how do you stay motivated EVERY.SINGLE.DAY?

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  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    Are you one of the three girls in your profile pic? If so, it will probably take you longer than 16 weeks to lose 25 lb. When you are already lean, you cannot expect more than half a pound to a pound a week. You also have to be quite precise about logging your intake, because the deficit has to be kept fairly low.

    So, as far as advice on motivation: tempering your expectations (as above) is important. Also, if you don't like exercising, don't torture yourself. You don't need to work out to lose weight--just log your intake accurately and consistently, and keep the deficit small or else you'll be hangry all the time and won't stick with it.

    hey! im the one on the left but now im 10 lbs heavier!! and in the pic, i still wanted to lose 10-15 lbs. i was 140 in that picture. i set it as my profile to have it as a daily motivator!

    Ah, well, still--the thing to understand about MFP is that it allows you to set a "2 lbs a week" weight loss goal, but it's not a good idea for someone who is within the normal BMI or just a few clicks above it. If you take it slow, you'll get better results, trust me.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    The first few days of calorie tracking and exercising are easy. I'm super excited, I have my goals in mind... then after a week i start to feel really good (i lost maybe 2-3 lbs) and i get very happy with myself (im always happy with myself but it's more of a lenient/forgiving kind of happy), and then..it all stops. i start slacking, allowing extra bites, basically conditioning the part of my brain that made me gain weight in the first place. And just like that, im back to eating crap, grazing allll day...exactly where i started, getting depressed again.

    what habits/rituals do you have to keep yourself motivated EVERY SINGLE DAY? im estimating it will take me about 16 weeks to lose the 25 lbs i want to lose. that's a looong way to go.... how will it be possible to stay motivated for 16 weeks?! (and the rest of my lif?e...but i assume after a certain point it will become second nature and there wont be much motivation needed).

    thanks everyone! have a good day :)
    I don't stay motivated every single day. Not by a long shot. What I am though is committed. I decided that being a healthy weight, and being fit, was important enough for me to make it a priority in my life. People do things every day that they don't want to do, or don't feel motivated to do, but they do them because it's a priority for them to be able to pay their mortgage, or put food on the table, or to have their children turn up to school on time, clean and fed.

    So, I don't always feel like going out for a run, especially if it's cold and rainy. I do it anyway because keeping this weight off is a priority, and keeping my heart healthy is a priority, and keeping on top of my depression is a priority. Not to say that I always make the choice to go out and run, but more often than not I do, because it's important to me.

    I don't always feel like sticking to my calorie goal. Most days I would happily overshoot it, and there are lots of times when I just can't be bothered counting at all. I didn't lose all this weight to gain it back again though, and that's something that's really important to me. So I keep to my calorie goal. Most of the time.

    Try not to look at it as 16 weeks. First of all, if it's the last 25 lbs, then it will probably take longer. Secondly, if you want to keep it off, you're still going to have to maintain the habits that get you there. What kind of changes are you making that make you want to stop after a week? You say "back to eating crap" - do you eat completely different foods when you're trying to lose weight? Try not to polarise foods as "good" or "bad/crap" or "healthy" or "unhealthy". Find a balance between getting good nutrition, and eating foods that you enjoy. You'll find it much easier to stick with if you don't cut out all the foods you like, and if you don't view it as a temporary "diet" that you have to suffer through until you reach your goal weight.
  • RAURARIKES
    RAURARIKES Posts: 41
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    Are you one of the three girls in your profile pic? If so, it will probably take you longer than 16 weeks to lose 25 lb. When you are already lean, you cannot expect more than half a pound to a pound a week. You also have to be quite precise about logging your intake, because the deficit has to be kept fairly low.

    So, as far as advice on motivation: tempering your expectations (as above) is important. Also, if you don't like exercising, don't torture yourself. You don't need to work out to lose weight--just log your intake accurately and consistently, and keep the deficit small or else you'll be hangry all the time and won't stick with it.

    hey! im the one on the left but now im 10 lbs heavier!! and in the pic, i still wanted to lose 10-15 lbs. i was 140 in that picture. i set it as my profile to have it as a daily motivator!

    Ah, well, still--the thing to understand about MFP is that it allows you to set a "2 lbs a week" weight loss goal, but it's not a good idea for someone who is within the normal BMI or just a few clicks above it. If you take it slow, you'll get better results, trust me.

    thanks! i definitely dont want to go fast. ive done that soooo many times and it ALWAYS results in regaining. SO FRUSTRATING. i finally acknowledged this time that it's gonna be looong. I'm not gonna lie i didnt think longer than 16 weeks (lol...dammit) but TBH im not even sad. as long as i LOSE IT, and KEEP IT OFF i am 100% happy. thanks for your help! <3!
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
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    I'm not motivated every day, but I never give up. Once you give up, then it is all over and the battle is lost.

    I also think of it as re-education. Learning portion control has been a BIG education. I was making the odd poor choice, but on the whole my issue was the volume. Also, driving for my job, it was far too easy to stop at a garage and buy chocolate, crisps and stuff and eat the whole lot while driving to the next appointment.

    It is also about learning why I made those choices. Boredom played a big part, particularly in the evening when I am working after everyone has gone to bed. 'hmmmm, i think I will just have..........' Why on earth would you need to eat 1000 calories late in the evening after a big dinner???? Once I understood my triggers I can deal with them.

    Do I make bad choices now??? Sometimes, but I can now work them into my calorie plan with tracking. If I look like I am going over, then I take the dog for a walk. Or something else.......

    To me, it isnt a diet - it's an education in changing me for the better..
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    I agree that experience motivates me. I know what I have to do to lose weight and to keep it off. I think where I was a month ago and where I am now. It motivates me to keep going. I know that 3 months will go by whether I am eating crap or eating right. Might as well eat right and see where I can be in 3 months.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I make myself accountable to my diary. And failure is not an option. Plus really, it's not that bad. I still eat good food, just less of it, and not the really bad stuff (like fried food).

    I'm just motivated not to be that very fat girl with reflux again. And I want to be healthy for my kids.
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
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    For me, it's been two things:
    1) habit/routine. I have a reasonably stable schedule each week for both training and eating.
    2) focusing on the process more than the results. If I'm hitting my training numbers and hitting my calorie targets, I should be losing weight. If not, I reassess and figure out why. I don't take a weight gain as a failure. I take it as an error in process and figure out why.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    i want to fit in new clothes
  • Stacey_Leeann
    Stacey_Leeann Posts: 23
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    I haven't read through every response, so sorry if someone else already said this. But what keeps me motiviated is coming to the message boards everyday. And, also all my "friends" who post encouraging things on a daily basis! I LOVE MFP, and I could not have lost these first few pounds without it! Also, the way I look at it the time is going to pass anyways. Sixteen weeks is a long time to wait for something but the time is going to pass either way, so might as well do something! :)
  • turkeyhunter60
    turkeyhunter60 Posts: 319 Member
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    by remember why i started =)
    Yup!
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    I'm not motivated every day, but I never give up. Once you give up, then it is all over and the battle is lost.

    I agree-- I am NOT motivated every day. But I never give up.
    I did 1/2 a week. & lost 11 pounds. In my mind, what I need to do to lose 1/2 a pound a week, I can do for the rest of life, but what I would have to do for 1-2# a week, I could probably not maintain.

    Some days I do not feel motivated, I take the day off and start back up the next day.

    Also having goals other than weight loss.. goals like "to deadlift 100#" or "do 15 push ups".... help me. On a day may not be motivated to eat 'just right', I may still be motivated to work on my push ups or deadlifts, or whatever.
  • canadakim17
    canadakim17 Posts: 24 Member
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    I log what I eat EVERY.SINGLE.DAY

    It's the only thing that works for me...I log weekends, holidays, vacations, I never ever skip a day and haven't in 18 months. That way, if I have a horrible 3K calorie day it's sitting there right in front of my face. Good luck!
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    I'm not motivated every single day actually. But every day I do know that the choices I make matter. I've built in two off days a week so when on a Wednesday I'm not feeling it I just remind myself that I have "off" the next day so I drag myself out of bed. I also remind myself how much better I feel when I'm doing it and it helps. I love exercise though and I enjoy eating right so I don't find it's too much of a struggle.

    What you want for a lifetime has to become more important than what you want immediately. You also have to find the right balance of what is sustainable. Trying to lose 25 lbs in 16 weeks seems a bit aggressive and might lead to choices that aren't something you can stick with (over exercising, VLCD, etc.). Maybe start slowly and start incorporating changes one by one and that will help make it easier for them to become lifestyle changes instead of just a diet.
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    I didn't stay motivated every single day. What I did was:

    *Eject problem foods from the house. I have some things I can have in restaurants or at friends, so they're not 'forbidden' but can't keep them in the house because I don't feel like putting the energy into resisting them.
    *Make my eating pretty routine for most meals - some people don't like the monotony but for me it made things easy and comfortable.
    *Log every bite BEFORE eating it. This is an amazing strategy, as a couple of cookies are much less tempting once you enter them into your diary and see the impact.

    As far as exercise, I stayed away from things that felt like work and found some things I love like biking and hiking. I don't exercise for the sake of exercise, I exercise by doing things I've learned to really enjoy.
  • Maris_Swan
    Maris_Swan Posts: 197 Member
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    you need to recommit to this new life every single day. Look at old pics, remind yourself WHY you started. You just have to keep going!
  • just_fur_luck
    just_fur_luck Posts: 141 Member
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    I get up every morning and say "Let's do it"

    And I have this picture on my bathroom mirror so I'm reminded of those words while I'm getting ready for the day
    224px-Gary_Gilmore_mugshot.jpg
  • thoeting
    thoeting Posts: 89 Member
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    By telling myself every day that this is the new lifestyle, this is the new me, going back is not an option.

    I've had two doctors look at my lower spinal column and both were very frank and even brutal -- if I am part of the huge percentage of people that regain the weight I've lost, my discs cannot and willnot handle that extra weight - and I will be in a wheelchair in less than 5 years.

    Yesterday at a faculy meeting there were donuts. Taking one was not even in the game plan -- donuts or wheelchair?

    Not really any more questions for me

    Stay strong
  • super_J73
    super_J73 Posts: 257 Member
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    I've slipped a lot, but I keep a pair of my size 20 jeans in my closet and pull them out when I feel discouraged.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    I suppose what motivates me is the memory of waking up in the Cardiac ICU and hearing people talk about the doctors saying I might die within a week. It wasn't related to my weight or heart health (it was a tumor that had been pressing against my heart and lungs), but I came to appreciate that being fit and active played a HUGE part in what let me live through that week, and the next, and the next, and the next...

    As with other behaviors, it eventually becomes a habit, which makes it easier to stay motivated. In my case, because I plan to consume about 2/3 of my calories at the office, I log the food that I brought with me the moment I arrive or, if I can't bring food from home, the moment I get in from the convenience store. That way, I've mapped out my whole day. This also lets me say "Jim just came by with [insert snack item here], and I'd like one, so I can take this item I was planning on eating today and save it for tomorrow". But it's a part of my daily habit, just like logging into my e-mail.

    My motivation is also helped by having a level of flexibility. While I may avoid some foods and I try to make everything I eat myself, I don't ban any foods from my diet, but I am HONEST about it. Yesterday, for example, they had this REALLY good looking cookie at the store. Because I don't usually eat cookies like that one, I decided to imbibe. But when I got back and logged it in, it was 400 calories. So I sat there and thought for a moment about what to do. Did I only want to have half? Or was I willing to let a cookie account for 400 calories instead of something more filling? I decided to go ahead and eat the cookie, but that did mean I was hungry for dinner sooner than usual.
  • irishblonde2011
    irishblonde2011 Posts: 618 Member
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    You don't. The trick is that you keep doing it, whether you feel motivated or not. You do it, no matter how you feel. It's not always exciting, and it's not always fun. Some unpleasantness is involved. You do it anyway.


    100% agree with this. No matter how you feel if you keep going you will get where you want to be. Don't over think it as Nike say just do it. :smile:

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