What gives you motivation for the day? please share

turnarounddontlookback

This is my first time using fitness pal. My name is Lisa and i have gained over 130 lbs in the last eight years. it seems unbelievable to even type that, but here i am. Ive tried so many diets before but I always run out of steam and end up back in the arms of junk food.
Im seriously worried about my health and am trying to embrace a new way of thinking about food and exercise and get back to a healthy weight. Im sick of being overweight and I miss my old body and athleticism. Im hurt daily by rude remarks of friends and family. I just need to find the strength and motivation to get back to the old me.
If anyone could please share with me what motivates you to make it through the day eating healthy and geting exercise I would be very much in your debt.
Thanks

pixish

Seeing the numbers go down is something that motivates me !

Joining MFP was probably a good idea, I think it helps you to be more in control of what you're putting into your body because you realise how many calories everything has now. Inputting calories helps me maintain focus some days - I'm pretty lax at completing my diary every day now, but if I want to have something a bit naughty, I usually log everything to check and see how I'm doing - and then I can make my decision.

I know that some people find inspiration and motivation in things like inspiration boards and quotes - if you're one of those people you could make something up and put it where you will see it every day

Therealobi1

my goal is to look good on my hols this year as going with friends. i dont want to be the large one of the group in an un flattering costume . i use this everyday to remind my self to try and eat better and move more. its strange but working. going on hols with family for me is different i wouldnt have bothered.

find a reason for yourself and remind yourself each day when u feel like giving up. u will soon knock
the smiles off the faces of those who were nasty. log every day and every thing you eat. find an exercise you like and u will do fine. good luck.

GrammyNanner

Hi Lisa and welcome! I've learned that I am worth it, after gaining 260 pounds over 15+ years. I've been at this since November 2011. Some days are easier than others. It's sad how cruel family & freinds can be...What keeps me going is that I deserve a healthy, happy life. Your strength & motivation has to come from within. I have a 3 year old grandson and hope to see him grow up.

Tenzuya

Firstly, make the decision that you are not going to settle for anything else but what you want, that is where you should start. also one thing i did when i started was, i went and bought myself a cheap whiteboard and i hung it in my room where i could see it everyday, i wrote all my weightloss goals on it, and i count everyday that i am doing it, today is my 50th day, this gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

BozGirl

Hi Lisa, I am first motivated by my desire to be a fit mom. When I brought my son home from the hospital 16 months ago, I was so out of shape and heavy, I could barely hold him or play with him for very long. I want to be a good mom, and to me that means being a healthy mom. Second, I feel like total crap when I eat too much or eat junk food or fast food. After many, many years of fighting that feeling, I don't allow myself to eat badly anymore, it's just not worth feeling sluggish, bloated and gross. Third, I am very concerned about what my quality of life is going to be like when I am older. Will I be able to care for myself? Will I get sick because of my poor life choices?

For me, it is a daily battle, I never want to go exercise, but I do it anyway, and I feel great afterwards. I never want to eat the huge bowl of raw veggies that I bring to work everyday, it in do it anyway, and I feel great afterwards. It is totally mental. Daily, I stay in the mindset by reading articles about health, I talk to healthy people about being healthy, I read these message boards, I log my food (even when I cheat), I lookup healthy recipes, I set fitness goals, I daydream about being really toned.

Good luck on your journey of health!!! You can do it!!!

mom9198

I find that the open diary helps me quite a bit (knowing that my friends can see what I'm eating). I find that it helps me to be more mindful of exactly what I'm buying at the grocery store, knowing that once I bring it home I have the potential for "pigging out" if I buy the junk food. When I do have snack or junk food, I make sure to buy items that are lower in calories or portioned, individual serving packages.

I also don't think of this as "dieting" because that term makes one think "at some point or at my goal weight I will go back to my old way of eating", which I don't ever plan on doing. I plan on logging for the rest of my life. Diets don't work. I also don't deprive myself of certain items like junk food. My food diary is filled with things like chocolate cake, and wheat thins. But far more often, I have healthy, lower calorie items. I just have to make sure I portion things and budget my calories if I know I might go out to dinner or whatever.

At some point we all might slip and eat something we know makes us go "over" on calories. It's important to "get back on track" and looking at your own food diary to see where you can make lower calorie/healthier choices. Smaller, more frequent "mini-meals" might be helpful as well.

Sorry for the long-winded post. My other biggest motivators are my skinny jeans, (getting rid of my clothes that are too big) my families' compliments and how much better I feel now that I'm almost forty pounds lighter and still counting. Best wishes!

JJordon

It is this notion: Tomorrow is not promised to me, you, or anyone. Make every day count. Do it now. Be at top condition, live as long as you can, if the powers that be will it.

upgetupgetup

What have you tried in the past?

My way into it was through exercise. (I didn't start thinking about food for a few months.) My motivation was being fed up with myself, and having ended a relationship, so I had an opportune mix of anger and the desire for reinvention fuelling things.

I started with short DVDs, because they were convenient and cheap. I used Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, which I liked because the thing as a whole is only half an hour long, and each segment is quite short (can't remember now, 30 - 60 seconds at a time). That formula felt achievable. I could endure anything for 30 seconds, and pushed to the next 30, and so on.

I did that DVD as often as I could, aiming for every day, actually wound up doing something like 3-4 times a week, because of soreness. I can't remember where I read this, but someone somewhere compared exercise to hygiene - it's a thing you just do, like brushing your teeth. So my commitment was: "I will not sleep before I do 30 minutes of something physical today". If I didn't do the DVD, I walked. (Or ran, but I wish I hadn't [injury] will recommend walking, or anything else )

The first two weeks were brutal. I creaked, I cramped. I pushed through. Again - my motivation was that commitment - 30 minutes a day - plus my anger, I guess. By the time a month passed, I was over the pains, and hooked. I think I lost maybe 5 - 8 pounds, but I felt FANTASTIC. Sleep improved, energy improved, everything worked better. I don't know if I actually was, but I felt tighter too.

I got into counting calories a bit later, and lost my weight (60 lbs) over about a year, and have been maintaining for two. I do other things than DVDs now (more strength training - wish I'd started with that, instead of running).

Anyway: it is completely, completely possible for you to feel entirely differently about yourself within a very short time, and to see real results not long after. The way you feel now can be a memory, if you push through the process, day by day.

upgetupgetup

also, like BozGirl, I totally immersed myself in reading. Getting obsessed helps

YakovSmirnoff

It sounds odd, but participating in the MFP community motivates me.

I've asked for help on here and got some great tips from helpful members. This not only encourages me, but also makes me feel a bit liable (in a good way!). It's sort of like "well, they took the time to type a response, so I should at least try".

turnarounddontlookback

wow thanks for the response everyone. im truly grateful. some really great advice and support. thank you.

fiona2785

Open diary all the way! To your friends at least. When mine was closed, I felt no shame in eating rubbish. I also pre-log an entire week at a time on a Sunday; then each day I know exactly what I'm going to eat. I also only buy what I have planned; that way eating on top of that isn't really an option. Good luck with your journey!

cynthiadmail

Hi Lisa, I am first motivated by my desire to be a fit mom. When I brought my son home from the hospital 16 months ago, I was so out of shape and heavy, I could barely hold him or play with him for very long. I want to be a good mom, and to me that means being a healthy mom. Second, I feel like total crap when I eat too much or eat junk food or fast food. After many, many years of fighting that feeling, I don't allow myself to eat badly anymore, it's just not worth feeling sluggish, bloated and gross. Third, I am very concerned about what my quality of life is going to be like when I am older. Will I be able to care for myself? Will I get sick because of my poor life choices?

For me, it is a daily battle, I never want to go exercise, but I do it anyway, and I feel great afterwards. I never want to eat the huge bowl of raw veggies that I bring to work everyday, it in do it anyway, and I feel great afterwards. It is totally mental. Daily, I stay in the mindset by reading articles about health, I talk to healthy people about being healthy, I read these message boards, I log my food (even when I cheat), I look up healthy recipes, I set fitness goals, I daydream about being really toned.

Good luck on your journey of health!!! You can do it!!!

This is so right along with where I am. We have a 19 year old son and now I have a 15 month old son and I want to be around for both of them. The thought of dying and not being around to see them grow scares me. My family has a history of heart related deaths mainly due to weight issues along with diabetes. Everything I do I think about my boys,specially my new baby. He needs his mom and dad around for him.

PaleoChocolateBear

My motivation is I know how great I'm going to feel after I do and knowing how many others aren't. I enjoy being healthy and knowing that all the hard work is worth every penny and every sweat shed

chezzielou1984

My motivation is that me and my partner are going to try for a baby next year and I don't want my weight to be a hinderance.

cwaters120

My motivation each day is the knowledge that I don't want to repeat family history. I want to be a healthy mom (I am not aiming for SKINNY - just fit and healthy) and wife. I want to be able to say "I did it!" in the faces of all of those who doubt me. I want to feel this great every day and I KNOW if I "fall off the wagon" I will feel like crap.

I don't look at it as a "diet" but a lifestyle change. I don't try to AVOID my "trigger" foods, I find ways to make them HEALTHIER and eat them in smaller portions - even if that means only making one portion at a time. I don't avoid eating out, I find healthier places to eat out and the healthiest options they have.

Exercise has become something I can't live without. If I miss a session of Zumba, I am a raging B*&#h and I know it as does my family so they encourage me. I am on MFP DAILY reading boards, doing challenges, checking in with my "support" buddies, re-reading my food diary and trying to plan my next days' meals.

In the end, my BIGGEST motivation is I don't want to be like the "old" me, the "me" at the start and I know that each day I do what I should, I know I am getting further and further from her. And the cycle just keeps going...

kellijauch

I am in a wellness challenge at work, and they are picking 3 winners in September to get a free 3 day, 4 night trip to Mexico! That's one heck of a motivator for sure. I am winning this contest and going to Mexico. Bet on it!

Also - my boyfriend is really great. He wouldn't care if I didn't lose weight, he loves me for me, but he knows that I want to do this for myself, and he is very supportive. He is actually working out with me (his idea) and helping me through it. He is naturally skinny, so he's working out to buff up, while I am working out to slim down, so it's kinda funny. We do opposite things, but it works for what each of us are going for.

Also - and probably my number one motivator even over the trip to Mexico, is just the desire to feel sexy. I already feel attractive, don't get me wrong. I don't really have self-esteem or confidence issues, but I just wanna be a 10! I wanna knock em dead when I walk through the door whether I'm wearing a nice dress or just a hoodie and jeans.

TillyNix

My trick is to not over think the whole thing and to just incorporate it in my daily life.

My healthy meals are prepared in advance in individual containers I freeze, I stock the fridge with fruits, vegetables and other prepared foods so it is easier for me to just eat what is already there. I allow for small rewards every once in a while not to go crazy (a cup of vanilla ice cream or a hand full of pretzels).

I have 4 days of exercises scheduled and I just follow the routine day in and day out and I am happy with how I progressively feel better and better, more energy, loosing weight steadily....

I mean time flies, if you just start and continue on, before you know it, you will be there!