Hi TDC. I originally posted this in my journal but I thought I'd copy it over here and see if anyone has any suggestions or profound thoughts for me. I hate to sound whiny because I have lost a lot of weight, I'm just having an issue getting over this hurdle and thought someone here might be able to help.

Thanks.

- Casey

Hi Casey,

I think I know what you are saying -- sometimes I feel discouraged because I have lost so much weight (95 pounds), but I still have so far to go. It doesn't seem fair that I have been eating low carb for 15 months, I exercise five days a week, and I am still fat!

All I can tell you is that when I start thinking that way, I find myself having a big pity party for myself, and as you have discovered that is totally counter-productive. I think that realizing that enables me to stop it.

I honestly believe that we can control our negative thought processes, but we each have to find our own way of doing it. For me, I mostly do it through denial -- I refuse to let myself think about how much I have left to lose. Lately, I have been spending some money and buying clothes that look nice on me at my currrent weight, rather than thinking I should wait until I am closer to goal to buy nice clothes. I am actively working on liking myself as I am not, rather than thinking that I need to wait until I get to goal to like myself. I find that the more I can accept my current weight and body shape, the easier it is for me to move forward and change it.

Casey, congratulations on your weight loss! You have done an amazing job. I look forward to the day I can say I've lost 100 lbs, too.

One thing that helps me is that I don't pay any attention to the total weight lost. I focus on the amount I'm losing, you know, that 1 to 2 lb loss per week. I don't add up the total lost anywhere, including the excel spreadsheet I keep for my records. From my perspective, it doesn't really matter how much I've lost, but making sure I lose something each week is what's important.

Also, have you been rewarding yourself? It sounds like losing the weight is not enough of a reward for you anymore. Maybe it's time to focus on something you want, just for you! Like a new hairstyle or a weekend away from the normal routine.

One other thing that I don't have experience with but maybe someone else can comment on. As we approach "normal" weight, we might feel like we are not different anymore. I think for many of us, our size is what makes us unique. Once that excess bulk is gone, then who are we? Are we just going to blend in with the crowd? I don't know if that's the case for you, but it might be worth thinking about.

Good luck in losing your remaining 43 lbs. You can get through this and come out on the other side. We are all rooting for you!

Hi Casey,

I don't know if you have ever been thin before but I want to let you know that it is great! However I am not thin right now at the present time nor have I been for 8 years now but I am really looking forward to loosing my 125 lbs. I don't think I will ever feel blue from loosing weight, but I think I will feel a lot better about myself and I would feel like one other TDC member who has said it all for me.

This is a testimony from:




I think that if I ever get flustrated with loosing I will think of MisterE and all the misery that my weight caused me.

Casey,

Maybe you are fighting yourself and subconsciously way down deep it scares you to get so close to goal. I was 316 at my top weight. I was using food as a protective barrier. I tell myself this a lot of times that no one likes french fries that much to get to be over 300 pounds. As the pounds come off I find myself having to deals with my issues that caused me to balloon to over 300 pounds in the first place. Its not easy. I cant imagine how I will be when I get to the 100 pound mark. Its like loosing your protection. I know it sounds crazy. Who wants to stay fat?

Casey congrats on your amazing loss! Its great that you recognize there is something going on before you re-gained a lot. Get back on the horse, pip-pip, cheerio.

Thanks to all for the input. There are several really good suggestions here. I'm going to take another look at what my real issue is and put some of these ideas to work.

- Casey

Hi Casey, what brilliant advice you've been given. Please keep us posted on how you're going with this.

Casey,
I will throw in my 2 cents. I am only 5'0 and weigh 216. Most of my life I was around 150 and was still considered seriously overweight. But I lived a very free and happy life at that weight. However, right now I am 66 pounds above that. Nonetheless, I feel good! I think my satisfaction comes from having reversed the scary trend of gaining ever more weight, so that I was up to 255, 105 pounds over my former not-thin-but-acceptable weight. I couldn't believe it. I feel really happy now to be "only" 66 pounds above it (though my stated goal is 140, so that's 76 pounds, which sounds worse to me!). Before LC I was feeling guilty, worried about medical conditions that might arise that would be "my fault" for being obsese. Now I feel I deserve credit for losing and I approve of myself.

On the other hand, it is tiring to work at weight loss all the time and still feel you have so far to go. Yet I tell myself that even when I reach my goal I will still be restricting carbs and eating carefully. Sometimes that is discouraging: the thought that this will go on forever. The bright spot in that is the relative ease of staying on the plan. I try not to think of a future that will be so much better; I tell myself that time has already arrived because I know how to manage my weight and I am succeeding.

I hope you are feeling better!

Diane

You have done an awesome job losing that 100 lbs. Congratulations! As far as the remaining pounds to go, I would just try to take it day by day instead of trying to project when you will reach your goal. I've been in denial for some time about my weight and when I had thought about dieting, it became extremely overwhelming when I thought about the total amount I have to lose. I resolved recently to just take this is a day to day thing and have purposely not tried to set any specific dates by which I hope to reach my goal. My only specific time goal is to stick with the TDC until next October and to do my best each day. I'm also weighing myself only once a week (unless I cheat) so that I do not become discouraged that I haven't lost 10 pounds in a day. I know that by sticking with the program, the weight will come off and my health will improve. Best wishes for your continued success! Julie.

Congratulations on your weight loss!!!! That is so great. I know, or I think I kow what you're experiancing. I call it self sabatoge. I usually do it when I hit the 20 pound weight loss mark. And I've recently done it when I hit the 30 pound mark. I havent quite figured out why I do it, but I let myself recoginze what I'm doing to myself and get back to LC even after a month of eating HC foods ( what I'm doing now). Its a frustratin g process I know, but I think at least realizing what I'm doing to myself is a big step. Good luck and I know you will be able to reach your goal!

Casey: Thanks for letting us into your world and sharing your journal entry. It's certainly set me thinking.

OMG Diemde! Your post hit me like a ton of rocks. I haaven't even read the other posts after yours. Now I wonder how I'll feel just being one of the skinny crowd. I've always been the unique slightly eccentric one in every group I'm in and my weight has helped me to fulfil the persona I've created for myself.

I guess I might need a little therapy before this weight loss journey is over to deal with just being "ordinary".

Nicckkii

PS: Back to reading. I hope there are no more sudden realizations awaiting me.

Wow, Diemde. That was some thought provoking suggestion about us becoming 'ordinary' as we lose weight. I'll definitely have to give that one some thought.

Casey, I know how hard it is to get to 100# (or more) and still have such a long way to go. It can be difficult to see your own progress as the pounds come off and you start focusing on the flaws rather than how far you've come. I take pictures of myself once a month and have since I started. I find it helpful to go back and look at them when I feel like I've been looking the same for a long time.

The one thing I know, without a doubt, is that eating off plan isn't going to make me feel any better. It will wreak havoc with my moods and may plunge me into a spiral I won't be able to get out of. It's just not worth it.

Good luck getting back on track!

Everyone here has offered some great advice and I really appreciate it. I am trying to make use of several of the suggestions. I feel better already!