Staying Motivated

My motivation isn't weigh loss.

Weight loss is a tool to achieve my real goals.

My motivation is my son. If I die at my dad's age of 62 (his dad died at 64), I'll barely live to see my son turn 30.

Not acceptable. I want to see him grow into old age himself. This is the gold medal.

Every time he jumps into my arms to give me a hug; that's motivation.

My motivation is my children..I was way too over weight for way too long. This is something I have struggled with all of my life, but for the first time in years, I feel like I am finally in this for the long haul,,Praise the Lord!! Without Him, I would not have even began this journey.

Another motivator is my mirror..I am not at my goal weight, but I can see changes, and I am down three pant sizes since January. I think staying motivated for me in the past was difficult because I always tried to deprive myself..I would always tell myself that I couldn't eat sweets or carbs or sugar, etc. Now of course I try not to overindulge, but I also don't deprive myself either. Hope this helps and good luck to u!

My motivation is that I liked the way I feel when I was 40 lbs lighter. My office job has just made it more difficult for me to stay there. I also like to travel and really do want my photos to make me feel good about the experience. Nothing worse than looking at a pic of a stunning beach and all you can see is the balloon of your own thighs. It also gives me a measureable deadline to work towards. My next mini trip is in 32 days- I'd like to lose 15 but I will be happy with just enough to make my shirt not cling.

I think that forgiveness is one of the most important things people forget in weightloss. Just dont use it as an excuse. You fail at your goal, pause and forgive yourself and start new. Dont say tomorrow, or next week, just start new.

I plan for success. That is a big part of staying on track. I write in my whole day and adjust as necessary. I wanted chips after dinner last night so I skipped putting cheese on my chili. Then I counted out the portion before I started munching. Let me tell you- I enjoy each and every single bite. They were deliberate calories that I savoured. I try to avoid eating mindlessly. If chocolate bars are your thing then plan for them. Alot yourself one or two per week and either say enough when they are gone or pick two specific days and schedule them in. Food and eating can be a joyful experience that you should celebrate, not a balm.

I also focus on portion and variety, not the calories. I use the calories as a guide for planning my day, yes, but calorie goals is not going to mean that your diet is healthy or balanced. I dont make drastic changes at the start but i do measure almost everything. Having salad- measure one portion of dressing on the salad. Dont guess.

100 is a huge goal! Break it down and make it more achieveable. Do it in stages that are realistic. Reaching goals in itself is motivating so give yourself more opportunities to suceed. You can do it! It will take work but it will be worth it.

I am simply motivated from my desire to weigh a lot less than I do. Let’s face it, I WANT TO BE SEXY. I want it bad. I keep the end result in my mind and I have all the motivation I need. I daydream often of what I will look like (although I really don’t know, as I have been overweight my entire life) But that’s all I need for motivation. Also wanting to inspire others.

You have to decide what motivates you, for me when I started it was to be around long enough to see my grandaughter grow up. Now 3 years later its as much for me as anything. I have become a competitve runner and duathlete so now this is what keeps me going.

The first thing I would do if I were you is not look ahead to losing 100 pounds, that can be a huge hurdle for some to look at and say theres no way I can do this. Take baby steps, look at the next month and set a goal of losing 15-20 pounds something that you can accomplish. Set a goal of walking , running or whatever a certain time, miles or reps and work towards those goals.

The days you dont feel like working out or doing something are the days you need to make sure you do it, this is a life style change for you so you cannot try to do too much too soon , again baby steps. It took me a little over a year to lose 115 pounds but I have maintained that even through a surgery and a couple injuries for alomost 2 years now. You can do it just dont make excuses for yourself, make a plan and stick to it.

When you look at a big number it can be overwhelming. Break it down into monthly and then weekly goals and focus on meeting those goals. I even wear a Nike Fuelband just to make sure I'm more active during the day and it makes me feel wonderful to see "GOAL" at the end of the day. Find what works for you. You can do it!

"Always focus on far you've come rather than how far you have to go" and remember a little progress everyday adds up to big results over time.

I think it is as simple and as complicated as just deciding that now is the time, and then sticking with it. My reasons probably aren't as noble as being around for my children, since I don't have any. Mostly I just want to look and feel better.

But I have looked at what has worked in the past and what has not worked in the past as far as me losing weight, and have set up a system, that now I think can't help but work. First, doing it with someone helps a lot. I started out by dragging my husband along with me. Now though he's found his own motivation, so we push each other.

Secondly, I've made it pretty much my primary focus for awhile...of course I still go to work and do other things, but I think about weight loss a lot, maybe too much...what I can do exercise wise, new recipes, etc. For TV time now, we watch the Biggest Loser...not really for tips, but just to see that it is possible for people to change their lives. Along with that is being active on this site. I log into it 10-20 times a day probably.

Finally, I have set up a system of accountability. I have told absolutely everyone in my life that is important to me that I am losing weight. I figure now that I have announced it, I can't quit, or everyone will know, and then I'll be embarrassed and feel like a failure. Before I have kept it pretty much to myself, and that makes it really easy to get out of the commitment.

I'm 46. I finished chemo in February for stage 4 colon/liver cancer ( surgery to resect both the colon and liver Aug 2012). Cancer.org states the 5 year survival rate is 6%.
I have a husband and two sons ( the youngest being 13)
I'm losing weight and getting healthy because I don't want to be a statistic.

I agree with other posters....my kids are my motivation. I want to be healthy and be around for them for as long as I can.

Thank you!!!