Share your secret to dedication!

I have never been one to be motivated by all the sayings "no pain, no gain,,, motivation this, motivation that.. Just do it.. blah blah blah"

I have no secret to tell you because NO ONE has a secret to dedication. You need to find what drives you. Try to make it a habit. Make fitness part of your daily schedule. As far as keeping the dedication.... surround yourself with success... a good start.. joining MFP...

Like you, my motivation is my husband, and children. Even though Hypothyroidism is making this a terrible struggle I show up EVERYDAY to the gym.

Weight loss hasn't happened for me, but I push myself anyway.

I don't want weight loss as much as I want BODY TRANSFORMATION.

I have found that the mental dedication is much easier if you take care of the physical elements of obesity. Obesity is largely the result of lots of different factors that come together to make one "overfat". Stress can certainly play a role because it raises cortisol levels and that can cause you to gain weight easily. For women, estrogen plays a role in raising blood sugar and that, in turn, raises insulin levels which cause one to hoard fat on the body rather than burning it for fuel. High blood sugar is the biggest culprit and that is caused by eating too many sugars and starches. The Paleo diet is a great diet to reverse the abuses that a high carbohydrate diet inflicts on the body. If you keep your carbohydrates to 75-100 grams a day and make sure your calorie count doesn't go above 1800 calories per day, you will be surprised by how fast the weight will drop away and how much better you feel. You will become more active because you will feel better. And THAT will give you the motivation to go on. I NEVER eat sugars or grains---they are not necessary for health and the great bulk of them are empty calories. It simplifies the whole dieting thing. I don't worry about what I am going to eat, I just know what I am NOT going to eat---makes life simpler. I eat unlimited vegetables and two fruits per day in addition to lean protein. I have lost 14 pounds, my blood pressure has gone down so much that I am taking a fraction of the b.p.medication I was taking just a few months ago. As I lose more weight, I am confident that I will be able to eliminate the blood pressure medication entirely. I am determined that I am NOT going to get Type II diabetes like my brother and I am NOT going to ever go back to the crummy health status that I had. My words to myself are, "DO IT NOW!"

It is important to get enough sleep to facilitate weight loss too. Cortisol levels rise when we don't get enough sleep. And fatigue weakens our will to stick with our program.

Intermittent fasting is good for the body---helping it to shed toxins and it can even yield spiritual benefits when incorporated as a part of our prayer lives. It doesn't have to be a long fast---just skipping one meal is enough--whichever one you like. I skip breakfast a couple of times a week. But that doesn't entitle me to "pig-out" at lunch. I just eat a normal lunch. I don't get hungry because my insulin levels have naturally come down on the lower-carb eating (takes a few weeks of lower-carb eating to accomplish lower insulin levels). I just happily go on my way in the morning knowing that I am burning fat as well as detoxifying my liver as I sip my herbal tea and pray. You can do it---keep on keepin' on.:flowerforyou:

This is what keeps me going...


"Trying is failure with honor. Don't try to do something. Just do."

My dad. He has liver cancer and needs a transplant. We got a call that he had a donor. Got to the hopsital, into pre-op, only to find that the donor's liver was too fatty. Then a 5 year old boy I know was in need of a bone marrow transplant. I wasnt' able to get swabbed because I was too fat to qualify to be a donor. I'll not go into what an emotional rollercoaster these event were but it got me to thinking more about taking care of myself. I want to be able to help others while alive and after death and that can't be done if I don't get and keep myself in shape. I still have a ways to go, I mess up..a lot, but remembering those two events always gets me back on track. I started this journey for selfish reasons, now it's also for a bigger picture. I'll still be really happy to see myself lookin better!!

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.

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.

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!

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!

you can do it!!! just start it,,,: by starting:flowerforyou:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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