Getting through the Home Stretch

Getting through the Home Stretch in Weight Loss - photo by Maridav

Losing weight is a beast of a battle that can be equal parts mental and physical struggle. Making big changes to your normal diet causes a whole lot of physiological changes. You may have to deal with hunger, low energy, irritability, or a number of other physical effects—all while having to exert the discipline to stick to a nutritious eating plan and mustering the motivation to exercise. It’s a process of conquering mind and body.

As you get closer and closer to your goal weight, both the mental and physical battle get tougher. You have a smaller deficit and a smaller margin for error. You can see the finish line but your motivation wanes as you can finally slip into a size 10. I think the most difficult part of getting through the home stretch is the mental battle. When I went from obese to slightly overweight I had already come so far that it felt like a victory. This caused me to loosen up a bit—allowing more wiggle room for treats, not pushing as hard during workouts—and ultimately it slowed my progress. It was like setting a goal to run a marathon and then stopping after 25 miles.

When you have a significant amount of weight to lose, you have to prepare yourself for the home stretch. The last 10 pounds are often the hardest to let go of, and they come at a time when your motivation to lose them is lowered. This is the time when you have to think back to the mindset you had at the beginning of your journey. Muster all of the motivation and courage you can and increase your effort to where it was when you felt unstoppable, on fire. As you approach the home stretch, resolve to be unsatisfied with getting merely close to your goal, and save your celebration for the finish line.

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7 thoughts on “Getting through the Home Stretch

  1. Raquel

    You are SO right!
    I prefer to think I´m not on a diet, it´s just a way of eating and living so I do not feel any pressure.
    (Is it you on the picture? Looking great!!!!)

    Reply
  2. Andrea

    Whoa. It’s like you knew I needed to read this. After losing close to 115lbs (down from 307) I’ve lost my mojo. I know I have more to lose but like you say, I’ve lost my momentum. Thanks for acknowledging that this a true phenomenon. Time to leave slightly overweight behind, just like I left morbidly obese.

    All the best, Another Andi from MA!

    Reply
  3. Rebekah

    I SOOO needed to hear this today! I was on track until about a month ago when I went on a trip to LA. I’ve not completely thrown caution to the wind, but I have definitely slacked off quite a bit. I haven’t weighed in that month either. Before I left I only had 12 pounds left to go before hitting my goal weight. You’ve given me the extra motivation to kick it in gear and get the rest of this off! Thanks Andi!

    Reply
  4. Brittney Wade

    Im dealing with this right now… I am in that category that went from obese to slightly overweight and now I am stuck because I have loosened up on my diet and routine. Time to crack back down!

    Reply
  5. Cristina Piedra

    I definitely needed to hear this today. Since August 2015 I’ve slowly lost 60 pounds. But, in the last couple of months I’ve lost my drive and and gained back about 12 pounds. I’m feeling defeated but deep down I know that I have it in me to get my shit back together and forge onward on this journey. I didn’t come this far to just come this far! Thanks for your words of truth.
    — Cristie from Miami

    Reply
  6. Kelly

    Andie – THANK YOU! Just what I needed to read right when I needed to read it. I’m well on my journey at this point (nearing 100 lb loss over the past 16 months – slowly but somewhat steadily) & still have a ways to go… I am getting into a funny mental state – my self chatter is killing me… “is is worth it?” “is this enough? I’m tired of worrying about whether I can/can should/shouldn’t eat this…” People yammering at me “haven’t you lost too much weight already? You’re already SO skinny! Come on, you can have a bit of this – you deserve it! Look how far you’ve come! blech. It IS worth it, I AM worth it, & I am sticking to it. There is some heart & mind shifting going on too… some inner work that still needs to be done. The race isn’t finished…

    Reply

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