How do you do it!? Looking for Motivation!

SkinnyEmLee

Hi everyone! I'm new here.. so, if you would like, PLEASE friend me! I need all the motivation I can get.

Basically, I have tried cutting back SOOO many times, but I eventually always overeat and fall off the wagon!
So, I'm wondering how do you all do it?
-What motivates you to stick with it?
-How do you fight the urges to eat crap?
-How do you avoid overeating in general?

summer_of_69

Hi, I'm new too and wanted to tell you that I'm facing the same issue! Maybe we can face it together. I ate horribly today, but did write it down so at least I could see the damage in real numbers.

Good luck, and I hope more people respond to your question so I can pick up the tips too!

jenkamac

I am so the same way! I get so motivated and then fail... it's very frustrating. I find what works for me is if I can just get a couple days going smooth I start to feel better and get more motivated - results obviously make a big difference!

Exercise! It makes you feel so much better about yourself and gives you a few extra calories throughout the day - it makes you feel more in control. If you know you're going to go out to eat that night exercise that much harder. Eat your exercise calories - especially if you have a low calorie input every day like I do - 1200. I find that if I only eat the 1200 and do not eat my exercise calories not only am I really grumpy and don't feel good but I also do not lose weight. My body goes into starvation mode and just stops. So, even though it feels counter intuitive to eat them, do it. Seriously.

Anyway - that's my advice!

ak_in_ak

I would love to know as well! I have been at it for a couple weeks and the biggest things is actually seeing what you are eating! It is crazy what a serving is and how much more I was eating. You have to find the foods you like and know you will actually eat. I bought a food scale and measure everything out the night before. I would also recommend look at peoples food journals, it is a good way to get ideas.

megansprague

BTW: I've only been doing this a few days but I've found MFP very very helpful! And I've learned a lot

Drink lots of water -- it fills you up and it's good for you. If I drink a big glass before a meal, I'll eat less or at least be satisfied with the food I've put on my plate because my stomach will be so full. I won't want anymore.

Today I really wanted fried food. I had barely eaten anything this morning and ended up burning more calories than I'd eaten during my workout and I hadn't had enough water. I decided to treat myself and I got fried calamari and fries take out -- yummy, yes, but I felt icky afterward. Good lesson? I feel better when I eat better and eat cleaner. And carbs just make me want more carbs. Not a good feeling.

I put on my gym clothes right when I get up in the morning or when I got home from work today (my shifts change so it depends). I'm wearing my clothes so I might as well go and I'll feel better once I've gone and I won't be thinking about "Oh I should go to the gym..."

I really like bananas -- they fill me up and I don't want anything after I eat them. Special K bars also fill me up and are only 90 calories. They're great for my ride home from the gym.

sharleengc

My motivation at the moment is my husband. He has lost almost 50 lbs in 3.5 months just with watching his calories and exercising (and that was before we found this site!). He definitely pushes me which is sometimes aggravating because he thinks I should be able to keep up with him...but he won't give me the chance to stop at this point.

Add me if you want!

vaidaz

Exercise! It makes you feel so much better about yourself and gives you a few extra calories throughout the day - it makes you feel more in control. If you know you're going to go out to eat that night exercise that much harder. Eat your exercise calories - e

That's my tactic as well. It allows me to have chocolate, cheese, and other things I love to eat, but which have way too many calories. Therefore I just purchased elliptical. I hope it will help me to burn calories on the days when I am too tired to workout with Jillian Michael's DVDs.

michelnie

Motivation is really important if you want to do this. I've attempted losing weight for a few years but it's always come back. The key thing is you really have to want it. When that mind set clicks in your mind you stay on the path. And yes do I miss the food? Sure who doesn't? But I think to myself is it worth it? That usually stops me. Now the way I find to really eliminate those cravings is to make sure the food you eat is really to your taste. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland and tasteless. Healthy food can actually be absolutely delicious. And that's been the key to me. Keeping food tasty not only curbs my previous cravings but really motivates me to keep on the path. You can do it, just believe in yourself!

jfinnivan

Take a picture of yourself in a bathing suit, but push your stomach out as far as you can. Hang it on the fridge, and the cabinet where you store your snacks. Make it a big picture. Draw arrows pointing at your fat bits. Draw laughing faces.

GoneWithTheWhinge

You know, sometimes I find its down to shear bloody mindedness, being stubborn and having to be stronger and more focused on WHY you are doing this and walking away from the chocolate/crisps/whatever and it gets easier, honestly, when you start feeling better in yourself, seeing a difference in your clothes/on the scales. I've only been doing this a few weeks and already I'm actually feeling repulsed by many of the fatty, stodgy and unhealthy food that I used to love.

exercise, seriously it is fantastic. I find it also helps me make better choices by knowing I have to do X minutes running to work off that chocolate muffin or whatever which then helps me to way up if its actually worth it.

The other thing I have found really worthwhile is having friends on here that I can share my success/frustrations/challenges with. It makes heck of a difference to see a 'nice workout', 'great burn' or a 'I know how you're feeling' post, on there.

beccarockslife

I just don't give up. If I eat well 5 days out of 7 I can still lose weight because I get back on after the binge. Keep going and never ever give up.

hopeandj

Make yourself small goals every weeks, like you are going to eat a piece of fruit at breakfast, or you are not going to eat fast food for the week. Start slow! If you go to change everything at once you probably won't stick with it. Most importantly, you have to want to change...this is not a diet! I can't tell you the last time I had McDonalds or Burger King but I can tell you I have stopped craving it. I always looks up my calories before I eat and most of the time that stops me right there from wanting it. If you want a piece of pie, eat it. But don't go crazy and eat 2 or 3 pieces, it's all about moderation. If you ignore the craving, it's just going to come back stronger.

NYGoddess77

Is there anyone here that needs a P90X Workout Buddy via Skype or Oovoo? If you have accountability issues...like myself......virtual workout partners is the next best thing :-) If interested let me know. I have both P90X and P90X Plus :-)

BigNathan76

I'm wondering how do you all do it?
-What motivates you to stick with it?
-How do you fight the urges to eat crap?
-How do you avoid overeating in general?

I started 4 months ago. You have to really want it and find a way of eating/living you can stick with.. I went Primal. Check out Mark's Daily Apple. Lot of info. I do let myself have one "reward" meal a month. Spend the rest of the month dreaming about it! lol

For me it was just about finally getting to that tipping point and making the needed changes. The weight coming off makes me feel a lot better than eating crap and overeating ever did.

Angel1066

I have good days and bad days but what keeps me motivated is my dropping and wearing smaller size clothes. If i eat bad i still log it and try and workout more to compensate, it seems to be working. Feel to add me if you need support.

moriaht

Exercise helps me the most. I know I haven't lost a lot of weight but I have just begun to try again after almost a year of not. I have been to the gym every day since Saturday though and all of a sudden you become in the mind set again. When you get home from the gym it seems like a total waste to eat something unhealthy so you end up eating better. I am the worst for pubs and crappy greasy food but the more you work out the easier it is to say no! You can friend me if you want. I know my profile is bare and boring but I could use the encouragement too!

AngieM76

For me personally, I am motivated because of my mom. She needs a kidney and they cant operate at the weight I am. Nothing like having your mom's life in your hands to make you stop eating junk!

sugarbeans

Hey your not alone in this as you can tell and please add me as a friend if you'd like.

I sometimes have a hard time finding motivation until one day I found a two pictures one was me shoving a piece of cake into my mouth and at my heaviest weight (horrible picture trust me) and another one was a picture of me at a healthy weight where I looked happy and healthy. I now have these two pictures on my fridge whenever I want something in there I look at them and the post it saying Really?

Secondly I have put all the sweets and high carb snacks up on a high shelf in a kitchen cupboard (i'm short) so if I want something I have to get a chair not a stool to physically get it. Most of the time while I'm thinking about grabbing the snack I can talk myself out of it and just grab something healthy from the fridge. That being said if I feel like I need a sweet I will log onto MFP and see if I have the calories if I don't I either go do 30min of exercise (which most of the time distracts me long enough for the craving to disappear) or I have the sweet but I know that i worked for it.
It is tough though

Over eating I now can avoid easily. I try to have 4-5 small meals a day with lots of protein, I find protein keeps me feeling full longer. For the going out for dinner and such (like Friday nights is always girls night) I plan ahead by looking at the nutrition info for that restaurant and plan accordingly.

I also have come to realize that I am my own worse critic and can be hard on myself so when I slip up I just tell myself it's ok tomorrow is a new day and go from there. Before I would eat the pity away and vicious cycle. Know that you are not alone and if you slip up one day just dust yourself off and start again.

celmlund

Being new myself I have been trying to create good habits and it seems to be working well. Like when I am making a meal I make sure to drink a glass of water while I am cooking, and one while I am eating. Now I don't even have to think about it, and I get 6 glasses of water. It makes it easier to get at least 8 glasses. I figure if I make alot of small good habits like that then it will be easier to keep with it. I have gotten away from my sweet tooth getting the better of my by just not buying sweets, and keeping fruit or something around. But I also don't beat myself up if I have something that I probably could have passed on.

stephgreene

Everyone has good days and bad days. It's a daily struggle. The biggest thing is to not quit on yourself. If you have one bad day... you have one bad day. Not the end of the world.

Also, if you are really, really honest with yourself and actually log everything that you eat, you'll see what it is that you're putting into your body every day. When you don't like it you'll consciously make a change! If you need any help feel free to let me know

dls06

http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/woman-loses-300-pounds-the-old-fashioned-way-25535671

Cut and paste this if you need motivation! A lot of us believe there are no easy fixes and if you are looking for one you are guaranteed to fail.

sue26

If you have an open diary then knowing that you have to log it in for others to see is a huge motivation not to eat the crap:laugh:

agingwithfitness

For me finding out what was causing the problem is fixing it. I knew I was upset at my job and was eating too many sweets and wine at night and struggling not to but its hard when your upset.

I finally had to quit to get away from toxic boss. Even though money is tight and we have no extras now, it was like a huge weight was off me and all of a sudden I could exercise again, I haven't had a drink in two weeks and I am eating healthy again.

So look for what is the root of your eating, boredom, job, relationship, etc...

Teeladog

I find making small changes over time to be key. Whenever I try to change a ton of stuff at once it doesn't work. For example, I don't drink soda...ever. I used to drink 6 or more full caffeine, full sugar sodas a day. Do you know how many calories that was?!?!? So, I gave that up but didn't give up any of my other bad habits. Then, when that one was accomplished, I picked another one. Then another. And so on. My diet is still far from perfect but it is waaaay better. And, I have come to realize that certain things are not going to change....my life is happier with Cheese and wine in it, for example.

For me, tracking calories is absolutely essential. I have been on this road more than once and I will get to a point where I am happy with my weight and tell myself that I know how to eat now and I don't have to track my calories anymore. I really don't know how many times I am going to have to relearn that lesson!

Exercise is a big one for me. The days I don't exercise I feel less motivated and I also struggle a lot with eating. I eat all my exercise calories (which also motivates me to exercise.

Come here and read the forums...helps me keep focused.

Best of luck!