If you've successfully lost a lot of weight

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What was the thing(s) that kept you motivated and kept you on track every day?
I've tried every motivation going and I still self sabotage. I've thought about how I'd feel next summer, how I could get into clothes I haven't worn in years, a target event, health improvement. Nothing motivates me beyond a few weeks. Even when I see the scales moving and I get pumped I often think 'oh this cocktail/drink/cake won't matter as a once off' and within days I'm back to old habits.
I can wake up motivated as hell and then I think 'gah...fuck it, just start the diet tomorrow'. I've been starting the diet tomorrow for 20 years and I need to change now.
What worked for you? What was the click that changed everything? What 'mantra' did you have that kept you on track and steered you away from the fridge?
I know a lot of people do it for their kids but I don't have any so appreciate it if those examples aren't used.

I have recently lost nearly 2st ( it feels like a lot to me) and what made me click was a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

I imagined my pancreas as a broken limb - I would rest a limb, not walk on it, protect it. So treating my pancreas as if it was 'broken' was the key.

I have managed to get my blood results back to normal. But obviously I have a tendency to high blood sugars - hence the type 2.

I need a replacement for the internal phrase 'fuck it, start the diet tomorrow' as I head towards the fridge/cafe etc.

strong history of type 2 diabetes in my family and a fear of ill health. Don’t get me wrong, I like looking thinner but I’m not sure that alone would be enough motivation for me without the health thing. I am at the age now (mid 40s) where I know that if I eat what I want, there will be negative effects on my health of one sort or another, and I’d like to give myself the best chance of avoiding those, even though I know ill health can obviously strike anyone.

In addition to this, I feel much better/healthier, as soon as I start eating sensibly so that is always a big motivator even before weight comes off.

I realised no diet was going to be succesful for me if it meant i could never have a bit of cake or glass of wine (well i dont actually drink but i like a hot chocolate)

A couple of things help me with that. I just decided to halve the amount of anything i fancied. So if i'd normally eat a whole scone, i'd eat half.

I tried to mainly be healthier in the week and not worry to much about weekends.

I tried to think of food across a whole week rather than thinking i had cake today its a failure, it would be across this week I mainly ate veg.

I also had pre diabetes and i personally found moderate carb worked for me and finding some lower carb 'treats' helped.

Wegovy! It has changed everything and I 100% recommend it

I started with exercise instead of diet. I got a personal trainer and after working together for 6 weeks (without thinking about dieting) I just got the click that I wanted to be healthier and stronger and wanted to sort my weight and my diet. My gym sessions led in to other types of exercise and that motivated me to eat well too. It helps that my trainer is incredibly kind, patient and supportive, and so passionate about health that I don’t want to let him down. After a period of calorie counting (about 3 months, in which I lost nearly two stone) I now just follow a healthy diet - treats are allowed, alcohol is in moderation, avoid snacking and aim to fill half my plate with veggies at meal times. I’m burning lots of calories through activity that I’m really enjoying and still slowly losing a bit more weight despite not calorie counting or following a “diet”. Definitely still in a small calorie deficit basically. I don’t need motivation because I’ve gradually shifted my whole lifestyle and am really enjoying life. Definitely don’t make anything “banned”, whatever changes you make need to be sustainable.

The prospect of getting naked with someone I really fancy has always done the trick for me in the past!

High BP and the thought of leaving dc without a dm is spurring me on. Start couch to 5k next week when dh has finished his 10 week programme..

thank you for starting this thread. I am mid 40s and I really need motivation (not drugs or surgery) as a size 18, I feel pre meno

Jus wondering if cutting down on food drastically can work?

I can't explain it really, I just woke up sick of myself and the hold that food has on me. It took up so much mental energy.

I stopped eating breakfast. Often now I don't eat lunch. My appetite is about 10% of what I once thought it was.

I've gone from an 18 to a 10. I feel great about myself now. It's easy to not slip now really.

Also - I make a lot of very healthy filling soup!

Disclaimer I’ve put it back on! Lost3 stone doing Michael Moseley lose a stone in 21 days, on channel 4 but with a less aggressive title now! That motivated me to lose another 2 stone but going full time at work has ruined me… losing the first bit so quickly was a good motivator but also I was returning to work in a hospital in sep 2020 and didn’t want to die from covid!

I lost weight through illness. Put back enough to get me to my ideal weight eventually.

Dieticians in the hospital helped, but honestly most of it is just plain common sense, since it is drummed into us now about carbs, protein, fibre, fruit and veg, avoid sugar, cut down alcohol and so on.

Problem is avoiding the bad stuff! I used the 16/8 method which helps stabilise blood sugars aswell as maintaining a realistic weight and no real gain. As others have said, when you get bloods and HBa1c is in the pre diabetic range, you act fast!

I find the 16/8 works brilliantly for me, as I like rules! I do break out on hols, special occasions and when people visit, but by and large I stick to it and it is so easy, well it is for me now and is second nature. I rarely if ever feel hungry in the fasting period, which surprised me, but I suppose the routine of it helps. Best of luck.

wow, you just reduced the quantity you ate over time right? how long did it take to get to a 10? did you exercise?

Doctor prescribed ozempic as my bmi is high, diabetes history and now slightly high cholesterol. My god it has saved me. I also have pcos so diet and exercise just wasn’t doing much at all despite my best efforts. It’s like this has fixed my metabolism and I don’t want the sweet stuff as much either. On the lowest dose and losing at a great pace. Will have 80lbs in total to lose but now I believe it can be done!

I had two photos taken at a family bbq. Dear lord I’m so embarrassed by them. I keep them on my phone. And I look at them. That’s more than enough.

Also. In 48 and I ran out of ‘I will do it later ‘. I started in August last year at 13 stone 1. I weighed myself today and I am 10 stone 1. So three stone down. And I’m never doing this again. Those photos will haunt me forever. And I will never delete them.

Was diagnosed with NAFLD. I was 17.5 stone then. I’m now 14.5 stone, but have a way to go still. Like previous posters, wegovy / ozempic has turned my life around (there’s space in my head for things other than constant bloody food noise).

I know what my trigger foods are and actively avoid them. Otherwise I go on a full rampage and then take weeks to get back on track.

I lost 3 stone doing keto/low carb, and eventually last year when I finally got used to being 2+ sizes smaller, I bought new clothes. I was scared of buying smaller in case I put it all back on. When I'd maintained for nearly I year I did buy better fitting outfits. So now the thought of having to re-buy my wardrobe all over again keeps me pretty much on track! I was very poorly over the winter so couldn't exercise as much and ate more comfort foods, and put half a stone on. Started low carb again last week and have dropped 3lbs so I am happy with that and I will stick to it because I see results. I've tried every diet but been miserable and hungry and only seen tiny losses, low carb/high protein keeps me full and just works for me. I know people say it's calories in and out, but I counted calories for so long and lost barely anything and felt sad, starving and restricted.

Yeah @Rennypie03

At first I fasted until lunch, now I often have soup/noodles/scrambled eggs for lunch. If I make soup I have it for lunch and tea, and rarely want snacks.

It wasn't slow - 5 stone over about 3/4 years but it's really easily staying off.

Another vote for Wegovy. It's like having a different food brain, suddenly not a problem to make good food choices and I don't torment myself thinking about the things I can't have.

I don't think you can always wait for the motivation. You start, see results and then the motivation to continue comes from seeing a smaller face in the mirror, walking further/faster, lifting heavier, feeling better etc. That was certainly the case for me anyway. Just start with small steps and increase your healthier behaviours weekly and see where it takes you

I'm another on Wegovy. I was in such a rut and tried and failed a billion times, I just needed something to snap me out of it.
I finally feel comfortable in my skin and don't treat every weekend like Christmas.

I didn't have one single thing that motivated me, it was a combination of different things.
The main reason I was successful though was finding a diet that suited me and fitted in with my lifestyle. If it had been too restrictive or difficult then I wouldn't have stuck with it, and I didn't put any pressure on myself, I just took it a day at a time.

A health scare.
I exercise 7 days a week.
Routine.
Not really aiming to lose 10 stone in like 10 months.
I allow myself some treats every now and then.
When you try really hard it's half a pound, then when you think you've done bad it is 3 or 4lb off!
I have had a fight to get weight loss help on the nhs yet the media wants to make out it is easy.

My SW leader said you are going to get to target - me yes, I don't know what weight I'd like to get to, but I know I really want to get finally get one of those slim for life booklets.

Fear! When I was perfectly content being nearly 15st, size 18-20, I was in A&E for something totally unrelated, and the doctor who booked me in asked ‘and how long have you been diabetic?’ Having lived with a diabetic Mum and husband, I really, really didn’t want to go there. I lost well over five and a half stone on a low carb, low cal 16:8 eating pattern over a year. Blood sugar is now in the normal range, but I’ll always have to limit carbs if I want to keep my eyes, kidneys and peripheral nerves in good nick. This makes it easy to maintain my weight around nine stone, size 8.

I have occasional days off (yesterday was one - Mothering Sunday, so out for breakfast and lunch, and then cake when I got home in the evening), but to balance it out, the rest of this week’s food is ultra low carb.