What tricks do you use to keep yourself focused?

One thing that helps me I make an agreement with myself that anytime I eat extra calories, I have to match it with some form of exercise that burns at least the same amount. Another huge thing that helped tremendously was doing more of the really fun and out of the box types of exercise. Things most people wouldn't think of as exercise like water skiing, swimming, and hiking. Even switching up my walks/runs and make my routes go thorough places I actually like to be like parks.

I'm finding this hard too my boyfriend really helps to motivate me. He says you just gotta keep your goal of your skinny self in mind and don't give up! Exorcise has to feel enjoyable and not like a chore. Try to focus on the positive like having some alone time, smelling the fresh air if you're outside, feeling the sunshine, hearing the birds chirping and insects flying by you peacefully. I like to listen to audiobooks when I work out or run, it's really relaxing and helps keep my mind off what I'm doing and whether it's hard or not. I always run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays because I know there is going to be more temptations to eat during those days so I need room for those extra calories.

It also really helps to have a deadline too of when you should realistically reach your goal weight, or one of the goals where you can take a break from being on a calorie deficit. That way you know how long you need to stick it out.

I try to picture my scale when I want to cheat, and think of whether the number will go up or down. How happy I am when it goes down but I know when I cheat it will go up instead and ill feel so disappointed in myself. I don't want to sabotage myself anymore so I'm going to be good. : >

Youtube can help. Short motivational movies like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ help me to stay focused and motivated. How bad do you want it ?

Convince your heart that you want this.... and your brain and body will follow.

I'm a daily weigher and when I'm tempted by something, I just focus on seeing the scale move down again the next morning and it keeps me focused. I also love this quote:

Don't give up what you want most, for what you want now.

I.e. I want a hot, healthy bod more than I want chocolate!

I always look to the fact that I could extend my life so that I can spend and enjoy many years with family and friends...plus when I was a weight that I was happy with..I think back to how good I felt and would love to feel like that again!

Never give up you can do anything you wanna do

Keep your eye on the prize.

Focus on what you can do, instead of what you can't.

Find something you truly enjoy for exercise.

Don't cut out any foods. Just eat them in moderation.

Craving something? Find a healthier alternative. I am no vegan as that I still freely eat meat and other animal products, but sometimes substituting meat - free alternatives cut down the fat, calories and cholesterol, sometimes a LOT. Example: a cup of skim milk is 80 calories whereas a cup of unsweetened Blue Diamond almondmilk/coconutmilk is 45 calories a cup, has higher calcium and no cholesterol. I prefer the taste of sweetened, which is 60 calories, but it's still an improvement. I also cook with Morningstar Crumbles instead of beef for less fat and calories (remember to grease the pan with a fat free spray if making tacos since it doesn't make its own grease).

Experiment. Most of what I had tastes the same as the original, so nothing is really missed. For workouts, find something fun to do. Dance workouts like Zumba are awesome and there are several types. Pick one or more that suit your needs and tastes. Sign up for a fun run like Color Me Rad or Run For Your Lives. They make running a distance into a silly or even downright awesome game. If you're looking forward to it, you don't need to motivate yourself because it's a motivation in of itself.

I'm not sure what your daily calories are set at but make sure you're eating enough to not feel like you hungry all the time. That would get old fast if I was constantly hungry. MFP sets to 1200 often and honestly not sure how anyone does this. Instead of looking to lose 2 or more pounds a week just aim for 1 and just a heads up that won't happen either every week so don't get discouraged if the scale doesn't move much in a week. Also, you have to find an exercise you like to do. Everyone is different and not everyone enjoys the same activities. If someone told me I had to run everyday I wouldn't have even started. As far as motivation, I want to look good, feel good, wear those cute clothes! When I go on pinterest I look at fitness boards and usually gives me motivation. I can't even look at all the yummy recipes! Good Luck