How do you stay encouraged and motivated when having so much to lose?

Thank you so much for that encouragement, Sharon! I feel very lucky to be part of this forum and to have this support. I am already feeling better about where I am. I'm working on staying in the moment. Even though I am new to this journey and don't have as much knowledge as everyone else, I hope I can be there for all of you too. Thanks again! hugs, Kim

The first thing I'd recommend is start with overcoming the shame and embarassment of where you are - it took me way too long to start that process, but once I did, it was a burden lifted from my shoulders. I'm not totally free from the shame of becoming 420 lbs, but ive come a long ways. 

The one thing I never did was start and go through this process with the typical mentality you will see on the other boards of "hurry up and get to goal" - that really was an "ultimate" goal, but not the primary one. This is really a series of baby steps, mini goals and accomplishments. I never could have sat down and thought about "hey, i need to lose 240 lbs" - It seemed like an impossible task. I just needed to get my life and health back. 

I found it helpful to keep a blog about my progress, thoughts and accomplishment. I kept a log of all my "workouts" and exercise so I could look back and see how far I have come. My first entry - I think I managed to walk for 10 min on the TM at 2.0 mph. Some days when I feel defeated, or I feel like a failure, I go back and look at that and remember how painful that 10 min walk was - and now I am running half marathons and it forces me to see the bigger picture (something that is easy to lose sight of). 

I'm currently in a serious funk and struggling and so the other day, I went back and re-read all of my blogs over the last couple years and saw a pattern - there are hard days/weeks but i push through, it gets easier, i celebrate, i keep going and round and round it goes. The one thing I know - even when it gets rough, I know it will always get easier. 

Build a great support network that will help pick you up when you fall, celebrate your victories with you, and encourage you. Learning to actually celebrate victories was something I had to work at - initially, because of the shame and negativity, Id brush off those NSVs and SVs as no big deal - even when I lost 100 lbs - it was like...soooo what' the big deal? But, now, I'll celebrate each pound I can lose. 

You can do this. This is a great forum - post often for support and i'm wishing the best for you!

I really appreciate you sharing your insights and experience with me. You have accomplished so much - I'm so inspired. I know you've had to work really hard for where you have gotten. Congratulations on your success so far. I hope you'll keep persevering and drawing strength from what you've already achieved. Keep pressing on and I know you'll get through this funk. hugs, Kim

I changed one thing at a time and slowly and after awhile it just seemed normal.  I do get discouraged but I come here for help.  That's where support comes in.  These ladies on this board are always here when I need a pick up .  I also feel like if I never give up I can never lose...because the battle isn't over until I give up.  So I try to just keep going.  Right now I am feeling very discouraged because I haven't lost anything since the 18th...still I'll never get where I want to be if I give up.  Just gotta keep going...lol and when I'm feeling sorry for myself..like today...I come here and act like a cry baby..haha. 

That's such a great attitude ... that we can never lose as long as we don't give up! Thanks for sharing that. You hang in there too ... you've come so far. No doubt you'll get where you want to be. hugs, Kim

This board is the big loser board. We all started out weighing more than most line backers.  I accepted my weight and decided to make it change. Obviously you did too or you wouldn't be here. My starting weight was 452 lbs. Just to get to my goal weight I had to lose 272 lbs.I'm pretty sure that's more than the average football player. That's not even a normal BMI. I will still be technically over weight at 180 lbs which is my goal. But I'm ok with that. It's a series of baby steps. And sure there are days where I've said "ok I'm ready to be skinny now!"

Especially after I've worked out and feel exhausted or I'm tired of eating healthy and want to eat a bowl of ice cream. Or when I see others on the other boards have met their goals after only 6 months and here I am a little over 6 months and I'm not even halfway to my goal. It's very frustrating.

So I mark every victory. Everytime a pair of pants sags off my butt I celebrate it. Sitting in a chair I couldn't sit in before. Walking further than the day before. Doing more stairs. Keeping up with my dog. Shopping for a new bra. Finding out that weird feeling in my pants are my underwear that fell off and slipped off my butt while walking around.

I've lost 124 lbs and while that is a huge amount that still leaves me 148 lbs more to lose. A whole person! I've already lost one person's worth of weight and now I have to lose another whole person! Insane isn't it. People I tell how much I've lost look at me and sometimes ask me how much I weighed before because I am a big person still. I used to not tell them. But the fact is that if I admit it to them and to myself that yes I weighed THAT MUCH, then I'm less likely to slide back up the scale. Because I don't want to be that huge person. And when I eventually get to tell people that I lost 272 lbs that will just be one more marker to keep my butt on track.

I log my exercise and food not so much to lose weight but to make sure I form healthy habits. So when I do lose those 2 people worth of weight and I am on track those habits will be ingrained and I will be able to stay the course much more easily.  Sometimes I have my boo moments where it looks impossible or I see 124 lbs gone but I'm all "I'm still fat" and I'm not celebrating the moment. But then Alison or Sherrie or Sharon all come and kick my butt and tell me to get up and be happy because I've done a great job even if I don't see it.

So here we are, the big fat linebacker community and we will cheer you on for every ounce lost and kick your butt when you need it so you don't get discouraged. And if you slip and fall we will help you up but also tell you to get your head on straight. . It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. But to be honest while some of the lightweights over there on the other boards have all met their goals quickly, I think those of us who have to work longer and harder for it are less likely to regain because we have longer to build our healthy habits into a good and healthy lifestyle.

I love it - the big line backer community :)

Thanks for the chuckle - I'm going to go face the world as a tough ass line backer today - people better watch out :)

I can really relate to everything you wrote. It has been easy for me to get discouraged when I look at how stinkin' much I have to lose. But I will start celebrating every little victory, as you suggest. I am proud of you losing 124 pounds! That's super inspiring to me. I will do everything in my power to keep to me plan and hopefully be as successful as you. Thanks for the great reminder that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Take care and thanks again for your encouraging words. hugs, Kim

Cat,

U are doing amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love reading your posts, Hugs, Sharon

Baby steps!! I wore a ring as an anchor when I was in my losing phase. It said "The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single stop". I love that quote. When things were tough I would twist the ring on my finger and feel better.

You can do this!!

Edited to add: I still wear the ring on occasion to remind me how far I have come, I just don't wear it everyday anymore.