I need to lose 100 pounds, how do I find the commitment and motivation?

Question

I know how to do it but I just haven't found the will or commitment or motivation that is strong enough to stick with it or follow through. You'd think that looking at my fat body and feeling all the negative effects would do it but I like to eat and find it too hard or incovienent to do what is necessary. I am looking for some inspiration that can help just shy of actually having that heart attack!

Answer 1

First -- you CAN do it. My wife is down 102 pounds, as of this morning. She's got a bit more to lose, but breaking that magic 100-pound mark was a real milestone. So it is POSSIBLE, and you have to tell yourself every day that it is POSSIBLE for you to lose 100 pounds.

Second -- you need to set yourself up to succeed. To begin with, it is most likely going to take you YEARS to do this -- even if you lose 2 lb/week that's almost a year, and you most likely won't be able to keep up a 2 lb/week loss rate consistently. On the plus side, at the end of a year or two, the eating habits you've acquired will be more permanent. That's why diets always fail -- when you go on a diet, you are consciously adopting something out of the ordinary and when it's over you go back to the ordinary and amazingly, your weight goes right back up. So set this up as the way you live now, not as some abnormal thing you're doing on a temporary basis.

Third -- Exercise is important, but you can't lose 100 pounds by working out harder. When I finish my 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, it tells me I've burned 240 calories. That's one freaking Snickers bar. There are 4086 calories in a pound of fat. This means that I'd have to work out for 8 and a half HOURS on the elliptical machine to burn a pound of fat. On the plus side, I wouldn't have time to eat. :-) But for all the many benefits of working out, the place you lose weight is at the table, not at the gym.

Fourth -- Portion control is KING. My wife has to monitor her food intake and blood sugar because of diabetes (which she developed after years of being overweight), but in practice she can eat almost anything, as long as it's in modest portions. And for us at least, it's a LOT easier to exercise portion control at the stove than at the table. If I make up a giant bowl of spaghetti, for instance, it's too easy to ladle some more on my plate if it's sitting in front of me. But if I make a SMALL bowl of spaghetti and it's gone after everyone has had one serving, there ISN'T any more for me to eat. And it's a lot easier for me to do this when I'm cooking -- to put in only so much, to make only moderate portions -- than when I'm sitting at the table enjoying dinner.

Fifth -- be aware of how you use food to de-stress. That's the killer (almost literally) for us: when we've both been running around at work, pressed for a deadline or just tired out, we tell ourselves we don't have the energy to do much in the kitchen. So we either go out for fast food (the WORST), or we fall back on the stuff we can cook without thinking -- comfort food, and lots of it. So determine what and how much you CAN eat, and buy what you need to support that.

Sixth -- It's all about structuring your life around your goals. (For us, an ounce of structure is worth a pound of motivation.) This means that when you are feeling good and have energy, make plans to cover for yourself when you're feeling low and need to de-stress. Make your menu plans when you're feeling up, but plan for what to do when you're down. Shop to those menu plans when you're on task, but buy portions that you can cook when you don't have the energy or focus. Then, when it finally comes time to execute on these plans, you won't have to think, or decide, or judge in a moment of stressed-out weakness -- it's just what is there.

Seventh -- it's a marathon, not a sprint. If you monitor your weight daily, you will see that it fluctuates. You're down a pound on Tuesday, then you're up half on Wednesday, then your down two on Thursday, then you're up one on Friday. This is a natural part of the process, and being up a pound does NOT mean that you've failed and you mnight as well eat a large pizza and a hot fudge sundae and a bag of doughnuts. What it means is that you're up a pound. That's IT. You have to live by the numbers, but you also have to make the numbers meaningless.

Eighth -- you know what they always say about drinking lots of water? Well, it's the truth. It turns out that most of the by-products of fat burning are excreted in the urine, NOT as solid waste. (Solid waste is mostly the leftovers of your food, plus the broken-down remains of used-up red blood cells.) Schedule regular water breaks into your day; the recommendation is 8 glasses (of 8 ounces each, for about two quarts of water) or approximately 2 liters of water a day. (I joke that the added benefit of drinking so much water is that it forces you to get more exercise while walking to and from the bathroom... but it's only half a joke.)

I was thinking about making this a Top Ten list, but instead, let's honor the Buddha and call it the Eightfold Path. And to borrow another teaching of the Buddha, this path is like a finger pointing to the moon -- if you focus only on the finger, you miss the moon. Reaching your goal of being 100 pounds lighter is the moon for you; these steps are the finger pointing the way.

Answer 2

"angelikness" has some excellent advice, and although I don't think it's "simple," it is a lot easier than people think. It requires hard work, to be sure, but even the smallest changes can have big effects. I too started a food journal right off the bat, and that helped me get off to a great start by learning what I was putting into my body and when--and why. I quickly replaced bad habits with good ones, and it made a big difference, even before I started working out. When I added that in, I lost 2lbs. a week steadily for 3 months before hitting my first plateau. That alone is a HUGE difference!

I am also on a quest to lose 100lbs (I've lost 65 so far), and my motivation came one morning when I looked at myself in the mirror and said "I will not look at myself and feel bad for one. more. single. day." And I went to the gym with an in-shape friend that afternoon. Getting started is the hardest part. I don't think there is an external source of motivation that really has a lasting impact. It has to come from your own determination and dedication. I think that finding a support system is an important first step, however. My brother has lost over 100lbs and looks/feels great, so he's been a big support for me, as has a friend who's lost a significant amount of weight. Try to meet people who will do different activities with you, encourage you, and understand the issues you'll have along the way (i.e. plateaus, changing eating habits, lack of motivation at times, feeling negative sometimes, etc.). Once you get started with a plan that works for you, you'll become addicted to feeling good and when you start to see the scale go down, you'll just want to keep going. Ultimately, you just have to decide that you're worth the effort and hard work.

Best of luck! I know it's a challenge.

Answer 3

Losing weight and getting active is one of the toughest things in the world to do! It's more a mental thing than anything. The first step is to get off the couch and exercise. Anything. Start slow and work your way up. Walk around the block, do a few sit ups or jumping jacks. Anything. Don't try to run a marathon the first week. You'll be back on the couch pretty quick! You'll find the better you feel the more you will want to do. I love to eat to but it's all about portion control. I still eat ALL the foods I love but in moderation. I was 50lbs overweight in January. I have since lost 28lbs and 23 inches! Feeling great! You can do it!! Set small goals for yourself that you KNOW you can reach! Good Luck!

Answer 4

Simple. I lost 100 lbs. and it was fairly simple. I tried several diet pills and diets that offered big promises that were unfullfilled. I finally went to a dr. specialist for advice and it changed my life forever. You begin a food journal. Write down everything that hits your lips. Count fat grams. Women stay within 20-30, men should stay within 30-40. Count the total fat grams on every box.This means you will have to measure out what you eat..but its not forever. Keep the journal at least 2 months. You should have a new eating pattern by then. Start exercising, this can include parking farther away from the grocery store. You learn to eat differenly..its about quality not quantity. I'm never hungry. Look for lower fat items. No cheese. Eat white meats, veggies, fruits, crystal light, water, just about any lunch meat, breads, pastas, etc. The beauty of it is that you can eat from all four food groups, eliminating cravings or binges. Like butter? You can have that too..just buy Promise Fat Free. You can still have dairy get low fat or fat free. You dont have to miss a thing. Want something sweet? Try fruit, a mini york peppermint patty, or a three muskateer bar (8 grams) occasionally. If you dont know what the fat is, dont eat it. They sell calorie/fat gram counter books at your local bookstore..or online. Several to choose from. They even list restaurants and fast food. After 2 months you will have changed the way you think about food and break your addiciton of it the healthy way. Its free, healthy, and works...what more could you ask for? As for the motivation...focus on how bad you want to lose weight. Exercise and focus on what motivates you. I used to work out and perservere...thinking that soon others would eat their words. And dont stop..dont give up. Just keep doing it. You will lose 2-3 lbs. a week. When you platue..simply exercise and extra 15 min. a day. Or drop your fat down 5 grams..or do both. Platue happens in all diets. You must remember that by doing these things you gain muscle, which in turn burns more fat, but it weighs more. So, even if you weigh in 5 lbs. lighter you prob. lost more like 10..you just gained muscle. And your burning more fat! Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 5

Maybe you just need a buddy... I think that is my problem. I too could stand to loose about 100 lbs. I can not find the motivation either and off course some skinny person who has never struggled with weight just telling you to get a personal trainer does not help. You would think with both of my parents having died before they were 50 would motivate me some but it doesn't and the sad thing is my mother was not over weight at all. I got a treadmill and a set a weights but you have to physically get up and use them for them to work....

PLEASE let me know if you come up with anything that helps.

Answer 6

Most people aren't just blessed with natural motivation. What you need to do is stop thinking and just start doing. The next time you have some time to exercise just go out and start walking, don't even think twice about it. Pretty soon you'll start gaining more energy and you'll want to exercise more. But the only way to gain that energy is to make yourself do it before it gets easier. Another motivator is watching sports or what I like is extreme fighting, something that gets you pumped up. Fast music is good too. Just picture yourself being a champ.

Answer 7

I talk to a lot of people online that absolutely -hate- fat people and I use -their- hate of my body to help me lose weight. There was this one girl that had this like, three page rant about how disgusting "fatties" looked when they ate. I couldn't bring myself to open the fridge for almost a week.

I -am- losing a good deal of weight though. I might be developing self-esteem issues but I already had those so it's all good.

Answer 8

You need a peer that will motivate you and help you stick to it. Hating your fat isn't enough believe me I know I have 4 children and its very hard to get and stay motivated. Its o.k. to like to eat I Love to eat but remember when you sit to eat it most likely won't be the last you will eat so eat in moderation and healthy.

Answer 9

Seek out a Personal Trainer

Answer 10

Get a personal trainer and do this, it always helps me:
everytime you are about to eat a food that you know won't help you...stop. Picture yourself with the perfect body. Knowing that eating crap will only take you further from that will stop you from eating it. Do the same with exercise; when you feel like you can't go on, picture that body and push yourself, striving to achieve it.

Answer 11

Homeopathic Treatment for Excessive Fat and Weight :-
PHYTOLACCA BERRY's Mother Tincture is perhaps the safest and sure fire way of loosing excessive fat around abdomen. With Phytolacca Berry once you loose the excessive fat and weight you don't get it back because you body takes care of itself after that and keeps you from gathering up excessive fat. It is prescribed after having a baby too, to get the tummy to loose its flab and to make it flatter and tighter. And after loosing weight with this you don't get flabby it tightens up the flab and skin along with helping your body to shed the excessive accumulation of fat around the girth
The dosage is 15 to 20 drops of the tincture in half a cup of hot water thrice a day half hour before or after meals.
Avoid Chocolates, Coffee, Mints, Red Meat and Carbonated and Alcoholic drinks while taking Homeopathic Medicines. You have to take it for at least 30 to 45 days after that you start to feel the results.
To the best of my knowledge its the safest and the most sure fire way of loosing fat and weight and keeping it of for keeps. Excellent remedy for Obese people who cant seem to shed weight despite trying.
Homeopathic Remedies can be found at all Major Herbal Stores or could be bought on line, In most of the world Homeopathic remedies are quite cheap and easy to find and they do not need a prescription.
Take care and God Bless !