Those who have lost a significant amount of weight, how did you stay motivated for the long haul?

rheddmobile

108 lbs in a year. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I disagree with others here about motivation versus discipline. I have no discipline. I have no ability to form good habits. I've been going to the gym regularly for months now and if I could, I would stop tomorrow and never look back. I hate running and do it three times a week. I whine every day.

My motivation, on the other hand, keeps me going even when I feel like deep fried dog turd. I don't want to go blind or lose the sensation in my feet due to diabetes. Being temporarily unable to drive or read because of bad vision made me very aware of what will happen if I don't keep my *kitten* together.

Motivation waxes and wanes only when it's not really a good enough motivation. Most people are strongly motivated to pay their bills often enough not to get their homes repossessed. Most people are able to get up every day on not enough sleep and spend hours at a job they loathe because their children need health insurance. All over the world, grown children endure living hell to help their aging parents be cared for during their last critical illness. Not all of these people have discipline - they have motivation, something they care about strongly enough to keep working even when they would rather jump head first into a box of bees.

If you have something in your life that motivates you that strongly to lose weight, remind yourself of it.

Maxxitt

*small interim goals
*go-to routine for many meals
*planned breaks where I eat to current maintenance for a few days
*lifting routine (feeling strong is a great motivator for me for eating well)
*good nutrition (so, good energy)
*becoming friends with "I am a little hungry"

Jancandoit7

I think it's both motivation and self-discipline. Lots of things keep me motivated; when that feeling ebbs it's discipline that keeps me going. But...I'm constantly looking for motivators as it keeps things interesting for me-the 5 pound mini-goals, the pants I want to fit into, the healthier blood work, the special splurge meal I'll have with friends, being able to walk that extra mile, etc. These are motivators- that I purposely create for myself so I don't go insane; when all else fails I rely on the tedium of self-discipline- (just till I'm re-motivated )

brdnw

i lost 95lbs going from 285 to 190. I just focused on small goals, each 5lbs would be a new goal. I think it's easier if you break it down into something much more tangible.

theyoginurse

I really love this thread and everybody’s contributions. I can only say that while I have a way to go, what’s motivating me not to give up is I do not want to ever have my weight be a topic of conversation ever again. The fat comments just were enough. I do not want hear it anymore! I do not want my weight to be an excuse anymore. I have no clothes to wear.

So when I feel tired, like absolutely throwing in the towel and eating everything in my path, I remind myself of how crummy it feels afterwards. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Whether it’s motivation or a Power that be so far it’s working.

I am incorporating choices that I enjoy. Taking it one day at a time.

Roobyzooby

As most have said eating the way I do now is how I will eat for the rest of my life. No food is off the menu, I just eat to my calorie allowance. Little things that keep me focused, motivated if you want to call it that...being able to move more, do more, feeling so much healthier, a whole new world of clothes for the slimmer me and NOT having to strategically position myself behind others when anyone insists on a group or family photo!!

estherdragonbat

As of today, I'm down 93 lbs from a high of 254 (BMI 45). I want to drop another 31, but 21 will take me to the top of the healthy BMI range for me.

In my case, I'd developed a permanent obesity-related condition (Chronic venous insufficiency; i.e. the veins in my legs collapsed from having to carry too much me. It also impacted my lymphatic system. The fluid didn't have enough room to flow and it had to go somewhere, so I ended up with lymphedema and a weeping wound on my leg that took about 2 1/2 months of daily nursing visits and multiple courses of antibiotics to fix). I'm now in compression stockings for the foreseeable future and my left lower leg is extremely prone to infection if I break the skin. Which means that I try to avoid taking antibiotics when it's "Well, we don't actually know if it's a virus or an infection, but we'll write you a prescription for antibiotics just in case." No. If I need the antibiotics, give them to me. If you aren't sure, I'd rather not risk building up a tolerance in case I scrape my knee and my leg swells up again.

I just can't afford to fool around anymore.

Also, I've just gotten through a medical scare. Turns out I have/had bladder cancer. Non-invasive, 98% survival rate, the surgery got all the lesions, though they could come back (I'm starting treatment in a few weeks to hopefully prevent that). Class 3 obesity? Added risk for going under general anesthetic. Might have also impacted the diagnosis, though that's speculation. (There are threads on these forums about people whose doctors missed serious medical issues, chalking them all up to the patient being obese. I don't know what my experience would have been a year ago, but I'm kind of glad I didn't have to find out.)

bellaesprita000

I'm on track to lose ~50 lbs by Summer 2018. I'm already over 50% to my goal. I was a "fit but fat" person most of my life and haven't suffered any of the unfortunate health scares as others have mentioned above. I had success losing ~40 lbs without calorie counting on my own a few years ago, but hit a plateau and decided to maintain and focus on fitness for a while. Honestly, re-discovering MFP, plugging in my stats, and giving it a try for a month is what did it for me. Realizing the simplicity of CICO and the desire to drop the fat in "fit but fat" is what motivates me today.

Ditto mini, both scale and non-scale, goals. Fitness remains a priority for me, but is also a retreat for the scale isn't moving as fast as I want it to. Setting realistic goals, prelogging, tracking weight trends, and joining challenges on this site have been key to my success.

lorrpb

The results are the motivation. In addition, I always like to set goals in multiple areas, not just the scale. Doing a new exercise, increasing weight on a lift, trying a new ingredient or new recipe, steps, progress pics, measurements, all are areas I set goals in. That way there are always some successes, even when the scale isn't what I was hoping for. I work so hard in my workouts to improve my fitness, I don't want to screw it up with poor eating habits.

Also realize that success is based on establishing a routine and good habits. You won't "feel motivated" every day. In fact, I don't "feel motivated" on most days. I just follow my plan for nutrition and fitness. If I followed my plan only on the days I "felt motivated" I am quite sure I would still weigh 300 lbs and be barely able to get out of my chair. Instead 3 1/2 years after starting, I weigh 155 and can hike up a mountain at age 62.