How do you find the motivation to keep going?

Hello, once you first start to loose those first few lbs, and then they become stones, and then the clothes start shrinking there was no going back for me. The complements start to come in, and I then realised it was me those complements were for, it is a great feeling and worth all the times I had said NO to something, that I knew I didn't need to have, as it was not on my food list!

Wearing size 10 and it is great and knowing that a size 12 is to big for me (wow). I was on the verge of a size18 and feeling fat and very frumpy, and was the point it all . Now I have loads of energy, I am always on the go. I also do lotsof walking challenges.

Having lost 45lbs, of course now I do say Yes to certain foods, but I also say enough is enough, and it's time to start saying NO, just to get back to where I know I am happy , otherwise it could be a slippery slop.... And my size 10's would not fit, I sometimes go by the weight on the scales. I know I need to be under 10 stone, 10:4 being my cut off, but a couple of weeks of saying NO soon sorts it out for me.

( I have gained a few lbs recently -summer holidays, but I am back to saying No, stepping up the walking and keeping to list of foods I can eat. And usually even naturally slim people gain a few lbs on holidays, but they usually get it sorted once they are back from holiday. In the past I just carried on eating like I was still on holiday !)

Good luck, and if you give yourself the commitment to do it you will. Planning what you are going to eat and drink (the water) is all good for you and of course keep you motivated. But if you should end up saying Yes when in fact it should have been a No, don't beat yourself up, just close the book, and find a new one to get started. After all it is your life.

It's sad that you quit after one month after you'd made such awesome progress. 7 pounds in a month is great! This isn't a race. Maybe you rushed it or you just weren't realistic. Maybe 2 pounds a week is too aggressive for you. I know that amount would have burned me out. I had months where I only lost a pound or two, but it never really bothered me. This is a lifestyle change, so it didn't matter how long it took, as long as I was going to make it last. (I've been on maintenance for 2.5 years.) Any small victory is a step in the right direction.

As far as motivation, you have to want it MORE than you want the alternative. Sometimes change is scary and we just get too comfortable with our old selves. Decide you want to live a healthy lifestyle, change your attitudes and behaviors, and make it a priority. You can tell what things are important to people by looking at their priorities. Healthy, fit people make it a priority. It doesn't just happen by accident. Maybe you're not ready yet, or maybe you just need to give it another shot but with a more realistic outlook this time. And take it slowly this time. It's not gonna happen over night. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Hey well done for getting back to it and having the motivation to try again.

MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY!

Sometimes it's the fear of succeeding rather than failing that stops us, that whole self-sabotage thing.. Know that you're worth it and you deserve it more than anything

GO FOR IT!

This really made sense to me - someone wrote that even if they hit a plateau and were not losing they were still eating healthy and getting fitter so why give up and go back to eating crap and being miserable.

Its not a race as long as you are heading in the right direction who cares how long it takes - slow and steady wins the race!!

I've been losing steadily since last year but I am more interested in being healthy and feeling good than how many pounds I've lost.

I started walking 2.7 miles in January and it took me 1 hour, now August the same distance takes me 40 minutes so that is proof that I am fitter.

Write measurements down and times that it takes to do things and then review every month, I guarantee you will see a difference and these really do give you a sense of achievement.

Don't give in, you know you will be miserable and all your hard work will go to waste, just keep eating healthily and exercising - I don't see this as a diet, its a HEALTHIER WAY OF LIVING FOR LIFE - you can have treats and still socialise just ensure that you get back on track as soon as you can and you will be able to have your cake and eat it

Good luck :happy:

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this is a very serious question. The bottom line is I never want to go back to where I was. I was to tired all the time, I never had the energy to do anything. I stopped going to the beach with my friends because I did not want to put on a swimsuit. I did not even want to go in the pool with my family because I was embarrassed. My doc was not happy with my cholesterol. Even my little dogs wouldn't sit on my lap because I barely had one (sad, but true) even doing laundry was becoming a hard chore. I was depressed and angry so I put more food in my mouth. My clothes were to tight and getting tighter every day. I didn't want to look in the mirror and I realized I hadn't taken a photo with my kids in 2 years! I was always the one taking the photos not wanting to be in them! I don't ever want to go back to that and think about it every time I start losing my motivation. I took my first full body photo in over to years for my profile pic here! it felt amazing. I have to admit my kids keep me motivated now. They call and ask what ya do today and I can respond with I jogged 4 miles!!! I feel good and that motivates me to keep going. I have made calorie counting a game and my family has been supportive. My daughter (who is 20) has serious obesity that runs on her fathers side of the family, she has always been active but now she is really into fitness and I am proud of her. She looks to me for guidance and now I can give her advice so she has a healthy relationship with food and is not scared of eating or in danger of developing an eating disorder. MFP has been the guiding force behind me keeping motivated. A good group of friends here that do not judge but encourage me to keep going. I have tried ediets, adkins, south beach in the past. All unsustainable. But here, the way we log in our food and know just how much we can eat depending on exercise, has proven to me I can do this and I can do it long term! good luck!

watch this type of *kitten* every night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLv0Vsegmoo

Thank you for this link. I'm going to watch all of these.

No problem, just found this series tonight and it is extremely interesting

Thanks for this. It was exactly what I needed today. :flowerforyou:

I have to work a lot too, and I had this problem. Something that helps me when I work a lot is to make something in bulk on the weekends and either freeze it or refrigerate it for the week. Salads, casseroles, chili, etc. Crockpot receipes on Sunday are great for this, but really could be anything. Normally, those foods are much better having been made at home than if I were to grab McD's or stuff from a vending machine and much more filling. Also, I found I am more productive and have better work results when I leave work at lunch even if it's just for 10 minutes to go for a walk. It helps reduce my stress. Part of it was an attitude that I wasn't worth the time and effort for this, and I had to change that belief. Why do you feel like you can't make or take time for lunch? Do your other co-workers get lunch? Why are they so much more special than you that they are allowed lunch but you aren't?

WOW sounds like you have nailed it this time and have the right attitude.

I'm not in a hurry to lose it either and just think getting fitter and healthier is the way forward.

Good luck on your journey x

watch this type of *kitten* every night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLv0Vsegmoo

Thank you for this link. I'm going to watch all of these.

Ooh, thanks! I'll check that out tonight.

There is an old story that says when seafaring adventurers finally arrived at their destination they burned their ships. There was no going back, they had no choice but to survive.

If you new way of eating is something that has become a lifestyle change, there is no going back. It is only when it is a diet (temporary) that we hop on and off. Burn your ships! The old way of living is gone.

At a certain point, motivation is irrelevant. Your new habits simply becomes the way you live your life.

The thing that crystallized all this for me was realizing that my body has it's own timeline, and I am not in control of how many pounds I lose in a week. It's my job to eat well, track my calories, move every day, and be patient while my body slowly changes. Getting fixated on a certain rate of weight loss sets me up for failure.

Find a way of living that is good to your body, and then just live. Get on with your life and don't over think it.

Motivation is temporary. Will power even more so.

SIS