Falling in love with the process

dragon_girl26

For those struggling with staying on track...
So often I see people posting about being discouraged and wanting to give up because the results aren't coming as quickly as they'd like, or that losing weight is too tough...
I vaguely remember reading a blog post about motivation once, and how in order to reach your goals, it of course takes hard work and dedication. The key to not giving up, though, is to fall in love with the process.
So that's what I did...and here's what I've discovered:
I love learning new ways to make lower calorie meals, and even sharing them with others. Cooking a nutritious meal and sharing it with others feels like the ultimate expression of love, and I get the benefit of their company. (dinner parties, anyone? :-) )

I also love the routine, and having my day pre-logged/mapped out for me without having to think about what to eat for every meal.

I love how alive I feel during a workout, the rush I get when I finish a it, and how much better I sleep at night.

I love the new active hobbies I've picked up, like dancing, and how I enjoy it so much that it doesn't even feel like a workout.

I love that my cholesterol results are in the 180s rather than over 300 like they used to be, and all of my other numbers are in healthier ranges as well.

Even though I haven't yet reached my goal, I love stepping on the scale and seeing a smaller number than I ever imagined I'd see, and no longer having to shop in the plus size section.

I love the self confidence I've gained and the friends I've made along the way who inspire me to continue.

Rarely is it about the destination, but the journey. I always thought healthier living meant eating only carrot sticks and torturing myself for 12 hours on the treadmill each day, but I've discovered, to my delight, how wrong I was. It isn't always easy, but it doesn't have to be a painful experience.
What inspires and motivates you? What have you learned about yourself? What about this process has made your life better?

Fall in love with the process and the results will come..

jennkaufer89

dragon_girl26 wrote: »

For those struggling with staying on track...
So often I see people posting about being discouraged and wanting to give up because the results aren't coming as quickly as they'd like, or that losing weight is too tough...
I vaguely remember reading a blog post about motivation once, and how in order to reach your goals, it of course takes hard work and dedication. The key to not giving up, though, is to fall in love with the process.
So that's what I did...and here's what I've discovered:
I love learning new ways to make lower calorie meals, and even sharing them with others. Cooking a nutritious meal and sharing it with others feels like the ultimate expression of love, and I get the benefit of their company. (dinner parties, anyone? :-) )

I also love the routine, and having my day pre-logged/mapped out for me without having to think about what to eat for every meal.

I love how alive I feel during a workout, the rush I get when I finish a it, and how much better I sleep at night.

I love the new active hobbies I've picked up, like dancing, and how I enjoy it so much that it doesn't even feel like a workout.

I love that my cholesterol results are in the 180s rather than over 300 like they used to be, and all of my other numbers are in healthier ranges as well.

Even though I haven't yet reached my goal, I love stepping on the scale and seeing a smaller number than I ever imagined I'd see, and no longer having to shop in the plus size section.

I love the self confidence I've gained and the friends I've made along the way who inspire me to continue.

Rarely is it about the destination, but the journey. I always thought healthier living meant eating only carrot sticks and torturing myself for 12 hours on the treadmill each day, but I've discovered, to my delight, how wrong I was. It isn't always easy, but it doesn't have to be a painful experience.
What inspires and motivates you? What have you learned about yourself? What about this process has made your life better?

Fall in love with the process and the results will come..

This, this, this! It's about coming to terms with the fact that this journey isn't going to be a 3-month thing and then the world will be better. Being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong road to travel!

mel35645

What am AMAZING post!! Thank you for sharing it is so true and just the reminder I needed.

RosemaryBronte

Thank you for that really insightful post.

Rocknut53

Great post, my thoughts exactly!

blues4miles

What's worked for me is: every month I am either losing weight very slowly or even at a plateau is a month I didn't gain weight. So even if I am losing slowly, I am still doing better than when I put on all this weight.

olive1968

This is a great post. Thank you so much.

aftnrid88

This was beautiful! YES!

I love not thinking about food all the freakin time. I love portioning my food. As a previous mindless snacker, this has been huge for me. I love sharing this experience with my boyfriend. I love feeling healthier all the time and not being in a rush to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain time. I love having a ton of fruit within arms reach. I love looking up nutrition facts (so illuminating!). I love seeing my body change. I love making a decision every day to treat myself well.

TheChrissyT

illykins87

Thank you great read! Feel free to add me as a friend for support and motivation!

fiddletime

I love knowing that if I blow it and binge, I won't "gain 10 pounds" unless I keep overeating. So, the one day I blew it, is a day I can recover from. I don't need to spiral downhill. That's very empowering to me. Thanks for a great thread and your post OP.

Malenurse51

fiddletime wrote: »

I love knowing that if I blow it and binge, I won't "gain 10 pounds" unless I keep overeating. So, the one day I blew it, is a day I can recover from. I don't need to spiral downhill. That's very empowering to me. Thanks for a great thread and your post OP.

That's what keep me going!

scolaris

Wonderful post! You've hit the nail on the head!

dragon_girl26

Thanks everyone! I love all of the responses! Hopefully we can all motivate someone who is struggling in some way!

dragon_girl26

Malenurse51 wrote: »

fiddletime wrote: »

I love knowing that if I blow it and binge, I won't "gain 10 pounds" unless I keep overeating. So, the one day I blew it, is a day I can recover from. I don't need to spiral downhill. That's very empowering to me. Thanks for a great thread and your post OP.

That's what keep me going!

+1 on This!
I had to learn how to come to terms with that, too, but once I did, it's so freeing not drowning myself in the guilt. Thank you for sharing!

dragon_girl26

aftnrid88 wrote: »

This was beautiful! YES!

I love not thinking about food all the freakin time. I love portioning my food. As a previous mindless snacker, this has been huge for me. I love sharing this experience with my boyfriend. I love feeling healthier all the time and not being in a rush to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain time. I love having a ton of fruit within arms reach. I love looking up nutrition facts (so illuminating!). I love seeing my body change. I love making a decision every day to treat myself well.

All great things, especially seeing the 'healthier feeling' part as the main focus, and the weight loss as a side effect/benefit of that!

BlueAfternoon

I totally agree with this! For myself throughout my weight-loss journey, I can tell that not only does "falling in love with the process" tend to motivate you really well in some parts, it can also change the reasons you started in the first place.

At the beginning, I wanted to lose weight for pure vanity, and now I love exercising and finding healthy recipes, how I feel etc.

Who else feels like this?

ngolden3320

I love when you do something at the gym and you are able to go a little faster, a little longer, or lift a little more weight then you were able to the day before. So even if I don't see huge numbers on the scale I know I am getting healthier everyday.

dragon_girl26

ngolden3320 wrote: »

I love when you do something at the gym and you are able to go a little faster, a little longer, or lift a little more weight then you were able to the day before. So even if I don't see huge numbers on the scale I know I am getting healthier everyday.

Oh me too! Right now I'm thinking about training for a half marathon and I get excited when I see that I've walked a longer distance in less time! It's a great feeling!

EvgeniZyntx

Very good advice.

guinevere96

dragon_girl26 wrote: »

Cooking a nutritious meal and sharing it with others feels like the ultimate expression of love

I COMPLETELY agree!

Malenurse51

I worked in the yard for over 4 hours today. Planted, fertiziled, spread stuff AND dug out a 6x6 area for patio pavers. More energy than I would have had a year ago. I'm sore, sweaty and tired, but not near as bad as I would have been.