How are you staying motivated?

Okay....loss is down to nothing. What is motivating you to keep doing the same things we were told to do in the beginning? I am desparately trying to get back to my diary.....I need help. How do I get myself back to what I did so well in the beginning. What is a good motivator. I can't count on the scale.....What else can I count on to help me with this? Debbie

Hi Debbie, Since April I have lost about 10 - 15 lbs. The last 5 seem to fluctuate up and down, but I'm pretty consistant. Am I down to the weight charts optimal weight for my height? NO, but considering where I have been I'm doing very well. When ever I am feeling unmotivated to do the right thing, I take a good hard look at my pictures from when I was at my heaviest. I never want to get back to that again. Then I make myself do something good for me like taking a brisk walk or talking with my best friend. She also had the surgery and totally understands where I'm coming from. We both lean on each other and get ourselves past that hump. I hope that you have someone like that in your life that you can call on. That is what works for me. I hope you can find that special trick that will work for you. You are smart for asking for input here, there are a lot of people who are walking in the same shoes as you are. Best of luck. BTW you look terrific!!! Terri

You know what I do, I look at my old picture and remember that I don't want to be in that shape EVER again. I wish you all the luck in the world and I feel very confident that you will lose morw weight and maintain

It's pretty simple but getting past the urge for immediate gratification is the first step to keeping me on track. The first thing that helps me "stay on track" is NOT to automatically give in when I would usually do so. Yesterday I baked my husband and daughter a pull apart bread with cinnamon and sugar butter between the layers. I fixed myself a Egg and BLT and was OK with that. Last night however, I was hungry and the leftover bread was still there, so I took a bite. MAN was it good! And I wanted more. A bite of something fat and rich and gooey is just an automatic switch to my carb craving center and I WANTED MORE, NOW. In my previous life I would have swallowed ALL of that leftover bread in 3 or 4 mouthfuls. But instead, I shook off that impulse, put the pull apart bread out of my sight and put on an egg to boil. I ate 1/2 of a tuna/egg sandwich instead. And I felt a victory for not giving in to eating that sweet rich fat buttery gooey good bread! I avoid most carbs, (unless they are in fruits/vegetables) because eating them is like flipping a switch in my brain and makes me crave more once I've eaten them. PROTEIN is my solution to craving carbs. It really helps turn off that craving center in my brain. I keep a bag of jerky in my desk so when I feel the need for "chocolate" or other snack. I get a piece of jerky and it really staves the craving. Secondly I strive to maintain portion control. I CAN eat more now than I could when I first had surgery a year and a half ago. BUT I CHOOSE NOT TO. It could eat a whole sandwich most days but I choose to just eat 1/2 and most times I have the fixin's without bread. Third: don't give yourself the option of grazing. If you are full, take your plate and dump it or store it in the fridge if there is enough to save for leftovers. Don't leave it around where you can pick at it and eat more. Same goes for snacks. Get a portion and take it with you AWAY from the rest of the bag or box. I like to keep nuts in the refridgerator. So when I'm hungry I can get a handful, LEAVE the bag in the fridge and go have a snack. GOING back to the kitchen to get more becomes a conscious decsion. If I took the bag with me I would most likely nibble on them till they were gone, without even thinking about it. Fourth: Don't think you have to "give up" everything. I do eat "bad" stuff like a piece of candy or a bite or two of cake. But the same goes with rule 3 from above. Take a little and leave the rest. Don't give yourself the option of eating more than you should by taking a larger portion. A few bites really are enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. Just eat them slowly and savor! That's one thing WE DON'T do enough of is SAVOR. We gulp and swallow and miss the pleasure we really can associate with eating good food! Another motivator for me: I've been buying size 10s but noticed they are are starting to get a little loose feeling. I went shopping yesterday and tried on size 8's and they FIT and they were comfortable and didn't look like I was squeezed into them! That's a huge motivation for me to say no to bad carbs and over eating again! Being able to buy off the rack, wearing current styles and not looking like abdul the tentmaker is my tailor is a huge motivator! I still don't have a clear conception of what I really look like vs what I "feel" like I look like. In my head I'm still feel like I'm in the 14-16-18s size range. Even looking at the clothes I'm wearing and how small they look, I can't match that concept up with my body is that small too. Normally (while I'm awake) I can pass a mirror or see my reflection in a window and think "I don't really look like that" - the glass must be distorting my image because I just can't phathom that I "look" that good. I had a dream the other night. In the dream, I passed by a mirror and I was fat again. It was horrible. That time in my dream I was thinking "I can't look that fat! - HOW did that happen!". That was a motivator too, because I DON'T want that to happen! I hope it helps! It helped me to write it down!

I really like these ideas! Looks like I have enough to keep me busy! Your post is going on my fridge....I need reinforcements! LOL. Thanks so much for your help! I hope to one day get out of the 16-18 size and down to a 12...... Debbie

Thank you for posting this... I certainly needed it Angie 280/175/150

Hi Debbie Little late in responding but I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I am down 180 lbs to 210 but the loss is so slow........but at least it's still going down. I have revised my goal to 175 so 35 more lbs for me. My surgeon thinks I will get to 170-175 and then 150-155 with plastics. Don't get me wrong...if i never lost another pound I would still be extremely pleased with the surgery..........but I want to get this last 35 lbs off. I wouldn't say that I have been off track per say but maybe not as diligent. I still lose 3-5 lbs most months.....and my surgeon told me it might take a year to get this last 35 off so.......just trying to remain patient. Shawna

Shawna (((((HUGS))))) Its really nice to know that others are doing the same as I am. Sometimes you are never sure if its you or its the stage. I guess its the stage. I am not unhappy by no means with the loss I just would like to get down more. I guess a year is not unreasonable for 35 lbs. I know I should revise my goal....I just want to be healthy and 150 for my height is healthy....Now if I can cut off the 3 lbs I gained....(Not sure if its from meds I am on because it came on over night! I am a scale ***** and on it every day!) I will try and remain calm....its hard! Great to hear from you! Have a wonderful day! I am now off to the gym to beat some of those calories off this body! Debbie