What keeps you motivated?

My motivation is really quite simple. I want to wear all my clothes that are sitting in my closet that are so cute, and two years fit me just fine! I want to wear my bikini this summer, plain and simple! That's what motivates me to get up and jog for 30 minutes most days of the week. And of course the support from this community is vital to me as well!

I am also in the same boat........... is finding that strong will power to keep on going....To my knowledge into action and just knowing whats right.............. the first step for me is finding a few people on this sight who will help motivate me 2nd this is to really stay up on the logging of the meals here.................

I did start this 30 day challenge for squats on this sight and I am on my fourth day....... trying to get focus on my life changing ways...

baby steps baby steps...............took the years to gain it may take a year or so to lose it.....................

lets do this together, we can!!!!!!!:happy:

Sheer ego at this point. I've dropped months into this already - I don't want this to be yet another thing I got excited about and then didn't follow through with.

I look in the mirror and feel just plain disgusted with letting myself go like that - AGAIN. doesn't help that certain foods or lack of sleep make me retain water and then i just puff up.

My number one tip on losing weight: Think before you eat - which means, only eat if you are hungry, as long as you are hungry. yes, you deserve a treat, but that's a piece of chocolate, or a cookie, or maybe a couple of spoons of ice cream, but never a whole bar, box, or carton.
My main problem is eating for the sake of it. i really enjoy the flavours. but if you slow down, and only eat until you are no longer hungry, you get to enjoy it for the same amount of time, and have leftovers to eat the next day :-)
no measuring or math involved.

I simply set a time to exercise everyday. Like an appointment, I need to be there. I change up what I am doing as far as exercise and I set goals. That is my motivation. I went from 0 exercise to exercising 5-6 days a week. On weekends, I look forward to a hike, a bike ride or a walk on the beach with my husband, with a group of gals. I don't go to the gym. I don't do the same thing day after day. I get out on my breaks at work and go for a short walk with a co-worker. I look forward to that short little break everyday. So...I have made it a habit and something I look forward to. :bigsmile:

Funny but this was seriously on mind today...thanks for posting this question...

I lost my wonderful mother after her long and painful battle with diabetes recently. She lost this battle piece by piece...kidneys, heart, and a leg. It was not pretty. This is a lesson that I try to keep on my mind when I don't want to walk a mile on my treadmill at 6 am.

I'm thankful to walk. This is what I think of when I want to eat a lot of sugary stuff that my body can't use. I'm thankful for broccoli and almonds and chicken breasts. I think I got scared straight like the tv program for delinquents. It ain't easy at all...french fries, donuts, and potato chips still call to me...but I just keep moving it forward one step at a time and walk on by. It's day by day.

For example, I finally broke a plateau today that I've been on for over a Month! I don't record a number until I see it 3 times because I have a good bit of fluctuation and IT happened today! This was the longest I've ever actually tried to lose and had nothing happen. For a long time I believed the "you carry it well" noise so I didn't think about it and didn't try, I was happy, but you get to a point where you know that ain't really the issue. You see people have health challenges that are partially preventable with more fitness. Cute ain't the issue. Health for life is the issue. Then I tried to lose the first time and it just seemed to come off, it all came off on a hard, quick diet, and I was so happy in my small jeans. Thought I had a different body after the loss but that wasn't the truth on a cellular level...lol! Fat cells just wait for a chance to pump back up. Gained it back in a year. I just fell face first on a pizza and couldn't get up...until now. Alas, I am not a special naturally skinny snowflake!

This second time, it's been tough to lose. I am not doing some drastic diet, no big swings, just adjusting bit by bit. It's tough being methodical and really learning the lessons of better health. Lessons like moderation with carbs, slow eating of more whole food like salads, planning ahead to allow for my intake and exercise goals, adding more exercise on high intake days like birthday parties and long working lunch days, being consistent, checking my macros and weekly averages, and tuning out stuff that doesn't work for me personally. No magic bullets, no complicated stuff, just staying on my simple plan for life. It's tough but I really feel better. And I'm really learning to love stuff I never thought I would...like moderate daily exercise and a daily salad with almost no dressing...lol!

I didn't give up this month, and that is all I wanted to do! Not give up...I just told myself that a better diet and consistent exercise was the real goal, not a number. I put my Mom's picture up where I can see it from my treadmill. I can do this. I can lose and maintain. I can eat cleaner, be balanced, and exercise consistently most of the time and for life. Staying with my slow but steady program because this is about making a new lifestyle that I can maintain with everything else like family and career things.

Slow but steady, and maintain...Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. Move my body! Thats my plan.

Yes we can!

My main problem is eating for the sake of it. i really enjoy the flavours. but if you slow down, and only eat until you are no longer hungry, you get to enjoy it for the same amount of time, and have leftovers to eat the next day :-)
no measuring or math involved.

I really like this way of looking at it. I've been having trouble slowing down my eating and not over-eating because the food is just so damn tasty. The whole same amount of time thing is a good idea!

This is cool:

- I decided I loved myself enough to honor myself by eating right and getting exercise for the rest of my life. I no longer looked at "my goal" as the end all be all.

Many things motivate me. My father's side of the family has heart disease and my mother's side has diabetes and strokes. I was looking at a double whammy at 290 pounds and being age 57 when I started. I had already had double knee replacements and was diagnosed with multiple bulging discs that made my back hurt just making the bed.

Motivation is also seeing a healthy blood panel every six months. Discontinuing meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Saves me money and most importantly shows I'm living a healthier lifestyle.

Motivation is also the many NSV's I've experienced. So many I cant keep count. Each one is a victory for me! My current one is that I both my first belt in November, starting in hole one. I've now reached the last hole (#7) and actually need a new one. Punching another hole in the belt would make the belt wrap part way around my back. So it's time to shop for a new belt.

And finally some vanity! LOL Was so tired of wearing 26W pants and 4X shirts. I hated shopping. I would wear the same clothes over and over and over until they became thread-bare. I would run past mirrors and hide from cameras. I hated myself and I hated the way I looked. I now wear the same bra size that I wore in high school but actually wear smaller clothes than I did then. I wear a size 10 in dresses, pants, jeans and mediums in tops, shirts. My shoe size even dropped from a size 10 to a size 8. Wasn't expecting that one.

And finally, I generally have ultra strong willpower when I put my mind to something. The first week of my lifestyle change, I made 3 different cakes and never took a single bite of any of them. I can do the same thing today. My partner is a junk food junkie so our house is filled with temptation. I don't totally go without some goodies, but I can limit myself and count out jellybeans or whatever it might be.

My real motivation is continuing to feel better physically and mentally

you just have to hate where you are so much, it overpowers your fear. when you want it as much as breathing when you're drowning, then nothing will stand in your way but you.

The number one way to successful weight loss and general healthiness is very simple, yet VERY hard, CONSISTENCY. If you stick with eating healthy and keeping active, you will see results. It's the fall backs that discourage us, myself included, to keep it going again. I recently had an extreme lack of motivation and commitment and just was downright lazy and tired of logging my food and working out every day. I gained about 10 lbs back of the 50 I lost. It happens. We are all human and make mistakes. But then I realized, I worked TOO HARD to give up and let temptation get the best of me. Yes, it's easier to sit on the couch than run, easier to get fast food than to make a healthy meal. I get it. Trust me! This is NOT an easy journey, by any means, but if you stick with it, I PROMISE it will be worth it. And remember, YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!! Never underestimate the power of YOURSELF!!!!

sounds like everyone had a bit to say regardining motivation, good thoughts for me to use this up coming week..............thanks everyone

I see your motivation and I raise you habit. I win.

Perfectly stated!

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is well worth a read.

I baby-stepped into this with the intention of looking at everything I do and every change I make to see if it supports my goals and is sustainable. No radical changes, all at once, then not being perfect and chucking the whole thing as too hard. Just one little change at a time.

First, it was just tracking, not restricting, just logging it all. Next, I started paying more attention to getting enough protein and not over-loading on carbs. Next, I decided that I would no longer eat my emotions, period. Next I started staying within my TDEE-20%(ish) calorie limit. Next, I started adding at least one vegetable to each meal, even if it is just a handful of greens. Next, I joined the gym and started working out. There was no time table for the changes, but it made sense when it happened.

I don't know what the next change will need to be, or when, but I remain committed to the changes I have made so far, and am learning to deal with setbacks without going off the rails (for instance, went over calories one day but just let it be and kept going. Realized there was a different emotional eating trigger that I hadn't experienced since starting. Determined that working out on days like those is extra important because exercise really works for me to release frustration/negative energy.

I expect this to take a long time, and to require vigilance even in maintenance, but I want to do it right this time, so that it is the LAST time.