Weight Loss
Moderators: duke3522, devilish_patsy, topanga1485, nycgirl, spoiled_candy, cmillington, coach_k



Hoping for some input


Quote  |  Reply

I am down 95 pounds in the last 7 months or so (yes I feel alot better) I am 20 pounds away from my goal. Here is my problem, "then what". I love the challenge of the whole process but when I reach my goal I fear I will start slipping. Any suggestions on how to keep motivated? I am hoping that  I am just so used to the way I am living now that it carries through. I think that trying to figure out how many cals. I need to keep at my goal weight will keep me motivated for awhile but after that I am not so sure.

6 Replies (last)

Well, maintenance is definitely easier than reaching your goal!  However, it just as important to continue making healthy choices.

When you finally reach your goal, think back about all of your hard work.  Is your knew figure worth maintaining?  Perhaps, put a "before" picture up somewhere that will remind you of how far you've come!

I'd continue counting calories until you find that you've got a handle on maintaining, then at that point perhaps do it a couple of times a week to make sure you're still on track!

Congrats!! You've done great! I'm so happy for you!

Sit down and write your "future" self a letter of encouragement to stay on track. Write the reasons you're so glad you've made the journey and the reasons that you should always maintain the benefit of your hard work. Then later when you are lacking motivation you can read the letter and hopefully it will renew your spirits!

 

Similar to samantha81's advice - try to keep tracking your calories for 6 weeks afterwards at your maintenance level, keep logging exercise, figure out what works for you and what keeps you at goal. Once you have done that count once or twice a week just to make sure :)

Weigh yourself at least once a month and give yourself a "buffer" say 5lbs and once you are over that get back into it :)

Set some new "healthy" objectives for yourself.  When I got close to my goal weight, after losing about 40 lbs, I started trying to improve my fitness levels by running.  I started with the C25K program.  Now I've decided to participate in a half-marathon next September, and will be focusing on increasing my distances gradually over the next ten months.  We all need goals to keep us motivated, and even though I am no longer counting calories, eating properly helps me towards my new destination!  When I reach it, then I will push myself to run a marathon, or take up swimming or kayaking...  You get the idea.

Thanks everybody, lot of good ideas.

Congrats! I, too, am a little worried about after. I gained and lost many times. I started at 206 lbs. I'm down to 142 lbs. I want to lose another 7 lbs. I've been doing a lot of journaling. I sometimes write stories about what it felt like when I was obese. Like how it was almost impossible to rise from sitting on my heels when doing inventory. I recently wrote about how the fat around my middle would jiggle when I walked. I'm now planning some of the meals I'll eat, with calories noted. I have the Flat Belly Diet book. It has meals that total 400 calories. I will definately use them. I'm going to continue to journal, I will weigh myself every day, and I will continue to exercise. After a year, I think I'll be able to relax my vigilance, but I will NEVER allow myself to get fat again.

6 Replies (last)
Join Calorie Count - it's easy and free!
CREATE FREE ACCOUNT
Advertisement
Advertisement
Your Personal Nutritionist
Featured question:

Where is the Recipe Analyzer located?

The Recipe Analyzer is under the Foods tab. Use these steps to analyze a recipe: Find a recipe to analyze; note the number of servings... Read more