What do you do to start mental motivation?

WMLCS

Ready to give this a go.......again. 30 years old and need to lose 30lbs to get happy and healthy. I'm ready physically, but I feel getting on track is mostly mental. Any good books or strategies out there to help me set my mind in the right place?????

mantium999

If you don't know why you want to do this, nobody else's strategy will help you. I am vain, and don't want to be the chubby dude with the ripped wife. That's my motivation. Yours will likely be different.

queenliz99

Start by logging everyday. Even if you have bad days. Get in the habit daily.

read this http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

ashleypetrie4

I'm in school studying to be a registered dietitian. My motivation is not wanting to be an overweight dietitian trying to explain to a patient why being overweight is unhealthy. Also, I'm pretty vain myself and don't like the way I look when I have some weight on me. You have to figure out why you want to do this for yourself and then something will click and you'll be ready. I lose motivation all the time, and I mess up all the time, but I'm kind to myself and remember that nobody is perfect. And then I keep going. It takes persistence and being consistent to lose weight and keep it off, not motivation.

cwolfman13

Actually, motivation is highly overrated. The truth of the matter is that motivation is a fleeting emotion...you're never going to be motivated all of the time. We all do things every single day that we aren't particularly motivated to do...yet we do them...why? Because, they need doing...at some point along the way, we've determined to commit to this that or the other...so while maybe I just am really not motivated to go to work every day, I do it anyway. When I get home this evening I am to mow the lawn...not really all that motivated to do that, but I told my wife I'd get 'er done.

Eating well and getting in regular exercise is no different than anything else...you commit to it and thus you do it...regardless of whether you're motivated at that particular moment or not.

Adc7225

You have to figure out what and why you want this and if this is the right time for you to do this.

Maybe try setting small goals. There was a point where I while on autopilot didn't know where this was actually going to go. Meaning what beyond weight loss was my goal. I started doing simple strength workouts and wow how surprised I was realize how weak I was. Even though I was good with cardio, I did not really have any strength. I took my time and concurred exercises that I struggled with in the beginning and realized what things my body is capable of.

Find something that you think you might like to do, try it for a while (remember to take your time) and don't be afraid to change it if you don't like and go from there. You can also do this food, if you are weak in knees for something you want to gain control over, start challenging yourself with that, setting limits on how much and how often. Really just combining the mental with the physical.

Good luck.

cwolfman13

Also keep in mind that a lot of this is baby steps and taking things one day at a time...often times people try to do a complete 180 overnight and that doesn't usually work out all that well.

daniwilford

I have friends, relatives and medical professionals who track my progress with me and give me encouragement. I set mini goals, non-scale goals, and fitness goals. I buy an outfit one size smaller than I am now and try it on weekly until it fits.

PaulaWallaDingDong

Motivation...meh. Eating and tracking doesn't really require motivation any more than brushing your teeth requires motivation. You just do it. I found, however, that the success I saw just by eating and tracking motivated me to step up my efforts and start exercising more. Just give the ball a push and see how far it rolls.

Kalikel

If you're not motivated, you can't do it. If you are, it carries you.

choppie70

A Nephrologist who told me the pain I was feeling in my flank was most likely because of "your extra weight". I lost 30 lbs, but she was wrong.. it was the 22mm kidney stone stuck in my ureter that was causing the pain!

Kalikel

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Actually, motivation is highly overrated. The truth of the matter is that motivation is a fleeting emotion...you're never going to be motivated all of the time. We all do things every single day that we aren't particularly motivated to do...yet we do them...why? Because, they need doing...at some point along the way, we've determined to commit to this that or the other...so while maybe I just am really not motivated to go to work every day, I do it anyway. When I get home this evening I am to mow the lawn...not really all that motivated to do that, but I told my wife I'd get 'er done.

Eating well and getting in regular exercise is no different than anything else...you commit to it and thus you do it...regardless of whether you're motivated at that particular moment or not.

You are motivated to go to work. Most people who work are motivated to go by one of the best motivators in existence - money.

If you weren't motivated to go to work, you wouldn't do it.

999tigger

If you look up what the definition of motivation is, then you realise its not fleeting at all but the underlying reasons for you oing anything. If you arent motivated you will not do it, becayse the very act of doing it is because you are motivated to do so.

Im never motivated unless something makes sense to me so understanding completely why you are doing it whether thats negative or positive factors is where I start.

I then need to know what it involves. What am I going to have to do to lose weight etc. Then I have to make a choice to commit to that deal. In its simplest form food restriction as well as any additional exercise.

Getting on track is easy, its staying on track and being consistent that are the challenges. Again part of that has to do with mental attitude, but thats a different story.

lorrpb

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Actually, motivation is highly overrated. The truth of the matter is that motivation is a fleeting emotion...you're never going to be motivated all of the time. We all do things every single day that we aren't particularly motivated to do...yet we do them...why? Because, they need doing...at some point along the way, we've determined to commit to this that or the other...so while maybe I just am really not motivated to go to work every day, I do it anyway. When I get home this evening I am to mow the lawn...not really all that motivated to do that, but I told my wife I'd get 'er done.

Eating well and getting in regular exercise is no different than anything else...you commit to it and thus you do it...regardless of whether you're motivated at that particular moment or not.

Read this ^^^ 3 times a day!

GaleHawkins

WMLCS wrote: »

Ready to give this a go.......again. 30 years old and need to lose 30lbs to get happy and healthy. I'm ready physically, but I feel getting on track is mostly mental. Any good books or strategies out there to help me set my mind in the right place?????

I told my subconscious mind that I was going to die from cancer so it got in high gear to help prevent that from happening.

In my case I was looking for a way to manage my pain instead of starting on Enbrel injections that carry a real risk to enabling cancer in my body. What I wanted to try was to add coconut oil to my diet and cut out sugar and grains. I found out I was addicted to carbs and did not want to give them up period.

Because I knew the subconscious mind will believe whatever you tell it I told the subconscious mind if I did not stop eating carbs that both it and I were going to die. The subconscious mind working 24/7 did its job and broke my carb addiction so I could then implement my eating plan.

My plan worked. In 30 days my pain was well addressed and I told the doctors NO to starting Enbrel. There are other side effects of my new eating lifestyle but two stick out in my mind as life changing. In six months my 40 years of IBS was healed. Now when I cut calories back to 2600 daily without hunger I lose 3 pounds a month on average or maintain on 3000 calories.

huffingtonpost.com/rebel-brown/unlocking-the-power-of-your-unconscious-mind_b_3682764.html

While the above is a one page overview Google will bring up a lots of thoughts on the subconscious mind subject.

Machka9

For me, it's more about it being a habit. Logging what I eat is right in there with brushing my teeth, getting dressed, doing the dishes, going to work, etc. It's just something I do.

And I've got to eat, so why not eat delicious stuff that fits within my calorie limit? That appealed to the part of me that likes challenges. I went to the grocery store several times to browse the aisles and see what was available that would work for me. I've also started reading recipe books and looking at recipe sites to see what other options might be available. My selection of food choices has increased since I started here. I'm eating a wider variety of foods now. I also made it a rule ... I eat nothing I don't like. If I've only got a certain number of calories to work with, I'm eating foods I like. That helps a lot because I look forward to my meals.

As for exercise ... I love being active. That's an easy one for me. If I'm not active, I feel restless and grouchy. If you want to do exercise, pick things you really enjoy doing. If it is fun or challenging in a good way, you'll be more likely to want to do that.