need motivation for weight loss

[slg47]

ACK so I can''t seem to get on track with this whole weight loss thing!!! I think I just put too much pressure on myself and then I start to go crazy! So my plan is to make a plan of workouts and try to really monitor what I am eating, and not worry too much about everything else...I just wanted to get to my goal weight before the proposal but NOT going to happen. I put on about 5 lbs this semester and now feel fat and gross

SO ok, just helps to get this out there! will update. Thanks for listening ladies!

 

[Autumnovember]

I do weight watchers and lost 32 pounds, it has worked great. My best friend has lost 26 so far. I could tell you more if interested

 

[kagordo4]

I totally understand where you''re coming from. When I was waiting for SO to propose.. that''s a sad past tense now lol, but anyway I wanted to lose 10lbs first. I totally put on the freshman 15, the sophmore 15, the junior 10 and the senior 5. So I took cardio weight lifting to help. Haha when the semester ended I literally put on 7 lbs in like a month.

I bought these "Dancing with the Stars" cardio work out and do them in my bedroom now because I totally can''t dance. But it seems to be working a little. I think the thing is finding an outlet for your stress (I get the college thing to a T) because my super amazing, skinny, and perfect sister who is a doctor told me it''s impossible to lose weight while stressed.

That and avoiding the pint of icecream : ) which I am SOOOO bad about.

 

[TooPatient]

I''ve started a couple of threads about this too. Getting started is the hardest part.

Have you looked at the 30 Day Shred? It really is great (I''m starting back on it again tomorrow). I lost over 5 pounds one week without changing anything else (just started on the 30DS).

20 minutes per day. (I like doing it in the morning before work so it is done and doesn''t get put off)

I like that it is short and broken into sections. I''m able to keep going through the entire workout because it is just a few more minutes. It also helps me that each exercise is only done for 30 seconds to a minute.


Good luck finding the right thing for you.


ETA: My best motivators are things in the short term. Like wanting to look great in my dress for an event in 2 weeks, or the shorts at the 4th of July BBQ (current motivator).
There is always some little event (even if it is just going out to dinner with FI for a nice evening) that I want to look good for so I focus on the next event coming up. (long term focus is my wedding dress & potential for tropical HM)

 

[Autumnovember]

I love 30 day shred

 

[yssie]

Another 30-day shred vote!!

It''s easy to start no matter where you are in current fitness

Though, I confess, my standby is to buy a pretty dress in my ''ideal'' measurements a couple of months before an event and hang it on the wall beside the treadmill, with a wall-mirror on the other side. Never fails.

 

[Jessie702]

I completely know how you feel. I was dietng awhile back, and fell off the wagon so bad, im upset wiht myself. I actually just recently went back to my doc to start on my diet/work out reigm again.What was depressing, was my conversation with the doc.
Doc" So how much do you want to lose and whats your goal weight?"
Me" Well Doc, i would lke to lose X amount, and my gol weight when im done its x lbs"
Doc" Well, ya know, for your height and bone structure you should weigh 120lbs, and i can help you get there 14 months"
Me" How long?"
Doc"14 months"
Me"

Please just give me the pills so i can go cry by myself in my car"

I have to keep telling myself, that its not a diet but a lifestyle change. Personally i dont like to work out, so i got the WII fit, and surpisingly, i LOVE it. Its like im working out, but not. I try to do 30 minutes 3 times a week with it, and yoga/crunches inbetween those days.

So i know how you feel and where you comming from. So far down 7 pounds.....

 

[Jessie702]

Also, ive found its best to set my short term goals

So goal 1: Finish off 15 lbs by July 4

 

[CurlySue]

Date: 6/23/2010 2:34:31 PM
Author:slg47
ACK so I can't seem to get on track with this whole weight loss thing!!! I think I just put too much pressure on myself and then I start to go crazy! So my plan is to make a plan of workouts and try to really monitor what I am eating, and not worry too much about everything else...I just wanted to get to my goal weight before the proposal but NOT going to happen. I put on about 5 lbs this semester and now feel fat and gross

SO ok, just helps to get this out there! will update. Thanks for listening ladies!

So, first - I have to add votes for Weight Watchers and 30 Day Shred. I started with Weight Watchers and lost the 15 pounds I needed to take off, and then I started doing 30 Day Shred to tone up. Both worked and continue to work wonderfully!

With that said... if you are putting too much pressure on yourself, I would recommend that you just start small. Set a simple goal first - maybe make a small modification to your diet one week... then once you have stuck with that, then set a goal to work out more often. For me personally, I know that when I try to make sweeping changes to my eating habits and my exercise habits at the same time, I fail miserably, because I am tired and hungry all the time. And I like being able to celebrate small wins along the way. That's why I decided to do WW first. I did that for a few months and my eating got back under control. Then I added in the exercise after that.

Obviously, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another, but I just thought I'd throw that out there as a suggestion.

Oh, and before FI and I got engaged, I kept telling myself I wanted to lose weight. It wasn't until I had a wedding date staring me in the face that I finally got my tush in gear! So... I can relate!

 

[Autumnovember]

Date: 6/23/2010 4:21:04 PM
Author: yssie
Another 30-day shred vote!!


It''s easy to start no matter where you are in current fitness

Though, I confess, my standby is to buy a pretty dress in my ''ideal'' measurements a couple of months before an event and hang it on the wall beside the treadmill, with a wall-mirror on the other side. Never fails.

Really? because the first time I did it, I was beet red in the face and almost vomitted hahahah. The second day was easier though, for sure.

 

[princesss]

Yssie, I like your plan. I''ve got an old prom dress...OMG. If I could fit into that dress again, I''d wear it everywhere. I was so skinny! It''s too bad I wasted all of that time in HS feeling fat - I wish I''d enjoyed it because now (15lbs later) I''m really wishing I could put that dress on again without having to wear 5 sets of Spanx and never breathing or eating!

 

[dragonfly411]

I love thirty day shred.

I agree with whomever said it is a lifestyle change. You have to look at it that way. Don''t look at foods as being good or bad. Give yourself one scheduled day to eat something of your choice, and make the commitment to eat healthy. Go through your pantry and get rid of all of the bad stuff, and only keep what''s healthy.

And watch Biggest Loser... it motivates me

 

[merilenda]

I''m doing the 30 day shred right now (with FI!). Maybe we should all do it together.

I agree with Autumn though. I could barely walk the next day after I started it, haha. I''ve been doing it for about 4 days now, and I''m definitely noticing my body feeling tighter already.

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 6/23/2010 4:43:06 PM
Author: Autumnovember

Date: 6/23/2010 4:21:04 PM
Author: yssie
Another 30-day shred vote!!


It''s easy to start no matter where you are in current fitness

Though, I confess, my standby is to buy a pretty dress in my ''ideal'' measurements a couple of months before an event and hang it on the wall beside the treadmill, with a wall-mirror on the other side. Never fails.

Really? because the first time I did it, I was beet red in the face and almost vomitted hahahah. The second day was easier though, for sure.

Me too.

But the small sections let me set little goals as I went and I was able to make it all of the way. (I can make it through the first section -- it is only a couple more minutes. Hey! I made it. Maybe I can do the 2nd section too...)

2nd day sucked too but as the other ladies on PS said, if you skip it you''ll regret it (in other words -- hurt massively)

After 4 or 5 days it gets a lot easier.

 

[yssie]

Huh. Maybe I just got lucky - goodness knows my starting fitness was nothing to write home about

 

[slg47]

OK thanks for the motivation guys! I saw the 30-day shred when I was out at Best Buy, maybe I will go buy it But yeah, it''s easy to get down on yourself when you sort of get behind on the workouts

I think the 30-day would be good because I could do it before work on M/Th (lets me sleep in a little vs. going to the gym!)

 

[vc10um]

I''m on day 9 of the 30DS (...FF and I are aiming for a 6/26/11 wedding date and I''m trying to lose 40 lbs by then) and it''s GREAT. Jillian can get kind of annoying, but I definitely feel like I get a workout.

Also, I did WW. Several times. Each time I gained back more than I had lost.

However, now I belong to a website called My Food Diary. It costs $9/month and you can use it to track your calories in and calories out, and they also have a support forum. I know there are plenty of free tools out there for counting calories (Spark People and Calorie King, for example) but paying to use the tool definitely gives me more motivation to use it!!!

Best of luck to you!

 

[kateydid05]

Date: 6/23/2010 2:34:31 PM
Author:slg47
ACK so I can''t seem to get on track with this whole weight loss thing!!! I think I just put too much pressure on myself and then I start to go crazy! So my plan is to make a plan of workouts and try to really monitor what I am eating, and not worry too much about everything else...I just wanted to get to my goal weight before the proposal but NOT going to happen. I put on about 5 lbs this semester and now feel fat and gross

SO ok, just helps to get this out there! will update. Thanks for listening ladies!

Hi Slg,

I''ve been going through the same thing. Actually, my doctor attributed to me being upset as well. I suffer from Crohn''s disease and have been in remission for about 4 years now. One of the things about it is that when you''re sick, you really drop weight. Well, since I''m in remission + found myself a darned desk job= gained much more than I''d prefer. My doc basically told me that I really need to lose weight but that on the other hand, gaining weight means I''m not sick. Still wanted to punch him in the face though.

I''ve done P90X in the past and that is a killer. I saw a difference; however, had nowhere near enough time in the day to do 60-90 mins of exercise with a fulltime job and graduate school. There''s once disc on there called the Ab Ripper which I found was the most helpful. I also downloaded an app on my iPhone called "Lose It" which keeps track of what I''m eating and I''m slowly adjusting that to a healthier lifestyle. I''ve also been toying with the Weight Watchers route to get my diet under control.

It wasn''t until I found an exercise regime that i LOVE that made this whole process easier. I started a heavy bag/plyometic class at a local MMA gym. I do it for an hour twice a week. My boyfriend does it too and we actually make dates out of it! I realized that I love hitting things. I have never worked out so hard in my entire life. I leave drenched in sweat and loving every minute of it. I am the only girl that consistently goes and at the beginning I thought I''d never make it through the class. Well I did, which gave me more motivation and now I can hang with the big boys. I actually get upset if something prevents me from going. I have been doing this for about a month now and while I haven''t lost weight, my body shape is changing. I could care less about the number!!

So yeah, after this long winded post...my advice? Find an exercise you LOVE and it''ll be so much easier! This stuff takes time but you''ll feel so proud of yourself when all is said and done. Good luck and we''re all here for ya!

 

[PrincessNatalie]

I have started downloading audio books onto my iphone which has been great – it makes me want to walk to work (I live 3kms from work) because I want to listen to my audio book.

Even on cold winter mornings!

 

[TheyCall]

I''m sure you will all do great - I just want to stress that weight is just a number. For me, to "lose weight" I would need to gain 5 lbs-ish. You can''t look at the scale, look at the way your clothes fit. Muscle weighs more; so, if you are doing anything remotely intense at the gym (say...running for an hour) you will gain muscle and gain weight. A lot people freak out when weight loss plateaus but a lot of times it just means you are shifting over to muscle gain. Which is good because lean muscle burns fat even while you sit in a chair.

I''m looking to "lose" 10-15 lbs. Realistically, it will be 10 lbs down and then 5 back. Which is fine with me, as long as i fit back into my dream dress. (not a wedding dress yet)

 

[Dreamer_D]

slg come to the Healthy Lifestyles forum and join our Weight Watchers thread

There are like 5 of us so far doing it online.

 

[slg47]

Hehe, ok, maybe I will read your WW thread I know some people who have done that. It''s just hard because my BF is very skinny and I still want us to be able to enjoy meals together! (I hope he gives our kids the skinny gene!) Also I only have like 12 lbs to lose to reach my superideal weight, so not THAT much. In college I gained a lot of weight and successfully have lost (and kept off) about 55-60 lbs, so I know how to do it...just gotta DO it.

 

[redhead02]

Date: 6/23/2010 4:21:04 PM
Author: yssie

Though, I confess, my standby is to buy a pretty dress in my ''ideal'' measurements a couple of months before an event and hang it on the wall beside the treadmill, with a wall-mirror on the other side. Never fails.

Yssie this is hilarious/brilliant! I''m going to try....

 

[slg47]

Date: 6/25/2010 8:34:28 PM
Author: redhead02

Date: 6/23/2010 4:21:04 PM

Author: yssie


Though, I confess, my standby is to buy a pretty dress in my ''ideal'' measurements a couple of months before an event and hang it on the wall beside the treadmill, with a wall-mirror on the other side. Never fails.

Yssie this is hilarious/brilliant! I''m going to try....

does that even WORK? Have you noticed how ridiculous sizes are these days? I think the manufacturers have started making them bigger so you fit in a smaller size, but it''s ridiculous. (then you try on clothes that are more true to size and you''re like huh?)

 

[sillyberry]

I highly recommend SparkPeople - it sets up small goals in the beginning and has really made me focus on what I eat, and more importantly for me, how much I eat. I''m down 21 pounds since January and in that time I have been NOWHERE near perfect. Just better!

Also, you (and anyone else who is a PS member!) can be my friend - I have the same name over there that I do here. Trust me, it''s a super tempting offer.