How do you keep motivated every day?
natajane
Posts: 295 Member
I've been trying to lose weight for agesssss! This time around, I have been trying to stay motivated every day.
I have bought a calendar which I've stood on my coffee table, and I award myself stickers!! Yes, like a child's star chart hahaha. I get a green heart sticker each day if I stay in calories, a pink heart if I exercise, and I get a massive multi coloured one for every inch I lose. I look forward to sticker time hehehe.
But more importantly, every day I can see in one glance all that I've worked on for the last month.
What do you all do to stay motivated every day?
I have bought a calendar which I've stood on my coffee table, and I award myself stickers!! Yes, like a child's star chart hahaha. I get a green heart sticker each day if I stay in calories, a pink heart if I exercise, and I get a massive multi coloured one for every inch I lose. I look forward to sticker time hehehe.
But more importantly, every day I can see in one glance all that I've worked on for the last month.
What do you all do to stay motivated every day?
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Replies
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I set a weekly weight goal for each Friday of the year. My weight is recorded in a weekly planner every morning so I stay motivated. Never did this with my countless other diets, so hopefully it works this time.0
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I have treats for each weight milestone. At 5% weight loss, it's expensive face cream (I've stopped buying magazines and lunch out to finance this!) at 10% (which I have never yet managed in all the diets I've done) I'm thinking of a leather jacket.0
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I just know that this is something I want badly, so even on good weeks or bad weeks I just keep on, knowing in the end it will be better for me.0
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MFP. My friends on MFP. Looking in the mirror and going oh wow, I recognize her again! She's me and not that sad fat chick I used to see! Past efforts, past failures, past successes.
Eating enough not to feel apathetic, depressed, and angry. That last one is extremely important, I find that it is way too easy to go from perfect calorie consumption vs expenditure to lose and not enough calories eaten. Much easier than I ever thought and it affects me much more negatively than I ever thought, especially my motivation.0 -
It sounds uber cheesey but positive self talk. Tell yourself why you want this. Tell yourself you can do this. And definitely congratulate yourself when you do things well.
Right now I'm riding a wave of first accomplishments. Like running at new speeds, getting to a weight I haven't been in 5 years, and being able to do more. You'll be amazed how much easier it gets when you accomplish great things because you won't want to ruin all you have done!
New recipes always keeps things fresh and putting them together in a healthy recipe book keeps me busy.
Good Luck!0 -
Great idea, the sticker chart!!! Going to have to try that one! Thanks
I'm finding my wedding is my motivation but struggle with the cravings for crap!! Still, on week 1 I lost 2kg. Hoping for 1kg this week to make my first half stone!!0 -
Its hard for sure to do everyday, but I have looked back on what I have been through that brought me to today.
I can always do nothing, but then I feel like nothing. I don't want to be nothing. I am classified as disabled, but you are only disabled if you want to be. The only thing that can stop you is Y.O.U.
Good Luck Everyone.0 -
When it's important to me, it's easy to stay motivated. When it's not, I end up making excuses. That's really what it boils down to for me.
More to your question... I see myself in the mirror every day. I see my race times from last year. I see my race schedule for this coming season. I see my lift numbers. I know the things I can't do... I know the limitations of my body. My desire to improve in those areas keeps me motivated.0 -
Positive self talk is NOT CHEESY! It is vital!!
Also - schedule schedule schedule! Plan your food so that you stick to it. Schedule your workouts, just as you would important business meetings. You wouldn't skip out on that, would you?
YOU ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT CLIENT!
Read or listen to personal development books. As you fill yourself with positive ideas and teaching, you begin a mental shift that helps to keep you going! I KNOW this works, because I have done it and still do it. I'm down 25 lbs and still going. I log all my workouts, and keep a diary of my food (obviously!)
Joining a support group is a HUGE help too! I am part of a great group, all online. We post our workouts, congratulate each other, lift people up when they are feeling down, and share our successes! And yes, sometimes we whine about sore muscles
For me, it has really made a difference. There is always room for more too!! 0 -
You don't. (Try to stay motivated every day, I mean.) There are plenty of days when I just don't feel like it. Don't feel like watching what I eat. Don't feel like getting on the floor and doing my Pilates. Don't feel like drinking water. Motivation comes and goes. I get it as a burst when I record a weightloss, realize that my jeans are fitting better, but then real life comes in and I have to deal with bills and school and work and dirty litter boxes. Motivation comes and goes - just learning how to the right thing, day by day, is what stays.
And there are days when I don't do it. When I eat like crap and don't exercise. Those are just days, though, and through the practice of just picking myself up and starting a new day tomorrow, it always gets better.
Patience and endurance, as another member here would put it. Do the right things and wait. Results will follow. It took time to shift my thinking from a "I have to be on fire for this or it won't work" to a "This will just take time and practice", but when I did, it helped immensely.
Mandisu said it very well - positive self talk. Be kind, be gentle, be encouraging to yourself. This isn't a bootcamp. This isn't a race. This isn't a test. It's your life. You've got a long time to live. Everyday is a new chance to keep improving on it.0 -
Knowing I feel better. Wanting to keep feeling better. Knowing I can finally fit into size 10's and not feel like everyone is staring at me because I look like 20 lbs of sausage stuffed into a 10 lb casing.
Sometimes my motivation goes on vacation...especially during the recent holiday season...but it came back home and gave me a good talking to. I listened and am back on track.0 -
Honestly, I don't think about it much. I just do it. It finally became routine. Now, I've set myself a major goal for June with lots of little goals in between to get me there. I did it because I want to put this weight loss thing into a higher gear for a while. I want to lose 50 lbs. by mid June. My motivation is the progress that I see and the NSVs I get. My mantra (that I saw on here and adopted) is, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I want to lose weight more than I want to eat, especially like I used to eat.0
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A calendar sticker chart?? Why have I never thought of that? That is a FANTASTIC idea! *Reminds self to print out a calendar.*
I'm not even going to lie. I have two pictures I look at when I'm tempted to go over my calorie limit - one is me from four years ago, when I was at my peak fitness and 122 lbs, almost no fat. I want to look like that again! The other picture is... let's just say a very attractive celebrity male. On any given day, at least one of those pictures, if not both, motivate me to stay on track, haha. 0 -
I have a monthly goal of various fun runs and obstical courses. So I train for each mini goal. Next one is a 6km run I want to do in under 45mins. Without mini goals, I am just a sloth.0
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For me I have tried motivating myself everyday, but it doesn't work for me. So I just don't give myself an option. Some days I wake up happy and excited for the day and exercising and eating right. And some days I don't. But I always stick to my calories even if I am complaining to myself all day long. I no longer give myself the privilege of having a choice, because obviously I took advantage of it before lol or I wouldn't be here!0
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I have lots of things on my wardrobe (the pic is my profile pic) some things are cut off, its everything i love and need.
has pics of me and my bf, pics of nieces and nephews, pic of cheeky micheal mcintyre got it from his tour
but the main stuff is my exercise stuff, i have weekly exercise timetable and a little calander i mark off when i exercise, i also have pics of davina on it, i love her dvds, shes soo fit and really motivates you then i have my jessica ennis pics, shes really inspiring!!! i can see all this when i exercise and i just love marking off when i exercise so i know i completed what i said i would! i also always look back at bigger pics of myself that keeps me going, i always think how much of a good feeling it is after i workout and always thrive for that so i carry on exercising to get that, you always gonna feel better for making better food choices, i have some really motiviating friends on mfp, they've really helped!! when you think back to when people comment your weight loss or how you look, you think i want more compliments, only way you gonna get more is to keep going!!!! 0 -
Seeing the stronger, fitter me in the mirror every morning while I get ready. At this point it isn't about doing it to lose weight, it is about being a fit person and liking it. I could stop losing weight and be happy as long as I knew I was still pushing myself in the gym and eating a healthy diet.0
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It sounds uber cheesey but positive self talk. Tell yourself why you want this. Tell yourself you can do this. And definitely congratulate yourself when you do things well.
Right now I'm riding a wave of first accomplishments. Like running at new speeds, getting to a weight I haven't been in 5 years, and being able to do more. You'll be amazed how much easier it gets when you accomplish great things because you won't want to ruin all you have done!
New recipes always keeps things fresh and putting them together in a healthy recipe book keeps me busy.
Good Luck!
That's not cheesy at all, I should have put that one in, too! What we tell ourselves and how we say it matters! :drinker:0 -
I get motivated by the weight loss, by the friends online who read your entries and comment.
Also, my motivation is the size 12 clothes that I want to wear without worries in a few months.0 -
each and every morning i look at all the before and after pictures on the success stories thread! everyday, it gives me a new boost of motivation!!!0
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As bad as it sounds, I stay motivated by looking at a horrid picture of myself. I, like so many others, never really knew what I looked like to everyone else. Then I saw THE PICTURE... It changed everything. And if I am losing motivation, I think back on that picture and how horrible I look. Pretty much makes up my mind right then and there. 0
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I dont allow ' i cant today' or 'i dont feel like it today' or anything negative. i dont think about it, i just stay focused, work out, eat right and say no to bad things..... usually.
i'm sometimes not perfect, but thats not unusual.0 -
The little tiny drill instructor in my head telling me"Get off your F#@^(^! *kitten* now you little puke stain" and push through.0
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Make it a lifestyle habit and you won't need much motivation.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I was just having this conversation with a real life friend.
Motivation is totally overrated. If I waited to be motivated everyday, I would never do anything. You just have to do it anyway. Make it a part of your schedule- get home, lace up running shoes, run (or whatever the equivalent is for your workouts)- don't even let yourself think about the option to do it or not. Just do it.0 -
I don't.
If I only worked out when I felt motivation in the air, it would never happen. I do it because it's good for me. Just like brushing my teeth and flossing. Who needs motivation for that? Nobody. Everyone knows you do it because it's healthy.0 -
I don't. Some days I lose motivation completely and I just want to sit in front of the TV and eat an entire pizza by myself. The only thing that gets me to the gym in those times is the thought of how many people I would let down if I fell back into bad habits and gained back the weight I lost.
But most of the time, I get out there and do it because I love how I feel and it's fun and because this is the happiest I've been in a long, long time and because I've made it a habit that I'm loathe to break.0 -
I don't.
If I only worked out when I felt motivation in the air, it would never happen. I do it because it's good for me. Just like brushing my teeth and flossing. Who needs motivation for that? Nobody. Everyone knows you do it because it's healthy.
That. Exactly.0 -
A lot of things,being here for my kids for one,being able to keep up with them.Thinking of my poor wardrobe.I also think of my dad's side of the family.Pretty much all diabetics and overweight.My grandmother dying of diabetes related illness,very sad and I don't want to go down that road.
I think of myself,as selfish as that sounds and how miserable I am when I'm massive,and think of how much happier I am when I'm at my goal weight.Having done it before I want to prove to myself that I can do it again.
I also think of people that want me to stay,big,fat,overweight,whatever you call it and I try to turn that into a positive.A previous poster also said,don't even give yourself the choice to say no to working out.Make it a part of your life and that's what I try to do as well.0 -
My motivation is directly related to my reasons for wanting to lose weight. Those reasons haven't gone anywhere, so why would my motivation? If anything, after having some success along the way, I am MORE motivated. I'm more determined than ever. How can I not be, when I see how far I've come? I'm only 1/3 the way to my ultimate goal but every goal and milestone I meet along the way gets me one step closer to where I want to be. No turning back!0
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