Keeping the Love alive when The Honeymoon is Over

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abelcat1
abelcat1 Posts: 186 Member
in Motivation and Support
Since I joined MFP in march 14 I quickly lost a HUGE amount of weight in the first 10 months. After that I got less obsessed, and the loss has slowed down to almost maintenance. Until now I´ve lost close to 100 lbs but still hope to shed some 50 more. The weeks go by, and I don´t seem to break the streak of *not-so-motivated-anymore*days… ;-( Have I fallen out of love with losing?
All of MyFitnessPals who´ve already faced and broke the metal fatigue of a huge weightloss… please share your wisdom and tell us how you found your motivation over the long run. I´m dying here, and I just KNOW I´m not alone ;-)

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    motivation is an overrated emotion...living a healthful lifestyle is just like anything else...it requires discipline. Discipline leads to consistency and consistency is what ultimately wins the day. Do you know how often I've just wanted to leave work and go home and skip the weight room? Hint...pretty frequently...but I go anyway because it's Wednesday or whatever and on Wednesday I lift.

    Take the emotion out of it...in the long run, motivation in and of itself is pretty much next to useless.
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    motivation is an overrated emotion...living a healthful lifestyle is just like anything else...it requires discipline. Discipline leads to consistency and consistency is what ultimately wins the day. Do you know how often I've just wanted to leave work and go home and skip the weight room? Hint...pretty frequently...but I go anyway because it's Wednesday or whatever and on Wednesday I lift.

    Take the emotion out of it...in the long run, motivation in and of itself is pretty much next to useless.

    Truly this. The habit of it is what keeps me going, and maybe the stubborn guilt I get if I skip a workout or mindlessly eat. I do still try to find motivation in different things, whether it is new PRs, higher endurance, a new recipe etc. Ways to make it about more than just weight loss.
  • bover145
    bover145 Posts: 119 Member
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    Make sure to count the calories burned in patting yourself on the back for your amazing success so far! Think about the changes in your life with that amount of weight loss. What worked to get you to your success? You will be your best teacher.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Well, for me (although I'm nowhere near the 10 month mark yet), it's about habits. Planning my next day's meal and prelogging it is a habit now, just part of the routine of life. Eating what my plan tells me to eat that day is also a habit now too. Working out three days a week isn't quite automatic yet, but it's on my schedule and I don't skip it, so it's working so far.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    I have been working on this for about four years and am also near the 100-pound mark. I gained weight due to a very serious illness.

    For me, losing was part of the fight to get my life back. I can't let that slip away.

    Finding new challenges seems to be helpful. Set a new goal, try a new sport...whatever motivates you to keep moving forward.
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
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    Sometimes you just have to do it. Just like going to work or school or whatever we 'have' to do. No I don't want to go to work every day, but I need to make money. No one likes brushing and flossing, but we do it or else we'll lose our teeth! Treat your exercise habit that way. Give yourself a few rules: maybe never miss a Monday, don't let 2 days pass without a workout, eat a minimum of 7 servings of vegetables & fruits every day

    Pull out old photos or clothes and remind yourself that you've come a long way! I know you want to drop those last pounds, but try maintaining for now. Pretend you are at goal and live with that for a while.

    Don't beat yourself up for not continuing the loss. I once read a great quote on one of the boards..it's something like this:
    Losing weight is hard
    Maintaining weight is hard
    and being 'fat'/heavy/overweight is hard. Pick your hard!
  • agreenid
    agreenid Posts: 218 Member
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    Sometimes it helps to take a bit of a break. Try eating and living at maintenence for a few weeks. Seeing the number on the scale stay the same and getting used to what maintenance feels like is good practice. And if you're like me, a few weeks of not seeing the scale drop may get your brain revved to start up losing again!

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