Motivational techniques that have helped you lose weight?

fragileelegance

For example I've seen the weight loss jars....does anyone have something that they do for themselves that motivates them to keep going? I've been at a plateau forever and I'm getting so discouraged.

Fiercely_Me

Reading the success stories on mfp keeps me motivated. If they can do it, so can I (and you)!

jcast92

I hate getting discouraged. Try changing things up a little to break your plateau! A large calorie deficit by increasing cardio or something. Usually what motivates me is the small changes I see every few days.

MinMin97

Joining a group challenge was great for me last August. The challenge was to set a calorie burn goal for the month and reach/exceed it. It worked so well!!
This month I have joined 2 challenges, one regarding quality of sleep, the other for staying within calorie goal everyday.

BaldheadSlick

Pictures have always kept me motivated. My mind in the mirror can lie to me, but the camera lens always tells me the truth and it says, "This is how you look in real life, so you may wanna get back to work."

SusanUW83

Paying for a Disney Half Marathon 6 months in advance motivated me to keep training. (safely) Disney races have a cutoff so I couldn't just say "oh well, I'll just walk it."

Melionfire

I blog about my progress and look back on it when feeling discouraged or unmotivated. I check out the success stories to help me realize this takes time but can be done. I trie to change things up with my workouts to keep me interested.

gettingsexy94

Pictures have always kept me motivated. My mind in the mirror can lie to me, but the camera lens always tells me the truth and it says, "This is how you look in real life, so you may wanna get back to work."

That's a great trick! Bcos I do believe that my ego has risen causing me to perceive myself looking better in my reflection than I actually do (or maybe I really do look that good ). Thanks

Techniques...hmm...you can promise yourself gifts when you reach a certain goal I also announce my plan to my friends here on MFP and to my family so that they keep me on track. And I look at progress shots(from other mfp users) for inspiration. Hope that helps!

:)xx

Jazz_2014

I replace a bad habit with a good habit. When the good habit is truly a habit and not a struggle. I pick another bad habit and replace with a good one. It's slow but it works.
A few examples: used to drink sweet tea, now it is water w/lemon or herbal hot tea.
Used to eat starchy veggies, now I chose low glycemic.
Used to watch tv a lot, now go to Zumba once a week.

jaz050465

BeAds on a string: different colour for daily calorie goal, 10000 steps and working out. When I get to my target, number of beads, I buy a bead for my charm bracelet.

39laurita39

The one thing that works for me now that I'm closer to my goal weight is getting the smallest sizes WHENEVER I go shopping for clothes. I have a drawer full of tops & shorts i LOVE and cannot wear because they dont look flattering; so I'm stuck to wearing the same clothes I'm bored of...
My mindset is: I love fashion & I go shopping often so what's the point of getting pretty clothes I'd eventually have to ditch since I still wanna lose more weight? I dont let myself buy bigger clothes so I have a full wardrobe of outfits I'd wear if I was at my goal weight. I find this extremely motivating when getting ready in the morning as I wish I could wear them! And the more clothes I used to love get too big, the more motivated I am to be able to start using brand new clothes! Stay strong!!

GiveMeCoffee

I keep a copy of the picture when I started on my desk, in my wallet and on the fridge as a reminder of what I don't want to look like again, I also set a calender reminder in outlook that says Get off your A** and get it done.

Other than that, I just made sure to make good habits of logging everything, physical activity so now they are just a part of my daily routine, because if I had to rely on motivation to do it .. well it wouldn't happen.

SezxyStef

well I gave away all my fat cloths...

Mainly it's just how I feel and each week or each pound I am closer to goal.

Prior to that I used to read the success stories...

Junctionbox

Talk about your mind playing tricks on you. I visualised myself wearing a higher grade martial arts belt but then panicked when I couldn't find it in my bag! I hadn't passed it yet

WaterBunnie

Shifting my focus to getting fitter rather than slimmer last month got my weight dropping again. I started walking 2 miles before work and added in some different exercise classes on top of what I was doing. Made sure I ate back all my exercise calories and lost 8lbs in a month after 2 months of plateau.

Capt_Apollo

i like signing up for races. they help keep me focused on a long term goal to prepare for.

askewcr

I love to read other people's success stories. It also makes me feel that if they can do it I can. I also hang on to God's promise that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. I also have a MfP friend, Gema, who blogs and all of her segments are truly motivational, causing you to search within to see what is the reason why I keep "messing up" all the time. Last, but not lease, 99% of my MFP friends end the day under their calorie goal and that makes me want to do the same each day.:blushing:

He1loKitty

I have found that coming to the Motivation and Support forums really helps me get through the day! It's nice to know that others struggle like me. I think I am personally motivated to continue my journey because I finally realized it's possible to lose the weight. It was difficult to make the adjustments to my diet and exercise routine at first, and my bad habits were so ingrained. In the past, it felt like the most I could lose was five pounds, and then I'd fall off the wagon and gain it all back plus some. I realize now that I wasn't being honest with myself about my efforts. And now I actually want to eat healthy, work out and leave treats for special occasions or a once a week thing. My biggest motivators though are a pair of shorts I am dying to fit into this summer as well as feeling good when I wake up! I love waking up and not feeling gross because I ate too much ice cream or cookies late the night before!

molliepw

following

Lizzy622

Watch "finding Nemo" and "Keep swimming".

nomorebingesgirl2014

Bump

liftingandlipstick

I put a dollar in a jar for every pound I lose, but that's less about motivation, and more about the fact that I KNOW I'm going to need entirely new clothes, and I can't afford to do it otherwise

I have some too-small clothes already in my wardrobe that I hung up on my bedroom wall at motivation- want to fit into those jeans? Then get moving!

I have a problem with rewarding myself buying things, because either: I would just buy it anyway, because I need it, or because it's cheap enough that why wait? But there are a few things that I've set aside:

Once I complete the C25K training course, I'll buy the Zombies!Run app. I can't listen to both at once, but I've heard great things about Zombies!, so I want to try it.

In another 17# loss, I'll buy myself some cute undies. I'll definitely need new ones at that point, but I'd usually stick to something utilitarian. So having something fun will be great

_Zardoz_

For example I've seen the weight loss jars....does anyone have something that they do for themselves that motivates them to keep going? I've been at a plateau forever and I'm getting so discouraged.

Motivation comes and goes it's Habit that keeps it going long term. Get some good habits.