Need inspiration

mlemore1965

Hi all,

I am new and would like to say you all have inspired me. As I read through the blogs I feel support and encouragement. My weight loss has been a tough journey with it going up and down constantly. I have lost 40lbs already. I gave up 6 months ago doing this alone and want to get back on track with 25lbs to lose.

How do you keep going and stay committed to your goals?

tanyargh

This is a question i was going to ask too, i really lose willpower early on and just give up!

gregavila

I keep going, because if I stop I am guaranteed to fail. Even though there may be tough times, as long as I am moving forward I am progressing and changing.

You will never achieve greatness if you are only aiming to be mediocre.

lizard053

I will lose motivation from time to time, due to frustration or illness I'll fall off the wagon for months at a time. What keeps bringing me back is I know how much better I feel and how much more energy I have when I'm lower in weight and doing my exercise. It's easy to forget these things in the moment, but if you can revisit photos of the past and remember how you felt then, it's so much easier to move forward.

It's far easier to give up than to keep on. It's really hard to change your life to be a healthier person, and to stay that way with friends and family not doing the same. Write out your goals and put them on your refrigerator door. It will be a reminder every time you head to the fridge. It really works!

TheRyanMeister

I give myself reward goals. Like...if I lose 5 lbs then I can get a massage or if I lose 20 then I can go to that concert. I have a system in place. It works for me because I do not get the whatever the reward is until I reach my goal. I keep adding rewards so that I don't reach a plateau. It also works for me if I state...I get X reward if I walk a mile today or if I do 30 minutes of cardio today I can have Godiva chocolate.

As far as giving up, I have given up a few times. I get frustrated but then I realize that Rome wasn't built in a day and I didn't put all this weight on in a day. I have to reward myself for small victories and push myself to do what I haven't done before.

Or at least this is a plan....

brandimacleod

Boy, for me the first thing for success was building up a great friend base. I have a core group of about 15 people I need EVERY DAY! They are my motivation when I have none, and I am theirs. The remaining friends on my list are great for support in a different way...they are the people who sprout ideas in my head on how to "mix things up" to keep me from being bored.

I get food and menu ideas from them...take the time to read what others eat. It will give you some great tips. Every time I make fish tacos, someone wants to know my recipe and how I do it. I love sharing my ideas and recipe conversions with them as well.

I get exercise ideas. And I give them! When i started here, I thought that fat people couldn't run, but someone posted a blog about running and losing weight, and I thought, "Hey - maybe I can do that!" - I now run at least 2 miles a day. I have 2 dogs, so if I have time, each gets to run and that puts me at 3 1/2 miles a day. And I am still a fat girl who now loves to run for her mental health as well as physical health! Other women have started running because I do it. It really is a community thing. Seeing someone else like us succeed helps us to BELIEVE that we can too. I am going to buy a wii game this week because one of my friends uses it and loves it. She sprouted that idea for me.

I get tips on everything else as well. Like what might be wrong with my HRM reading low, or music playlist ideas, or clothing ideas, or just about anything ideas fromt he blogs. This is my chance to learn from those not on my friends list.

I can tell you that if you are looking for inspiration, look to your MFP friends. Get involved. Get to know them. And look at what they are doing not as "what they are doing" but what "you can do too!"

mlemore1965

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and great advice.

miller4life

Friend base is a huge part of this website. Finding people with same goals as you seem to pick up and inspire each other! Feel free to add me if you like! We can do this!!

paddie86

Dear Mlemore,

Firstly I want to congratulate you on the weight lost that you have achieved so far!
Give yourself a pat on the back!


I am also learning and also need inspiration.

I am learning how to love and cherish myself. That is the root of the problem for my weight gain.
You will need to learn to deal with the "root" of your weight gain.

It ain't easy. But everytime I tell myself " I love you, I love me" . I instill a positive mindset.
I don't just want to lose the weight, I want to be healthy and LIVE!

Little goals and rewards ,help to work and achieve your final target.

** a great tip: doing household chores burn a lot of calories!

sexyduck

Today will be my first day. I just want to stick with it.

teddypom

I love the first line... Can I "adopt" it as my new mantra?? @gregavilas post

smalacarne

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