How do you keep going!????

jemboop

Try to Workout every other day. Do the workout that allow you 20 to 30 minute a day. Positive Affirmations for at least 15 minute in a quiet place with some peaceful music.

SPNLuver83

I "stick to my diet' by not dieting. I don't restrict myself from the foods I love. I eat them in moderation, so there is no feeling of deprivation or need to be so strict. I have and always have eaten my carbs, my fats, my sweets and junk, but I balance it out with healthy food and lots of water!

that and I have totally gotten addicted to intense workouts. I love them endorphins!

a1schwei

it is definitely different for everyone, but what keeps me going is keeping my expectations realistic...i am lucky that i genuinely enjoy exercise (mainly running) so i make an effort to get off my butt to workout in some way shape or form everyday whether it be a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood or a 10 mile training run...i will workout to eat more also
i also don't restrict myself when it comes to what i eat...i seriously eat pizza at LEAST once most weeks! i have found ways to work things i like to eat into my calorie allotment...i know for myself, that most of the time 'healthier alternatives' don't always quench my cravings, so instead of trying multiple alternatives, i just have a reasonable portion of whatever i am craving and move on bad days happen, but what is most important for me is how i handle the next day...
sticking with it can be hard, but it is always worth it in the end!

dmg16duke

I agree on the "This is for life" statement. Speaking from the other side, one of the hardest parts is figuring out how to maintain what you've achieved. At the beginning, you have the motivation of small goals, dropping sizes in your clothes, etc. to keep you going. Those are each huge achievements, and they are amazing. Be proud of each of those goals that you have achieved! You've come a long way.

At the same time, you have to figure out what is sustainable for you. Eventually, you'll meet your big goal, and you'll have to be able to maintain that for the rest of your life, without the additional little goals and victories coming every week or few weeks. That means that you need to learn now not to beat yourself up about eating something once in awhile that you enjoy or would not have in your normal diet. You just don't eat/drink them all the time. You also have to learn what kind of workouts will fit in your life for the long haul. If twice a day really isn't sustainable, then learn how to exercise in a way that works for you in your lifestyle.

For an example, I have almost completely cut all soft drinks out of my diet. I'm not willing to drink the calories most of the time, especially when I could eat the same calories on a nice dessert or something. BUT, a group of friends goes to the gym and then goes out for happy hour on on a lot of Friday nights. While I don't drink alcohol (personal reasons), I'm not going to avoid going out with them. They all get their glass of wine, and I order something else, an arnold palmer, lemonade, or soft drink, depending on my mood that night. It's not every day, my calorie intake can take that once every couple of weeks, and I'm living a life that I enjoy with friends that I love. Plus, we're encouraging each other in our healthy lifestyle by working out together.

Just learn what works for you.

GijitsMom

I heartily agree that motivation comes from within. No matter what I tried, nothing worked until my doctor informed me that my left knee has no cartilege left in it and I will need knee replacement sometime in the future. How soon is directly up to me. If I lose weight and continue my exercise routine, this knee will last longer. If not, then it will not.

I am still struggling with it, but have realized that this is not just a diet, but, as others have said, a lifestyle change. I am trying to keep the goal in focus. Keep my own knee for a lot longer.

Ericacastillo

wow! totally what i needed to hear guys!! thanks for all the great words!! I'm going to work harder at just doing it! and having fun!! I think I want to go back to being extreme because I saw results quickly. I guess I should be thankful that I haven't gained any weight these last two months that I have been terrible I go up and down but for the most part it stays at 148. I'm just going to work on doing it!

THANKS MFP FAM!

jfan175

I just do it. its not a cycle of healthy/unhealthy. i just doont eat poorly, ever. i dont take days off of exercise unless its on my calendar.its not a habit or a portion of my life, its what i will have to do forever. dont give yourself the option of slacking. for me, i compare it to my pets. even if i dont want to walk/water/feed them it isnt a choice. it has to be done daily. rain or shine, good day or not. permanently. when you make healthy living a "have to" and not a "want to" it gets easy.

Very well put. You've changed your lifestyle... working out and eating right are not optional just as showering or brushing your teeth aren't.

FlaxMilk

I've recently had a lot of trouble getting motivated--a lot of other stuff is going on and it's just vanity weight anyway. I keep falling off the tracking wagon, but when I do, I still try to keep it reasonable. I don't eat pizza all day long and try to pretend I had any chance of sticking within my limits. Whenever I feel the motivation come back, I log and eat at a deficit. I notice that every time I do this, I gain several pounds that ends up being water weight that goes away with a couple of days of a deficit. This is good enough for me right now. I'm not sure if that is helpful, but sometimes what you want and what you are able to do that day are not always the same thing. Accepting that has helped me keep things real for myself.

jendeja

There are two things I struggle with:

1) Not caving and going into a series of cheats.
2) How to get back on track after caving into a series of cheats.

I've pretty much come to understand that I will have to cheat/binge every now and then, the key for me is to be good longer before the next one - and to bounce back faster after I fall off that proverbial horse.

My tricks:

-- Find new recipes that are super healthy. I research ways to make my cheat meals diet-plan approved. I'm currently on a diet that I cannot find any recipe that fits, so I have to research different variations until I can make one up that would meet all my needs. It is fun because I learn new cooking techniques and ways to think about ingredients, and when cooking it takes up time that I'm not thinking about unhealthy food because I'm focused on the healthy stuff. I generally spend one of the weekend days cooking a new super healthy sauce or soup that can easily be re-purposed to "spice" up my steamed veggies, steamed chicken breast or salmon throughout the week. Today I just made a really good bolognaise sauce (150 calories/serving!) that I will use all week, while last week I made a spinach-based sauce that tasted completely different.

-- Buy gadgets. I know not everyone can do this or would find it valuable, but getting the next gadget that will help keep me on track tends to "jump start" me because I want to use my new toy and be successful. I chose to get a FitBit so I could add a heart rate monitor to track my cardio/strength sessions through Digifit & a heart rate monitor. Also, syncing them with Earndit.com helps because you can win real life prizes for doing the things you should be doing. (BONUS!)

-- Compare myself to celebrities. I know - this sounds SO BAD. But in a really weird way, it helps me. It helps me to remind myself I don't want to look gaunt and sickly so I need to eat good calories and that I need to build up muscle. It also helps for me to see celebrities that do look good, and hearing about how they have to work hard in order to do it so I feel less alone and realize that if you want to flaunt it - you have to work it.

-- Just get to the gym. As annoying as it sounds, we all know we feel better after getting a workout in. Just making yourself go for a few days in a row with healthy eating can help turn around a series of bad decisions. My workouts are much more bearable when I am watching cooking competitions - partially because afterword I don't want to eat as much because I lived vicariously through the show.

I hope some of these work for you, and I look forward to hearing other tips from other members that I can add to my list of arsenal!

UNTOLDSMILE

You are going to slip up from time to time. I know some people claim they don't, but I don't buy it. I try to remember why I got started. Then I remember why it is I continue to do it. Everyone here has there own reasons for why they started. Hang on to that. You'll find it again. This whole experience is an endurance test. It can be a pain in the *kitten* sometimes.

Debbe2

ease up on your self sometimes. take a rest from the gym and Jillian. Go for a walk. get outside. And... keep logging. We've all been there. there is no good or bad. You're doing well. that's what counts.

^^ this^^. Keep your goals in mind and keep the focus but allow yourself to live and enjoy life without going overboard. Truly -moderation is the key. Focus, discipline and consistency will get you there but it not an all or none process. It's a direction you choose and head in... Eventually you'll get to your goal. :flowerforyou: You're doing great!

PatriceHrabowskie

I messed up today, I ate a McDonalds breakfast tht only left me a little over 300 calories left for the rest of the day. Lucky, or no so lucky, for me my stomach didn't sit so tight with it so I wasn't really hungry until around 5 or 6, and to top it off I had to do an extra 40 minutes of working out because I only did 20 the other day. But I did. I did my extra 40, and my hour, by wii fit and youtube vids and running in place. I got a taco bell mexican pizza (wasn't that good to me but oh well) and if I hadn't added the cereal and milos tea, I'd have 400 calories left over. Amazing, i messed up and only had 300 left, and then instead of giving up, I could have let myself have 400 calories under. Tehe. Inspiration.:laugh:

arielian

i keep putting on the new and smaller jeans i just bought, and then i ask myself do i want to go back to being a size 18!

Kalynx

well the alternative to trying is death. so I keep trying. good luck!