When did it change for you?

It started when I had a deep "why". When it stopped being about wanting to look good and started being about the fact that I didn't want to die of a heart attack by the time I was 40 my whole life changed. I also actively began to change my mindset to veer away from thinking of healthy eating and exercise as a "diet" and started thinking of it as the building blocks to NOT dying by the time I was 40! LOL It's all about actively changing your mindset, if you consistently want to think of it as a chore, it'll be a chore. If you think of it in positive terms - things like "this will help me to reach my goal" or "eating right and exercise make me feel AWESOME" it'll stop being a chore.

And I also agree that the more you progress and the closer to your goals you reach the more benefits you'll see!

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When my blood test results were coming back with better numbers, I knew I was on to something. If I could keep tracking and exercising I could stay off the medications with all the awful side effects.

Somewhere down the line for me, I think it started to become habit (maybe 5-6 months in). With that being said, the first few months of eating as clean as possible and avoiding fast food, were the worst months of my life. But I've been at it for 3 years now (on and off) and my eating habits are better than I ever could have imagined.
The gym has still been difficult for me. It's very hard to get back into the habit, and one missed day screws me all up. I love being in the gym, but because I attend school at night, I have to wake up at 5:00am and that's hard to get into the habit of doing. Keep on it and eventually it will be something you don't even think about. Another thing for me is, I don't crave the unhealthy foods as much. I don't drive by McDonalds or Taco Bell and think "OMG.... I MUST HAVE!" I also don't really crave anything super sugary anymore. I used to drink tea with 2 packets of sugar AND honey. Now, I enjoy it with no sugar at all (and you're talking to an ex-pepsiholic)

Good luck! It will come naturally if you stick to it.

While it still can be difficult sometimes, I'll say it got easier when I started seeing some results, both on the scale and some non-scale ones too (like fitting better into clothes, fitting INTO old clothes or a smaller size, not having back & knee pain after exercise, and being able to do exercises I haven't been able to do in years).

Good point. I'd agree this helped. I started seeing the best results almost immediately after I started strength training. That helped to keep me on track. I also set SUPER small goals for myself and try to hit them every month!

Good point from both of you. I have less back pain now that my back has muscles that are actually somewhat strong. I walk better which causes less knee pain in the long wrong. But, I also set small goals. I try to add on 5lbs when doing a workout such as leg lifts or shoulder press. It's only 5lbs but when I can do all my sets with the extra weight I feel really good about myself. I've also started to cut out the words "I can't" as much as possible. Instead of saying "I can't finish this last set", I say "I need to take the extra 5lbs off this last set" and still get it done. It's all in your mind. I didn't believe that at first, but I do now. Just try your best and when you think you have achieved all your goals, make a new one.

I found things I enjoyed, so now I look forward to it! -Volleyball (competitive), Running (never thought I would like), pushing myself

Also, I love to try new recipes, it's fun. Sometimes it's a flop and other times I find new regulars!