What keeps you motivated?

gateauxloseweight

Losing weight is easy. Its science and maths (which is probably why I have sucked at this in the past) so on paper and to the unknowing eye its just burn more than you take in.

It's not though and for people like me who struggle to follow a recipe the hardest part is following the rules and lets face it, everyone has a different rule book.

So, rather than ask you, How can I lose weight?, What the secret? When will it work by? What I actually am most interested in is What keeps you focused? What makes you step away from self destructive behaviour? What makes you slip on those running shoes or pick up those weights? How do you keep up with your new healthier lifestyle day after day when the other option seems so much easier?

I am convinced that the answer to successful weight loss lies in the answer to these questions among many more. So please share your stories and teach this newbie a thing or two about self control. Thank You.

mstrickland9

My motivation is really quite simple. I want to wear all my clothes that are sitting in my closet that are so cute, and two years fit me just fine! I want to wear my bikini this summer, plain and simple! That's what motivates me to get up and jog for 30 minutes most days of the week. And of course the support from this community is vital to me as well!

BeachIron

The answer is stop trying to find the perfect diet or the perfect you. And stop beating yourself up when you aren't perfect. You're human and none of us are perfect.

There are some basic rules for success: (1) eat less than your TDEE, (2) eat a reasonably balanced diet and get enough protein, good fats, fiber and micronutrients, (3) strength train for body recomposition, and (4) do some cardio for cardiovascular health.

Again though, it's the striving for a perfect diet or a perfect you that throws it off. Many people waste their energy and time trying to achieve perfection then waste more energy and time beating themselves up when they fail. Accept your limitations and work around them. Accept that 80% adherence to your diet and exercise plan is enough if you really commit to that 80%. Accept that you are going to have bad days. Accept that you don't have to look like a fitness model or pro bodybuilder. Accept yourself for who you are and simply strive for "better." If you keep striving for "better" you will keep yourself in a constant state of improvement without striving for perfection and the guaranteed failure that brings.

edit: typo, lol

cstod74

I am also in the same boat........... is finding that strong will power to keep on going....To my knowledge into action and just knowing whats right.............. the first step for me is finding a few people on this sight who will help motivate me 2nd this is to really stay up on the logging of the meals here.................

I did start this 30 day challenge for squats on this sight and I am on my fourth day....... trying to get focus on my life changing ways...

baby steps baby steps...............took the years to gain it may take a year or so to lose it.....................

lets do this together, we can!!!!!!!:happy:

ktsmom430

We are all different. Coming at this from different perspectives and lifestyles.
For me, the initial motivation was monetary. Our health insurance premium payments are going up if we do not meet healthy guidelines by December 2013, that was a big motivator for me beginning my healthier life style. As I lose more weight, and am approaching a healthy weight for the first time in 30 years, I have to admit that I like how I look now, and don't want to go back, ever, to where I was at a year ago. For most of the time I have been on MFP, the success stories here have been huge motivators helping me keep on track.

quirkytizzy

Sheer ego at this point. I've dropped months into this already - I don't want this to be yet another thing I got excited about and then didn't follow through with.

RecoveringToHealthy

1. Knowing that if I just eat junk food, it will make me tired and not give me more energy at all.
2. My health problems. I have a story of anorexia, and when I feel tempted to eat less and lose weight, I remember:

A. It won't make my depression go away faster.
B. I put myself at risk. I don't want to end up in hospital and be told that my lifestyle has caused another seizure.
C. If I don't eat enough, my bowel movements stop. I don't want any inflammations or infections, I don't want to poison myself, and I definitely don't want to be in pain.
D. People love me, I love them, and I want to live life to the fullest, together with my family and friends.

froeschli

I look in the mirror and feel just plain disgusted with letting myself go like that - AGAIN. doesn't help that certain foods or lack of sleep make me retain water and then i just puff up.

My number one tip on losing weight: Think before you eat - which means, only eat if you are hungry, as long as you are hungry. yes, you deserve a treat, but that's a piece of chocolate, or a cookie, or maybe a couple of spoons of ice cream, but never a whole bar, box, or carton.
My main problem is eating for the sake of it. i really enjoy the flavours. but if you slow down, and only eat until you are no longer hungry, you get to enjoy it for the same amount of time, and have leftovers to eat the next day :-)
no measuring or math involved.

BigBrunette

My motivation is simple. I want more energy. I'm tired of being tired.

calamity71

I simply set a time to exercise everyday. Like an appointment, I need to be there. I change up what I am doing as far as exercise and I set goals. That is my motivation. I went from 0 exercise to exercising 5-6 days a week. On weekends, I look forward to a hike, a bike ride or a walk on the beach with my husband, with a group of gals. I don't go to the gym. I don't do the same thing day after day. I get out on my breaks at work and go for a short walk with a co-worker. I look forward to that short little break everyday. So...I have made it a habit and something I look forward to. :bigsmile:

beachgirl172723

I want to feel a certain way, look great, and be proud of an accomplishment. The thinking before you eat the bag of whatever that someone mentioned is so true. Everyone on here has great input. Thanks for posting this topic!

rdcphone572

Funny but this was seriously on mind today...thanks for posting this question...

I lost my wonderful mother after her long and painful battle with diabetes recently. She lost this battle piece by piece...kidneys, heart, and a leg. It was not pretty. This is a lesson that I try to keep on my mind when I don't want to walk a mile on my treadmill at 6 am.

I'm thankful to walk. This is what I think of when I want to eat a lot of sugary stuff that my body can't use. I'm thankful for broccoli and almonds and chicken breasts. I think I got scared straight like the tv program for delinquents. It ain't easy at all...french fries, donuts, and potato chips still call to me...but I just keep moving it forward one step at a time and walk on by. It's day by day.

For example, I finally broke a plateau today that I've been on for over a Month! I don't record a number until I see it 3 times because I have a good bit of fluctuation and IT happened today! This was the longest I've ever actually tried to lose and had nothing happen. For a long time I believed the "you carry it well" noise so I didn't think about it and didn't try, I was happy, but you get to a point where you know that ain't really the issue. You see people have health challenges that are partially preventable with more fitness. Cute ain't the issue. Health for life is the issue. Then I tried to lose the first time and it just seemed to come off, it all came off on a hard, quick diet, and I was so happy in my small jeans. Thought I had a different body after the loss but that wasn't the truth on a cellular level...lol! Fat cells just wait for a chance to pump back up. Gained it back in a year. I just fell face first on a pizza and couldn't get up...until now. Alas, I am not a special naturally skinny snowflake!

This second time, it's been tough to lose. I am not doing some drastic diet, no big swings, just adjusting bit by bit. It's tough being methodical and really learning the lessons of better health. Lessons like moderation with carbs, slow eating of more whole food like salads, planning ahead to allow for my intake and exercise goals, adding more exercise on high intake days like birthday parties and long working lunch days, being consistent, checking my macros and weekly averages, and tuning out stuff that doesn't work for me personally. No magic bullets, no complicated stuff, just staying on my simple plan for life. It's tough but I really feel better. And I'm really learning to love stuff I never thought I would...like moderate daily exercise and a daily salad with almost no dressing...lol!

I didn't give up this month, and that is all I wanted to do! Not give up...I just told myself that a better diet and consistent exercise was the real goal, not a number. I put my Mom's picture up where I can see it from my treadmill. I can do this. I can lose and maintain. I can eat cleaner, be balanced, and exercise consistently most of the time and for life. Staying with my slow but steady program because this is about making a new lifestyle that I can maintain with everything else like family and career things.

Slow but steady, and maintain...Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. Move my body! Thats my plan.

Yes we can!

MelsAuntie

Iron will, determination, and the desire not to let myself down.

quirkytizzy

My main problem is eating for the sake of it. i really enjoy the flavours. but if you slow down, and only eat until you are no longer hungry, you get to enjoy it for the same amount of time, and have leftovers to eat the next day :-)
no measuring or math involved.

I really like this way of looking at it. I've been having trouble slowing down my eating and not over-eating because the food is just so damn tasty. The whole same amount of time thing is a good idea!

pen2u

My clothes fit, my joints don't ache, I can join in any activity (from social to professional to seeing a physician, etc.) w/o panicking about being too fat or out of shape. I'm more confident, love being active now, and it turns out that I love compliments about my improved looks!

Something clicked along the way after I'd joined MFP and was starting to lose - I decided I loved myself enough to honor myself by eating right and getting exercise for the rest of my life. I no longer looked at "my goal" as the end all be all. Instead I am treating myself well for as long as I live. If I enjoy "a day off" now and then (always for a social situation, never alone) I have confidence that I'll be back on track the next day because I want to be, not because I feel guilty.

rdcphone572

This is cool:

- I decided I loved myself enough to honor myself by eating right and getting exercise for the rest of my life. I no longer looked at "my goal" as the end all be all.

gateauxloseweight

Thank you all so much for your honesty and input. I am learning so much already!

dakitten2

Many things motivate me. My father's side of the family has heart disease and my mother's side has diabetes and strokes. I was looking at a double whammy at 290 pounds and being age 57 when I started. I had already had double knee replacements and was diagnosed with multiple bulging discs that made my back hurt just making the bed.

Motivation is also seeing a healthy blood panel every six months. Discontinuing meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Saves me money and most importantly shows I'm living a healthier lifestyle.

Motivation is also the many NSV's I've experienced. So many I cant keep count. Each one is a victory for me! My current one is that I both my first belt in November, starting in hole one. I've now reached the last hole (#7) and actually need a new one. Punching another hole in the belt would make the belt wrap part way around my back. So it's time to shop for a new belt.

And finally some vanity! LOL Was so tired of wearing 26W pants and 4X shirts. I hated shopping. I would wear the same clothes over and over and over until they became thread-bare. I would run past mirrors and hide from cameras. I hated myself and I hated the way I looked. I now wear the same bra size that I wore in high school but actually wear smaller clothes than I did then. I wear a size 10 in dresses, pants, jeans and mediums in tops, shirts. My shoe size even dropped from a size 10 to a size 8. Wasn't expecting that one.

And finally, I generally have ultra strong willpower when I put my mind to something. The first week of my lifestyle change, I made 3 different cakes and never took a single bite of any of them. I can do the same thing today. My partner is a junk food junkie so our house is filled with temptation. I don't totally go without some goodies, but I can limit myself and count out jellybeans or whatever it might be.

My real motivation is continuing to feel better physically and mentally

rosemaryhon

Being in my mid-50's I'm gonna say my strongest motivation is wanting to maintain good health. YES! I want to lose weight and fit into my cute clothes that sit in my closet, YES! I want to look and feel good. But when I think about my most serious motivation it is rooted in, well I'll admit it's rooted in fear that at this age my extra weight and poor fitness/nutrition would become a real issue.

katy_trail

you just have to hate where you are so much, it overpowers your fear. when you want it as much as breathing when you're drowning, then nothing will stand in your way but you.

rdcphone572

Bump on habit being stronger than just motivation alone.