What do you tell yourself to keep you from quitting?

I know I'm not the only person in the world who wants to give up. But sometimes I feel like I am. I love food. I dream about food. I work around food. And I have to keep telling myself if I eat everything I see I won't be able to in the front door, or sit in an arm chair. My son is in Afghanistan and he hasn't given up, so I won't either. He is my inspiration to keep going and not be a quitter this time.

I keep a few old photos of myself when I was in better shape on my bathroom mirror,. All I have to do is look at those pictures and then look down at the belly that is hanging over my belt. And then there was the time my daughter looked at me and said, "Daddy you are getting fat". I'm pretty self motivated, and that is all it takes

i keep telling myself (after 2 years of being on MFP) that i have come too far, and that i look and feel better thinner, tho i still have about 15 lbs to go..i have many days i just want to give up and eat everything in sight, and think of how easier it would be to be fat again, but keep pushing..its worth it in the end

I keep an old pic of me in a bikini handy. And when I want to jump off the band wagon I look at pics of myself before and that motivates me! Good luck and your journey and there is so much great support on here!

For me, this isn't a means to an end...it's the beginning of forever. I try to simplify things as much as possible--eating as "normal" as possible with lower calories/carbs, and cleaner. Working out has taken the place of previous tv watching...I was doing nothing then and now I'm moving! Do I want to give up? Sometimes. But I just keep moving. The energy I have is worth it, the relief from aches and pains and headaches is worth it. My much clearer skin is worth it. So many things that make this worthwhile, that I can't just quit and continue be fat and unhealthy--because WHY? It's easier? Being dead doesn't take any work either and so I work hard, every day! I make time, I make it happen, and I enjoy it.

You can do this!

I am sure that this is quite overwhelming for you. If you have always been overweight, you can't envision yourself being at a healthy weight. You need to find the healthy person in side of you and start taking care of her, so she can become stronger than the outer person who has taken over.

If 130 pounds seems out of reach, then change your goal to only 30 or 40 pounds and shoot for that. Then when you reach that goal, add another 20 pounds or so. This way it won't seem so impossible. If you lose 1 pound per week, you can be almost 30 pounds lighter in 6 months. At that point you will have less than 100 pounds to your ultimate goal.

1 pound a week is only a 500 calorie deficit per day. Switching out healthier foods and eating smaller portions can easily create a 500 cal deficit, without feeling deprived. Moving your body more will also help create that deficit. At the weight you are now, and your age, this won't be hard for you to lose at least a pound a week at this point.

The first thing you have to do is get your brain around it, and accept some realities.

Yes, there are people who look like they don't have to diet or watch their weight, and they are naturally thin. You are not that person. It is not fair, but not much in life is fair. Accept that you will need to change some eating habits and start moving more. Is being 130 pounds lighter, worth making those changes? When your answer is 'Yes', then you are ready to begin.

At your age now, chances are, if you lose the weight over the next couple of years, your skin will shrink back to normal, or close to it. If you wait until you are 30 or 40, not only will you have even more weight to lose, the odds are that you might be left with a lot of loose and sagging skin that will have to be surgically removed. Ed Davenport has documented his body lift surgery in full, gory details on his blog. You really need to check that out to see what is in your future if you continue to gain weight and put this off.

You will also have wasted another 10-20 yrs of your life, being miserable. At that point you will most likely have developed some serious health problems, i.e. diabetes, High blood pressure, heart disease, and your bones and joints will be damaged from carrying around all the extra weight.

Trust me, if you think this is hard at 22, imagine how hard it will be at 42, with another 100 pounds or so on top of it.

You just have to decide if you are worth the effort. I think you are. But no one else can do it for you.

I feel like that a lot... But you just have to really want it i guess... Go look at your body in the mirror and ask yourself if thats what you are happy looking like... If not, then you know whatcha gata do! When i forst started excersizing, to get my butt off the coach i would be all like "ahhh im too lazy..." and then i'd tell myself "just do it, once your done youll feel better and then you can go be lazy again" Now i have like nooo problem going to the gym! Its actually my favorite place to be...

If you are getting so tired of counting so quickyl, just ease into it. Pick a few days a week were you dont count your food, then eliminate those days slowly.. And remember a "cheat meal" will not hinder your progress... If your eating healthy all the time, dont feel like you cant go out to eat with other once in a while! Cheat meals are good for the mind

Good luck! And dont give up yet!! Just take it slow.

Why are you doing this? Think about it for awhile... and write down the reasons. You can write them on your profile here or somewhere else. Write many reasons -- small and large. Major ones might include living longer, getting off medication; smaller ones might include not feeling bad after dinner tonight.

Set yourself major goals, but also interim goals. What's your exercise goal for next week? What's your better eating goal for next month? How many inches will you lose in 3 months? Fitting back into the jeans you have that are one size smaller? Eating enough fiber tomorrow? Exercising at least 5 minutes every day for a week? Three push-ups? The first five pounds lost? Being able to touch your toes? Getting half-way to goal? Being able to walk a mile at a brisk pace without being to tired to talk? Running your first 5k? Staying within 100 calories of your daily goal every day for 2 weeks?

Figure out some interim, non-food rewards. Consider things that make you feel good about yourself and reinforce the benefits of your progress. But some of the things people have suggested in other threads are buying new clothes, getting a manicure, buying exercise equipment, treating yourself to a bubble bath, going on a hike or out dancing with friends, taking some time off from normal chores and doing a craft you enjoy.

Think about your choices... you either do this now, or it just gets worse.

Take a look as some of the success stories for more motivation and ideas.

Edited to add:
Oh, and think about your expectations... if you think about this as a temporary change, your results will be temporary. How many years did it take you to develop the body you have now? And you expected that all to change in one week? Set some more realistic expectations.

And don't try to make all the changes and expect everything to change all at once. I've collected some more suggestions at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/how-to-use-myfitnesspal-427993

Good luck!

Don't fucus on the results, focus on change. When you focus on results, you'll never see the change; when you focus on the change, you will ultimately see the results. Someone on here told me this one time, and it's invaluable advice for this journey.

I whined my first week. I went through the motions of calorie counting dragging my feet. When I lost 1.5 pounds that first week.. i realized it was worth it..lost 2lbs my second week. I'm now 35 days in..and I'm totally into it. I've found low calorie snacks i love, i've reworked my favorite foods into recipes that are low calorie and tasty. I've learned tricks to bulk up my food. So, I'm never hungry and I'm eating great food. I'm also eating back exercise calories and that encourages me to work out.

Also... I adhere to the eat more to lose. I tried that 1200 calorie a day thing and that sucks. I eat 1650 a day..and then add my exercise calories to that.

I eat creamy cheesy pasta..sloppy joes.. i make my own dark chocolate bark with cheerios and marshmallows. And tracking is now fun and adding mfp friends is important for support. There are short cuts to the logging..you just need to learn them.

Lazy is what got us here...and that is what you're feeling...the lazy monster is ruling your life..you need to kick him to the curb.
'

Could you focus on what kinds of foods you are eating?

My goal is 3 meals plus a snack, if I need a snack. My personal goal is the following per day:

Fruits - 0-2
Vegees - 4-6
Oils - 1 tbsp of healthy oil
Dairy - 3-4
Protein at each meal and if I have a snack to include protein
Limit processed foods

I have found that if I get the above in, log the foods, the calories fall well within normal limits of losing 1-2 lbs per week.
This takes the worry of numbers away, whether calories or points & focuses on the type of foods that your body is being nourished by.

Good luck to you!

I am having fun using the app to register my calories, I have to admit. But I am also very interested to see how I can work all my fiber and calcium into my caloric count. I am excited to see that I can eat healthy food and how much better I feel. 30 years ago, when I was your age, I used to diet by fasting, sometimes for six weeks or more at a time. I don't even want to know how much damage I did to my body. Think about how much good you are doing for yourself by watching what you eat, and adding healthier foods every day. If you have a day where you don't feel like dieting, then use to it fill up on yummy but healthy food: homemade soup, fruit salads with a dollop of whipped cream, etc. My favorite is the low calorie, high calcium hot chocolate. Good for you, tastes good, too.

I like to breath. My heart wont hurt when i walk. My back will feel better and the pain in my hips will go away. And it is happening.

i tell myself i want to be happy and tin again i used to be a size 8 even a 6 at a very unhealthy weight my head looked too big for my body and i looked ill. now i dont want to be a 6 but an 8-10 healthy weight of 10st, so i look at myself and think hell yeah i can do this, with food i dont deny myself anything just moderated or one day ill eat less cals to the day before or after x im pleaes with my progress of losing 10lbs doing this and im enjoying every bit i know at times it hard but once you see results you know its worth it and maybe drink more water this will help you lose weight also, dont give up your not a quitter and stop thinking that way if you really want to lose weight you will do it just a bit of wilpower kinda like giving up smoking xxx good luck x

It's incredibly intimidating when you step on the scale and truly realize the amount of weight that you need to lose. In 2011 I weighed in and realized I had to lose an entire person! I tracked what I ate and then slowly added exercise. In 8 months I lost 60lbs!! I think that once you see the scale moving in the right direction and you increase your exercise capabilities you build motivation. Truly success breeds success! Anyway in 2012 I gained a bunch back so I've come back and recommitted. I want to blame stress, or a busy schedule, or school but I know that I gained my weight back because I stopped tracking. I ate too much and exercised too little. This time when I started back with MFP I actually gained weight in my first month!! It was so frustrating. But I told myself that I was ultimately healthier. My heart and body was better for my healthy habbits and that soon the scale would follow through. Now things are moving in the right direction.

Don't focus too much on the scale. If counting calories is too intimidating now and frustrating start slower. Start week 1 with drinking the proper amount of water. Week 2 add in eating the proper amou ts of vegetables. You get the drift. Eventually it will become second nature. I once read a quote on someone's wall: a year from now you'll wish you started today. It really hit home. So when I waver and get bored or stressed or frustrated (with my goal of losing >100lbs) I think of how happy I am to be doing something now and look forward to seeing how I'll look in a year's time!

Finally look for supportive friends on this website. I love the community if people here. You can build such a great support system. You'll be able to celebrate your victories and support each other through your slip ups. You can find so much motivation with your MFP friends. I'm super thankful for mine!

Hope this helps! You aren't alone )

THIS!! Well said and I love the quote! "A year from now you'll wish you started today."