Share your secret to dedication!

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  • lcn1220
    lcn1220 Posts: 124 Member
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    My secret? Failure to plan is planning to fail.

    Exercise: I make a calendar and write in the workouts for the week. Everyday I show up, do the workout and cross off the day with an X. And then whenever I feel like not showing up I say to myself in big screaming serious caps: DO NOT BREAK THE CHAIN. I give myself leeway only when I have migranes. I don't have them as often as I used to, but when they show up they are crushing. :((

    Food: I preplan. If I want something not planned, I plan it for the next day or some other day. I force myself to delay instant gratification. I still have what I want if I really want it--just later. And a lot of the time I forget all about it and don't bother eating it.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
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    Here's my tip: self-honesty and honest MFPals.

    For me, there's no cheating on the logging. If I mess up, it's there for everyone to see. I've found out I get so much more encouragement to pick things back up when I mess up if I'm just honest like this. Plus I have an ongoing log of what worked and what didn't.

    Give it another try! The key is consistently making the right choices and occasionally messing up, instead of the other way around.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    To be honest I was tired of hearing my co-workers telling me to try to lose some weight. Now I did and now they want to know how I did it. I hate people.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    My secret? Simple, abject fear. I'm afraid of hating how I look and feel again because I spent so much of my life in that mindset. So now when I feel like slacking I start to think about the bad old days... that usually kicks my @ss into gear.
  • sariannach
    sariannach Posts: 32
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    I have panic disorder. Like many anxiety disorders, it's all about wanting to CONTROL the uncontrollable. For a long time, the "what-if"s took over my life. What-if I don't do this task perfectly? What-if I don't succeed at my goal? Unsurprisingly, I often did not do things perfectly, and a whole lot of goals very nearly combusted. I didn't want to try for fear of failure or imperfection.

    You're not going to do this perfectly. Some days you'll really just say, "Eff this, I'm having [comfort food] today because I feel like crap."
    Some weigh-ins you'll see a gain, or your measurements will go in a direction you weren't hoping.

    That doesn't mean you've failed and should give up. Today is today. You make your choices for today. Tomorrow it starts all over.

    Yes, you want to make choices that lead to a healthier pattern. You'll do that a lot. You won't do that every single time. That's okay. If you accept that you are an imperfect human, that unhealthy choice can be what it is: one choice out of many.

    My therapist once told me is that, "the motivation comes after you are done." At the time it applied to cleaning the bathroom (because really, who wants to clean the toilet? but we all like when that porcelain is sparkling clean!), but it really does apply here as well. It can be hard to feel like you're doing much of anything until you see the numbers drop, or have a non-scale victory. When I first saw that I'd dropped 10lbs, counting calories and taking the stairs felt worth it--but it felt like torture until then. It IS hard. But every choice you make is for YOU, and to make YOU feel better/healthier in the long term. Self-care is important, and it can overflow into all parts of your life in wonderful ways. You have to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, like the airline announcements say. :)
  • lgrix
    lgrix Posts: 160 Member
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    I can not delegate my weight loss to someone else to do for me or hire it done.
    I can not wish myself thinner and have it magically happen.
    I can not remain fit and strong with out exercising regularly.
    I can not wait to start until tomorrow, tomorrow never comes.
    If I don't do this now, today and for the rest of my life it will not happen.

    I'm worth it and I'm going to get it done!
  • BR3ANDA
    BR3ANDA Posts: 622 Member
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    Self worth.
  • Betwolf2012
    Betwolf2012 Posts: 1
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    Well said. You are motivating me!!! Getting started this week. I have been aware of all the side benefits, and finally ready to go I think. Never had the weight come on like it is now...yes that time in life! anyway this site my doc/friend told me to check it out. Really seems pretty cool, excited to try it!
  • Proyecto_AN
    Proyecto_AN Posts: 387
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    I'm a control freak, I love numbers, I read alot about nutrition and I'm not in love with my scale. To get motivation for discipline I just need to remember where I come from, where I am and what I've done. But lately I don't think about it, maybe that's my secret.
  • kissmeirene
    kissmeirene Posts: 10
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    you can do it!!! just start it,,,: by starting:flowerforyou:
  • 1258936
    1258936 Posts: 115 Member
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    [/quote]
    "Champions train. Losers complain."
    Cowards never start. The Weak never finish. Winners never quit,

    Erica
    [/quote]

    I like that! Gotta write that one down!
  • MVY_
    MVY_ Posts: 253 Member
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    Lately, while doing insanity there are times my mind tells me I need to quit and give up but my mouth and heart goes, "YOU CAN DO IT." and I'm pushing. Lol.
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
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    I haven't read all the replies...

    my secret... I stopped.... just quit...

    I should clarify... I stopped making goals that include my weight...

    I learned this fact about myself... I have a difficult time with "failure" to meet a goal defining myself as a failure... I KNOW that weight loss is not linear and there are often factors that impact our weight loss that we can not control (hormones, stress, lack of sleep) I can make the exact same effort with the exact same intake and one week see 3# gone and one week 1#... I would get terribly depressed and binge... which would make me gain... so I would beat myself up and binge more... then .... then.... then.... the cycle was vicious


    I started making goals directly related to my fitness... trying to drop my time for a mile biking and walking... trying for a certain number of miles every month... (I also track calories... and have figured out that eating back exercise cals doesn't work for me... unless they are greater than 1000 and then only about half)

    the scale doesn't define me

    the-scale.jpg

    and I haven't been happier :flowerforyou:
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I slip up A LOT whether it's a big bakery cookie at work (like today) or a weekend of booze and pizza, the trick is when you fall off the wagon dust yourself off and get back on because at the end of the day if you have more good days than bad you'll lose weight, I've been dieting since May and only lost 8 pounds (about half a pound a week) and I felt so discouraged by how sloooowly it was coming off at first but after a few months it all adds up, I've still another 13/14 pounds to lose by my Wedding next March, but slow and steady wins the race and even if I only lose half that I'll be happy.

    Another thing I think that's helped me this time is having a long term goal for next year, before it's always been "gotta lose 10 pounds by this party in a months time" and when I've only lost a couple of pounds by then and the parties done and dusted then I just go back to my old habits, and reverse any progress until the next big event or holiday or whatever. So just set realistic targets a long term goal (eg your ultimate target next year maybe with minnie targets along the way) and most of all don't give up. :)
  • historygirldd
    historygirldd Posts: 209 Member
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    I feared failure and so I kept quitting. Now I understand, each day is a new day and each meal is a new meal. It is not failure to pick myself back up and start over each day. Finally, I've stuck to this journey much longer and am smaller than I have been in over a decade. Stop fearing a mess-up every now and then. As others have said, if the good days outweigh the bads, then you will lose weight. Make a lifestyle change, not go on a diet. Find some friends that will truly support you and then enjoy the compliments and use them to motivate you to keep on.
  • judykmmg
    judykmmg Posts: 56 Member
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    You are so right! Each person is a unique individual. What works for one does not work for another. But you found yours - and congratulations on the weight loss. Keep it up!

    My secret to dedication is that I had to lose weight for my health. My doctor gave me a wake up call - my glucose was running in the 200's. I was way overweight, tired, and just an overall feeling of bad health. Now with the little weight I have lost, I feel 80% better. My goal is to be 100% better! That keeps me going. I am losing by counting calories (I look for the food that will give me the most food for the least calories - I like to eat!), exercising, and keeping a good mental attitude - which is hard sometimes.

    Good luck to you.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    My secret to dedication is willpower.

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  • larryc0923
    larryc0923 Posts: 557 Member
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    What has worked for me so far has been:
    - Set an achievable goal over a reasonable time (i.e., lose 1 lb a week for 1 year rather than lose 10 lbs in a month). This allowed me to change my eating habits by a modest amount that I can keep up over a long time rather than changing my eating habits by a large unsustainable amount.
    - I tend to view this as a science experiment that I am operating. In this way I diligently, objectively and consistently track my food intake and performance results to see if in fact I keep my net calories under my target I lose weight at the rate I set. After 4 months I am averaging a loss of 1.5lbs per week, 50% better than my goal.
    - I read the success stories of others on MFP and gain inspiration and emotional support.

    Hope that helps.
  • nofailureallowed
    nofailureallowed Posts: 51
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    YES!
  • 4flamingoz
    4flamingoz Posts: 214 Member
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    I don't know why, but I can never quit. It's just not an option-even with toe surgery, crap knees, I still keep running. I'm taking off the weight sloooooowly, but I feel better. I don't know where it comes from, but I look at my now 90 year old mother two years after knee surgery, and if she can walk 10000 steps, then I can't quit either. She hasn't. NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP

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