Half way to goal

I'm wondering if motivation wains just before the 6 month post op mark. I have only lost 54 pounds although my surgeon is good with that since I "only" needed to lose a little over 100 pounds. I find myself making excuses for not working out and "cheating" here and there. I feel amazing and get daily compliments so I wonder if I am waning in my motivation. Seems like the old lifestyle could creep back in although I don't expect to ever be there 100%. I am just frustrated that I can't seem to be as good as I was right after surgery. I find less time to exercise now too. I don't need lecturing please, just ideas to get motivated 100% before my honeymoon periods ends. 

 My surgeon has a term for what is happening to you.  It is simply boredom.  The easiest weight loss portion of your honeymoon is the first six months.  It gets harder every month to lose weight.  That remaining 50 or so pounds is going to be a lot harder to accomplish.

If you really want to get to your goal and stay there you need to plan to lose all of the excess weight plus an additional ten, twenty or even thirty pounds while in the honeymoon period.  That will give you a cushion for bounceback weight.   For me, I find it harder every year to fight regain.  

You need to find ways to stay engaged in the process.  For me, daily weighing keeps me aware.  I use a fitness tracker.  I look for new recipes and new ways to make staying at my goal weight enjoyable. It is a journey that you will be on for the rest of your life.  The old ways will always be there looking for an opportunity to sneak back in.

Losing 50% by the six month mark seems to be the average, so don't be too hard on yourself. Buckle down to lose the rest. Shoot for 90% compliance. The "all or nothing" mentality seems to be the most destructive for us. If you slip, shake it off and get back on track. You can do this!!

I am at the 4-month mark.  I would not say my overall motivation is waning, but I really do get what you are saying.  I have been thinking about this lately too, and having some struggles with old cravings/habits that I was so sure I would be so much stronger against.  So I do think the old lifestyle could creep back in really easily. 

For me, I am halfway to goal, and I weigh less than I have weighed in 20 years!  This means I am starting to feel and look better, and that is rewarding.  Before WLS, I would have been soooooo pleased just to get to this weight.  However, I know that I must lose more, for my health, and for my commitment to myself, to honor the changes I have made to my body. 

One thing:  I appreciate the WLS for really exposing the problems with my old lifestyle--I am much more aware now of what my problem behaviors and triggers were/are.  And I think I will learn even more about them in the next few months.  I am trying to think of this "mid-stage" as a normal stage of the WLS post-op process:  the stage where I gain more awareness and learn to manage these issues so I can manage them in my future successfully.  Looking at it that way makes me feel this stage is a stage of possibility, and that if I use it for my good, then I am on my way to success. 

At 9 months out I am definitely eating more of a variety of foods than I was at 6 months or less. There is a danger in that of course, and it is trying to find the balance. I do think it is important to try new things food wise and activity wise. I found an exercise I like doing at home - rebounder trampoline - so having it at home helps me to be more consistent. I do go to Zumba classes walking,  and other things sometimes... but I want to know there is a no-excuse routine waiting for me at home.

 I also weigh myself everyday and record it once a week. For me I think that helps me stay focused.