In need of motivation

[LizzieJay]

Hi all i am new to fitbit, i am looking to lose weight as i am very badly obese. To get to the correct weight for my height i need to lose 11 stone and thought that fitbit would help me with this but i am currently lacking motivation and would appreciate anybody who has managed to get motivated to lose a lot of weight tell me their stories to help me.

Thank you all 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

Wonderful you want to take care of your precious body @LizzieJay

Change food habits gradually, like if noticing eating to many cookies.. and less natural foods (fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish,..) trade some of the cookies in for the more nourishing foods nature provided us when desired, keeping satisfied longer, on lower calories overall (even when eating until comfortably satisfied) tough to overeat on those..

Exercise cause you want to do, to prevent muscles getting weaker.. increase muscle strength.. do for fun, not going to the extremes when having 'overeated', to exercise more to burn it off.. regular walking is exercise to for getting / staying fit,.. if not liking to go to a gym.. there's also 'abs' exercises which can be done at home, with the only equipment: your precious body and for example a yoga mat..

Build up gradually with exercise, when desired, listen to your body when its asking to rest and not feeling up to exercise, or when starting a exercise, feeling not capable of doing it cause of needing more rest.. allow yourself to rest more, no need to force your body.

Don't restrict yourself, it's no diet, it's about changing habits (eating when hungry.. if having a small appetite and having something to eat, eat slower, see how you feel before, during, after eating (feeling more satisfied, not stuffed)..

Not trying to eat on fixed times when possible (or when eating on fixed times, see how you feel), if feeling needing to force feed your precious body even with nutritious foods.. skip the meal, and have later on when your body is ready for more nourishment.

Or if this is the only time left to eat for the day, if feeling could have some more, choose the healthier options when there's fruit,.. available and fancying to eat, eating slower until feeling having enough. Sometimes it means eating more until being satisfied in the moment.. even when not so hungry, but having nutritious foods available in the moment, instead of possibly binge eating on non so healthier foods when your body needs more.. and knows food is around (when the body feels it's not getting enough, even when logging foods, it can be wanting more nutritients / calories.. sending out on a food hunt, and any foods in that moment will look good to have.. even if the only foods around are 'junk foods'.. (prepackaged foods with added sugars, still can be consumed in x years, containing ingredients not able to pronounce)..

The healthier options (when desired) are foods with no labels, as minimal as processed, if inside a package see if it doesn't contain added sugars,.. and have to be consumed soon, rather then being able to eat in x years time..

A prepackaged salad from a store with a expiration date in x months which looks healthy, may not be a healthy option.. aside a freshly packaged salad (from a restaurant).. would be a better choice when desired to have..

When eating, see which foods leave you satisfied the most, which leave you more hungry.. try listening to your body what it's asking for.. and notice when getting more satisfied (your body tells having enough)..

It's possible to use a food plan as guidance, meanwhile try getting back in touch with your appetite / hunger / satisfied signals (those can be out of whack if eating cookies.. mostly instead of natural foods)..

Have Fun

[emili]

hi @LizzieJay.. at the risk of sounding like a brat, your health and your commitment to treat yourself well should be the motivator. I will be happy to share my story about weight loss and fitness, but I rather hear your story. Why are you OK with putting your health last? Why are you less important than the million things you take care of, think about or stress over everyday? when was the last time you did something for your body not your mind? veg, fruit, healthy options is what your body wants. cake, cookies, ice cream, junk is what your mind wants. tell your mind to shush and listen to your body. your body actually hates that stuff because its harder to digest and doesn't fuel it properly. Good luck with your journey- if you want to continue the conversation- we are here for you!

[awood08]

@emili Exactly how I feel as well, you are not a brat.

@LizzieJay You have got to want this for yourself, we here in the Fitbit community are great at offering encouragement, advice, and giving you a pat on the back and high five to keep you going but it's always going to come down to you....how bad you want this! 🙂 Tell us how you feel, what got you here, where you want to be. Mentalility is half the battle in weight loss, the other half is your diet and excercise.

I tried to lose weight many times, many different ways, and always gave up. This time I dug my heels in and I will not give up and I keep pushing myself. I had that ah-ha moment when I knew it was time to do better for myself and my life.

[LizzieJay]

@emili @awood08 

My mental health is not exactly the best, some days i can feel brilliant and be ready to take on anything and others just not want to move out of bed. 

I am gradually eating healthier and trying to change a bit of food at a time instead of trying to change it all at once, luckily i cannot eat anything with milk in so chocolate is off the menu.

I have tried a few diets and weight loss programmes before but i think i tried to change everything in my lifestyle at once and ended up failing and going back over.

[emili]

@LizzieJay- then honestly the best thing you can do is stay away from diets and all the crazy crap that is pushed on people to lose weight. You have to change your eating habits- you need to figure out how many calories you need per day, how many to lose weight and then pie chart what those calories look like. For example, you don't have to stay away from carbs- you just have to pick healthy ones with minimal caloric impact. But first and foremost, in your mind this has to be the one thing you do for yourself better than you have ever done anything before. Commit to taking care of yourself. We will support you and chat with you, whatever you need- but you come first for you.

[tamado]

I'm 39 and have been overweight and obese for most of my life.  I have looked in the mirror and hated what I saw so I'd beat myself up and "try to cut back a little" or "try to be more active".  It was half assed and unsustainable.  In the last three months, I finally flicked a switch in my head.  I can't hate myself enough to change, I need to love myself enough to decide I'm worth it.  

So, you are worth it.  Do not see your journey as running away from something (obesity, poor health) but as running towards something (a healthier you).  You deserve this.  If you want your mental health to improve, treat yourself better.  The positive energy starts to snowball.  I made this decision for myself and I have no desire to quit what I'm doing now.  It feels too good to feel this good!  I'm on the dieting high!  There are days where I want a little treat and that's fine after days of really healthy living.  A treat now is one chocolate instead of the box.  It's six multigrain tortilla chips at the end of a bowl of chili rather than using half the bag to eat the bowl as if the chips were utensils.  Find your joy, find your rhythm.  Come here for support and advice.

Good luck, you got this.

[awood08]

I have never said no to any food. Seriously, since June I have always chose a better or healthier option but I always have the little things I love in moderation. I was eating 3-4k calories a day of fast food, fried food at home, and processed junk. I eat 1500-1800 and I feel full, and most important satisfied and much better health wise. If I want a piece of pizza from our favorite place I eat it, but I have one and I eat my salad as my main course. If we go out to our favorite burger shop locally I get a burger, but I get a side salad or fruit instead of fries and I take away the top bun instantly and use the lettuce as that part of the bun. It's about portion control and limits. Your mentality will hopefully change over time once you start physically feeling better. A lot of my issues at home were that I hated myself and was miserable, I have done a complete 180 turn. You have a lot of support on this website, know that you are not alone and we will rally with you! 🙂

[LizzieJay]

Thank you for all of the support from everyone 🙂 

i have done a food shop yesterday and bought loads of nice healthy food rather than snack/junk food.

Im feeling good so gonna try and hold on to this feeling and keep motivated and get to where i want to be with my weight and my fitness! 

[hockeyguynick]

Good luck to you! My whole fitness journey started after a bad breakup from someone who was obsessed with fitness and turned me off to it... so I figured I'd do it to try and impress her... sad and pathetic, I know. .. but once I started doing it and getting into a routine, it becomes much easier. Now I'm addicted to it myself. Starting something is just as hard as quitting something. Go out and buy a pair of pants or something that is a little small and tell yourself you're going to fit into them one day. ... then get at it!