need encouragement from anyone who has lost a lot of weight....

[sherry7899]

I just completed the very depressing task of going through my clothes (I'm getting ready to donate clothing/household items). I still have the clothes I wore from when I lost a lot of weight years ago (which I've since gained back). They look so small to me, and I can't believe I even wore them. (and they're not a really small size, either-I was thirty pounds away from my goal when I gained back everything). I do really like the smaller clothing, and it wasn't trendy so I could wear them again if I get back to that weight. I did move them out of my dresser/closet so I wouldn't have to look at them for now.


I want to really, seriously try again. I'm not looking to fit into a size that is unrealistic for me.

I'm not looking for "diet" talk since we can't do that here...I just need some motivating, encouraging thoughts from anyone who has lost a lot of weight and kept it off.

Thanks!
Sherry

[daisysunshine]

Sherry

that's what happened to me. For one glorious, beautiful year - I was thin. Well thinner. but I had killed myself to lose 70 lbs, and I just needed to lose 40 more to be where i wanted to be and then tone up and it was awesome. I bought tiny cute clothes, and everyone contemplated me and I felt so happy. ...

Then I gained the weight.
And more weight.
And then I was what I weighed when I lost the weight - and then I weighed some more. All the beautiful clothes I had couldn't fit, and I had just shoved them to the back of my closet because I simply didn't want to rememeber that one, fleeting moment.

Now I have them as motivation (actually - at this weight I am now (and i'm still really heavy) some of the sweaters I had purchased actually fit. (yay barre and pilates). i'm really far away from my goal but i brought 1 top and my goal dress to keep my motivated.

You have my email email me - i'll be your tender loving bootkick Sher, girl. We can do this.

[sherry7899]

Thank you, Daisy! I'm so sorry-I was supposed to help encourage you, and I totally failed!

Can you send me your e-mail address again?

Hugs,
Sherry

[Pat58]

Main thing I can suggest is to not focus on the end goal, but take it in small steps. One day at a time, one week, one pound at a time. Try to make the journey enjoyable. Maybe a subscription to Cooking Light, doing workouts you enjoy, getting outside and walking when the weather is better?

I have a friend who treats herself to non-food indulgences when she reaches a goal, things like a movie, manicure, etc.

I'm aware from threads we've participated in that you have some meditative media. I'd suggest making your seed mantra "self acceptance." Speak positively to yourself and love yourself. Focus on your health and vitality. I'm fond of an old Chinese proverb you've no doubt heard before, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." Best wishes Sherry!

[sherry7899]

Thank you, Pat! I love the mantra idea I keep focusing on "why didn't I just get to my goal and stay there instead of gaining this back?" That won't help me at all. I appreciate your suggestions.

Take care,
Sherry

[paideiamom]

Hey Sherry,

I am here, too. I lost 63 pounds (not 62 or 64, but 63).
I have gained some back because for the last three years or so I haven't done what I am supposed to do.

But I have lost a lot of tone because I am just not "doing it" the way I should and that makes you look heavier.

I was 13 from goal (not 12 or 14, but 13).

You can do it. You have the tools, you have the support. What you need IMHO is to decide what it is you want.
Make the goals accessible. Make them readily available. Make them writeable and write them. It is this last step that has burdened me. I mean, I know what I want, right? Well, not so much as you could tell apparently, or at least I couldn't write it down. It has been a few days and while it is formed, I can't quite make myself write it down. But I am not going to stop taking action until I can make myself put pen to paper. If I can't make it, I am fully prepared to fake it.

I posted on one of my checkins something to the effect I sat down and had (yet another) down and dirty talk with myself. It was sometimes violent, often personal and sometimes petty, but "I" got a lot of things off my mind, I dealt with some stuff that has been floating around in my all-too-often-empty head lately and I have decided just to get on with it, and by "it," I mean my life.

The bottom line is this for me. This is me, my body. The women in my family live VERY LONG LIVES, whether they are healthy or not. The ones who are "healthy" seem to be having a lot more fun/ease/independence. That is what I want for myself
That is what I want for you.
Most of us have toxins in our world, relationship toxins, family toxins, job toxins. I have those toxins, toxins I didn't even know were there until the last couple of years but have apparently surrounded me for some time. I have finally decided that there is nothing I can do about the toxins. I didn't make them go away. I have to quit letting them have so much control over me. I was fine being unaware of the toxins before, and I am striving for that again. I can pinpoint my falling off the healthy me wagon to the time I was made aware of those certain things.

So I can't let those toxins in any more. I can't let them have power over me anymore. My eating whatever I want in whatever quantity I want is not hurting my toxins, not mitigating the toxins. It is just creating more toxins.

So I am here for you. You can PM me or e-mail me anytime through contacts on the profile.
You have physical restraints that keep you from doing that you want to do, I know. But you can do this.

[KathAL79]

Sherry, I'm in a similar situation, too, so I'd be happy to partner with you or offer you encouragement.

I know Rachel Cosgrove and others promote the "thermometer jeans" idea, where you put a piece of clothing you'd like to fit into (again or for the first time) someplace visible. Every so often, say once a week, you are to try it on as a way to encourage yourself. I haven't tried it, though, as I was kind of turned off by Rachel's rather silly way of presenting it. But maybe it would be helpful, especially if one can single out a favorite top or dress or skirt.

Some of the reasons for my weight gain have been medical, which I hope will be resolved or on their way to being resolved soon, but there are a lot of others I need to address.
I keep trying to avoid the reality that for me weight loss comes down to diet. Exercise only helps so much; it supports and encourages, but for me I cannot achieve significant weight loss alone through exercise. The disconnect I'm finding is that I have no problem planning out workouts, but I can't seem to bring that same discipline to diet, sleep, etc. When I do, I see success. So I'm looking for ways to encourage me to do that, including reading some books, possibly investing in something like the FitBit, and trying out some methods to plan meals ahead of time (rather than record them after - that distinction really helps me). My dh is also trying to get back into shape, so that's going to help. When one of us is careless with health and fitness it does rub off, no matter how hard one tries.

[sherry7899]

Thank you, Renda. We lost close to the same amount (sixty for me At least you did keep some of it off. I think that is really great

Kath-hugs-good luck with your medical issues. I hope you find help/relief from them soon. I have plenty of too-small clothing, unfortunately!
I'd like another partner, too-thanks!

I'm also hypothyroid, and lose weight REALLY slowly even when I eat very healthy foods (watching portion sizes) and exercising consistently. It makes it harder to stay on track when the progress is so slow.

Sherry

[JezthePuff2]

Sherry:

I'm working on cleaning out my closet right now as well. The good thing is that I'm getting rid of most of my larger clothes. I'm still not at my goal (that is 15 pounds away), but I'm slowly (VERY slowly) getting there. So far I've lost in the ballpark of 50 pounds over the span of a couple of years. I know I could have done it much faster, but this works for me.

All I can tell you is that it CAN be done. Here are the things I did. I know I'm not supposed to talk about d*et, but I'll try to keep it on very general terms. If it's violating guidelines, please delete.

* I wrote everything I ate....every. single. day. It didn't matter what was going on. Vacations, holidays, my father passing away....EVERY DAY. Some days I did excellent on my food choices...some, not so much. But as long as I was journaling, I considered myself ON my program. For me, it was all about awareness and getting away from the mindless eating. It's fine to eat that piece of chocolate cheesecake...as long as you took the time to appreciate and enjoy it (and then record it).

* I exercised almost every day. I would take a day off for an unavoidable conflict or when I wasn't feeling well, but for the most part, I work out 6 - 7 days a week. There are days it's only 20 minutes. There are days (especially in th summer) where it's 2 hours (counting in walking and biking).

* Cut back on eating out. This is a really tough one for me. I eat out a lot with my job plus with traveling. But I do eat out less. If I do eat out, I try to make my other meals much lighter.

* Get a buddy. I have a friend that shares a private blog with me where we post our workouts and food intake daily. We also have prizes at the end of the month, which is great incentive. We started in September 2009, and having that blog has been such a lifesaver for me. Plus I love looking back and seeing how far we've both come.

* Find some good, low-calorie snacks. These can be substitutes for meals when you overindulged somewhere else. At the end of the day (IMO), it's about calories in vs. calories out. For me, VitaTops were a great tool. I love them!

* A food scale is also a great way to bring some awareness into your portion sizes/calorie counting. I do count calories, but I really don't get too crazy with it. I know the weighing might sound anal, but if it's a food choice that I know the calories of, and I have the scale handy, I do it. Obviously I can't do that when I go out to eat and then I have to guesstimate.

* Don't give up your favorite foods. Eat them, but eat less. Example: I love cashews and have them almost every day. But I weigh them and eat one serving (160 calories). It's a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.

I hope this helps and that I didn't cross the line with the food talk.

[daisysunshine]

Sherry - i just send you an email