Where Do I Sign Up?-Need to Lose 20 pounds!

[amyhughes]

Well I just got in from the Doctor's office for a Well Check. I am now 161 pounds. Yeah, that's heavy for me. I want to be more in the 140-145 range. Only bad part here is that I need some help with motivation. I know what to eat, and how to exercise, but when it comes right down to it, I sit on the couch and veg. Not good.

Anyone want to jump in here and point me to the right post or just jump in to work out with me. My goal is 20 pounds in 3 months. Is this even reasonable?

 

[C_leen]

Hello Amy,

All of us at times suffer from motivation issues, so first off, you aren't alone!

1. Make a promise to check in at dis and blog your daily efforts - exercise, diet, what worked, & what didn't. I think a lot of us have found the WISH board to be a touchstone of motivation.

2. There are going to be days when you are not motivated. Those are the days that you promise yourself you'll walk or hit the gym for 10 minutes. After that 10 minutes, 90% of the time, you'll just go ahead an finish the work out your started. This is PERSEVERANCE.

3. Spend some time determining what changes happened in your life to get you to your current weight. Medications, stress, lack of time for yourself in your schedule, eating out too much? Try to come up with several ways to intervene to get yourself back on track beyond your 3 month weight reduction goal.

4. Stick some photos of yourself or some magazine photos on your fridge on how you want to look. When you open the fridge to just stare mindlessly inside, stare at the photos instead...

As for 20 pounds in 3 months, it really depends on how many calories you can healthfully cut from your diet and how many you are willing to burn off in exercise. Most of us can't maintain a 2 pound weight loss every week. You are going to hit weeks of only 1 or 1.5 pounds - or those ^%$&(%&^^$^ plateaus. Personally, I think 15 in 3 months might be a bit more achievable with less disappointment when you do lose weight.

It took some time to get to your current weight, and unfortunately it takes some time to get it off!

Wish you a magic wand!

C'leen

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

You can do it! Set realistic goals. With 20 pounds to lose, I'd say it could be done, but realistically it might be a pound a week as more achievable.

As Colleen has said you want to set yourself up for success.

Do your best to make this a lifesyle change and you will be most successful.

Set yourself up on a schedule and just get it done. Just as you have to go for your appointments, make an appointment for you to do what you must.

Also, it really does help in the motivation department if you can join in and encourage others as you are looking for encouragement. It is not always easy to remain motivated, but helping others sure helps to keep it going.

 

[thumbalyna]

i am in the same boat i WANT to lose appx 25 lbs wanted to do it before my trip to WDW in september. i am currently 173 and seemed to be stuck here no matter what i do.

i try and walk for at least 30 minutes a day and ride the excerise bike for at least 5 minutes and nothing.

tried cutting calories and nothing happened so i decided to continue to drink my soda since cutting it out did nothing

i get so unmotivated when i weigh myself every sunday and nothing changes

should i just accept the fact that this is my weight? it is so disturbing because i used to be super skinny, i am 5'7 and for most of my life i was never over 120 lbs. i have had all the medical work ups done and there is nothing medical about it.

does anyone know if lack of sleep could be a cause

thanks guys i know you will be helpful

 

[wezee]

I would really encourage OP to join one of the weight challenges on the Dis. They have really helped me stay honest with diet and set weekly and monthly goals. Not to mention...... I have gotten so many great diet and exercise tips.....and loads of motivation and support.
I lost most of my weight(50lbs) several years ago with weight watchers.......but recently with the help of the Dis.......I have lost 12 lbs. since May of this year! These people are awesome....let them help you succeed!!

 

[Kim2430]

Good Luck!

I've been trying to lose weight for awhile but give up a lot. We've now got a Disney trip planned for September so that really motivates!!

I weigh 175 right now and would love to be about 160 when we go, I know that's doable but I really need to step it up do be able to do it.

Good Luck to us both!!

 

[amyhughes]

WEll so far so good! Thank you all for responding! I have dropped ALL cokes from my diet, no soft drinks AT ALL here. I am up to 6-8 glasses of water a day and am amazed at how much better I feel overall. Who knew the reason I felt tired was b/c of the very things I took to keep me awake.

I strengthtrain every other day with a set of 10 pound dumb bells and do crunches, plies, and lunges as well. And I am walking 1-2 miles every other day. I have decided to take the kids along with me as I am trying to get their endurance up for Disney in late September. I figure we will still need the stroller for Epcot and Animal Kingdom, but the smaller parks where the attractions aren't so spread out they can hike it! Well at least here's hoping!

I am also eating every two hours up until 8 at night. It isn't much between meals, an apple, a 1/4 cup of Sunflower Seeds, a banana, or some carrots. But I am watching and screening my caloric, fat, carbs and protein intake via Sparkpeople (an online food journal).

I am also drinking a soy protein shake twice a day, breakfast and dinner.

So some big changes in our house! Thank you all once again and I'll be checking in again soon!

 

[HockeyKat]

Amy, that sounds like a GREAT plan!! I love sparkpeople. It's really great to track, it helps you maximize your good foods and minimize your bad. Plus it makes picking up the brownie less likely when you know you will have to write it down later!!