog up to a mile non-stop.

Slowely learn how to replace junk foods with healthier foods. There is nothing wrong with having a treat here and there, but the main diet should be healthy and balanced.

As far as soda goes... I love soda so I went and baught a "Soda Stream". There are many flavors and it cuts the calories down to about a third of what a regular soda is.

The CDC has a lot of great information on this, and here is a link to get you started...

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html

Basically, if you get to and maintain a good fitness level, and eat a healthy well balanced diet, you should have no problem maintaining a healthy body weight and being totally healthy.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

[dragonpupps]

Good luck on your journey to lose all of that weight! Sounds like you have a good plan so far. I'd recommend to either no soda at all (it will be hard at first) but the less sugar and carbohydrates that you can consume, the better, as well as the faster you'll lose weight. If you need to have the soda taste, try diet sodas, or the "zero" versions of soda, such as Coke Zero (just an example). They have very similar tastes as well as no carbs or sugars! Try to also work in as many steps as possible.

[SunsetRunner]

@Shyangel74 There's an concept from language learning that might be useful here. The idea is expressed as "i+1". The "i" is your current level in a foreign language. The idea of "i+1" is that you will learn the language naturally if you're reading or listening to it at just a bit higher than your current level. Too much higher, you're overwhelmed, and can't understand anything. Any lower, and it's just easy; you maintain, but you don't progress.

So if we apply this to the steps, your starting point is whatever is comfortable and doable with only a little effort. That's your "i". And your goal, the +1, is a challenge you can reach if you stretch yourself a reasonable amount. 

I'm not a fitness expert, and this is just an analogy, but I think it makes sense. 

So if your normal day of trying to walk more than usual brings you to 4,000 for example, then set your step goal for 5,000 and set your distance goal for whatever 5,500 steps is for your stride. This way, you're motivated to go an extra block or go the long way around because it'll help you reach the goal. And if you stretch it further, you get the second goal of distance.

Tonight, I was walking home and saw on my FitBit that I'd end up 600 steps short. So, I went the long way around, then up the street a bit more, then started home. My FitBit Blaze gave me the multicolor "goal achieved" display when I was literally 20 steps from my front door. But if my own goal was not just a bit of a stretch more, I might not have bothered. 

If you set a good goal, your next goal is to hit the daily goal as often as you can. Later, you can increase it if it gets too easy, or decrease it if your winter is harsh and the goal is unrealistic. 

[SunsetRunner]

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@bcalvanese wrote:

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As far as soda goes... I love soda so I went and baught a "Soda Stream". There are many flavors and it cuts the calories down to about a third of what a regular soda is.

Yes, great advice. At first, I didn't like carbonated water or lightly-flavored carbonated water, but I got a taste for it. Now, I actually prefer straight carbonated water over Coke or Ginger Ale. With a Soda Stream, you can make it yourself. For mine, without the flavor packages, at a liter a day, I figured I started saving money after only a few months.