How do you stay motivated?

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kidrobot3
kidrobot3 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I could do awesome all day, then night comes, I am all out of calories, and not necessarily hungry... but then BAM! Oreos and pudding, and even random food I'd never eat sounds awesome to me and I have a mini feast. UGH!

Or I'll mess up a little and say screw it! Then the rest of the week I just keep saying, "I'll try again Monday."

I've seemed to have lost my motivation, what have you done to keep yourself going?
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Replies

  • kassied09
    kassied09 Posts: 397
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    The results keep me going.
    Also, I usually save at least 600 calories for night time, because I know I tend to get hungry. I know not a lot of people agree with this but I have been doing it for a month and lost at least 12 pounds (have not weighed in a week but its at least that) SO I think that it is working out just fine for me.
  • amfaery
    amfaery Posts: 267 Member
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    I had the same problem wit night time eating :) one day I just said for a weeks I will not eat anything after dinner it was hard but it broke the cycle an dnow I am fine. I found other things to do, it has helped my weight loss tremendously and I feel better in general I have a sweet tooth cutting m eveneing sugar I feel better now
  • csparon
    csparon Posts: 200 Member
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    Keeping my goals in mind. I ask myself, what do I want more, an oreo or a Navy Career? After pondering for a few minutes I notice that the Oreo's will ALWAYS be there, but for now you have to focus on other things. Also, don't keep them in your house. If they're not there to look at, they're not there to tempt you.
  • Miasunshine
    Miasunshine Posts: 26
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    I had the same problem wit night time eating :) one day I just said for a weeks I will not eat anything after dinner it was hard but it broke the cycle an dnow I am fine. I found other things to do, it has helped my weight loss tremendously and I feel better in general I have a sweet tooth cutting m eveneing sugar I feel better now

    OMG YOUR A STAR!!!
    I've been trying to do that, but it fails every time!
    i can't seem to get it straight yet :S but i'm happy that you stuck with it!
  • almille
    almille Posts: 89
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    Honestly? Stop telling yourself that's okay. Get determined. Find tricks that work for you, but know that the tricks don't make it easy, just easier- you still have to commit yourself. List your goals and mini goals and decide what you're doing this for.

    Work out an extra 20-30 mins for extra calories if you have/will need them.
    Keep the temptations out of the house.
    Treat yourself regularly but within firm limits. I use frozen dark chocolate for a light-er and more satisfying reward for a good day.
    If you start munching, go for a walk instead. If you don't have time to walk, you dont have time to eat either- get to whatever you should be doing.
    Keeping busier helps a lot of us- direct the munchy urge to a project or hobby you keep putting off.

    Then, once you're doing these things getting on top of the automatic habits, be forgiving with yourself and don't give up on the day/week/year for one screwup or over-calorie or missed workout or whatever. Fix it tomorrow by working your butt off, and move on. But it starts with really deciding to do it right, and taking responsibility for your actions.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    I had the same problem wit night time eating :) one day I just said for a weeks I will not eat anything after dinner it was hard but it broke the cycle an dnow I am fine. I found other things to do, it has helped my weight loss tremendously and I feel better in general I have a sweet tooth cutting m eveneing sugar I feel better now

    ^^^^^^^^^^ This....

    It's only what works for me... it can only take a couple of days of snacking after dinner to make it a habit again.
    Plus, I know the snacking stalls me from the results I want on the scale - so I guess that is the main motivation.

    I now have whatever I crave within 30 minutes of having dinner, and not eating anything thereafter.
  • johngeorgimus
    johngeorgimus Posts: 7 Member
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    A lot of people lose motivation by weighing themselves to often. If you weigh yourself after you pig out for example, you will put on a few pounds and then get all miserable. Only weigh in once a week at the same time first thing in the morning. Remember, you do not have to be under your calorie target every day so long as your calories come from healthy types of food. 1 egg for example has about the same calorie count as 1 chocolate biscuit so keep an eye on your carbs column. 1 snack I find helps is a mashed banana on toast with a little ground cinnimon. Try it!
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
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    Self-discipline. It works in all areas of your life. Learn to say no to yourself...and MEAN it. :)
  • Kaymiller
    Kaymiller Posts: 10 Member
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    Well, it is early days for me, but...

    I keep telling myself to remember how rubbish I feel when I go over the calories. I've woken up for months feeling bad about myself, but now that I'm keeping on track I'm no longer obessing about food. That feels good, and I don't want to go back to hating myself!

    Also I find an ice cold fizzy drink helps at night. Even better with ice and lemon. Feels like a G&T.
  • michellestefnik
    michellestefnik Posts: 3
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    I had the same problem with eating at night. To stop this I brush my teeth right after dinner. I have braces, so by the time I brush, floss and rinse, it's a lotta work and I don't want to do it again because I want a cookie, and I have super clean teeth!
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I get on scales to remind myself I'm fat and that motivates me to do more exercise. I put scales by bed so I see them as soon as I wake up and its a visual reminder.. get on them and if no loss.. there's no treats, and have to work harder to keep moving all day.

    Each time I lose half a stone I can have a small treat.
  • kidrobot3
    kidrobot3 Posts: 63 Member
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    I had the same problem with eating at night. To stop this I brush my teeth right after dinner. I have braces, so by the time I brush, floss and rinse, it's a lotta work and I don't want to do it again because I want a cookie, and I have super clean teeth!
    You're a hygienist's dream. Lol. Coming from a hygienist who should be doing the same thing!
  • Mom2rh
    Mom2rh Posts: 612 Member
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    When I started THIS journey THIS time, my mind set was (and still is) that this is a lifestyle change. This is not a diet. This is forever. This is a healthy way to eat, exercise and live.

    I found my initial motivation in going to France in March. Lots of beautiful, thin, stylish women...surrounded by the yummy bread, cheese, wine, great food. How do THEY do it? Basically, I had to reset my mind. I eat more deliberately, not mindlessly. I try to savor what I eat. And pay attention to how I feel when I eat. Think about which bite of food tastes best...the first bite! Not the 20th bite. If you really stop and enjoy and savor that first Oreo, do you really need another? And if you can't do that, don't keep Oreo's in the house!
  • lesliemk
    lesliemk Posts: 382 Member
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    You've got to WANT it! Do you want it enough? The food you're indulging in isn't food or at all nourishing for your body. Stop treating food as a treat and think of it more as fuel. Your body deserves better and think how amazing you'll feel for sticking to the plan all week. And plan for a cheat 1x per week for ONE MEAL, enjoy and then just jump right back on. Motivation is what gets you started, HABIT is what keeps you going!!!!!!
  • Jaymefirst
    Jaymefirst Posts: 268 Member
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    Get it out of your house!! Only buy things you feel good about eating. I have kids so I understand how tempting it is to have fun treats in the house, but I want them to be healthy too! You can make your treats healthier if you make them from scratch. For example: Dump Cake 1 package of berries in the bottom of your baking dish, 1 package of your favorite cake mix sprinkled over the top, pour 12 oz of diet sprite or 7up over the top, do not stir, spritz some I can't Believe its Not Butter over the whole thing, bake @ 350 covered for 30 mins then another 30 uncovered. Yum! My family loves!! Black bean brownies is another one. If you are not a sweets person but a cruchy one, try popcorn or popchips.
    Hope this helps, keep going your worth it!!
  • DisneyMommy
    DisneyMommy Posts: 281
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    I had to get rid of sweets from my house. If they're here, I'll eat them. Also I did as some others, stop eating after dinner. I was a terrible late night eater. So I too brush and floss my teeth after my dinner so I won't want anything else before bed time. As for motivation, going from a size 16 to a size 4. All I have to do to stay motivated is put my new jeans on and remind myself that I worked really hard to get this far.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    If I have to stay motivated, I'm doing something wrong. The key to success for me is to do things I enjoy. Since I hate lifting, I don't it often, which means I probably won't see results as quickly as some. But because I LOVE to ride and generally enjoy running, it's easy for me to maintain a reasonably consistent workout schedule.

    Eating is a bit more of a challenge because I LOVE pizza and burgers and wings and fries, but over time I've also found heathier meals that I love as well (homemade burritos, for example).


    fun = long term success
    work = eventual failure
  • nikki778
    nikki778 Posts: 148 Member
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    All these tips are great, Brushing your teeth & flossing then Whitening them are my favorite distraction, not only do I save myself from guilt but my white clean smile is sweeter than any snack.
    I turn up music, & clean the bathroom tub, refold my clothes, rearrange & organize my closets, I have a motivation book that I made with pictures of myself & quotes, magazine clippings, My old Journals with my weight & food logs filled with feelings & that distracts me immediately from snacking.

    If its a must you need something then try sugarless gum, Hot water with lemon, Some grapes or a nice fresh apple just to get the sweetness, if its a Chocolate attack Jello Puddings are sugar free snacks low in calories, sugar free hot chocolate~ They are processed foods but a lot better than diggin into a tray of Brownies loaded with calories.
    If its Salty craving then PICKLES Crunch away 0-5 calories a pickle is a dream hits the spot every time. Hope these helped.

    & you can just Get out of the house, Go for a walk turn up the music~
    Leave nothing in the pantries/fridge that would test your will power.
  • allie864
    allie864 Posts: 298
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    Keeping my goals in mind. I ask myself, what do I want more, an oreo or a Navy Career? After pondering for a few minutes I notice that the Oreo's will ALWAYS be there, but for now you have to focus on other things. Also, don't keep them in your house. If they're not there to look at, they're not there to tempt you.
    This is what I do (aside from the Navy career part). The "oreo," or whatever it is I want at the time, will be there another day & I can have it then if I still want it.
  • GambleGurl
    GambleGurl Posts: 39
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    I could do awesome all day, then night comes, I am all out of calories, and not necessarily hungry... but then BAM! Oreos and pudding, and even random food I'd never eat sounds awesome to me and I have a mini feast. UGH!

    Or I'll mess up a little and say screw it! Then the rest of the week I just keep saying, "I'll try again Monday."

    I've seemed to have lost my motivation, what have you done to keep yourself going?


    Ok well first of all my husband and I are doing this together because when you grocery shop you are buying for everyone not just good stuff for you, but for everyone! So no we didnt go crazy and throw everything out but we ate what we had and then when we went grocery shopping we started to make different choices so that could be a start by not buying the bad stuff.

    Use your will power! I know you have some. I promise you that you can do it. Everyone goes over in something and its not always best to beat yourself up about it but try to keep all your numbers in the green and not the red but if you do go over the worst thing you could do is say screw it. It may be over but dont make it worse by making it go more over and then try harder the next day to correct what you did the day before.

    YOU CAN DO IT! AS YOU CAN SEE WE ARE ALL HERE FOR ANYTHING YOU NEED!

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