How do you find the motivation to keep going?

wavedancer123

Hello, once you first start to loose those first few lbs, and then they become stones, and then the clothes start shrinking there was no going back for me. The complements start to come in, and I then realised it was me those complements were for, it is a great feeling and worth all the times I had said NO to something, that I knew I didn't need to have, as it was not on my food list!

Wearing size 10 and it is great and knowing that a size 12 is to big for me (wow). I was on the verge of a size18 and feeling fat and very frumpy, and was the point it all . Now I have loads of energy, I am always on the go. I also do lotsof walking challenges.

Having lost 45lbs, of course now I do say Yes to certain foods, but I also say enough is enough, and it's time to start saying NO, just to get back to where I know I am happy , otherwise it could be a slippery slop.... And my size 10's would not fit, I sometimes go by the weight on the scales. I know I need to be under 10 stone, 10:4 being my cut off, but a couple of weeks of saying NO soon sorts it out for me.

( I have gained a few lbs recently -summer holidays, but I am back to saying No, stepping up the walking and keeping to list of foods I can eat. And usually even naturally slim people gain a few lbs on holidays, but they usually get it sorted once they are back from holiday. In the past I just carried on eating like I was still on holiday !)

Good luck, and if you give yourself the commitment to do it you will. Planning what you are going to eat and drink (the water) is all good for you and of course keep you motivated. But if you should end up saying Yes when in fact it should have been a No, don't beat yourself up, just close the book, and find a new one to get started. After all it is your life.

AmberleyAngel

Making a weightloss journey just about losing weight is, I believe, a mistake. Lose the weight and the mind says okay, go back to eating whatever. It has to be a lifestyle change of healthy eating and exercise. Essentially it is about being healthy - eating to fuel the body and get all the nutrients needed, exercising to improve fitness and help the heart.

I went from being incredibly sedentary to exercising. I love the way it makes me feel. I love being able to walk places and not feel tired or winded. I don't like how I feel if I can't exercise, but I do try to have at least 1 day a week off.

Feeling discouraged or struggling with keeping up the work is natural. A great support network helps. Reviewing your progress; looking at photos before/after comparisons. Also, planning treats into your lifestyle can be helpful. Feeling deprived can be a game killer, so I believe knowing how to responsibly incorporate treats from time to time without the guilt - knowing the calorie cost, but being prepared with an overall deficit and/or additional exercise - can keep you on the straight and narrow the rest of the time. I find if I have a dinner out coming up, I find it much easier to eat well knowing I can afford to relax a bit on that social outing.

Edited to fix typos. LOL

jenilla1

It's sad that you quit after one month after you'd made such awesome progress. 7 pounds in a month is great! This isn't a race. Maybe you rushed it or you just weren't realistic. Maybe 2 pounds a week is too aggressive for you. I know that amount would have burned me out. I had months where I only lost a pound or two, but it never really bothered me. This is a lifestyle change, so it didn't matter how long it took, as long as I was going to make it last. (I've been on maintenance for 2.5 years.) Any small victory is a step in the right direction.

As far as motivation, you have to want it MORE than you want the alternative. Sometimes change is scary and we just get too comfortable with our old selves. Decide you want to live a healthy lifestyle, change your attitudes and behaviors, and make it a priority. You can tell what things are important to people by looking at their priorities. Healthy, fit people make it a priority. It doesn't just happen by accident. Maybe you're not ready yet, or maybe you just need to give it another shot but with a more realistic outlook this time. And take it slowly this time. It's not gonna happen over night. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

RoyBeck

If you want it badly enough you'll stick to it.

I put a picture of the older, fatter me on my fridge.

kathrynm4

Hey well done for getting back to it and having the motivation to try again.

MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY!

Sometimes it's the fear of succeeding rather than failing that stops us, that whole self-sabotage thing.. Know that you're worth it and you deserve it more than anything

GO FOR IT!

pcastagner

When life gets me down, my first thought is "can I do a workout now please?".

I don't need motivation to keep going anymore. Challenging myself is a source of relief and renewal. That's partly because I used my motivation, when I had lots, to make it a habit. To stay motivated, I made sure not to under eat, and I got clever about preparing a few days' worth of food at a time when it was time to lose weight.

TINAHUNTER1969

This really made sense to me - someone wrote that even if they hit a plateau and were not losing they were still eating healthy and getting fitter so why give up and go back to eating crap and being miserable.

Its not a race as long as you are heading in the right direction who cares how long it takes - slow and steady wins the race!!

I've been losing steadily since last year but I am more interested in being healthy and feeling good than how many pounds I've lost.

I started walking 2.7 miles in January and it took me 1 hour, now August the same distance takes me 40 minutes so that is proof that I am fitter.

Write measurements down and times that it takes to do things and then review every month, I guarantee you will see a difference and these really do give you a sense of achievement.

Don't give in, you know you will be miserable and all your hard work will go to waste, just keep eating healthily and exercising - I don't see this as a diet, its a HEALTHIER WAY OF LIVING FOR LIFE - you can have treats and still socialise just ensure that you get back on track as soon as you can and you will be able to have your cake and eat it

Good luck :happy:

Mythril

I have tried in the past to lose weight. I tried slim fast, weight watchers, starving myself (lost 40lbs, gained it back and then some.) The difference this time is I'm not looking at it as I'm dieting, I'm trying to get this weight off. I'm looking at it as I'm eating this way permanently, I'm paying attention to what goes into my body, I'm trying to correct the issues I have with my body through what I eat. When you're not worried about getting to a point then you're not as concerned when you're not reaching it fast enough.

Now, there have been times when I've gotten on the scale and it made me mad because it didn't drop, or it stayed the same. I've wanted to binge on cakes and sweets (which are abundant in my house currently.) But more than I wanted to binge or quit I wanted to lose and I knew that freaking out about it now meant I would continue gaining. Staying the same was better than gaining. Living day by day is how I do it.

Victory_or_Death

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TavistockToad

Serious question.

I've been aiming to lose weight for around a year now, and I've done it for brief periods with mild success. I always hit a plateau and then just slowly ease off of a diet/exercise plan. I'm 6' 216 pounds. Back in March I started, aiming for 2lbs/wk and I got down to 209 at the end of April. Unsatisfied with the progress I sort of gave up.

I work 50+ hours a week and find it so difficult to eat healthy and exercise (I know, this is an excuse).
I don't have many opportunities to leave work, so I end up eating from a vending machine or giving someone my credit card to grab me McDonalds or something, and I always regret it..

I just want to know how you guys keep yourselves motivated throughout the long difficult process of losing weight, and avoid all of the temtations?

stand in front of a full length mirror in your underwear... happy? no? put down the cake and go work out....

jillianbeeee

this is a very serious question. The bottom line is I never want to go back to where I was. I was to tired all the time, I never had the energy to do anything. I stopped going to the beach with my friends because I did not want to put on a swimsuit. I did not even want to go in the pool with my family because I was embarrassed. My doc was not happy with my cholesterol. Even my little dogs wouldn't sit on my lap because I barely had one (sad, but true) even doing laundry was becoming a hard chore. I was depressed and angry so I put more food in my mouth. My clothes were to tight and getting tighter every day. I didn't want to look in the mirror and I realized I hadn't taken a photo with my kids in 2 years! I was always the one taking the photos not wanting to be in them! I don't ever want to go back to that and think about it every time I start losing my motivation. I took my first full body photo in over to years for my profile pic here! it felt amazing. I have to admit my kids keep me motivated now. They call and ask what ya do today and I can respond with I jogged 4 miles!!! I feel good and that motivates me to keep going. I have made calorie counting a game and my family has been supportive. My daughter (who is 20) has serious obesity that runs on her fathers side of the family, she has always been active but now she is really into fitness and I am proud of her. She looks to me for guidance and now I can give her advice so she has a healthy relationship with food and is not scared of eating or in danger of developing an eating disorder. MFP has been the guiding force behind me keeping motivated. A good group of friends here that do not judge but encourage me to keep going. I have tried ediets, adkins, south beach in the past. All unsustainable. But here, the way we log in our food and know just how much we can eat depending on exercise, has proven to me I can do this and I can do it long term! good luck!

james6998

It eventually just becomes habit. To you it probably sounds crazy but its true. If it is something that is important you will do it.

You are doing something wrong if you have to try and live this way (diet) Its about lifestyle change not just a short term, hold out as long as you can stand diet. Its about calorie counting not changing all the food you eat for dull bland health food.

jetaylor63

watch this type of *kitten* every night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLv0Vsegmoo

Thank you for this link. I'm going to watch all of these.

No problem, just found this series tonight and it is extremely interesting

Thanks for this. It was exactly what I needed today. :flowerforyou:

tavinsmom

It's not easy, but for me it's my before picture. I have a picture I look at, that I look miserable in. I can tell how unhappy I was just by looking at it.

You also have to stop with the excuses. I'm a single mom, work 2 jobs (average 50-60 hours a week) plus I workout another 5-10 hours a week. It is hard to juggle it all, but I'm making the choice to workout rather than watch tv a night.

I'm not going to say my eating is great, but I do keep in my calories. I still eat fast food sometimes, or have days where I skip meals because I'm so busy. Just try to make the best of it.

I still have a long way to go, and I'm losing very slowly (only 28lbs in 8 months) but I feel so much better, and know I'm doing the right thing for myself and my son.

healthyKYgirl

I have to work a lot too, and I had this problem. Something that helps me when I work a lot is to make something in bulk on the weekends and either freeze it or refrigerate it for the week. Salads, casseroles, chili, etc. Crockpot receipes on Sunday are great for this, but really could be anything. Normally, those foods are much better having been made at home than if I were to grab McD's or stuff from a vending machine and much more filling. Also, I found I am more productive and have better work results when I leave work at lunch even if it's just for 10 minutes to go for a walk. It helps reduce my stress. Part of it was an attitude that I wasn't worth the time and effort for this, and I had to change that belief. Why do you feel like you can't make or take time for lunch? Do your other co-workers get lunch? Why are they so much more special than you that they are allowed lunch but you aren't?

Esl4541

You have to pack a lunch! You will be amazed at the effects of that one little change. And don't set the bar so high that you fail. Two pounds per week? Start out at 1/2 pound per week and the success will become the motivator. Good luck.

TINAHUNTER1969

WOW sounds like you have nailed it this time and have the right attitude.

I'm not in a hurry to lose it either and just think getting fitter and healthier is the way forward.

Good luck on your journey x

feistymoon

Look at the alternative - what more motivation do you need!

HermioneDanger118

watch this type of *kitten* every night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLv0Vsegmoo

Thank you for this link. I'm going to watch all of these.

Ooh, thanks! I'll check that out tonight.

tymaup6

This one hit the nerve for me....

tymaup6

There is an old story that says when seafaring adventurers finally arrived at their destination they burned their ships. There was no going back, they had no choice but to survive.

If you new way of eating is something that has become a lifestyle change, there is no going back. It is only when it is a diet (temporary) that we hop on and off. Burn your ships! The old way of living is gone.

At a certain point, motivation is irrelevant. Your new habits simply becomes the way you live your life.

The thing that crystallized all this for me was realizing that my body has it's own timeline, and I am not in control of how many pounds I lose in a week. It's my job to eat well, track my calories, move every day, and be patient while my body slowly changes. Getting fixated on a certain rate of weight loss sets me up for failure.

Find a way of living that is good to your body, and then just live. Get on with your life and don't over think it.

Motivation is temporary. Will power even more so.

SIS

gera368

There is an old story that says when seafaring adventurers finally arrived at their destination they burned their ships. There was no going back, they had no choice but to survive.

If you new way of eating is something that has become a lifestyle change, there is no going back. It is only when it is a diet (temporary) that we hop on and off. Burn your ships! The old way of living is gone.

At a certain point, motivation is irrelevant. Your new habits simply becomes the way you live your life.

The thing that crystallized all this for me was realizing that my body has it's own timeline, and I am not in control of how many pounds I lose in a week. It's my job to eat well, track my calories, move every day, and be patient while my body slowly changes. Getting fixated on a certain rate of weight loss sets me up for failure.

Find a way of living that is good to your body, and then just live. Get on with your life and don't over think it.

Motivation is temporary. Will power even more so.

SIS

I so agree with this!
You have to make it a new lifestyle!
If you want more motivation look for the group "20 lbs down by Christmas"
We try to lose weight together in a healthy way (with an exercise advise topic)
Everybody welcome to join!

Gera