What do you do on a daily basis to keep yourself focused and motivated?
Jessyd76
Posts: 539 Member
Do you have a mantra? An inspirational picture hanging on your wall? Pictures of you on the fridge or on your phone? MFP message boards? A phone wallpaper that inspires you? A motivation board?
I'm restarting for the 726th time. I'd like this to be the last. I've been on MFP for several years but this is the first time that I've been active in the forums - I like it. Its a great distraction and has been helping to keep my focus the last couple of weeks. But what else?
What else do you do on a daily basis that keeps you focused and motivated on your goals?
I'm restarting for the 726th time. I'd like this to be the last. I've been on MFP for several years but this is the first time that I've been active in the forums - I like it. Its a great distraction and has been helping to keep my focus the last couple of weeks. But what else?
What else do you do on a daily basis that keeps you focused and motivated on your goals?
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that has been my biggest problem. I lose interest in things very quickly and weight loss has definitely been one of them. I looked at myself in the mirror while at the mall over the weekend and was disgusted. That will be my motivation. I have several pics of myself at this weight and they keep me from eating that extra plate of food. I started rewarding myself with stickers when I do well and when I collect 30 stickers then I buy myself something new. Needless to say I have not gotten to 30 stickers. this is probably may gazillionth time starting. lol0
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You have to find your own internal motivation. Take a good, honest look at WHY you want to lose weight. And it doesn't have to be 'to be healthier' either. That wasn't mine. For me, it was getting our wedding pictures back and realizing I looked fat in them. That is what kept me going, not my doctor telling me to lose weight or any 'motivational' type speeches. I know one girl that wanted to lose weight to have better sex. There was a poster on here a while back that didn't want to end up like their boss. It doesn't matter the reason, but it has to be YOUR reason, not what others tell you. If the Hang In There kitty poster works for you, by all means tape it up everywhere. That never did work for me, I find them annoying, but what works for me isn't going to work for others.0
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I go in phases and restart a lot. It is actually so much more than motivation if you think about. Why do you give up? Is it just because you lost motivation? Did you get tired of tracking? Did you say to yourself "I can eat this" over and over because you had success? Did you not see change fast enough and get discouraged?
Saying that you lost motivation is just really one piece of the puzzle.
After saying that, I am restarting today. I didn't lose motivation per se. I got bored with the redundant food. I didn't want to think about everything I was eating, basically got lazy. Lastly, my house was so cluttered and I was overwhelmed at home, so staying on track with food became another thing "I needed to do". My daughter was home and between her and my husband I had trouble balancing and making me a priority. By the time she went back to school I felt like I was being pulled in so many directions by the two of them that I was not important. I was always bending to them. I used to be able to balance, but my kid is in her 4th year at college (started today) and I was not used to having her around. We can add work being miserable and seeping into my daily life. I can go on and on, but it is more than motivation. The thing I think that works is to find the key thing that causes you to derail.
So what works for me in the long run (and why I am not back to where I was before) is the following:
1- I am a priority
2- Eating right makes me feel better
3- Working out makes me happy
4- I am important
5- How can I maintain the balance?
6- Don't eat that right now (not I can never have it, this is not for now)
7- ME TIME!!!!
8- focus on the positive, not the negative
9- get enough sleep!!!!
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I need some major motivation as well. I'm thinking about posting pics of me at home & on my phone to spur me to lose some weight. Plus, I really wanna be able to play outside with my 2 daughters without having to take so many breaks.0
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I like seeing my streak days number go up. So going on MFP at least to journal in my food everyday is my focus point. Yes I am only on 23 right now because I did lose focus but I am back now.0
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My secret is... I don't rely on motivation. As you well know, motivation comes and goes. It's completely unreliable as a method of keeping yourself on track.
Rather than relying on motivation I create habits and then I use commitment and determination as needed. In fact, this morning I should have been out the door at around 5:30 to run the 4 miles on my training calendar for today. I'd had a terrible night's sleep (finally took ibuprofen at around 2am), so, at 6am when my husband's alarm went off I lay in bed trying to decide if I wanted to run, given both the way I felt and knowing that I'd be later than I wanted to be for work if I did. Without making a conscious decision I was out of bed and halfway into my running gear before I realized that I was definitely going for that run.0 -
I have decided to focus on the process only, stop worrying about the scales, and take the pressure off. I don't need laser sharp focus if it's easy peasy. So I make daily exercise a priority (not for the calories it burns but because it makes me feel good), and the moment I feel overly hungry or annoyed with living with a calorie deficit, I "practice maintenance" ( ie up my calories till I'm ready to go again).0
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My way of dealing with the motivation factor is to weigh myself daily and take my measurements when I feel myself slipping. I also just saw a photo of myself and was unhappy with the way I look.0
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My secret is... I don't rely on motivation. As you well know, motivation comes and goes. It's completely unreliable as a method of keeping yourself on track.
Rather than relying on motivation I create habits and then I use commitment and determination as needed.
^^ So. Very. Much. This.
The only thing that has kept me on track has been the fact that I've made logging, staying within a deficit and being more active a habit. I don't even think--I just do what needs to be done. BUT having progress pictures definitely doesn't hurt, lol.
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suffer0
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suffer
Lol. Yes, if you are extremely motivated, you can suffer gladly. I've done it before. But situations where we are extremely motivated for long periods of time don't come often. Why not just lose slowly and suffer less? You need only a modicum of motivation, and some decent habits.
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https://www.facebook.com/GetfitPT/videos/704218469711124/ secret is... I don't rely on motivation. As you well know, motivation comes and goes. It's completely unreliable as a method of keeping yourself on track.
Rather than relying on motivation I create habits and then I use commitment and determination as
YES. And remembering how awful I felt mentally & physically 15 mo ago. Don't want to go back there. Ever.
SW 301
CW 196
GW 1500 -
Stepping on the scale and seeing that the number it shows is smaller than when I started this process, watching my BMI move closer to the middle of my healthy range, logging my calories and getting as close to goal as I can, and seeing physical changes for the better in the mirror all help keep me going. At this point, it's not so much motivation as it is commitment to my new way of life.0
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What else do you do on a daily basis that keeps you focused and motivated on your goals?
I look at a graph of my weight multiple times a day. It reminds me that it takes time, and I am getting there. I use trendweight.com and daily weigh ins for this. Here's my graph:
When I stop looking at it, it looks more like this:
Osric0 -
I do what Goldthistime does. If there's a special event or reason to eat more ill go to maintenance calories for the day. That helps a lot. Like Osric's graph I also gained weight when I stopped logging, so now I've decided that at goal weight and on the way there I'll use MFP.
My reason. I watched a thin friend of mine retire at 70 and promptly gain about 60 pounds in a year. It was probably half her body weight. I'm not 70 but my goal is to just get to my desired weight and stay there. For forever. Because it doesn't ever get any easier so might as well make a lifestyle change for good.0 -
I absolutely love this post, it's like you've taken my life and written or down0
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What else do you do on a daily basis that keeps you focused and motivated on your goals?
It's just something I do.
I brush my teeth in the morning because that's what we do.
I get dressed ... society kind of prefers that.
I go to work ... gotta make money.
I go to university ... gotta set myself up for the future.
I have to get to work and university which requires me to both take the bus and walk.
I eat because my body expects that ... so right now I might as well eat foods that help me remain within in my max calories.
I enjoy cycling ... so I get out on my bicycle whenever I can.
Losing weight (eating fewer calories) is not a big part of my life. It's just one aspect and it slots into my life where you might expect it to. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. Just more variety and fewer calories than I was eating before.
Fitness might be a slightly bigger part of my life because I love being active and have some sport-related goals, but I'm up to my eyeballs in work and university right now, so at the moment I squeeze walks and bicycle rides in whenever I can ... it's just nice to be out in the sunshine and fresh as much as possible. Helps to ease the stress.
And ... seeing results helps too.
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BUMP0
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sugarplum181 wrote: »I absolutely love this post, it's like you've taken my life and written or down
Seriously loving the responses in here! Different strokes for different folks - but soo great to get different perspectives! I've found a lot of tips that I'll be using!0 -
I find that visiting these forums daily helps me - I find it fun, and it helps to keep me in the right mindset.0
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that has been my biggest problem. I lose interest in things very quickly and weight loss has definitely been one of them. I looked at myself in the mirror while at the mall over the weekend and was disgusted. That will be my motivation. I have several pics of myself at this weight and they keep me from eating that extra plate of food. I started rewarding myself with stickers when I do well and when I collect 30 stickers then I buy myself something new. Needless to say I have not gotten to 30 stickers. this is probably may gazillionth time starting. lol
My sister and I were homeschooled, and we sort of did this with schoolwork. When we'd get all our lessons done for the day we'd get a sticker, and when we got so many stickers we got a treat/prize. I totally forgot about it, but it sounds like it would work for weight loss too! I never even though. Good luck on your 30 stickers. What sort of things do you reward for: exercise, eating, etc.? 0 -
Over time, a fit and healthy lifestyle becomes a daily habit.
That being said, you learn how and when to adjust your nourishment based on daily/weekly/seasonal events automatically.0 -
I log onto MFP. Every. Single. Day.0
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Honestly if I wasn't doing this bikini competion I would just give up now with this but I try to keep myself motivated for my haters...0
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I start my day every day doing the following....
1. I put on my workout clothes and lace my shoes as soon as I wake at 4:30 am
2. I pour a cup of coffee and put on the song by Kelly Clarkson What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
3. I read motivational quotes that I have pinned on Pinterest
4. 5 am Out the door with my iPod do 6 to 6.5 miles and witness the dawn of a new day.0 -
I start my day every day doing the following....
1. I put on my workout clothes and lace my shoes as soon as I wake at 4:30 am
2. I pour a cup of coffee and put on the song by Kelly Clarkson What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
3. I read motivational quotes that I have pinned on Pinterest
4. 5 am Out the door with my iPod do 6 to 6.5 miles and witness the dawn of a new day.0 -
My big one that I have hanging next to my bed is Progress Not Perfection!
and i've started a smash book, look on pinterest for that, I print mantras and pictures
Go Confidently in the direction of your dreams and LIVE the life you imagined-thoreau
Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow.
I also put wallpaper on my phone with things like YOU ARE GETTING THERE!0 -
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