How do you find the self discipline and motivation?

jht445

I love this topic, it's so inspiring! And I love that quote:
"Self-control is like a muscle. You have to use it to build it. "
Definitely going to keep that in mind!

April9393

Mine is sort of shallow. A male friend met my 17 yr old daughter and told her that she looks just like me. Then he proceeded to tell her "your Mom used to be hot". That is all it took for me. I would like to be "hot" again.

sanura

i have slowly improved my health throughout my adult life and find it comes down to fun. I keep exercising because I love bellydancing. it is great exercise and I stick to my regular healthy lifestyle because of performances.
keep trying new activities and new recipes, if you like your exercise and food, you'll stick to it!

bllowry

I was a premie and have had related health issues all my life as a result, but considered myself 'normally healthy' and ate a fairly balanced diet. Then I was diagnosed with diabetes, something not on either side of my family's histories. Being put on tablets twice a day and an injection daily was a wake up call. Ironically I was always scrawny as a child and constantly told to eat. :ohwell:

The nutritionist I met with was very helpful; she told me there are no 'bad' foods, just bad portions. I have embraced that philosophy, but I've also taken upon myself to really read and try to educate myself to make good decisions. But I think my biggest motivation is my son and his wife telling me how proud they are of me.

marquesajen

I have an account on pinterest and I spend some time everyday adding inspirational images, workout ideas and so forth. Being immersed in motivation reminds me that I can do this. Leave yourself post it notes, subscribe to a fitness magazine, anything that will remind you that you can do it!

Soccer_chick916

Self discipline - Realizing what I am actually putting in my body.
Motivation, the life I want to have. I made promises to myself of things I will do. Also I have a long list of reasons why I want to loose the weight on my MFP profile.

evelyngrice

The strange thing about me joining MFP is that I only joined so I could motivate my best friend, as she is on here. But now I have been on here a few days, I am actually starting to benefit from it myself. The community spirit on here is so motivational and inspiring.

em1976

I have days I wake up,say bugger this no workout.(they happen alot now).Ive been at this 2 years and now almost 24kilos and Ive had many patches of completely giving up.They last perhaps 2 to 3 weeks of doing no exercise but still in a way being careful of what i eat.This was always been about how i saw myself,what i want to look like,was never due to someones comment or criticism but essentially I was 85kilos in a very short lady:)If you can find in yourself what you wish to change,picture in your head how you wish to look,that is what can motivate you,sometimes if your doing it for others the reason to stay with it may not be clear,change your perception,say to yourself 'OK this if for me'.I tried and failed many times before doing it for partners,people everyone else but myself.I can say with a certainty if you can get inside a change room and see your butt from behind while changing clothes(like i did)thats motivation to last a bloody lifetime.OH i bawled like a sook,but I did sit down and wonder how it was id got so damn big and I had been ok with it.Thats my motivation.

My motivation stems from the fact on my wake-up day I promised myself I would never let my weight get out of control again.Bad days i take in my stride.I have days when my partner is sick of hearing me ***** and moan from doing workouts,complaining bout food and endless 'you have to listen' to my diet stuff,but I don't care:)this is who I am,is who I choose to be,with the odd very bad of pigging out thrown in!

klewis81

Here is what motivates me:

1. I set a goal that wasn't necessarily a number. I want to be fit and healthy when I decide to get pregnant so I (or my unborn child)won't suffer from gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, which one is much more likely to suffer from when obese. My husband and I have agreed that we won't try to get pregnant until this happens and I very much want to start a family.

2. Exercise has really helped keep me motivated. It releases so many endorphins and I feel so great that I want to continue doing it. If I was eating like crap, I wouldn't lose weight even if I was busting my tail with exercise, so I feel that I OWE it to myself to watch what I eat too.

3. Constantly coming on the MFP boards and reading success stories and tips about diet and nutrition keep me focused every day. Surround yourself with motivators; get some friends on here, post replies on the boards, and IRL have your friends/family/SO keep motivating you. Once you drop about 10 lbs, people also start to notice and that can be a real motivator to keep going.

ohskinnyme

The strange thing about me joining MFP is that I only joined so I could motivate my best friend, as she is on here. But now I have been on here a few days, I am actually starting to benefit from it myself. The community spirit on here is so motivational and inspiring.

It is a really great community. I'm so glad to be part of it and so glad that this beautiful lady came here to help me

ladyluck4210

At first it was difficult and I still slip up once and a while and buy a milkshake from chick-fil-a lol, but for the most part I've just made eating better a part of my life. I've become more conscious about my food choices as well. I just think to myself, "How much more exercise will I have to do if I eat this thing?" and that usually keeps me on track. I've learned that most things just aren't worth it. Yeah, I may enjoy it at the time. But I have found that since I've been eating better, crappy foods just make me feel awful and I totally regret eating it!

As far as motivation? I would say that MFP has become a large part of that. But also since my journey I have inspired some family members and a few friends to take this journey with me. And they are working out and learning how to eat better too. I want to inspire people to be the best physically they can be, and I hope that through my story I will be able to do that.

This is a lifetime commitment and learning to change your way of thinking is going to be the most important thing to accomplish. Realize it's okay if you eat a piece of chocolate or have a piece of pie, but keep the rest of the day light and easy. If you mess up-that's okay too. Just remember that tomorrow is a new day. If you need love and support MFP is here to help you! There are thousands of people here who understand where you are at and many more who are where you want to be.

I've been kind of in a "funk" the last two weeks and haven't been able to work out that much. I worked out today and feel my body screaming. I've learned to love that feeling...and crave it.

Keep at it!

dannylives

I watch this whole video when im feeling like that, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. http://youtu.be/vMAGVmtpJJc

stormieweather

I look in the mirror now and I LIKE what I see. I look gooooooood :bigsmile: . And whenever I am tempted to quit or give up or do "unhealthy" things, I just remember how I feel about myself NOW vs how I felt last year this time. I looked horrible, lumpy, bulgy, and my joints hurt from hauling the weight around. I was tired all the time and hated anything involving exertion. I also hated how I felt after stuffing my face. Now, I only have about 10 pounds or so to go. Feeling like THIS has been worth every ounce of effort and struggle.

And let me tell you....NOTHING tastes as good as looking fit and trim. Absolutely NOTHING.

chrymyrs

First & foremost I look at myself, I've been overweight my whole life. Then I look at my 5 & 2 yr old. I want to set a good example for them. And I want to keep up with them, run with them, etc...

kimberly130

I put a pic of myself on the fridge, im a "grazer" and that makes me think twice before I eat when im not really hungry

hewhoiscd

It's not a matter of finding it, it's already there inside of you. You just have to let it do it's thing instead of fighting it

Cbandelier

Having a public diary on here and aiming to complete it every day is one huge factor for me. Since I know people will be looking at it, I try not to eat things ( too often anyway) that I don't want to share!

servilia

I watch Adriana Lima on the catwalk! LOL

onmyweightohappiness

For myself personally it's looking back at pictures. I have taken pictures the day I started my journey and every month after. When I feel discouraged or down I just need to look at those pictures and it snaps me back into reality. Another motivational factor is my son, I love being able to chase him around now vs sitting on the bench watching him play.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cQ95Kr4ilw/TiNY4QKulII/AAAAAAAAAis/oC2zC1oC1-k/s1600/Preop+to+13+months+post+op+Front+View.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jWGAcQJPL0/TiNY4ti2RqI/AAAAAAAAAi0/ns_19Gc9uPw/s1600/Preop+to+13+months+post+op+Side+View.jpg

Kristy144

By looking in the mirror.. lol. That keeps me on track!

MaitreyeeMAYHEM

I struggle too but I always choose moderation. I find self discipline by guessing about what I will look like tomorrow morning or my mood.

Michelle_M2002

For me, I saw a picture of myself and was depressed and disgusted at how big I had gotten. That was it. I got a gym membership. Then to make sure I WENT, I spent the money on a package of personal training sessions. If I dropped all that money on it, I was more likely to go work out.

I took "before" pictures. After I dropped 20 pounds, I took a new set of pictures, and put them up side by side. The big change in how I looked is my new motivator. Along with the fact that I'm down a size and a half (about) in jeans, I'm down 4% body fat, and I'm down 8 total inches (4 off of my waistline).

The biggest motivator now, to keep going, is how much better I FEEL. My trainer had me do walking lunges with 20 pounds of weight. Then to compare had me do the walking lunges without any extra weight, so that I could LITERALLY feel the difference in having dropped that 20 pounds!!!

Good luck and God bless!

cervenec

At the beginning I always had to tell myself "my work out will be over in 20 minutes" or checking the calories/logging everything before I started to change and enjoy exercise more.
Having close friends also helped me a lot- my boyfriend is also pro-eating healthier choices, and encourages working out.

xsargex

When I go to the gym on the base and see all the Special Forces and Navy Seal doods working out for 3 hours. Its then I realize, I'm a bit behind the power curve.