Unrealistic Expectations.

[EmmaJH90]

When I started I was dying to get to the next milestone all the time. Hit half a stone after 3 weeks and I'm now on my 7th week. I wanted my stone by Valentine's day, but I had two weeks of only losing 0.5lbs per week, despite being on plan 100%. I'm now 11.5lbs down and I've realised that as long as I'm on plan 100% I have to be patient and know that the losses will follow, and also that any loss is the right direction to be moving in.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You've had the motivation to join SW in the first place which for me was half the battle. The losses will come and everyone's body behaves differently, but you WILL get there as long as you put your all into being 100% on plan as much as possible.

Good luck

 

[PuppetWitch]

I divided my journey into eight parts with the same number of lbs in each part. At the moment I'm just 2lb away from my first reward of a lovely new pair of purple Ugg slippers! My rewards get bigger as the journey progresses, which makes sense to me as I will have to work harder and for longer to achieve each one (also gives me time to save up, lol). When I get to goal this time I will be taking flying lessons, how exciting is that!

I just did this!! I made a chart on some car board and will work out some treats

 

[Curly.Locks]

Thank you everybody who replied. Your kind words have been inspiring and much appreciated. The motivation encouraged me to try to stick to plan for the remainder of the week, and fortunately, at weigh-in today, I only put on a pound. Hopefully, it will help me to get back on plan and carry on, but I really struggle with keeping motivated long-term. Usually, I can only manage a week or two and then I start struggling again. I've a lot of weight to lose and have been struggling with it for several years now, however, with my short-term bursts of motivation, I don't know how I'm going to manage to lose so much weight. I've only lost 5lbs in total since the beginning of February.

 

[swansong1a]

That measly little pound will be gone in no time, as long as you stick at it! Try not to think of how much you have to lose in total, that's what I have to do or it would just be way too daunting. I still think the rewards thing might work for you, maybe at each half stone? Then you'd have something to look forward to that may provide motivation to keep going on a daily basis. I'm thinking things you wouldn't buy yourself normally, maybe a new book or computer game or item of clothing. A day at a theme park? Hell, even hire a Lamborghini for a day! Whatever would work for you is worth considering.

Don't forget, you have LOST 5lb in February. If you hadn't been trying at all, you'd probably have GAINED 5lb which would have made you 10lb heavier than you are now. Ten Pounds of Fat! That's a big difference, isn't it? You can do this - have faith in yourself! You're winning!

 

[flashharry]

5lbs is 5lbs hun, definitely don't beat yourself up about it!

I started at 19stone so also a lot to lose. Thinking about all that was overwhelming, so I set myself mini goals. Never more than half a stone and often much less. At the moment it's just 2lbs. 2lbs will get me to another milestone: exactly halfway through my journey, and that's all I'm focusing on right now, whether it takes me 1 week or 4 weeks. I'll worry about the next bit after that.

Also, while we all want to get to goal quickly, there's actually no need to rush really. You've done 5lbs in February. If you set your goal at 5lbs every month, that's 3.5 stone by the end of the year!

I think we all put ourselves under too much pressure to lose it fast. I won't know my total for February until Monday, but at the moment it's "only" 6lbs. Slowly slowly catchy monkey...

 

[Pootle]

it has already been said, but 5lbs off is better than 5lbs on! I too begin to lose motivation after a few weeks and little cheats start to creep in. I paid the price last week though as I put on 1.75 lbs last week. being extra good this week as a little bit of naughtiness is so not worth putting weight in for. Keep going and you'll get there. So what if it is slow? You'll get there!

 

[Curly.Locks]

Thank you, folks! Feeling reenergised after reading your lovely, motivational messages!xxx

 

[Mamacandoit]

One thing that revolutionized my thinking is when I saw the weight graphs of people who had lots enormous amounts of weight and kept it off.
Those graphs weren't straight smooth lines but were slightly zigzaggy (usually not massive zigzags apart from the odd occasion) but the overall graph still headed down.
Seeing those graphs made me realize I can do this and that so long as that line goes down overall then it's all good.

No disrespect to those who have massive losses but i I sometimes wonder if this isn't the classic yo-yo syndrome. In other words, some people don't stick to plan properly for weeks and then they suddenly decide to pull their socks up and do it properly. So they end up with a massive loss that week but then they start to not do it properly so next weigh in isn't so spectacular. Then they go off plan for some weeks. Then they decide to get serious again. And the cycle continues.

Coming back to those graphs, of those who maintained long term I didn't see ANY with massive zigzags.
Not one.
They were all the "plodding along" kind of graph.
And I spent hours looking at people's graphs lol!

 

[Eloira]

One thing that revolutionized my thinking is when I saw the weight graphs of people who had lots enormous amounts of weight and kept it off.
Those graphs weren't straight smooth lines but were slightly zigzaggy (usually not massive zigzags apart from the odd occasion) but the overall graph still headed down.
Seeing those graphs made me realize I can do this and that so long as that line goes down overall then it's all good.

No disrespect to those who have massive losses but i I sometimes wonder if this isn't the classic yo-yo syndrome. In other words, some people don't stick to plan properly for weeks and then they suddenly decide to pull their socks up and do it properly. So they end up with a massive loss that week but then they start to not do it properly so next weigh in isn't so spectacular. Then they go off plan for some weeks. Then they decide to get serious again. And the cycle continues.

Coming back to those graphs, of those who maintained long term I didn't see ANY with massive zigzags.
Not one.
They were all the "plodding along" kind of graph.
And I spent hours looking at people's graphs lol!

Haha I love graphs! I'm currently on weigh 7 so beginning week 8? I don't know XD I've had a few bad days where I've basically ate the house hahahha. Still managed a loss cause I always say at the night - you will get onto track. I especially love looking at my graph cause even with star week it's going down haha no gains to report woo

In terms of unrealistic expectations I've just done sp from mon-fri been 100% and lost 2.5....not sure how I feel as that's what I've lost the past 3 weeks being on extra easy :O so I kinda feel omg I could've had pasta...and potatoes...and and rice :'(

 

[Wendolene]

I have to be honest, I worry that I've set my target too low, as I'm on medication that is notorious for its weight gain side effect. I told myself that I was my target weight through a lot of my twenties and maybe just had to be much more careful with what I ate now, but my losses are already slowing down and I'm not even at the halfway point. I was averaging around 2lb a week, but I've been possibly too strict throughout - not one packet of crisps, one piece of cake or one takeaway. I also only eat out at about two places (one is where I can get a syn-free lunch of jacket potato and beans and salad without dressing), at one of which I will only eat a 'light' pasta dish in tomato sauce, which is very small and always leaves me hungry. I also frequently cut back on my syns, which I know I shouldn't do, but I tend to find my weight loss is jeopardised otherwise. I'm definitely worried that I'm one of the people who Mamacandoit described in her post. I did get another 2lb loss this week, but I know it's because I'd been ill with a stomach bug, and I'd have most likely maintained otherwise.

My weight was getting higher and higher before I started the plan, so I'm determined not to give up, but it's so hard sometimes. I've tried to tell myself that if I reach a healthy BMI, I'll be happy - anything else is a bonus.

 

[EmmaJH90]

This is why I was reluctant to set a target at my first class. I've never been even close to a place where I'm happy with my weight so I have no idea what my target "should" be. I think I'm also going to go with the idea that as long as I'm within a healthy BMI I'm happy.