How do you get willpower? What motivates you?

Hi there,

I understand your struggle it is a vicious circle. Even though I knew what I was eating was unheathy I couldn't say no (and also didn't want to) any reason to eat, hunger, depression, to celebrate and for comfort. This is the 1st time I have ever been able to lose any amount of weight and the longest I have tried for and I have no plans for giving up. It is tough but it does get easier. I have learnt that it is okay to not have the food I want every single meal time, I try and save a good amount of calories for dinner time to eat with the family and eat healthier the rest of the day to do so.

My motivation is to get fitter, I had no energy before and that has already improved greatly. Also to be a better example for my son and finally enjoy clothes shopping again.
Being apart of MFP has really helped me, it is so much easier having friends going through the same as you and to spur you on.

Good luck with the lose, feel free to add me and we can help each other

oh boy, yes I can relate- I think I'm on the right track now and I will tell you what has been working for me!

1) Cokes- I love them!! I had tried diet drinks, water, juice, and tea..and I found that I wasn't happy with those because I really wanted a coke and wasn't allowing myself to have one. So for me, that was a negative

2) Pizza- I love it!! When the family would go out for pizza, I would have a salad which wasn't bad, but I sat there and watched everyone eat pizza while I s l o w l y ate my salad... this, for me, was another negative. (btw, my husband and children are very athletic, so having pizza is something the whole family could eat and enjoy, so I would never deprive them of that and I never let them know how hard it was for me to resist it, lol

3) Desserts- I love it all!! There will always be baby showers (cake), wedding showers (cake) church socials (cake) birthday parties (cake) and Christmas ( lots of cakes), so do I reallly want to say no to cake for the rest of my life in this new "lifestyle" ? I won't! I know myself and I know that I'm going to eat my cake and frosting, too! So here's another negative!

The point is, I had too many negatives in my "diet" and I failed at it everytime!

Now, I have one 90 calorie coke each day (I'm not deprived), when we go out for pizza, I still have my salad and one piece of cheese (lowest calorie) and one breadstick and I'm perfectly content! I'm amazed that one piece can satisfy my craving. And when I'm offered cake, I just cut the piece in half and enjoy the same as if I had 3 peices!

It's the little changes for me that is working right now and even though I've only lost 8 lbs, that's 8 that I was wishing for 2 months ago! I have lost steadily, maybe only .8 or .4 or 1.5lbs a week, but at least I'm losing and it's a change that I am completely happy with! If I stop losing, I'll make changes and cross that bridge when it gets here!

I hope this helps, I know it can be frustrating, but when you start losing that in itself will motivate you to keep going! Good luck!!

Before pics!!! When I look at them, I remember I don't want to go back to my old life!!!

and my hubby, he's the hotness. He makes me want to be the hotness too.

I have struggled with food addiction for most of my life. It started when I was a young teen and my brother died. I used food for comfort. My weight has been up and down over the years. I lost 60 lbs my senior year of high school and kept it off for many years. I lost about 25 lbs before my wedding and kept it off for a few years. Then, I started having babies. My combined weight gain over three pregnancies is 80 lbs.

I am heavier than I have ever been, but I can't stop eating. I am in the vicious cycle of thinking I've hit rock bottom, getting rid of all of the junk in the house, tracking for a few days....and then I get stressed and go to the store to buy more comfort food and I eat it. Or the weekend comes and we get pizza, or go out, or my husband goes out to pick up ice cream...I just can't say no. Then I get down on myself, and start the cycle all over again.

If you've been in the same boat, and are a true food addict who has leaned on food for comfort, stress relief etc...please help me figure out a way to overcome this. I don't have the same determination that I had the last times that I lost significant amounts of weight. I need to do this for my health. I want to be around to grow old with my husband and see my grandkids one day. Thanks in advance!

Can you talk to your husband and ask him to help you? Instead of buying pizza and ice cream, buy fresh fruit... or go for a walk as a family. Would he help you make a plan for healthier choices? I'm a widow, so nobody at home is tempting me, but my downfall is my office. So much junk food. I told people to stop putting it on my desk and in my area.

Well...cutting nearly 2 minutes off my 5K time in under a month sure is motivating.

oh boy, yes I can relate- I think I'm on the right track now and I will tell you what has been working for me!

1) Cokes- I love them!! I had tried diet drinks, water, juice, and tea..and I found that I wasn't happy with those because I really wanted a coke and wasn't allowing myself to have one. So for me, that was a negative

2) Pizza- I love it!! When the family would go out for pizza, I would have a salad which wasn't bad, but I sat there and watched everyone eat pizza while I s l o w l y ate my salad... this, for me, was another negative. (btw, my husband and children are very athletic, so having pizza is something the whole family could eat and enjoy, so I would never deprive them of that and I never let them know how hard it was for me to resist it, lol

3) Desserts- I love it all!! There will always be baby showers (cake), wedding showers (cake) church socials (cake) birthday parties (cake) and Christmas ( lots of cakes), so do I reallly want to say no to cake for the rest of my life in this new "lifestyle" ? I won't! I know myself and I know that I'm going to eat my cake and frosting, too! So here's another negative!

The point is, I had too many negatives in my "diet" and I failed at it everytime!

Now, I have one 90 calorie coke each day (I'm not deprived), when we go out for pizza, I still have my salad and one piece of cheese (lowest calorie) and one breadstick and I'm perfectly content! I'm amazed that one piece can satisfy my craving. And when I'm offered cake, I just cut the piece in half and enjoy the same as if I had 3 peices!

It's the little changes for me that is working right now and even though I've only lost 8 lbs, that's 8 that I was wishing for 2 months ago! I have lost steadily, maybe only .8 or .4 or 1.5lbs a week, but at least I'm losing and it's a change that I am completely happy with! If I stop losing, I'll make changes and cross that bridge when it gets here!

I hope this helps, I know it can be frustrating, but when you start losing that in itself will motivate you to keep going! Good luck!!

I started dieting because I no longer felt comfortable in my own skin. I maintain motivation by looking at my ever shrinking measurement log.

I have old pictures of me when I was far more fit on Facebook and when more recent acquaintances see them they are floored because they only know me as a fat guy. I have gotten the "man you looked real good back then" comment a few times and that is motivation enough.

I read in Fitness magazine recently that willpower is finite and you can't "get it." You start the day with a certain amount depending, and everything you do throughout the day takes away from it. Reading that has put a lot into perspective. I can't have junk in my house because at the end of a long day, screw veggies give me cake and ice cream. So I do that. I also automate my meals per Dr Oz. I eat the same breakfast, make my lunch on Sunday, and I change up dinner. This takes the thought out of it. On days that I have to think, I think my way to the pizzeria.

I spend a large part of my day, in customer service, working w/ other offices, it's draining, so I take all thought out of my weight loss plan during the week. My only issue is TTOTM when I seem to convince myself that I don't have a food addiction and can buy cake and ice cream and eat it a serving at a time NEVER happens and it usually last 2 days.

I'm not sure what is motivating me, except to not have to buy large clothes again when I just gave away large ones.

Good luck!