Almost 200 pounds to lose

[Taygrl506]

Wow as I write that subject line I feel panic as if how am I going to make that happen?. This is week two with my fitbit and have been making my goals almost everyday. I had a small weight loss so far but then fluctuated up as I started doing Zumba twice a week. Its just such a long journey and Im not very good at long-term. Does anyone have advice on how you stay on track long term?

[HappyDay]

One day at time. Your goal should be to take one day at a time. Don't look at losing 200 lbs, but at 2 lbs a week. If I spend too much time looking at the long road I too feel overwhelmed. So I set small goals for each day, then I feel good! Good Luck and hang in there!

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

You can do it, @Taygrl506. And @HappyDay is right. Take it one day at a time. I've lost 60+ lbs over the last year and have 25 to go. Even at this point, I have to go one day at a time ... sometimes even one hour at a time. But as you become more and more able to do things you could not do previously (walk farther, sleep better), it will all be worth it.

One hint, if I may. This helped me over the long term. Don't save your old clothes. I always did in the past. But for this journey to better health, I committed to donating anything that became too baggy. Not having clothes to wear if I back tracked was a great motivator. Let us know how you are doing. Consider the folks on the board your personal cheering circle!

[Crampt]

I agree with the above statements. Take it one small goal at a time. And one step at a time. Instead of changing everything you do at once, make it gradual. Say you want to change diet, cardio and weights or something. Introduce it one at a time then when it becomes a natural part of your routine or lifestyle add another thing. But focus most of your energy so you dont become to overwhelmed. 

[Taygrl506]

Thank you all for taking the time to give advice. 🙂

[CharlieCat]

I had 125 pounds to lose.  Now down to the last 22 pounds.

I bought a bracelet with one charm.  Everytime I lost 5 pounds - I moved the charm to the next link.  Seeing my bracelet was enough to help me make better choices.  

Now, I wear my fitbit instead.  It's even better motivation!  I always want to get one more light lit up 🙂

Giving away my clothes as they got too big helped me, also.

You can do it!

[msteacher34]

Can I say that I'm already proud of you?!  I have 30-40 pounds to drop and it can be daunting.  The fact that you are even ready to do it says a lot.  You are a beautiful woman (from looking at your profile pic!) and you are going to be so proud of yourself when you lose even the first 5 pounds.  Imagine how proud you will be when you lose 200.  It will take a long time, so be ready.  But you can do it, and you will!!

[Thenry]

just have patience and perseverence. A few years ago I was in a similar 200 to lose place, I made some simple lifestyle changes, cut out all my liquid calories (soda, energy drinks, beer, ect.) and started substituting low calorie alternatives for everything else I ate. As much as was possible anyways. Then I just made an effort to be more active, went for a walk at least every other day. I lost the first 50 punds really quickly, in just a few months. The next 50 took me awhile, progress slowed and I couldn't make any further lifestyle changes stick, but I got there after another year. I kind of gave up after a long period of not losing anything after that, until recently. Now i've got 100 to lose and i'm making progress.

I guess what i'm saying is that it won't happen over night, it won't be easy, and there will be bumps along the road. Fitbit is a fantastic tool to motivate and help you keep your calories in check. It will absolutely be worth it when you finaly hit that big goal!

also, set smaller short term goals in the mean time, so you can have something to feel good about every so often 🙂

[Aundrea1234]

I hope this doesn't sound too overbearing, but getting healthy and losing weight is like a whole lifestyle change. It's almost like an alcoholic stopping drinking. It is changing how you spend your free time. Going for walks or riding a stationary bike instead of watching TV, or at least working out in the commercials. It's going out to Subway for lunch instead of McDonalds. It's choosing friends who help you make healthy choices, rather than friends who try to pull you down. The more you integrate these types of changes into your life, the more successful you will be (in my uneducated opinion).

When I watch the Biggest Loser it really strikes me how much of their lives they have to change. Now, I'm not saying you have to do all these big changes, but I personally believe the more you do the more successful you will be. It can be very overwhelming, but find small rewards for yourself. My rewards for losing weight is buying cute clothes. I stay motivated by keeping a picture of myself when I was my ideal weight on my phone. When I'm going to make an unhealthy choice (like eating something high calorie or choosing to be sedentary instead of working out) I look at that picture and decide if it's worth it. I also find low calorie treats to keep myself from feeling deprived, like 70 calorie popsicles or watermelon. I wish you the best of luck! Keep your head up and focus on small goals that work towards your big goal. Reward yourself with things that make you happy, that aren't food related. Don't beat yourself up if you slip. If someone tries to quit smoking and slips and has a cigarette, they shouldn't give up and start smoking a pack a day again, they should try again. If I have a bad day eating (like Red Robin yesterday with too many bottomless fries), I often get discouraged and have a "why even try" attitude. I'm working on talking myself out of that. After my slip up yesterday I did some extra exercise and decided that I was going to move on and be better. Anyway, sorry about the novel 🙂 Congrats on starting your journey. 

[Cookiebun]

I agree with what everyone has already said.  It is a long distance goal...I was in a similar situation.  I have lost 130 pounds, but still have at least 50 to go.  I have been losing motivation lately since I have been at a plateau for at least 2-3 months.  I had to stop and just look at the progress already made.  I make better choices (even on bad days, it is still better than before), I move a hell of a lot more than I ever did before. 

When I started this, it felt daunting... "how the hell am I going to lose over a person of weight?"... but I changed that to be "I can lose 10 pounds"... after that 10 pounds, I did small goals.... small goals feel good to accomplish!

You can do this!!!!  make it fun... I agree with one change at a time... if you do it all at once, you will feel overwhelmed and it will seem like much more work... Even put on music at home and dance to a couple of songs to start the activity... you will do more steps than you think and it will get the ambition started!

I'm sending my friend request so we can do this together!!! 🙂

[dipgal]

You've gotten good advice here!  I just want to add that I read last week that plateaus are GOOD!  Since you are in this for the long-term health of it, by reaching plateaus, you are forced to learn how to maintain for awhile.  This can be very educational as you figure out what works for your body.  I also read that you can still be losing fat but gaining muscle during this plateau.  It doesn't hurt to take a break and maintain for awhile.  Then, maybe your body will be ready to release more fat.  Good luck!

[MyGoalMet]

You can do it!   When I got my FitBit in December 2012 I had almost that much to lose.  By December of 2013 I reached my goal and was maintaining at 118lbs (182 lbs lost).

You've gotten great advice here.  Don't think of this as another diet that you can do for a few weeks and quit.  Think of this as a totally new lifestyle.  Try staying positive and making small goals to keep yourself motivated.  Negative self-talk will kill your motivation, so always be aware of how you think and keep it positive.  Also, really enjoy the non-scale victories that will come your way with every 10lbs lost.  Being able to sit comfortably in a restaurant booth, cross your legs, or not need an extender on a plane can be bigger victories than the number on the scale.

[Taygrl506]

Thanks for the continuing encourgement. I am way more active now and workout  6 days a week. The number on the scale hasnt changed alot, but I feel way better and have noticed alot of differances, esp in how my clothes fit. Since I started getting serious about weight loss in Feb I am down almost 25 lbs. I love the 10 pound victories advice, def makes it less overwhelming.