Motivation.. How do you keep it?

tazzzydevl

I have logged in everyday for the last 181 days. My total weight loss? 2.4 pounds. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I have no one else to blame but myself. I choose to make poor eating choices. I choose to play on Facebook, watch tv, sleep or do 90 other things instead of working out. I am my own worst enemy. Ok, so I was sick the entire month of January, but that was 31 days. I woke up today and decided that enough is enough and I will make changes. I also asked myself why it will be different this time. At least once a week I wake up über motivated and it dissipates by mid morning. I am making myself accountable starting now. I am the one who decides my fate. I am the one that let me get this out of shape. If I can't make it to the gym- I will work out at home. If I don't bring lunch with me to work, I will make a healthy choice. I need to realize that I don't need to "splurge" on every meal and a portion controlled meal will satisfy me just as much if not more because I won't be stuffed. Has anyone else felt like this? What did you do to overcome it?

k8blujay2

I'm in the same boat... when I first lost a bunch of weight, I did so because I was taking a bunch of PE classes at the Jr. College and there was a grade attached to it, so my GPA was a motivator... now, though. I have started signing up for 5k events (fun ones, not just the run it and be done with it kind) and I just do not want to be last... I also don't want to be in with the walkers either.... so that for me is a motivation to get my butt up and going.

Find some tangible reward and goal that you can aspire to.

megalin9

Hey girl. For me, I feel like I have set myself up for success: 1) I want it more than anything. The desire alone is motivating. 2) I have a picture in my head of what I will look like when I reach my goal, and that is extremely motivating. 3) I have mentally accepted that this is going to be hard, that it requires change and adaptation, and that it could take a long time. I have realistic expectations, so I'm not defeated when things aren't happening as quickly or as easily as I would like. 4) I have done the research. I understand TDEE, BMR, LBM, etc., and I feel confident with my calorie goal and work-out routine. It's sustainable for the rest of my life. 5) When all else fails, when I'm not motivated to make good decisions food-wise or go to the gym, my will power takes over. The feeling of being motivated is a fleeting emotion, but your will power is something you have control over; it's a decision.

Again, this is how I stay motivated...or how I push through when I'm not motivated. I hope you find something that works for you.

michelefrench

my thought is this...stop with the "ifs" ... if i get to gym, if i don't pack a lunch...these are key things...pack your lunch the nite before so its ready to go when you are...pack your gym bag and make that a priority in your day...stop saying IF and start saying today I WILL!! and good luck!!

kristina1709

Because I Have been at goal weight before (lost it all once then got married and pregnant) I KNOW what it feels like to be where I want to be and I keep telling myself how GREAT I will feel once I get back to that point. I am almost there but it has taken so much work and energy. I know that if I dont keep going I will only be a disappointment to myself and I dont want that. I want to be proud of ME.

olDave

It's been my experience that there is just some unidentifiable "click" in people's psyche that occurs for no good reason and they have had enough of whatever it is they want to stop doing...over-eating, smoking, drinking...you name it. Until this "click" occurs I doubt there is much a person CAN do by mativational self talk..or anything else.

I'm no shrink though. It's just what I have seen AND experienced in 60 years of living.

Good luck and whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

jcartwright2008

my thought is this...stop with the "ifs" ... if i get to gym, if i don't pack a lunch...these are key things...pack your lunch the nite before so its ready to go when you are...pack your gym bag and make that a priority in your day...stop saying IF and start saying today I WILL!! and good luck!!

This is awesome advice!

refinedredbird

If you feel more motivated in the morning to work out then maybe you could wake up earlier and work out before starting your day so that you can get it out of the way.

refinedredbird

It's been my experience that there is just some unidentifiable "click" in people's psyche that occurs for no good reason and they have had enough of whatever it is they want to stop doing...over-eating, smoking, drinking...you name it. Until this "click" occurs I doubt there is much a person CAN do by mativational self talk..or anything else.

I'm no shrink though. It's just what I have seen AND experienced in 60 years of living.

Good luck and whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

^ I completely agree!

eileenchristine

I think goals help. I love to garden but the last few years has been brutal. I have no energy and getting up and down off the ground? You gotta be kidding me. So knowing I will be able to last longer and feel better about it helps me get moving now.

Another goal I have is a friend of mine has challenged me to run a 5k with her in June! She does these alot as she has reached her goal weight, but I have never run a race in my adult life! I like doing things a little outside my comfort box now and then to keep me young. This will be good for me, so I am on my way downstairs to do some boosted walking with Leslie Sansone (she is soooo boring) since its still too dang cold for me outside.

Another goal I have is to get a nice bicycle when I reach 185! Might not be till the fall, but its going to happen.

I also want to stop having to wear fat clothes. The selection for fat clothes suck. But that is rather nebulous, as opposed to the goals stated above.

tazzzydevl

Love that advice... Thanks!!!

danibu98

I love what everyone has posted so far and I wanted to add that I also friended a lot of people on mfp, whether we had something in common or I liked their posts, I love the friends i have made. They keep me accountable and motivated! I'm not going to quit!

tazzzydevl

I love what everyone has posted so far and I wanted to add that I also friended a lot of people on mfp, whether we had something in common or I liked their posts, I love the friends i have made. They keep me accountable and motivated! I'm not going to quit!

I agree.. I have made some fantastic friends on here..people I would never have met otherwise. It's what keeps me logging on everyday!

And yes, I've gotten some fantastic advice!!

scoutfinchie

Me too! MFP is a huge motivator!!!

rharris47250

I keep motivation because of my job (police officer) - I feel as though if i'm not in shape it could cost me life or limb.

as for making poor eating choices, the best I can say is this. Once you force yourself through a few weeks or a month of clean eating, it gets a lot easier. I don't crave sweets, and haven't had a french fry in years lol.

trinket87

It's been my experience that there is just some unidentifiable "click" in people's psyche that occurs for no good reason and they have had enough of whatever it is they want to stop doing...over-eating, smoking, drinking...you name it. Until this "click" occurs I doubt there is much a person CAN do by mativational self talk..or anything else.

I'm no shrink though. It's just what I have seen AND experienced in 60 years of living.

Good luck and whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

This is pretty much what I have found with myself, I tried to quit smoking over 10 times and failed until one day I just stopped - no real reason just something clicked and the same thing has happened with my weight loss and weight loss plans lol but this time something has clicked and I have lost over 5kgs in the past 2 weeks just by make better food choices and I have pretty much completely changed how and what I eat.

Just don't give up! You can do it!