Seriously, How do YOU stay motivated?

I stopped hating myself for every poor food choice I made and let go of excuses.

*If I decide to have candy/something unhealthy, I eat it and think, "you're doing this now, enjoy it, and adjust your calories to compensate tomorrow/this week/whatever." I don't beat myself up for the decision.

*I remind myself that if I really want it, it will still be there later, and if it's not, i can always go buy it. That usually helps me to skip it.

*I take my vitamins as often as I remember. I'm always amazed by how effective supplements are and how the cravings for certain foods disappear when I am getting the right vitamins.

*I think about how much better it feels to wake up in the morning and not be stiff or hurting when I walk down the stairs

*The fact that I have more stamina and feel healthier; I want to hang on to that feeling.

*I take myself shopping. I love shopping, deals, and clothes. I don't want to make a huge investment in clothes while I am losing weight, so I make a point of going to thrift shops and spending time looking for fashionable clothes and a great deal. The more I lose, the more fashionable options I have, and I love putting on new clothes and seeing how the fit changes as my body gets smaller.

*I have new friends who are active and love to go out and do stuff that doesn't revolve around eating or sitting.

*I keep all the junk out of the house. My partner and I just split up, so it makes it easier now that I'm the only one here and can maintain a pretty simple and boring diet instead of catering to variation and another person's taste. My rule for shopping is if it isn't natural (veggies, meat, nuts, fruit, whole grain) (not packaged/processed), it doesn't come into the house. That way if I'm craving something, I have to make the decision to get dressed, get in the car, and drive to the grocery store.

*I buy single servings to prevent me from eating too much. It's more expensive, but if I crave something like ice cream or a treat, I buy one in the store, versus a brick of ice cream or a package of that treat. It stops me from taking it too far.

*I do exercise that I enjoy and when I want to, versus making it an obligation. This one might not work for everyone, as I know some people thrive on the structure of having x amount of workouts/week, but for me, my schedule is always changing and if I'm too tired to get in the right # of workouts, I know that I beat myself up for it. I know me and how hard I can be on myself, so I take out the possibility of not meeting my goals and congratulate myself when I do exercise. For exercise, I walk my dog on the beach, walk around the neighbourhood, go on day trips with my cousins & their kids where I have to carry babies, push the stroller, or pull the wagon, swim, decorate/renovate the house, work in the garden, etc. I can do that kind of stuff all day, but put me on a treadmill or in a gym and I become totally cranky and count the seconds until I'm done.

*I stick to the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time (when I am home, with fam, etc) I eat healthy, make great choices, stay within my calories and 20% of the time, when I go out with friends, am traveling, etc, I give myself a break and let myself enjoy what is there. I'll still do it within reason, but if I have a second piece of cake or some kind of treat or have to eat something with wheat or dairy in it (2 things I have pretty much cut out of my diet), I know that it's OK and not the end of the world.

*I also take pics. It is nice to look back and see where I am losing weight in my body and what a big difference it has made.

*I have "goal clothes" that I want to fit into. I haven't put a date on when i want to get into them or a # of lbs that I have to lose before I wear the stuff, but I have it hanging up in my closet and try it on from time to time to see if it looks good yet/fits.

For me it has been about trying everything and only doing the stuff that feels good. Again, not everyone will agree with this, but I'm pretty stubborn and if I don't enjoy doing something, I will never stick to it. I try to find the part of everything that I can really enjoy; if it is grocery shopping; finding fruit that smells delicious or meat that is a great deal, if it is exercise; something that has some sort of spiritual aspect to it or gets me outside, etc etc.

I have jumped onto the weight loss wagon more times than I can count. Stuff that can derail you will always come up, but just hop back on and remember to love and encourage yourself for every triumph and use every time it hasn't worked before as a tool to better understand yourself and figure out what motivates you and helps you to feel successful.

You can do this!!

Seeing myself in a store mirror just now and thinking for a second that it was someone else! I guess I haven't really analyzed myself in a full-length mirror in a while. Crazy awesome stuff!

I just have to look at my before pics and I realize I have to do this. They make me want to push harder and work more to get to my goals.

You need some sort of inspiration to keep you going. Whether that is those pair of skinny jeans .. or your before pics, you just need something that will keep you on target.

Good luck. This is mostly a big mental game .. and if you think you can do this, the physical part will take care of itself.

I've lost around 140 lbs. I keep setting goals and stay focused on the next achivement. I started racing. I keep planing new races well in advance. Seeing my before and after pics, keeps things in perspective when I don't make a goal or have a set back.

Bump!