Mid-Goal Crisis: How to Keep Moving Towards Your Weight Loss Goals

You're on your way to your new, healthier, slimmer self!  You're seeing progress, the pounds are dropping, albeit slowly.  Clothes are feeling looser, you're noticing a number of changes...many, small changes.  For me, it was things like starting to see my toes when I looked down over my belly.  Or using smaller notches on my belt.  

So let's take a look at say when I had lost 25 pounds, but still had 45 pounds to go.  While I was happy with what I had done, looking forward towards the final goal was still a bit depressing.  45 more pounds at 1-2 pounds a week...30 more weeks.  I was getting tired of the diet too, as well as the exercise.  I simply didn't feel comfortable in my own skin.  I felt antsy, a bit irritated.  Everything seemed like it was moving so slowly.  

What to do?  How to keep up the excitement, the momentum, the motivation?  How to not get discouraged by the road ahead, but be proud of the road behind?  

Here are a few things I remember that helped me along the way:

• Try on some new clothes.  I went to the local thrift store and tried on some smaller clothes.  It really helped me realize that I was smaller than I was before, and that was great!  I even bought something once in a while.
  
• Try some new spins on old favorite foods.  I remember after being so "good" for so long, I really missed some of my old favorite foods.  I remember needing something sweet.  I tried a few things...like sugar free cocoa, or even making a blueberry buckle coffee cake using Truvia sweetener for sugar, whole wheat flour, and applesauce for oil...that was actually pretty good (but the flour was fresh ground...I think it would be worse with store bought whole wheat flour).  I tried making healthy brownies and failed, but the failure was sort of fun.  It became a challenge to come up with delicious but healthy recipes.  Try going down the health food aisle of your local store and try to find something yummy (but nutritious).  The point is, if you're feeling frustrated about the diet and are feeling deprived, look for healthy ways to satisfy those cravings.
  
• Take regular status checks.  Every two weeks I had my measurements taken, measured my weight, my body fat, and I took another photo of myself from front, side and rear.  That might not be practical for you, but the point is to take regular status checks.  Then I was able to compare my current pictures to my "before" pictures and notice the subtle changes that were happening.  That gave me hope, along with losing inches, body fat and weight.
  
• Participate in motivational fitness groups.  For me, I really enjoy the 52 Day Challenge group...4 times a year, for 52 days we signed up online, publicly declared our goals for exercise and eating right, then each day reported our progress.  Fellow challenge members would give each other encouragement and support.  You'd be surprised at how much just a few kinds words (or a few pointed words if you weren't doing well) really help.  There's also Sparkpeople which is free, MyFitnessPal.com, and others for a fee like Weight Watchers. There might be local groups as well where you can meet up with others face-to-face.  The point is that when you can share your experience with others, it's easier to keep up the momentum.
  
• Practice positive self-talk.  You already know this, but you need to keep telling yourself that it will never get easier, that you've made good progress, and that you just need to stay the course.  Here are some examples of affirmations that can help reprogram your mind and give you the confidence to continue:
  

• Try new forms of exercise.  I remember at one point thinking to myself "A fit person should be able to jog a mile".  I hadn't jogged a mile in 10 years.  But I was well into my weight loss goal, I was feeling more energy and stamina, so I tried it.  I jogged a mile.  It was hard.  But it felt great.  You could try dancing, biking, a group fitness class, hiking, whatever.  Keep changing up your cardio and resistance routines as well so you don't get bored and slip into a funk.  
  
• Remember what it was like to be fat.  Make a list of all the things you didn't like about being fat, and remind yourself that you don't want to be that way ever again.  Remember that although it is hard, it is worth it.
• Think about what you'll do when you reach your goals. Sometimes it was fun to imagine what I would do.  Would I dare wear a swimsuit in public?  Could I wear polos and T-shirts again without looking like a walking tent?  Perhaps go on a trip?  Imagine your new, slimmer self doing fun, active things.  Visualization in your mind can help make it happen in reality.  

At the end of the day, you just need to realize that these things take time, that all that weight wasn't put on overnight and it can't be lost overnight either.  You're not a fat person anymore, you're a thin person shedding your fat exterior.  You're on your way to your new self, and nothing is going to stop you.  Nothing.