Where did you find your motivation?

EllieElla2015

Hi guys!

I had a phase where I logged and exercised and all that good stuff but it's honestly been 2 years since any real productive efforts. I hate calorie counting and I hate exercising and I hate feeling restricted. I've also tried all sorts of exercising- sports like skiing, or running or weights. Now I'm down to walking on incline while watching Netflix. I really just need to lose 10 pounds.

When did you finally say enough is enough? What caused that motivation?

kommodevaran

I have stopped calorie counting and planned exercise too. Just eating regular meals made up of anything I like but in appropriate amounts, and moving every day (I walk too, and dance), is enough to maintain a healthy weight. I finally figured out that this is for life, so I have to make it liveable.

rabbidchicken

For me setting a healthy example for my children has been my continued motivation. But it just has to be a decision every day which you want more to lose ten pounds or make a small sacrifice to make that goal thats how i have lost the last 75 pounds just set it into small increments of 10 here 5 there etc. So maybe might help just focus on making a small change to lose one pound and maintain that loss for awhile then another etc. Your mileage may vary but i find it super effective for myself

NorthCascades

Like you, I hate being restricted. All of the most scenic places are hard to get to. My couch is easy, but not very exciting. I'd rather be on the mountaintop.

rsclause

When my son poke my beer gut and asked "when is it due". That is when I started on a mission and lost 53 pounds.

kittykarin

I found exercise that I really love and I still track about 80% of the time but by now, I pretty much know what I eat in a day and what my allotted amount of calories a day looks like. If you feel deprived, restricted or hate what you are doing, you will eventually quit... even if it's years later. You aren't going to sustain it for life. Find foods and exercises that you love and there is nothing wrong with walking! If that's what you like, keep doing it. I know this sounds cheesy but listen to your body! For me, if i don't feel like running one day, I don't. I'll walk instead or do yoga or take a rest day. Find a place where your healthy lifestyle feels normal, not something you are doing short term and white-knuckling every day.

KatyBell164

I'm pretty superficial in my goals

Buy the bikini you'd like to wear this summer, put it on, take photos = motivation

Machka9

This jacket ...

Gallowmere1984

I'm not motivated; I am disciplined. The difference in compliance is huge.

Stupiidbility

Zombie, run! app is literally the only motivation for me to exercise

DietVanillaCoke

When my GP looked at my blood results and told me if i don't get out of being morbidly obese i will die. That was a nice wake up call. I didn't have diabetes or PCOS yet (Which all the women in my family do), I didn't have high blood pressure or bad cholesterol. I was born with Leiden Factor V a blood clotting disorder and being even overweight can increase the risk. I'm also deficient in a few things because i stopped eating real food full of vitamins and nutrients and started eating calorie high crap.

The initial doctors appointment wasn't even the start of everything though. My partner broke down and said he was worried that the path I was on I was heading to the grave. That's what made me see my GP.

Seffell

I just hate being fat.

BonnieDundee78

For me it was turning 39. With my 40th a year away, I stood on the scales for the first time in forever (and got a shock) and took a long hard look at myself in the mirror (equally horrifying) and said "NOPE. I'm doing something about this."

vikinglander

It was in my lower dresser drawer the whole time.

victoria_1024

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I'm not motivated; I am disciplined. The difference in compliance is huge.

Absolutely!! I lost 90 lbs and I've been maintaining since last year. I'm almost never motivated. Maybe at first I was motivated to not be obese anymore, but it got harder as I went along and in maintenance it can be near impossible to be motivated. But I have my habits. I log my food, I exercise every day, and I weigh myself every morning to make sure I'm staying on track. I usually don't want to do any of those things but I just do it. Because I know I will gain all the weight back otherwise.

everher

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I'm not motivated; I am disciplined. The difference in compliance is huge.

This. My motivation ranges from zero to less than zero on any given day.

I think it's harder though the less you have to lose and the more satisfied you are with your appearance.

EatingAndKnitting

I'm obese (291 pounds). I'm diabetic and have high cholesterol. Both of those shorten your life span, and I want to live a long time.

I didn't get serious about making a change though until I saw what my future could look like. I was surfing YouTube, as you do, and ran across some vloggers that were as obese as I am. One of them was wearing a sheet, presumably because she was too large for most clothes. I'm not judging them, or casting aspersions on their character, or trying to belittle them. I wish them the best, and wish I could do something for them, without coming across as a concern troll.

I just realized that at the rate I was gaining weight that could be me in a few years, if I didn't die of heart disease or diabetes complications first. I finally realized that my health needed to come first. Everything else, even vanity, is second. I'm doing this so my husband can enjoy having his wife around for as long as possible. That's all the motivation I need.

I know I've only been doing this for 36 days, and I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but this isn't my first rodeo. I lost 70 pounds before, but gained it back. I am determined it'll be my last rodeo though.

clags301

Vanity. I stopped and took a good look in the mirror. That motivated me to want my body back. Discipline is what got me there, though, not motivation. The mirror now motivates me to never go back.

JessicaMcB

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I'm not motivated; I am disciplined. The difference in compliance is huge.

Completely agree with this. A caloric deficit gave me weight loss, running has gifted me discipline- I suffer a complete refusal to eff with my goals haha

Do you have any fitness goals OP? Or even just active fun (like white water rafting with friends!) goals? That might help ground your efforts better

snowprincess502

After I had my second baby, I decided I wanted to keep the weight off and continue to lose more to get a healthy BMI. Plus having gestational diabetes during pregnancy made me motivated to keep weight off and watch carbs.

I hated the gym at first. I felt pathetic. Kept on working out. Now I love cardio and lifting weights. If I miss a day at the gym, I feel guilty. My body has changed so much.

Have kept the weight off for two and a half years.

Now my next goal is cleaner eating and low carb.

Bones2Toned

God and Trusting the Process
TD Jakes
People telling me I can't and I know I can.
My Fitness Pal community
The results will be worth it.

livingleanlivingclean

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

I'm not motivated; I am disciplined. The difference in compliance is huge.

Definitely. There are many days I'm not motivated to train or eat within my allowance. But I do it anyway. I find having a goal (with a specific end date) keeps me more satisfied with being compliant - at the moment it's a comp in may. I also have a coach who does my skinfolds and measurements- being accountable to her makes a difference too, I don't want to waste her time by slacking off!

sardelsa

I'm not sure.. part habit, part vanity, part determination. Once those results come.. it pretty much becomes an obsession

For example..I am not a morning workout type, I usually workout while baby naps during the day. So despite being up every few hours last night (nursing baby) I got up early and hit the weights while the kids were asleep since I couldn't get my workout in during the day. I was exhausted.. but pushed through because, I had to.

witchyitchyaya

I hate the way i feel. I feel like this body isn't mine. Also...to get quality dates in the future! I have petty reasons too. I just want to feel good about myself and become the goddess i am!

UltimateTrashBae

I hate myself and thrive on the compliments of other people.

HMHolder001

My good friend and her husband started doing Crossfit at a local gym, and she'd tell me about it, and id just say, oh I wish I could be active. one day, I decided to get on the scale and just see where I was. I knew I was bigger but when I saw my weight, I freaked out. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life. My parents both have health issues due to poor eating habits and no exercise habits and I told myself I was already headed down that road. At 25, I'm working hard to build healthy exercise and eating habits that I can take throughout my life. I don't want to have their issues in my 30s, nor when I get to their age (they aren't even in their late 60s yet). My true life goal is to live to 100. So if I don't start Now, I'm not gonna get there... I have trouble keeping up motivation, but I use #figtingmyself BC truly my biggest opponent in this is myself.

ludazatobom

I want my life back. I want to love me again. Im sick of feeling ugly and fat. That's what's pushing me.

lulalacroix

For me it's because I will be 50 in a few years. I want to be healthy. I want to be strong. I want to live a long life. I want to look good naked again.

PaulaWallaDingDong

Letting go of motivation as a requirement has freed me to succeed. If you're looking for a reason outside of yourself, you may eventually realize that none of it matters like you think it does, and then what? Factors within yourself can change on a whim. "My health/appearance/etc is important to me." "Wait, nevermind. It's not now." I do what I do because it's what I need to do. End of story.

jrowden0711

Realizing I was a 31 year old that felt much older due to aches and pains. Everyday after work I would come home and instantly sit down because my knees and/or ankles would be so sore. I finally came to the realization that the aches and pains I was experiencing were caused by the lifestyle I chose to live. How crazy is that? So far, it's been the motivation I needed.

Francl27

I started 4 years ago because I was just tired of being fat and stuffing my face.

Now I don't want to get fat again. Honestly that alone motivates me to get moving, but I also love walking, and going to the gym relaxes me (treadmill or elliptical typically while watching TV shows too). If it's nice out, and I don't have to watch my kids, I'll always go for a walk. I gave up on all other kinds of exercises years ago (I still do 3 sets of push ups 5 days a week!).

But really... I just don't want to get fat again and having to buy new clothes.