HOW do you STAY motivated????

I've been there so many times. It's hard to diet and lose weight.... Plus that's only half the battle, maintaining is even harder. This is the longest I've been able to eat healthy and lose weight, staying committed in my entire life. I've lost 47 pounds since September 12th, and I have no plans on eating the way I use to.

I guess you just get a point in your life where you really realize you have one life to live, and need to take care of the body you have. I have health problems as well as I had poor eating habits. I jumped on my mom's scale after this summer and realized I had gained 20 pounds in just a matter of a few months (on top of already being over weight) I remember looking in the mirror and fighting back the tears.

I thought to myself "No... no. I will NOT allow this to take me over." I turned my devastation into motivation instead and have been losing weight ever since. I grew tired of gaining weight, feeling tired and unattractive. I don't want to be known as the "fat one" anymore. I want to know that despite my health problems I CAN be healthy. I want to know that I will grow old and grey and watch my children grow up and have families of their own. I want to live the longest and healthiest life I possibly can.

What it comes down to is you have to really have a deep down discussion with yourself. Do you want to always look at healthy people and wonder how that feels? Do you want to put yourself at risk for diseases that would never go away? Do you really enjoy the way you feel?

You CAN do this babe! I believe in you. I don't have to know you, to believe you can do this. Mind over matter.. Be stronger than what you think!!

Good luck!

I am 100% with you . I have dieted ( and lost ) before , but have never stayed with it for long . I just FULLY started 3 days ago . I started to realize how tired I was getting from doing nothing and how stairs were killing me and I decided that enough was enough . I'm only 17 for petes sake . I guess , there just comes a time when you get sooo fed up with it , you just do it .

My advice though , is to try your very hardest to make it past 3 weeks . They say it takes a month to break/make a habit . If I may , I would suggest doing the 80 day challenge ( I can send it to you if you'd like) . It is just a series of motivational questions that make you really think about what you want in life. Every day , you get on here and answer the question of the day . Like for example , today I am supposed to be vegan for the whole day and see if I like it or not . Yesterday , I had to describe \my ideal body .

It really helps ! If you need any motivation at all , feel free to message me

If I may , I would suggest doing the 80 day challenge ( I can send it to you if you'd like) . It is just a series of motivational questions that make you really think about what you want in life. Every day , you get on here and answer the question of the day . Like for example , today I am supposed to be vegan for the whole day and see if I like it or not . Yesterday , I had to describe \my ideal body .

It really helps ! If you need any motivation at all , feel free to message me

Oooohhh! What's this 80 Day Challenge you speak of?! I like little challenges!

You have to really, truly want it

When you want it bad enough you'll find the inner strength. Everyone has an inner strength waiting to be called upon.

Fitness goals is what did it for me. I wanted to do the Warrior Dash, with my brother and my niece. They're both crazy athletic... I didn't want to not be able to keep up with them.

My first week here, I was dragged taking my Pekingese for a walk. Within a month, I was able to run one mile, and that was amazing. Within another month, I could run a 3 miles. A couple months after that, I passed my brother in a 5 mile race and finished just 7 seconds behind my very athletic 24 year old niece.

Don't think about it as losing weight. Think about it as living the life you deserve to lead and treating your body the way it deserves to be treated. The rest will fall into place.

MA MOTTO: when u want to quit; remember WHY you started!!!!! it has helped me stay on track!

Write down as many reasons as you can. Add to them over time.
Measure and track improvement.
Set interim, short-term, reasonable goals. For instance, what can you achieve in one month? How will you celebrate that achievement? (No, not with food.)
Think about what happens if you quit. Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to stay unhealthy and get worse to the point where ... fill in the blank, examples: you need medication to control blood pressure, diabetes, unable to enjoy a walk with your family?

P.S. Use distraction too. When you are tempted, try doing something else. If at home, exercise. At a party, go ask someone (preferably not someone next to the buffet) a question about something interesting. If out with family, focus on enjoying their company. If alone, read something, check out MyFitnessPal message boards, work on a hobby you enjoy (best if it require both hands and concentration).

Yeah I have a problem with this time from time. I totally know how you feel about the food being more important than the desire to be thin.

It may take some time, but I PSYCH myself into it. To do this, I scramble and hustle to find anything and everything that I can soak up motivation (can take days or weeks). For example, searching/following fitness gurus (the ones that get me going), watching fat/thin documentaries, watching motivational videos, transformation videos, watching movies with actresses that I admire (body). I also have to REITERATE myself with the basic "eating rules" all over again and without fail, I always LEARN something new. You also have to PLAN PLAN PLAN.. (i.e what you're eating and how much). I feel like the only real room for error is lack of planning. I know when I do not plan, I blatantly have nothing to focus on and the day becomes "free for all".

Getting "into it" is easier said than done. You have to find out what YOUR personal needs are (whether it be what kinds of foods to disregard, how many calories per day, relief from an eating disorder etc)... take baby steps.. don't just overwhelm yourself with everything.. that's another easy way to fail and get unmotivated. Take a first step, as soon as you master that, then move on to the next, etc. "It's a marathon, not a sprint".

Another really good thing for me is INSPIRATIONAL BOARDS.. I print pics with fitness quotes that are personal for me and get me going. Also several pictures of people I admire and make me ashamed when I want to eat something unnecessary. Make a board and post it somewhere in your room. I mostly snack in my room so having the board is very useful.

I may be different from you but I struggle with impulsive emotional eating/binge eating. I also have this bad relationship with food in general. If you want any more details as to how I gradually control it... feel free to message me.

Best of luck! you can do it! It's easy to fall off the wagon, but you making this post today.. is a first step back on

MA MOTTO: when u want to quit; remember WHY you started!!!!! it has helped me stay on track!

I like that quote too! My personal motto has been "just when you think you are done fighting, remember what was worth fighting for!" I have suffered from depression, anxiety, addiction and bad eating habits. I tell myself that just when I feel like giving up and throwing in the towel, there was and is something that is worth keeping up the fight for whether it's your health, self-esteem or your family.

I stay motivated by keeping my goals modest.