A long road ahead...we're talkin 100lbs. folks!

Hey there!

I just joined CC about three weeks ago and I thought I had lost about 5 or 6 lbs. but got on the scale for the first time Saturday since registering and it turns out I lost 13 lbs.!!! Was initially ecstatic, but now it's Monday and I'm at work and over-ate on the weekend and am thinking about how, in the grand scheme of things ( I have to lose about 100 more lbs.), 13 lbs. isn't very much and beginning to feel discouraged.

Cane anyone relate? Have any words of wisdom or advice? I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have lost a lot of weight already or have lost as much as I have to lose.

13 pounds is more than 1/10th of what you wanted to lose.  That seems like a HUGE deal!  And if you over-eat once or twice, all you can do is start over again the next day.  Try not to make it a habit, but just get going again.

Clint

I agree.  I think it is a great start.  It is 13 pounds less than when you started and 13 pounds that you don't have to lose now.  If you over eat, just forget about it and keep trudging forward

I'm trying to lose 90-100 pounds. I started 8 months ago, and I've lost 48 so far. I expect it to take at least another year. I'm not in the least discouraged, even though I overate the past 2 weekends and have not lost anything. You just have to ignore the setbacks and keep going.

Thanks!

I will keep on keepin on. I'm especially inspired by flonklar. Wow! I would be very happy if I lost 48 lbs. within the next 8 months! Great job! We'll see how I do.

Congrats on the loss!!  That's really great!

We all have a set back once in a while, no big deal! Sure, it's best NOT to overeat - ever - but, it's not the end of the world. Just keep going, watch what you eat, but don't be too restrictive. Extreme restricting of calories/food can work against you.

I have over 100 pounds to lose, so I can definitely relate!

Best of luck to you, I know you will do it!

I have been improving my lifestyle since January (no, not resolutions, prep for surgery), and celebrate each and every pound I lose, even if I still have almost 100 left to go.

Next time you are at the market, put 13 pounds of butter in your cart.  Now, imagine that spread out all over your body.  Seems like a pretty big deal, no?

I posted elsewhere that when I lost my first 40 pounds I went to Costco and bought about 40 pounds of non-perishable foods (about $60) and took it straight to the food bank to help out folks in need.  I couldn't believe that 6 short months ago that weight was on my body!  It felt so great to see it in a pile and know that I don't have to carry it around anymore.

The longest journey starts with one step, and you have already taken 13.  Be proud.

i've just started to attempt to conciously lose weight.. and wow 13 lbs.. I can't wait till i'm 13lbs lighter! You should be very proud of yourself!

keep up the good work.. everyone slips up now and then.. that's why you look forward and stay on track

I started at 249 lbs and have lose 15.8 lbs so far.  My ultimate goal is to lose 89 lbs total making me 160 lbs so I'm in a situation pretty close to yours.  I've been dieting for about a week and a half to lose those 15.8 lbs and even though it's only a fraction of what I have to lose I feel great about it because that's a lot of weight lost and you should feel great about 13 lbs too because 13 lbs of fat is a lot.

Hey, congrats on the 13 lb. loss. I'm also in the same boat as you. I started CC around the end of April after seeing my doctor talk to me about my cholestrol , blood pressure, and sugar levels. My first two weeks on my diet I lost 8 lbs., since then though, it's been about a 1-1 1/2 lb. loss per week. Except for this last weigh-in, I stayed the same weight from the previous week. So far to date, I've lost 19 lbs. As far as advice, I'll give you the advice of my doctor when he talked about losing weight: moderation and portion control. Especially for me the moderation part.  I used to do fast food meals two or three times a week, now since dieting, I've done fast food twice in the 7-8 weeks I've been dieting. I haven't cut it off 100%, but I'm not eating it all the time. I'm also paying more attention to the nutrition labels on the boxes and portioning my foods based on the portion sizes on the box. Also using the food log on CC helps you plan accordingly, and shows you what you are doing on your diet.

Great job gmcal.  You should be so proud of yourself!  Do you know how many people want to lose 13 pounds and never, ever do anything to make it happen?  You must have noticed positive changes in your body as well.

I have been using cc for well over a year and have managed to lose a little more than 65 pounds.  I started at 226 and am at 157 today.  I started small and gradually incorporated changes I could handle.  I think that was the reason I was able to do it.  It didn't seem so overwhelming in such small steps.

I'm still trying to lose the last few pounds and it has been very difficult.  My advice to you (and to me) is to not give up.  If you keep trying, it will happen! 

Please let me know if you would ever like to chat!

Hi gmkal!  I started with CC the first part of May after a serious discussion with my doctor.  I had surgery a month ago for my gall bladder, and I have lost a total of 27.4 lbs since I began.  It is a constant struggle - and a constant reward as well.  I want to loose a total of 120 lbs, so I am almost 1/5 of the way there!

I will say you are looking at it in a way that will overwhelm you.  You cannot constantly fixate on the fact that you are needing to loose 100 lbs.  You need to break it down to small goals and go from there.  For me, I have two constant goals. The first is to loose the next 10 lbs.  I started at 272, and when I hit 262 I was ecstatic!  252 was totally missed, as I was afraid to step on the scale, but I am now within 2.4 lbs of hitting 242!  My other goal is set by a specific number I want to get to.  Before it was to get under 250.  Now it is to get under 235, as I haven't been that small in over ten years.  After I hit that one, I will set another "bigger goal" and continue with my small 10 lbs at a time.

When I say I have to loose 120 lbs, it is just plain scary.  But saying I am going to loose 10 lbs and go from there makes it attainable and helps me to feel like I am accomplishing something!

Best reward so far?  Hearing people say to me "wow, you have lost weight!" and having my clothes just be too big for me to wear! 

I'm here too if you ever want to talk or you need encouragement!

hey, it's just one pound at a time & it's not a race.  it's a change of lifestyle.  go with it!  :D  it's not that hard.  so what if you overate on the weekend.  who cares?  that'll happen now & then.  i lost 90 & kept if off for almost a year now.  WooHoo!!!

believe me, you will love the new you!  ;)

Gaining weight didn't happen in a month and losing it won't either so you have to remember that its going to take time as the pounds add up keep looking at your reduced goal, if you wanted to lose 100 and you have lost 13 then you only 87 to go!

I don't have a goal of 100 but I do have a goal of around 60 and in 4 months I have lost 40 of it so I am over half way and know about frustration as my weight loss is slowing and I have plateau weeks.  But as long as I look at how much I have lost and look at my reduced new goal I can keep moving forward.

Don't fixate on one bad day here or there, last week I went out for lunch and dinner one day and blew my 1350 daily goal by eating up to 1800, I just ignored that and the next day went back to my regular eating pattern - it won't kill my weeks result.

Life is a journey whether its trying to lose some pounds or trying for a promotion or anything, just enjoy the journey.

Congratulations on making the decision to lose weight and be healthy, And on your 13 lbs loss! That's a great start!

I know thinking about the next 90 lbs to lose can bring you down and seem like you'll never get there. But let me tell you what I have been telling myself since June '08 to help me with my weight loss. It is " A year or 2 will pass by whether you get the weight off or not. So no matter how long it takes, you might as well be thinner at the end of it." (I really hope that makes sense to you).

Anyway, that was a year ago for me, and I have since lost 110 lbs. (45 more to go). Trust me...if you do it right and make sound decisions, time will fly by! (and the pounds will melt off).

Remember...weight loss (and anything worthwhile in life) is like a marathon NOT a sprint. If you trip and fall during a marathon, you can dust yourself off, keep going, and still win the race. Unlike if you trip during a sprint, there is no hope.

All the best!

You are already well on your way, believe me! 13 pounds is a great accomplishment and considerable progress toward your ultimate goal.

I started out with 100 pounds to lose (I still can't really believe it) and I'm a little over halfway there (lost 60, 40 to go).  Just like everything else in life, I try to take it a day at a time. 

You can do it!

 

I started Dieting January of 08, when i started I was at 384..  and i am down to 326. I tried Nutrisystems, that was for about 3 months and i think i lost about 15 lbs with that, hardly anything compared to expense really.  Before that i just cut calories but having a body that didnt want to move and hurt all the time about the only thing i could do was ride my recumbant bike and that really didnt do much for my muscles and back at all.

I started working out at the YMCA last month and in 4 weeks ive lost 12 lbs. Along with keeping my calories between 1200-1700 and working out 3 times a week this seems to be the best option for me :)

Good luck with what your doing, i guess the only thing Id ask myself is if i ...went on a real strict diet and worked out like a banshee.. would that be something id be able to live with the rest of my life. That wouldnt work for me personally, but keeping track of everything i shove in my mouth WOULD.. as well as realistic work outs that you could actually do the rest of your life. i say this because when i went off nutrisystems i gained about 10lbs so ive had to re-lose some of what i gained making the 384 to 326.. more than what it seems..plus the not losing nothing for a few weeks here and there because i fell off the wagon.. LOL.. in that amount of time.

I wanted to add though, with my being as large as i was and losing that weight, no one could really tell until i began doing the circuit training. which to me was a huge help strength wise and my mobility is ALOTTTT better, plus i can finally notice the clothes fitting better.

The amount of weight that you lost is great in my opinion, just find something you can live with and continue on your journey to greatness :)

13 lbs is awesome. my initial goal was to lose 100 lbs,something I am still working towards.  I have lost about 70 so far, and about 10 dress sizes or jean sizes or more.  I am down to 210ish from 280. my goal is about 160, but I did hit plateau last sept. I have kept up with my exercise, 3 miles walking a day at varied speeds, on treadmill from 2.5to 3.5 also doing 40 mins pilates everyday and swimming 2 or 3 days a week. even though the weight loss came to a halt in sept 08 I have lost many many inches, and i assume have gained muscles since things are firming up. I realize that I have to drop my calories and have been working on that for the past month to get me online to get the weight to coming off again. I feel so much better, I have so much more stamina. and the best of all, all my numbers on blood work were excellent the last time I went to dr.( many people on both sides of my family have died with heart attacks, including my 47 yr old sister(  who by the way, was skinny as a rail-- she smoked though like a chimney). slow and steady wins the race. take each day, plan your meals ahead, do not leave things to chance. make a grocery list and stick to it, plan your meals around it. it isn't that hard really.  we all have to make a choice to be healthy and do this.. If I can anyone can. also support is essential I have made some wonderful friends on cc that are very supportive. my hubby is also very supportive and doesn't complain about eating what I eat, because it is good food, just healthier. you don't have to be a fanatic to eat healthier and keep calories in check. as you go along you will remember the counts on things and finally won't have to look them up all the time. exericse is very important too. I started out slowly after back surgery, a major fusion, walking in thehouse the progressed up to walking 3 miles over a period of a year. just take baby steps,and a little more each week. you will be surprised what you really can do.  I can swim 50 laps now. 2 yrs ago I might have been lucky to do 2 and be out of breath for 20 mins.     good luck

Thank you Lonestarpenny!!!

Last night was a party night and I overate but I know from the past that all i have to do is start over again today and eventually I'll be back on track. I've lost about 18 lbs. so far and am really happy about that but am thinking about incorporating exercise more to help come down faster, but then again you are right about "slow and steady wins the race." Am thinking about swimming too. I used to compete in high school and though I never dropped below 165 lbs. I was in great shape. I too had back surgery in March of this year and walking, esp. in the morning, is difficult because I'm so stiff but the time is drawing near to start pushing myself a bit more since physical therapy just isn't enough. It's great to hear that you have improved your physical fitness in just a year. That's gives me great hope since I not only want to lose weight and look better I want to stop heaving and getting out of breath when I walk up hills and stairs. I'm 30 years old and this should not be happening. I think it's amazing that you lost 70 lbs. Congratulations!!! CC suggests a goal weight of 128 for me but I would be happy with getting down to 160 and staying there for a while. I've been cooking more than eating out with my b-friend, (cooking more vegetables more than I ever have in my life!) and he's lost about 20 lbs. too and he's not even on CC. We are lucky to have such supportive partners.

Thank you again for your supportive reply. I wish both of us continued healing from surgery and motivation to keep excercising. Feel free to keep me updated and congrats again. Keep up the good work!

Oh, I also joined and Thanksgiving day challenge on CC. Trying to reach 190 by that time. Maybe you'd like to join too?

I've lost 93 pounds so far and have another 50 to go. You can do it!

yep!  just hop back on!  :D  that's an awesome attitude.  that'll get you to your goal.

i used to not even be able to walk down my driveway & back up.  now i can walk forever!  LOL  i don't...  but i could!

i even started jogging recently.  it's a super slow jog, but it's jogging.  ;)  hey, i don't want to risk hurting myself.  hehe  i'm freakin' 51!

hang in there!