HELP! Tips for weight loss motivation

jessicalumbard · December 2009

Hey ladies -

this time last year I was at my goal weight...too bad my FI and I moved in together last January and I have gained too much weight (I still don't believe my scale!) back...I own an elliptical and have been using it every day for the past week...I feel like I'll be able to keep that up, but my problem is the snacking and unhealthy eating (why does the food that is the worst for you taste the best?)...my FI is trying to be supportive but he is such a snacker and it's hard for him not to! I have time to lose weight before the wedding...I just need some tips...what do you do to stop yourself from snacking...eating those bad foods (pizza, icecream, chocolate...)? I have tried writing everything down, staring at my ring (lol), having pictures of me at my goal weight, having pics of dresses I like (I am NOT going shopping til I'm back at my goal)...nothing works for more than, like, a week!! HELP!

sgylling · December 2009

I would say, don't buy the stuff that is bad for you, if you don't have it in the house, you can't eat it! If your FI is supportive, hopefully he will agree to go without it:) Good Luck!

jessicalumbard · December 2009

Good tip! We've definitely been trying to do that...but it gets hard because we have a McDonalds and a Pizza Hut RIGHT NEXT DOOR to our apt (in a college town) and so temptation is OH SO CLOSE! But we definitely do eat it less when it's not in the house! =]

sgylling · December 2009

Haha yeah that would make it hard! Good Luck I am sure you will do it:)

jessicalumbard · December 2009

Thanks! =]

jessNlane52804 · December 2009

I hear ya! I grew up in the south, so fried food is just kind of natural for me. Everything else tastes like a substitute LOL!

Ordering my wedding dress was a huge motivation for me to not gain weight. I agree that keeping healthy snacks around will help. Today I found some Slim Fast snack bars that taste like butterfinger, so some things like that could be a good replacement for unhealthy foods. Also, I highly recommend HungryGirl, a daily email with tons of recipe ideas and food swaps for healthy eating. Good Luck!

duckie1905 · December 2009

I went on WW before the wedding (and again after the honeymoon) and it was a really great motivator. I did the online only (so no meetings) and while the weight loss wasn't particulary easy (is it ever) it was steady and consistent. You count the points and you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your daily and weekly point allowances. It teachs you portion control and good food decision-making.

Also, try Hungry Girl. I love her site and cookbooks and she comes up with great low-cal and low-fat subsitutions for everyday foods that are pretty excellent.

rajkumari · December 2009

healthy snacks for snacking... the healthy word for snacking is grazing and you can have plenty of fresh grapes, carrots, whole wheat crackers and so on, available for you throughout the day. read about grazing. i do it and my wieght has never gone up really.

jessicalumbard · December 2009

Thanks girls! I will definitely have to look into Hungry Girl!! Thanks for all the support =]

sarah523 · December 2009

Jessica, I'm in the SAME boat. I did WW from August to October and lost 15 pounds (with less than 10 pounds to go until reaching my goal weight) and then totally fell off the wagon. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I gained back 10 of the 15 pounds I'd lost. AND I'm getting ready to buy my dress soon. Ugh.

The thing that helped me the most before (and that I'm now going back to) is planning ahead. I hate meal planning, but when left to my own devices, I always make the unhealthy choice. So I've dug my WW recipes back out, set a little schedule of what I'll be making the next 2 weeks or so, and I'm going to the store tonight to stock up on healthy ingredients to make them. I'll also grab a bunch of Lean Cuisines so that when I'm running short on time and energy, I'll have a quick lo-cal meal to reach for, rather than hitting a drive thru or calling for take-out.

In terms of working out, I do the visualization thing too. I've got my pair of skinny jeans that I'll fit into when I lose all my weight, and I put them next to the elliptical when I work out. It sounds a little weird, but just seeing those jeans gives me the motivation to go an extra 10 or 15 minutes or to kick up the intensity mid-workout.

I'm not a huge snacker, so I'm not much help there, but I do find that the Trader Joe's light string cheese (or any light string cheese, but I like TJ's the best) helps feed my need for something rich and salty, but it's only 1 WW point.

Good luck!

coreysmomma · December 2009

I have been on WW since August and I have lost 14 lbs and only have about 3 more to go. I gained a 1 lb over the holiday, but now I am back in WW gear. It is a great diet - I did go to a location to weigh in only and that motivated me every week. I LOVE WW. I should do a commercial. I went down a size in pants and that had not happened in a LONG time (like 8 years).

Good Luck!

Danielle

jessicalumbard · December 2009

Sarah - GREAT idea about planning meals ahead of time! I am going to have to start doing that!!

Danielle - thanks, I hear alot of great things about WW! I just don't know if I wanna spend the $$!!

jbll326 · December 2009

I'm in a very similar boat. I wasn't motivated until I got to the 3 month countdown.

I've started the South Beach Diet, which is not like other fad diets IMO because it's just a plan for healthy balanced eating. I think it could help you too! I love to snack and I LOVE starchy carbs (breads, pastas, sweets). The first 2 weeks of SBD you totally eliminate all bad carbs, which reduces your cravings for them in the long run. Once the sugars from bad carbs are out of your system, your body doesn't tell you it wants them and you feel more full. You eat a lot of fiber and good proteins. Honestly, I don't even feel like I"m dieting becuase you dont' count carbs or portion sizes and you eat all day and there are some amazing recipes. You even get dessert 2x a day! I've already lost 3 pounds in the first 3 days! GL!

jessicalumbard · December 2009

jbll - that's a really good tip! I'll have to look into it - thanks!

lmb5109 · December 2009

Like pp said, I stopped buying all the junk food the hubs kept in his house before I moved in. I was eating healthy before I moved in and I tried like hell to keep eating healthy after I moved in.

I bought a clearence dress 9 months before the wedding that was a size smaller then the store said I woudl usually order (I don't recommend this as a weight lose solution!). The dress had a corset back, but I knew the more weight I lost, the better the dress would look. I lost about 12lbs before the wedding. I started eating up to 6 times a day, smaller meals: Small bowl of oatmeal. Greek yogurt, fruit, and almonds. Lean Cuisine meal. String cheese, a banana & some peanut butter. Small dinner. Sugar free pudding or 1 scoop of frozen yogurt. I felt like I was always eating and I wasn't always hungry, so I would skip a snack or 2. I also drank 32oz of green tea and 32oz of plain water everyday. Pee'd like a race horse but it made me full.

We bought a crap ton of groceries and I was so mad each week that we spent that much, but we never went out to eat. We'd think about it but then he or I would remember all the $ we spent at the grocery store and go home and eat.

jessicalumbard · December 2009

lmb - what you did definitely sounds like something I can do!! I've been trying to drink a lot more water and already can tell that it makes me feel more full, which is great! I think having all those small meals is a great idea - thanks!!!

thealphabride · December 2009

Hi Jessica,
I have been doing WW for about 7months. I've lost 20lbs. with about 12 to go and have Maintained through the holidays. I planned it, maintenance through the holidays.
Believe me I ate everything, just had to exercise a lot and control portions.
My advice would be this:
Even though WW is pricey, it is scientifically proven that you lose more weight while tracking food and attending meetings.
You can track food at sparkpeople.com and stay motivated with weigh in's with the folks on our very own KNOT site, GETTING IN SHAPE, great group of ladies there.

You could consider WW on line, which is less $.

But you asked a very interesting question. How do we stay away from the bad foods? Wow, it really all comes down to that doesn't it? I have a real problem with food. Portion control is huge for me. Buffets, pizza, fast food, sweets I love it all, and lots of it.

For me it was a matter of how much I wanted to lose weight.
If you really want it, you'll just do it. It's so hard, I know! IT IS WORK AND EFFORT. No great life benefit comes without work and effort.

I stayed away from eating out as much as possible. I control every morsel of food I eat by purchasing it and preparing it.
I control every eating situation I am in and I avoided eating events at all costs in the beginning. I cleaned out my house of everything bad, and FI is on board. I measure everything. I plan. I count points. I attend meetings and educate myself, I read books to stay motivated. I work out 2-3X a week, HARD. I keep it as simple as possible with everything. I read websites, I was actiive on Getting in Shape but the job gets in the way of my knotting. Little by little the weight comes off, I must say I've fought for every pound. And did I say it's hard? Yea it's easier to just go down to McD's to get bite. That's when you have to ask yourself 'How bad do I want this'?
It does get easier as you gain energy from eating clean, and the portions become natural. It's consistency over time that matters. You lose the cravings for the bad stuff once you stop eating it. I think if you really want it, you have to decide that you will do everything to propel yourself towards success, take those steps and "just do it". Once I started counting points the weight started coming off.
On WW you can pretty much eat anything in strict moderation.
Best of luck to you Jess.

jessicalumbard · December 2009

alphabride - wow thanks for all the tips, advice and support!

First off, congrats to you on the weight loss!! The past 3 days, I have started tracking my food at myfitnesspal.com and just seeing it online is already helping...I don't want to have to type in that I ate a gingerbread cookie!

...and I really am loving this board...so much support, you ladies are great.

You're SO right that it all comes down to how much I want it - and thankfully, I REALLY want it right now. I feel confident that I should be able to start eating better, because I'd rather be healthy. Just 3 days of cutting back on bad food and I'm already (slowly...) losing the cravings...so I hope I can continue! I've asked my FI to say to me, "Do you REALLLLLLLLLLLLY want that?" when I do want something unhealthy, and I think that will help too.

Thanks again for all the tips and support!!

Good luck on your continued weight loss!!

HELP! Tips for weight loss motivation

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