Long Road

[MicheleK]

I was just sitting here thinking what a long road I have ahead of me. It's a little depressing....

Then I started looking at some of you guy's sucess stories. It's really help me today (it's been very hard sticking to LC today). I just got back to LC last week...I didn't have any issues until today.

What do you guys do to work through hard times? When the cravings are just taking over..and all you can think about is FOOD?

[Brennabug]

Michele... i have these written on a big poster hanging on my wall in bold loud letters (KITCHEN WALL AND BATHROOM MIRROR WALL)

More powerful than the will to win, is the courage to BEGIN


A man can do all things if he wills them.


A will finds a WAY

Self-determination is fine but it needs to be tempered with SELFCONTROL

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

TO BE successful, you must decide EXACTLY what you want, what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to GET IT.

Control your destiny, or someone else will!

Great things are done when men and mountains meet!

The most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul on FIRE!

DONT MAKE EXCUSES, MAKE GOOD!

There are 40 million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.


I know there are a few more.. i have them only half memorized though..
in essense.

YOU DECIDE!

good luck and you CAN do this :)


Bren

[Brennabug]

and yes i used to be in the TDC club, but hmm guess i am not anymore.. i dont know if there are social rules aobut that or not. but it feels good to know that whatever i have had to do, at least i no longer have to wipe more than 100 lbs away anymore. Its am immense relief and a REAL motivator

[Judynyc]

and yes i used to be in the TDC club, but hmm guess i am not anymore.. i dont know if there are social rules about that or not. but it feels good to know that whatever i have had to do, at least i no longer have to wipe more than 100 lbs away anymore. Its am immense relief and a REAL motivator


The way I understand it is this...eventhough we are no longer needing to lose 100 lbs, we are still among those who had to do it. I will always post to the TDC and I'm sure that I will not be asked to stop. ;)

As for Michelle.....I played little games with myself to keep myself engaged in my process. I made new tickers each time I lost 1 lb.....I like to enter my numbers into my plan to see my graph go down.

But when my mind started thinking about foods that I no longer would/could eat, I would force myself to think about all the foods that I could have....I printed out the SBD food lists and carried it with me until I knew it by heart. I ended up calling this process "managing my internal dialog" I've gotten fairly efficient with this and it has enabled me to keep focused to get to my goal.

Another thing that I did was not allow myself to focus on the whole 114 lbs that I needed to lose...Instead I would focus on the next 10 lbs only....that did make it much more bearable.

Hope this helps!!! :D

[Bat Spit]

That's easy. I don't think about the long haul.

I mean really, I have to LOSE more that most people's starting weight. That's too big. So I think in small milestones.

That, and I've made my current eating lose enough that I can do it forever, so getting to goal won't change anything.

[joesfolks]

Yes, you (and I) have a long road ahead of you. But look at it this way, you have to travel that road whether you lose weight or not. Won't it be much nicer to get down that road and be thinner, than to get down that road and find that you still have to lose a bunch of weight? You might as well get used to cooking the right way,and eating the right way now so that you can enjoy the years you have to come. After all this is a way of life, not a diet, right? Well, that's my opinion anyway. Wishing you all the best.

[Meggen]

Personally, when I can think of nothing BUT food, I log into these boards and look for encouragement and inspiration. I also look on top of my PC where my very first MINI goal reward is sitting, to remind me I can do this. For me breaking it down into MINI goals is helping a lot with not being quite so overwhelmed in needing to lose so much. Just make the commitment to yourself to do this for you, and you will succeed.

[j13]

To be honest with you - and this is morbid, but it's the truth - death and medical complications were and are a huge motivator for me. I am terrified of them, and since I felt SO bad leading up to my starting this, I am terrified of going back to that. Every once in a while I'd google "diabetes" and do some reading, and it would help me keep on track. Or I'd think of the reasons that I don't want to die young, and that would motivate me.

It's only since losing some weight that my motivators have become more positive. And those motivators are how much better I feel now, and how I want to keep feeling better. Also, how good it feels to be able to participate in society in a more normal way, from social interactions with people where I'm now reacted to totally differently (in a much, much better way) to being able to go places I couldn't before due to my size to being able to do things I couldn't do before because of my lack of conditioning to being able to buy clothes like a normal person (the other day I bought something at a mall (not a big and tall shop) for the first time since I think I was 12). I REALLY, REALLY don't want to give any of that up.

-j.

[quibbers]

Hang in there! Good to see you on your journey and working at it. you can do this :) Keep checking in and don't give up Michele.

Quibs

[SunnyCarol]

and yes i used to be in the TDC club, but hmm guess i am not anymore.. i dont know if there are social rules aobut that or not. but it feels good to know that whatever i have had to do, at least i no longer have to wipe more than 100 lbs away anymore. Its am immense relief and a REAL motivatorI have wondered about this, too, because I didn't find this forum until I had lost a lot of my weight. I don't post here much, because it seems a little like not coming here until I had mastered the lifestyle. I do try to post to give other people encouragement. I had major obstacles to overcome and most of those situations don't apply to the majority of people. I do like coming here and I check it out every day, even if I don't post.

Sunny!

[SunnyCarol]

I was just sitting here thinking what a long road I have ahead of me. It's a little depressing....

Then I started looking at some of you guy's sucess stories. It's really help me today (it's been very hard sticking to LC today). I just got back to LC last week...I didn't have any issues until today.

What do you guys do to work through hard times? When the cravings are just taking over..and all you can think about is FOOD?The most important thing is to stop thinking what a long road the journey is. Set up mini-goals and don't think about anything else until you achieve that goal and then move on to the next mini-goal. Make sure they are achievable, but do actually challenge you.

I have a written goal contract with myself that I read and sign every day. I had to change my thinking to get off 105 pounds. The goal contract had almost nothing to do with actual pounds lost--just the things I would have to change to make it happen. I change it often to reflect where I am in the journey.

When the cravings are really calling your name--change what you're doing. Find something to do to take your mind off food. Eat something on your plan. Don't let yourself get really hungry. Drink water--you might be thirsty, not hungry. Exercise! Anything! I am never very hungry after I do some form of exercise.

Do visualizations of you at a healthy weight and how good you will feel. I keep pictures of me at my best weight since adulthood where I can see them and hide my 'before' pictures. I need to reinforce in my mind how I really look without that awful layer of fat covering up the real me. Your mind/body will try it's best to look like you visualize yourself.

Believe you can do it and you will do it!

You've had some really good answers in this thread. Thank you for starting it.

Sunny!

[Mousesmom]

I have wondered about this, too, because I didn't find this forum until I had lost a lot of my weight. I don't post here much, because it seems a little like not coming here until I had mastered the lifestyle. I do try to post to give other people encouragement. I had major obstacles to overcome and most of those situations don't apply to the majority of people. I do like coming here and I check it out every day, even if I don't post.

Sunny!

I have a similar situation to Sunny's. I lost the majority of my wt. long before I started LC. I still come to the TDC because I think I have something to offer because I remember when I DID have 100# to lose. I know how it felt to be that heavy and I think I can offer encouragement to those who are just starting their journey as well as those who are well on their way.

Best wishes to all, regardless of where you are in your journey!

Julie

[DrH]

I hope you do not mind me jumping in here as I am not part of the TDC. However, I just want to say that I felt the same way as you not too long ago (I started June 4th). For me, and this may not work everyone, I look at the small picture in lieu of the big picture as it was so overwhelming to think about having to lose nearly 60 pounds. I just reached another 10 pound milestone and I cannot tell you how wonderful and inspirational it is..... Best of luck to you and treasure the small victories.... before you know it, they will be big victories. All the best - Jill



I was just sitting here thinking what a long road I have ahead of me. It's a little depressing....

Then I started looking at some of you guy's sucess stories. It's really help me today (it's been very hard sticking to LC today). I just got back to LC last week...I didn't have any issues until today.

What do you guys do to work through hard times? When the cravings are just taking over..and all you can think about is FOOD?

[LiveWell]

The way I understand it is this...eventhough we are no longer needing to lose 100 lbs, we are still among those who had to do it. I will always post to the TDC and I'm sure that I will not be asked to stop. ;)



This is the way its supposed to be...by my understanding also. From the heated threads that I have read anyway :) Its a place where we can come and post and read people that have had or are having the same experiences. I have 185lbs to lose. Thats quite a bit more than 60-70lbs and comes with many more differences. My all time favorite quote that Ive seen on this forum was from one of those heated threads.

Nobody is hating anybody else, it is just that unless you are a TDCer (edit: or have been a TDCer), you can NEVER know what it is like to face some of the same issues we do. Can you wipe your butt comfortably? Well, some of us can't. We aren't being elitist we are just looking for a little understanding from people who can relate. You act like we are feeling superior to you--well, speaking for myself that is the last feeling that comes to mind when I compare myself to someone smaller.


Annnnyway, to acctually answer the question in the topic. I have started over and over and over trying to do this. I usually end up getting discouraged with the amount of weight I have to lose, or the time its taking, and gain it all back and a lil more each time. On the flip side I have watched many people on here tug along throughout the years and keep losing weight. No...its probably not linear loss...but its WAY better than I have done. Alot of them are at goals by now...or almost there. I remember that if I would have just stuck to it I would be like they are.

Its a lifelong WOL to eat this way, and it does take some preparation and some determination. Its much easier to just grab something bad to eat. Im just trying to keep it in my head that I can eat..and eat well acctually...and still lose weight. It will take alot of time, but I still have to eat everyday and I still want to live life better everyday. So I might as well eat better and lose weight than eat horrible and keep gaining weight and losing life.

Im taking the losses in small amounts....well..semi-small. Personal goals really. Marks that mean something to me and striving for that. I will get there eventually, I know its going to take alot of time and I hope this time Im really prepared for that.

[j13]

I have wondered about this, too, because I didn't find this forum until I had lost a lot of my weight. I don't post here much, because it seems a little like not coming here until I had mastered the lifestyle. I do try to post to give other people encouragement. I had major obstacles to overcome and most of those situations don't apply to the majority of people. I do like coming here and I check it out every day, even if I don't post.

Sunny!

I absolutely think that anyone who at one time had triple digits to lose should post here...we need people who have the blueprint for others to follow. It really helps a lot to have people who can give advice in addition to those who need it. I mean, I've got 225 lbs that I want to lose total...I got through the first 130 with the help of people who'd had success before, like Judy and Sunny, and I think that leaving this forum because I now have 95 lbs to lose instead of 225 would be kind of silly. This is for people who know what it's like to be in that place where the mountain in front of you can seem like too much to climb as well as for those who've climbed it and want to help those on their way.

Also, I totally agree with what the others have been saying with regards to setting small goals...this is huge. I set a LOT of goals, a lot of which overlap each other. Sometimes they're as small as 1 lb when I'm on a plateau, or as big as the ultimate goal I want to reach. I wanted to get to 330. Then I wanted to get to 315. Now I want to get to 300. But I have longer-goals that overlap those and that loom in the future - like 295, which will be 150 lbs lost, and 285, which is the point of morbid obesity for my height.

I also set goals that aren't scale-dependant. For example, for what I want to get done on a single day - today I wanted to take a walk *and* lift weights. That's my goal for the day. That has nothing to do with what the scale will read tomorrow. I try to get feedback from as many possible sources as possible - the scale, the tape measure, the body fat analyzer, the ketostix - and use each of them to get feedback as to my progress, so I don't get stuck on any small setback in any individual form of feedback. It's not about the results you get - you can't control what the scale reads, really. Anyone who's done it knows that it can be up or down on any given day for any of a number of reasons. All you can affect is your actions. It might be a short-term, 10 minute goal of not ordering something bad that I have an urge to order at a restaurant. But that's what it takes, so that's what I do.

-j.

[Brennabug]

I absolutely think that anyone who at one time had triple digits to lose should post here...we need people who have the blueprint for others to follow. It really helps a lot to have people who can give advice in addition to those who need it. I mean, I've got 225 lbs that I want to lose total...I got through the first 130 with the help of people who'd had success before, like Judy and Sunny, and I think that leaving this forum because I now have 95 lbs to lose instead of 225 would be kind of silly. This is for people who know what it's like to be in that place where the mountain in front of you can seem like too much to climb as well as for those who've climbed it and want to help those on their way.




i guess i didnt really look at it that way and just felt guilty about posting in TDC since i dont have triple digits to lose anymore. Also.. my advise would probably be too extreme for everyone. I am constantly being told that the way i am doing it is wrong. Its producing the results. The results are all i care about at this point and nothing anyone says to me about it will deter me. I have literally put myself in a bootcamp of sorts. I have givin myself and eating disorder (i think) and i DONT care. so... i dont know. Maybe i can "if you cant set a good example, at least be a horrible warning" i forget where i read that.. somewhere in here. Anyway... i dont want to be the bad guy. So.. i read TDC posts and i cry occassionally because i remember feelings those very same feelings.. heck i even feel them still sometimes. Its all a very painful experience both 100+ to lose and even now when it isnt 100+ anymore. I dont want anyone to feel this. If you only knew the things i have been doing to my body to get rid of the lbs....