It's going to take forever...how did you stay motivated at the beginning?

If I lost 2 lbs a week consistently then it would take me roughly 15 weeks to reach my desired weight. Now, I know I won't be losing 2lbs every week in a row because karma doesn't work like that : (

So it's only day 3 and already I can feel my willpower slipping simply because I can't wait that long for results. I'm very inpatient at the best of times.

How did everyone else stay motivated when they began?

Giving up meant going back to my old ways, staying the same uncomfortable weight, probably even gaining. And the idea of that scared me enough to keep going. I've now lost 9.5 pounds in just over 5 weeks, and I wasn't that heavy to start with so it shows that you can lose a considerable amount in a fairly short period of time...it has slowed down lately though, and I don't expect to keep losing that quickly from now on.

Now that the ball is rolling I can't imagine giving up. It actually does become enjoyable to look after yourself. You just need to get through that week or so where your goals seem so far away.. Accept that if you want to achieve them, you have to put in the hard yards. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

Another way to look at it is that in 15 weeks (or 20 or 30, however many it would take) you can either do the work and lose the weight, or in 15 weeks (or 20 or 30, however many it would take) you can be in exactly the same position you are in now.

The time's going to pass one way or the other. You can be healthier at that point, or you can stay put. It took me a couple years to completely figure that one out--I wanted it fast, immediate (or at least within a few weeks or months) so I'd give up. Oddly enough, nothing ever changed until just after my 24th birthday when I finally figured out it would take a while but I could either be exactly the same when I turned 25, or I could make the effort and commit myself to the long haul. A good phrase that gets passed around here is that this is a marathon, not a sprint. I like it--sums up weight loss perfectly, including the physical activity reference ^_^

So, that's how I stay motivated.

And just an FYI:

"Now, I know I won't be losing 2lbs every week in a row because karma doesn't work like that."

That's not karma, hon. That's just plain old biology. Evil biology, granted, but biology.

stdsmb19 stated it perfectly.

I started losing weight in January. I remember thinking on my birthday in April when I weighed 120 lbs, "Wow, I could be sitting here still at 136 lbs or even more. I'm glad I did something about it and stuck with it." Now I'm 110 and in maintenance. Just start down the road. It doesn't matter when you get there.

This is the very thing that puts most people off when they try to lose weight. We all want to do it quickly. This is why people do crazy fad diets, which often end up being harmful to your health and you end up putting weight back on and then some. Even now I sometimes get tempted to click on adverts that promise quick weightloss methods. I have a few more pounds to shift but now I'm a lot more realistic about reaching my target.

The thing is, it took me years to put on the weight. It wasn't a sudden process and it had a lot to do with the fact that my lifestyle had gone from very active to sedentary. My food in take remained the same as it was when I was very active. By the beginning of 2005, I was classed as obese and weighed in around 190lbs (I'm only 5'2 and so that was very bad for me).

Things were not very good, I found it difficult finding clothes that fit because I was short as well as being fat. I used to wake up at night gasping for air as I would stop breathing in my sleep. Sometimes I would get out of bed and sit on a step trying to shake that feeling of suffocation. I had become lazy and lethargic. I was reluctant to do anything and this affected my lifestyle.

I tried losing weight by attempting some diets (like Atkins), but I couldn't stick at it. Changes were not happening fast enough for my liking. Actually the reality was I wasn't ready. When I gave up smoking I had got myself all clued up on the pros and cons and made a firm decision to quit. I managed to kick the habit. This was back in 2001 after which I put on some weight because of it.

A friend of mine is a fitness instructor and back when we were younger we used to train together. He tried to get me motivated many times to get moving but it didn't work. I came up so many excuses, I think back and wince at how lame they were.

Eventually in 2005, I moved to my current job and I knew I had to do something about my weight. That first year I actually increased my intake of food, especially junk food as some of my colleagues enjoyed eating out for lunch. I had tried the atkins diet and others prior to this but failed. I knew I had to get myself in the same frame of mind as I did when giving up smoking. This process took me about a year before finally I decided to make some changes. This time it was gradual, I had started to read about dieting sensibly and spent a lot of time doing some research online (as I had done for smoking). I looked at various diets, bought some books but didn't make a start until the summer of 2006.

I started by joining my colleagues in 5-a-side football (soccer), which is a fast paced game. I also joined some of them on a charity bike ride. I started to cut down my food and make changes in food choices. I wasn't dieting but I started to cut out junk foods and eat it less frequently. I am a foodie and love food which includes healthy stuff, so that kind of change is not hard for me.

I was still researching and hadn't made a serious commitment to tackle the weight. By the end of 2007, I had lost around 16lbs, which had made a whole world of difference already. At this point a friend of mine became a Herbalife distributor and he convinced me to try the shakes. Well it did work and for about 4 months I took them and I lost the bulk of the weight I wanted. I discovered in reality all the shakes did for me was to make me fell fuller for longer and was nothing more then calorie control. I discovered CC in January 2008 and started logging calories. I found that I wasn't eating enough. I had already lost 13lbs after the first month of drinking the shakes. So I continued and also started logging the calories.

I reached an interim target and stopped with the shakes.I continued calorie counting now realising that the shakes were useful but I was better counting the calories and making sensible food choices. By May 2008, I had gone from 173lbs down to 138lbs.  The lowest I reached was 135lbs by August. My goal at that time was to lose 2lbs more. A trip to Paris and relaxing on the calorie counting I gained some weight and lost it again. After being on a strict diet my body seemed to be rebelling a little and I was diet fatigued and so stopped counting. I gained weight back slowly and by early part of this year I had gone back up to 148lbs. I have started to tackle that and now I've dropped down to 142lbs.

I've learned a lot of things in that time. One of them is that it will take time. I want to reach a goal of 126lbs, which was my weight when active. I am a lot fitter now and my food choices are healthier. I am changing my lifestyle and that is what takes time. To break those bad habits, to put in place good habits. You get many Aha moments.

Stick with CC and people on the forum, they are great source of support. My life has changed around greatly. I am so glad I have taken this journey and now I'm happy to continue the journey, its one that is going to last a lifetime because I don't want to get up 3am in the morning scared that I can't breath, worried about the onset of diabetes (there is family history), not being able to run around with my kids etc.

So please don't give up!

I apologise for the long post.

Great post! Thank you.

Normally lost post loose me, but yours was very helpful.

15 weeks is only three months.  That's really not very long for such a major, life-altering change.  I decided to start counting calories 2/23, and by mid-May I had lost 30 lbs.  You CAN do it.  My biggest regret about this process is now that I know how quickly and easily I got it done, I can't believe how long I waited to get started.  I could have enjoyed years of looking and feeling better, but I didn't because I thought it was going to be too hard and take too long.  Don't make the same mistake I did!  You CAN do it, and it will be much easier than you think!

Original Post by junkshow:

15 weeks is only three months.  That's really not very long for such a major, life-altering change.  I decided to start counting calories 2/23, and by mid-May I had lost 30 lbs.  You CAN do it.  My biggest regret about this process is now that I know how quickly and easily I got it done, I can't believe how long I waited to get started.  I could have enjoyed years of looking and feeling better, but I didn't because I thought it was going to be too hard and take too long.  Don't make the same mistake I did!  You CAN do it, and it will be much easier than you think!

 ^This. I struggled for months just to get started, and now I'm 3 months in and 30 pounds lighter, and I feel awesome, and it wasn't hard! It makes me feel silly for all the time I wasted!

The best way to stay motivated at the beginning is to give yourself interim goals that are not scale related and to celebrate each healthier step you take.  Feel proud when you don't eat something you had decided not to eat.  Add time or intensity to your exercise, and feel proud at how much more you can do now vs. when you started.  Look at your analysis and see how many "A" grades you can get.  Discover new foods that you love.

If you are eating appropriate amounts of good foods, you will eventually reach your weight goal.  Try to enjoy the journey, the goal will take care of itself.

I didn't have any trouble staying motivated in the beginning because I was consistently losing weight.  I'm have trouble staying motivated not because nothing's really happened all summer.  Everything I do results in the same thing.  No weight loss on ly staying the same.

I made a commitment to myself to change my life. Weight loss would follow because I was making healthy changes, but the fact is, I intend them to be permanent so motivation and willpower are not as important....this is just how I live now, period. Sometimes I have an extra treat or something that puts me over my calorie target, but it's not the norm, my norm is now making good choices.

WHen I started out though, I think what really clicked for me was the time passing thing...my bf said to me, the time will pass anyway, no matter what choices you make....isn't it better to be able to look back and be happy with the choices you made? No matter what you do, the time will pass. Others here have said the same thing, so I know it's not an original thought, but it sure resonated with me.

I am also the instant-gratification type, and it took a lot to get away from that mindset...or maybe I just figured a way around it. Yes those chips would taste good, but you know, NOT eating them and feeling powerful and in control and healthy is even better. Not to say I never eat a chip. I just recognize, in every moment, that it's my choice.

Original Post by caverlady:

I didn't have any trouble staying motivated in the beginning because I was consistently losing weight.  I'm have trouble staying motivated not because nothing's really happened all summer.  Everything I do results in the same thing.  No weight loss on ly staying the same.

 I second this view.  I've been at it for 10 months and have lost 52 pounds.  But now, instead of 6 or 8 pounds lost each month, I'm lucky if it's 2!  It was easy to stay motivated when the weight was falling off; I was also allowed to eat quite a bit more (2400 cal/day) when I started.  Now that I've lost a bunch of weight, I have to stay below 1800 cal/day, and that is EXTREMELY difficult for me! 

Look at the people you love and realise they will love you no matter what you do in your life, now imagine their face everytime they look at the new you. Getting to that face is my motivation.

Look at the people you love and realise they will love you no matter what you do in your life, now imagine their face everytime they look at the new you. Getting to that face is my motivation. GD double post. >.<

Focus on small goals instead of the big picture. The little victories will keep you going. For example, "I drank an extra glass of water today," or "I skipped that ice cream and made a better choice." Also, remember that it takes at least 3 - 4 weeks, on average, to change a habit and make it stick. Give yourself some leeway. Remember, it's not about willpower, it's about doing what's good for yourself. Sometimes that will be a small piece of chocolate cake. Most times it won't ... but you'll be happier doing it in the long run if you don't think of it as a battle of wills, so to speak, between your head and your scale. Take care.