How do you stay motivated?

SimplyKate

I'm losing weight, I'm eating well and I've exercised every day for the last 2.5 weeks. So, I'm definitely more motivated than I have ever been. But... I'm struggling. I don't know why, but every time I finish working out I just feel sad instead of powerful and excited. I don't know how to change this mind set. I want to LOVE working out and seeing the weight come off. Does anyone have any tips?

SalishSea

I don't know if we will ever LOVE working out. Maybe somedays we will, but most workout days will probably be because we are focused and disciplined. Hopefully!

I have lessened my tight grip on motivation these past 7 days. It scares me that I might fall back into old habits. And become sluggish and fat again. I tell myself all the right things to stay motivated. But what really counts is the follow through.

Today I felt like eating something poor and I just thought about all the slender, fit people in my life. I thought those people are not having a late night snack. Plus, they likely exercised today. So I don't need a snack tonight either. My body had plenty of food and anymore will just be stored as fat. It helped me to get through that frenzied food moment. ****I was motivated by thinking about skinny people! And how good they look!****Motivated because I want to be one too********

mfp helps me to stay motivated.

Also..I go on maintenance in 13 more pounds!!!!! And I understand this is much harder then losing....learning to stay motivated will be key for me. Motivated for life. It can be done. Day by day...meal by meal....hour by hour....

notnormallyacaloriecounter

for me getting my butt up is half the battle, so i try to do things i think are fun like just dance or zumba. when i walk i listen to music that gets my blood pumping, i've even been known to do some air drums while i'm walking. i guess it's all about what you do and what you enjoy and trying to marry them to benefit you.

jenmfpal

Keep trying! Make sure you are not over working, and make sure you are eating enough. Advice I got a few months ago and thought people were CRAZY, but it really works. I think b/c your body gets into starvation mode if you aren't eating enough, especially if you are working out super hard.

Do you do cardio and strength training at the same time? I separate mine. Theory being that if you do long stint of cardio, you start burning the muscle you're trying to build. I go to the gym in the every morning and do 10 min warm up, then about an hour of lifting, then 10 min cool down. Then go back to gym in the evening for cardio. Used to go every day for 30 min- 2 hours depending on how I felt. Now I do about 30 min and 160 crunches and not every day. I get a large meal after I hit gym or protein shake. Typically have my biggest meal for breakfast after my biggest gym workout. I eat a lot more than I think I should, but it works! I eat about 1300 calories w/out exercise. Then eat as much as 1800-2000 when I work out. I eat three good meals a day, and two snacks; a lot of protein; only recently am adding back in a moderate amount of carbohydrates. LOTS of veggies, I eat them EVERY meal!

I LOVE going to the gym. I really do like it. I find it motivating because I feel stronger, I have friends there, and because I'm looking better and seeing results on the scale. Going hard at the gym, has a bigger payoff for me because I see the results faster and it keeps me more motivated (i.e. when I work out, as above, I'm loosing about 5 pounds a week; I think if I did less and only lost 1-2 pounds a week, I'd loose my motivation for my diet/exercise routine more easily). I've been consulting my doctor about my weight loss, and she supports my pace.

My friends at the gym comment about how I'm always happy at the gym. Even when I'm working hard- pushing through a hard set. Funny if you'd told me that 6 months ago when I hadn't used my membership in about 6 years! Had a new friend tell me he called me smiley until we finally introduced ourselves!

At first I started with my diet, then I added the gym. I slowly reinforced myself for all my efforts. I made going to the gym rewarding (besides the things I said above) I gave myself these big rewards:
-Haircut & highlights at 20 pounds
-new jeans after every 5 pounds - that got expensive as I started loosing 5 pounds a week, but was needed!
-30 pounds- my husband shaved his beard
-a tablet at 40 pounds in 4 months
-60 pounds in 6 months was going to be a cruise (but then I did it in 5 and realized I couldn't afford it! lol- maybe if I do 100 in 10? I'm at 70 in 6...)
-70 more new clothes, I stopped buying for a while, but man I can't stand not having things that fit! and new gym clothes... much needed, when your Capri pants touch your ankles it is not a pretty sight

I also made a Journey album on my facebook page and have had some nice support from friends/family and that has been very motivating for me. Also have found some nice people to follow on fb that are motivating. I post inspirational quotes on my wall. The support of others helps a lot and is reinforcing too. Everyone is so proud of the work I'm doing!

Feel free to send me a message, and we can 'talk' more, don't give up! Anybody who reads this and wants to add me... I'd love to go on the journey together.

Dave198lbs

go to wal mart and ask myself...do I want to look like these slobs with their huge bags of dorritos and 4 cases of pop?

or think about how good I feel and the energy I have if I stick to my program

ka97

Sometimes working out is hard, and that is ok beacuse it is meant to be hard. But it can also be fun, if you find the right thing for you. Not sure what you are doing for workouts, but maybe it's time to try something new. Try lots of new things until you find something you enjoy - dancing, kickboxing, biking, spinning, swimming.....Or try mixing exercise with family time - go for a bike ride, take a hike. Do you have a workout partner? Maybe you need someone to exercise with to make it more of a social activity.
One other thought....having not seen your diary, are you eating enough carbs? If you aren't getting enough carbs to fuel your exercise, that could account for feeling down afterwards.
Hang in there. It is soooo worth it in the end. If you need to set mini goals for yourself along the way, and give yourself a reward - a night out, a pedicure, buy something new, whatever works for you.

dup32

Keep going ... I promise you your attitude will change for the better...
What keeps me going is how great I feel now... Yes I am sore some days from working out but it's much better than feeling all sad from sitting on the couch and doing nothing.
Maybe, like me, you need a work out buddy? I have one and I never want to disapoint her and skip a workout... Our friendship has grown by leaps and bounds with this time together.
JFDI...just focus and do it

SalishSea

go to wal mart and ask myself...do I want to look like these slobs with their huge bags of dorritos and 4 cases of pop?

or think about how good I feel and the energy I have if I stick to my program

Oh my gosh...that is so mean. But so true! I love it!