What gives you your motivation?

AshleyTaylor2017

As bad as I want to look good and lose weight, I still don't have the self control to do so. I still go eat the horrible foods I've always eaten with the mentality that "I'll make a good choice the next meal." Obviously it isn't working for me since the scale continues to go up. I started myfitnesspal in September at my highest weight to date of an even 150lbs. I am now weighing in this morning at 154lbs. As down as I get on myself, I can't seem to find the motiviation!! When I am finished with a long day at work and I don't feel like cooking I will go out to eat...my weakness being Taco Johns...I could honestly eat there everyday if someone gave me the option!
Starting today I am not going to eat out more than once a month (or try) since it is bad for me, and putting a dent in my wallet. I am actually going to start transferring $10 everyday that I think about wanting to go out to eat, and it is going to be my fund for either a new outfit when I start losing the weight or maybe saving up for a vacation!! I also am starting to work out again. I need to start running since I signed up for a 5K in October and I don't want to look dumb when I can't run more than 5 feet!!

Anyways....I was curious what keeps your motivation going? I seem to lose mine so quick!! I keep hearing if I would just stick with this for a couple of weeks I won't even miss the food and things I used to eat, and that exercise will start becoming part of my life and I won't think about it anymore! I keep hoping! Here's to starting again!!

kellykat

Pictures - I see pictures of myself and I can't believe how heavy I've gotten. I want to have happy memories of good times, but instead all I can focus on pictures is how heavy my thighs look, I can't believe I have a stomach roll and I wish I had thinner arms. Pictures are definitely one motivation for me.

My husband - my husband weighs about 50lbs less than me. I hate feeling like I'm so much bigger than him. He deserves to have a sexy and skinny wife. I deserve to be that.

Children - I just lost a pregnancy in January. We are going to start trying again in about a month and a half. Since my miscarriage I have gained 10lbs -5 of which I have lost. I want to try and get as healthy as possible for my next pregnancy so I don't have to have the fear of gaining too much weight or wondering if my unhealthy choices were what lost my pregnancy.

I think you just need to find your inner strength and determine if you want it. If you really want it, and I mean want it so bad you can taste and feel it, you will do it. You are worthy and you do deserve to be happy. Nothing will ever taste as good as being thin feels. Good luck.

EmilyAnn89

i'm kind of the same way. although i'm not gaining weight, i'm still losing, but a LOT slower than i could be. i just keep telling myself that i want to look good in a bathing suit this summer, and that i don't want to look this way for the rest of my life and the best time to change is now. my motivation is mostly seeing other people who are in shape and healthy and i want to be that way again. i don't want to be stuck in this body that doesn't even feel like me!

nisijam5

I guess you have to start being accountable...not motivated

You have a good plan set in motion and it will take time....it took a long time to put weight on and it's going to take a long time to take it off...just know that

1) Keep groceries in the house
2) Premade chickens come in handy when you don't want to cook
3) Sandwiches, again, no cooking
4) Just do 20 minutes of exercise and build up from there
5) Stick with MFP and get a group for support system to hold you ACCOUNTABLE

Good luck, have a plan and stick with it

atouchet

This probably isn't the best, nor most healthy form of motivation, but my motivation is SWEET REVENGE!! (hehe)

Long story short: It's going to be fun to see some certain faces when I reach my goal.

That being said, the further I've come, the less it's been about revenge and the more it's been about just living healthy. This lifestyle gets addicting after a while...

My advice for you: Stay on MFP, log everyday. If you like Taco places so much, figure out how you can make a low-fat, low-calorie alternative. Drink a lot of water and pick up some new hobbies. Start the transition into your new lifestyle slowly, try cutting back the fast food to twice a week, then once a week, then once every two weeks, and so on...

It's really not that hard to NOT eat. It actually requires not doing anything, haha.

Stay strong, stay tough, we believe in you...

Lisa0711

My motivation is the image in my head of myself at the lake this summer being happy and confident in a swimsuit! I was hoping to be in a bikini by the start of summer, but now I'm hoping by September I'll be able to wear one. :happy:

I also go out to eat a lot, and it is probably THE reason why I'm not losing very fast. I really don't like cooking, but I'm going to start doing it more anyway. So I can relate there! I noticed you said you were only going to go out once a month.. that sounds great, but it may be too intimidating at first for you to give it up almost entirely. As another poster said, work on slowly cutting it out. I know if I try to do something all at once (something difficult anyway) that I feel overwhelmed with trying to make such a drastic change that I end up giving in! But you may be one of the lucky ones who can handle the "cold turkey" approach better. (Just something to consider before you swear it off!) Whatever you do, just remember when you're having a hard time, you're not alone, and it's always good to come on MFP and talk to others! You can do it!!

elysant

I think that accountability is vitally important to weight loss. I have been trying off and on for 10+ years to lose weight and I honestly believe that the biggest reason I have not been successful is that I have had no accountability other than to myself. Self accountability is important, you have to learn how to tell yourself that you want what you want, you deserve what you want, and you are going to get what you want. However, before I can get to that point, I have to have that accountability to someone else.

That is what I LOVE about MFP. I have a large group of friends that see everyday whether I went over my allotted calories for the day. I have people that encourage me, tell me that it is okay when I do slip up and help me feel as though it is okay to get back on it the next day.

This is part of my motivation. I am motivated by the people that I report to every day! I am also motivated by my health and my son. I was at my heaviest before I started on here at 235. I knew that this wasn't healthy, that I needed to get some of the weight off or I was heading myself for some very serious problems in the future.

I also have a 2 year old son. I want to be able to play with him, ride on rides at the amusement park, run, roll around, climb, hike, and all the other things he wants to do. I simply cannot do that with this weight. I cannot get up and down off of the ground/floor, I cannot fit on the rides, I cannot hike in the hills because of my knees. All of these can be fixed if I lose the extra weight I have been carrying around for the last several years.

If you need friends to be accountable to, please feel free to add me and I will be happy to help you! )

ScarletTarah

I work at Wendy's on the weekends and I have not eaten out since I have started here I have eaten a piece of grilled chicken from my work twice i believe, but I always bring my own food and I can't help but thinking everytime somebody orders a triple baconator that sandwhich is my allowed calories for the day, just a few months ago I was were you are, and I told my mom I can't wait until I am serious about losing this wieght and on Feb 2nd a friend introduced me to this place. I came on here and it all changed, my first day I failed miserably, but my next and every day after that I have stuck with it and 35 days later I have lost 14 lbs.I found ways to tweek the foods i use to eat to healthier options. I love it, that is my motivation I feel better, I eat better, I look better.

simona1972

My motivation comes from going to work every day at a job I have really grown to hate. I really want to get in shape and get certified as a personal trainer or fitness instructor. I've always dreamed of that but my weight and perceived inablilty to do anything about it stopped me.

Now that I know I can do it...Im going after it with guns a-blazin'! My job is my motivation to keep on plan and exercise hard every single day. I want to be that great "before and after" success story.

AND...I want to wear a dress at least once in my lifetime and not feel uncomfortable.

I read a quote in my doctor's office on Friday that seemed so fitting...."Some dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them."

AshleyTaylor2017

Thanks for all the advice. I just need to be accountable. I know I want to lose weight, and I know I need it--I just need to make it happen!!

bebhinn

I don't know what your situation is, but for me my motivation was having a baby.
I would have to go the route of IVF and there is NO way on this earth that at my starting weight of 316 a doctor would look at me and say that I was a viable candidate for any form of that.... probably not even regular conception!! Not to mention the cost of IVF, it would have been like gambling to win on the losing horse.

I did not want my cesspool body to ruin my baby's chances at a healthy growth period inside me and their chances of a healthy existance outside once they are born. Not to mention the plethora of health issues that could plague me during and after pregnancy.

So, I wanted to have a baby. I want to be there for my child as long as I can. I want to impart healthy habits so they do not have to live their youth like I did - chastized and full of self worth issues.

Oh, and I want to be hot. lol.

OpalFruitJam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqKXCuCCN5M&feature=related

This video of this korean pop band. The girls are GORGEOUS and just LOOK at their figures.
Every time I go for a biscuit I think "I want that body- not this body" and put the biscuit down
Plus the song is cracking x

Sweetie_Pie92

Personally, my motivation is knowing that I'm beautiful like I am, but wanting to be healthier for myself. Just knowing that all my reasons for losing weight are for myself is usually enough to keep me going strong. I've actually learned to enjoy watching what I eat, and I feel victorious every time I think about eating something bad and don't. I feel like I gain a little bit more motivation with every good choice I make, every time I exorcise, every time I make a yummy low calorie meal.
On the few days that all of the above fails, I look in the mirror and tell know that I'm on my way to being a smaller person. Or I look at pictures and imagine myself an healthy looking as the person next to me in the photo.

pmjsmom

:happy: At first, my motivation was just to see if I could actually do it this time!

Now, what motivates me is how good I feel and how much energy I have!

Also, if I start thinking about overindulging I go and look at my 'before' pictures (there are some on my profile, if you want to check them out). I am NEVER going to look like that again!

Hang in there. It takes time but, as they say--anything worth doing, is worth doing right!:flowerforyou:

catherine1979

1. Me. I have been putting other people first for a long time, my son and spouse, to name two. As a result I have not been taking care of myself and that's what got me where I am today... fat and unhappy. I want to look like I did six years ago, healthy and cute.

2. My son. I don't want to be a sideline Mom, I don't want to ever not have the energy to keep up with him. I don't want to die young and leave him motherless and alone, and I sure as heck don't want him to follow in my footsteps.

3. My spouse. He didn't sign up for this. When we met, I weighed a lot less than I do now, I was motivated, energetic, and fun. We used to go out and have fun and we don't do that anymore, and frankly I am mostly to blame because I hate the way I look so much I would rather just hide in the house in my sweats than get dressed up and go out.

sballew

What motivates me is summer coming around the corner and wanting to play with my daughter at the beach and in the pool without being self-conscious. I also am trying to control my borderline diabetes. How I got started was that I picked a start date a month prior, so I could get mentally prepared. I had planned out what I was going to do so that when March 1st rolled around I was ready. I had to rid my fridge of all the things I liked--fat and carbs. I also made three simple rules that I had to live by if all else failed--1.)Water, water, water 2.)NO fast food at all 3.) No eating after 6PM. I also keep telling myself that if I slip up I just need to get back on track. Believe me, I've only been at it for a week, but I've lost 6lb and that is motivation enough. Sometimes it just has to click in your head that this is the time to take back control. My time is now and I'm not stopping until I'm back in my size 8 jeans comfortably! Good luck.

tammiebledsoe14

There is a certain dress that I love, and I want it! I know the only way I am going to get in it is get this weight off.
Also I look at people that I have grew up with, including movie stars, who now 50 years old or over, and I think, they look so good!
I know they have money for plastic surgery and all but still?! Diane Keaton is one of my all time favorites. I just think she is a beautiful lady for her age. She has really aged well and looks great.
My kids and my grandkids are also my motivation. I don't know how old you are but think about your health 20 years from now! Cholesterol? High blood pressure? I don't know about you but I do not want to be on medicines till I'm so old I just don't have a choice anymore! LOL
Don't think about what you can't have, think about what you can have. My saying is Living to Learn or Learning to Live! It's your choice. Don't live to eat but eat to live! Start training your mind that you ARE NOT DIETING! You are learning to be healthy and make healthy choices. The taco you like? Can you get it in grilled chicken? Do they offer low fat cheese on it or low fat sour cream? Treat yourself every couple of weeks, with one. And try to get it in a healthier version or better yet, learn to make it yourself at home. Yes, it does take a certain amount of mind control, but everybody learns something everyday. Learn to be healthy. Hope some of this helps you.

MissingMinnesota

my motivations:

1) I have a friend that lives on the beach. When I went to visit her last year I think I was the only person in a one piece (I was not the only one that should be in a one piece though). I want to be able to go visit her and not feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.

2) Online window shopping. I am a member in a bunch of sample sale websites where they have great deal on designer clothes and acessories. I love the clothes but know I am not going to spend money on clothes like that until I am more in shape.

3) My friends and family. I have a sister and a friend that both are in great healthy shape and run marthons, do centrury bike rides, and half triatholons and I would like to be able to do that with them some day. I also have a couple friends that have lost over 100lb and 60lbs and they motivate me to keep at it.

4) My personal trainer. She keeps me accountable for what I am doing and I know I am spending money to see her twice a week and it would be a waste if I didn't keep going.

I still eat out almost every night for dinner since I am on limited time. I get on a bus to work at 6am and don't get off the bus from work until 6:20 pm and stop and have a quick dinner then head to the gym with a training session at 7pm 2 nights a week. So I tend to only have 2-3 hours awake at home during the week. I now plan where I am going to eat and before I leave work each day I check the nutrition for each food. I might stop and get a salad at McAllisters Deli now instead of a whooper with cheese. As long as you are making the right decision when you do eat out that is what matter. You might want to check out "Eat This Not That" book which would suprise you on what is actually better to eat when out.