What is your motivation?

ChocolateSnowflakex
ChocolateSnowflakex Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering what everyone uses as their motivation to keep going on when it gets tough?

I've always wanted to run a marathon so that along with the usual looking/feeling good about myself are mine.
The marathon seems a much more tangible goal to me as feeling good is essentially all about self-perception.
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Replies

  • JDMarlowe
    JDMarlowe Posts: 327 Member
    I kept one of my 3XL shirts and size 48 jeans and have them in the front of my closet to remind me to be healthy every morning.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    My desire to be better. Average sucks.
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    I think of the times when I thought I might be having a heart attack, those were scary..... And plus I'm down to 1/4 of what I use to take for blood pressure meds, looking forward to coming all the way off... again.... lol...
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    I eat well everyday because I want to be healthy. I keep pushing myself in the gym because I want to be strong.

    healthy & strong are awesome.
  • dswolverine
    dswolverine Posts: 246 Member
    My "skinny jeans" that i haven't worn since college. And seeing the success stories on here! MFP has some amazing people who really have accomplished awesome weight loss- and i want to be one of them!
  • verniceb
    verniceb Posts: 3
    My motivation started when I tried to get on a ride at a carnival and my thighs barely fit! I was on a date so I just suffered though the pain for the ride. Afterwards I said that I would not let that happen again!
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
    My motivation came after realizing how out of shape I actually was and I keep my motivation because of the feeling I get after a good workout, especially when I'm eating healthy
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    When I started out, my motivation was not being fat.
    When I got further into it, I really wanted to look like a bodybuilder.
    Now, I simply love training. It's no longer about motivation.
  • ChocolateSnowflakex
    ChocolateSnowflakex Posts: 18 Member
    It's great hearing from you all :)

    My friends and family always talking about getting fit and more active and generally just lead a healthy lifestyle but they never do anything about it so it's tough trying to find someone to work out with and not to get sucked into bad habits when socialising.
  • nmpoli
    nmpoli Posts: 17 Member
    Initially, my main motivation was to look good, if we're being honest.

    But honestly, now I just love being athletic and improving on that level. I love being strong and feeling like I'm up for anything that used to scare me before - like getting invited to go on a grueling hike with friends.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Just wanting to get rid of the fat.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    My motivation is to make Rachel Maddow straight. And by GOD I won't quit till I make her fall in love with the hotness that is taunto!
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    It's great hearing from you all :)

    My friends and family always talking about getting fit and more active and generally just lead a healthy lifestyle but they never do anything about it so it's tough trying to find someone to work out with and not to get sucked into bad habits when socialising.

    I work out by myself and I love it. It's great "me" time and I can train as hard as I want to - without worrying about what the other person is doing. As far as socializing, the more days you get under your belt - the easier it will be. Just remember to not restrict your food. Eat the foods you like - just use moderation. If we don't learn moderation - most likely we will fail in the long run.
  • jim9097
    jim9097 Posts: 341 Member
    No real motivation required. I am addicted... I love to workout. I think about my food choices but I don't worry about them as much because I know how much I do work out!
  • Tiff050709
    Tiff050709 Posts: 497 Member
    My motivation was a couple of things.
    This time last year I was in a tight 26w jeans. It was a big wake-up call. It seemed every year I was going up a size.
    Also, I am going to be 30 next year. I really feel like I have wasted most of my 20's on being overweight, self-conscious and unhappy with myself.
    My mom and grandmother are overweight and I don't want that to be me. I want to have a long, happy life and enjoy the time I have here.
    Already I feel so much better mentally and physically. I won't go back to where I was.
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
    My movitvation was to be abe to wear NICE clothes when I finally go to a club some point this year. My best friend now frequents a gay bar that she adores and has been asking me to come for half a year. I said " not until I fit into this skinny ripped jeans I have in my cupboard"


    4 months later: Theyre too big for me now and are a size 6. GET IN.
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
    Thinking about all the times I have suffered rejection due to my weight. Thinking about how much I want to be able to have fun with my kids but have been unable to ... just knowing that when I succeed at becoming a healthier me then my kids will benefit also!
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    To be a better runner!
  • CeeCeeMee
    CeeCeeMee Posts: 356 Member
    I've discovered over the years that if I try to do something for myself, I don't always keep to it. If I do something for someone else I have a much better chance of sticking to it. *shrugs*

    Originally, my motivations were to be able to play games with my grandson without being out of breath, to live long enough to watch my grandchildren grow up, and to be able to walk up the three steps to my house without my knees hurting. (so at least part of that was for me)

    Now, my motivation also includes eventually running in a 5K with a friend of mine.
  • m_harch
    m_harch Posts: 4 Member
    To be better each and every year. I want to look back and be proud of my accomplishments.
  • kimclark4
    kimclark4 Posts: 6
    .
  • sbatz111
    sbatz111 Posts: 35
    My motivation is a picture of myself at my nursing graduation. By far the worst I've ever seen. I'll graduate in January with an advanced degree, and I WILL look good in that photo.

    Also, I just want to weigh less than my husband. I still can't fathom how he eats so much and stays in relatively decent shape. Lucky so-and-so...
  • Sekxy49
    Sekxy49 Posts: 104 Member
    When I began nearly a year ago, one day my mind was set & determined to do the right thing for myself. Exercise & minimize more of what I eat. Already I had eliminated sodas, beer and fast food cheeseburgers from my daily menu. This was not enough, maintaining my weight & settling for was overrated in my books!!

    Today, my motivation is to keep what I've worked hard at obtaining. Formerly a size 8 (bordering on a 10 again); now a size 6 and in some instances a 4! I sleep better, feel better...always moving around doing something to keep my metabolism up!

    As my hubby says, "you make 50 look amazing!!"
  • kimclark4
    kimclark4 Posts: 6
    My motivation was a couple of things.
    This time last year I was in a tight 26w jeans. It was a big wake-up call. It seemed every year I was going up a size.
    Also, I am going to be 30 next year. I really feel like I have wasted most of my 20's on being overweight, self-conscious and unhappy with myself.
    My mom and grandmother are overweight and I don't want that to be me. I want to have a long, happy life and enjoy the time I have here.
    Already I feel so much better mentally and physically. I won't go back to where I was.

    This is me, too! I capped out at size 20, but I'm 5'2 so it's bad. I am also 29 and agree with everything you said. Good luck!
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
    My motivation has changed since the start of my journey, when i first started i just no longer wanted to be obese/overweight which i have been for as long as I have remembered. In the past few months my new motivation is still to be a "normal weight" but my main motivation is to look good naked, I don't mind admiting it but Ive never thought I was looking mainly due to my weight and specially when stark b*ll*cks naked. So when I finally get to my goal, i don't care how long I want to finally say while looking in a mirror "damn you look good"
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    The fact that I loathe being fat. I started getting fat in the first grade or so, but I became aware of my fatness in the 5th or 6th grade.

    After that awareness everything just felt wrong. I felt like I wasn't meant to be fat, even as a kid. It felt like walking around in somebody else's body, and hating every moment of it. I can not begin to tell you what a detrimental effect that has on a person's life, down to the very decisions you make about how you live your life.

    Not feeling at home in my own body has always been more than motivation enough. Adding on to that, I've now had the misfortune of watching weight related issues, both psychological and physiological, help devastate some of the people I love the most. So after years of fits, starts, trials, errors, triumphs, and failures, finally being at the best place I've ever been with myself, my body, and food, finding a way that works extremely well for me, has been the final piece in the puzzle to turn that strong motivation into perpetual action.
  • lucystacy71
    lucystacy71 Posts: 290 Member
    My motivation is very simple. I've been on dialysis for 3 years and I want a kidney. I went to the doctor and he told me that if I didn't show weight loss in three months, I would be taken off of the list and never allowed to have a kidney transplant at that hospital. That scared me, but it worked. I've since been back to the doctor who bragged on my efforts and accomplishments. I am now elgible for a kidney transplant, but I don't see any reason to stop now. In fact, the healthier my weight at the time of the transplant, the less likely my body will reject it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Once I wrapped my brain around the fact that there really is no finish line, I stopped worrying so much about the little things and started to really be able to see the much bigger picture...I started to see that it wasn't all about dropping X Lbs per week...it wasn't about hitting some arbitrary goal weight by some arbitrary date or fitting into some pants or whatever...it's not about what's necessarily happening today or tomorrow or next week.

    It's really all about being the best you can be in the moment...it's about being better today than you were yesterday...it's about sleeping well with the knowledge that tomorrow you will be more awesome than you were today or yesterday. It's all about knowing that next year at this time you will be more awesome than you are right now...it's about the next 5, 10, 20 years and then some...it's about the rest of your life and making a choice as to what you are going to be the rest of your life. It's about your health and well being...it's about being able to spend those later years in life traveling the world with my SO rather than hold up in some hospital bed. It's about being around for as long as I possibly can...watching my kids grow up, get married, have kids of their own.

    I don't give a damn about what size my pants are...or what my weight is...or whether I have six pack abs or whatever. I just care about being healthy and being the best me that I can possibly be....and every day I am more awesome.
  • quiltchickie
    quiltchickie Posts: 50 Member
    I don't want to be a fat, unhealthy old person who shuffles her feet and is limited to the places I'm able to go. I want to be a strong, athletic, mature person who can go anywhere and do anything. I want to be that person who people guess 20 years younger than I really am. I want to be proud of who I have worked so hard to become, and I don't want my children to be embarrassed by who I let myself be. I want to be exactly who God created me to be, not a lump on the couch. :)
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    I want my son to have someone to look up to throughout his life. To be honest I'm a pretty large **** up with a lot of things but if there's one thing I'm to get right it is going to be being the best father I can be to him and that starts by setting a good example.

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