What Keeps You Motivated?

I completely understand. I want to be around 140lbs to 145lbs. I am currently 165 lbs a few years ago I weighed 350lbs. Trust me at times myself I ask am I ever going to get there. I am almost there. I look at my before pictures and that motivates me not to go back. I strive for little goals at a time. I have a wonderful b/f that is also into fitness which is one of my motivators, and also great support system which include my family and friends. My reward is usually one cheat meal and I will buy myself something for the gym which always keeps me motivated. Keep on going trust me you are one step closer then you were yesterday.


Nadia

I, too, have small goals that help keep me motivated. I think it's important to celebrate those little victories and set ourselves up with some confidence for the next goal.

I am trying not to be scale oriented in my goals. I am trying to think of my goals in terms of how much weight i am lifting and achieving my next personal best. My weight and size will follow if i keep pushing at the gym.

Today a skirt that usually fits very tight (and requires a safety pin to close) fits a little loose...loose enough to spin around me as I walk. That's an NSV that has put a smile on my face each time i've had to adjust it!

its hard to say. I have lost 110. I am past my original goal. I am thinking I may try to lose 10 more. I feel so much better with the exercise and weight lose I hope I never put that in jeopardy. motivation. I was resolute. I had a lot of encouragement from a lot of people. It really helped me. you can do it. good luck AF

Looking through success stories... The 'goal' outfit I have hanging on the back of my closet door... Seeing my success so far (funny how seeing the scale move can be a motivator to keep it moving)... My competitive nature, though I'm only competing with myself... A new book every 10 pounds!... My husband cheering me on... All the naysayers telling me that I can't do it and the desire to prove them wrong (after twice proving them right).

I have many sources, and they all keep me going.

I set up goals. I don't necessarily reward myself for achieving each of the goals, but I do take note of it and am pleased by my improvement. I keep statistics so that I can look back and see the improvement. And I do look back and use it to motivate myself to keep going.

I'm aiming for
1) better weight -- not necessarily lower at this point
2) faster times when I run
3) longer distance to run
4) stronger -- and this has its own statistics

I keep track of how long it takes me to go up 5 flights of steps (the number of flights in the building where I work) and many other things.

Even when one thing is in a plateau or even getting worse, something else is improving, so I just keep track so that I can see the improvements.

I'm very, very new here, but what finally made me start my engines at 39 and decide not to be complacent about my weight anymore was realizing that I am ashamed and afraid to go anywhere or do anything beyond a short distance from the house because someone might see me and mock me or glare at me in disgust, or because I won't 'fit'. I won't fit in roller coaster seats. (I've been asked to get out of a coaster car in the past). I won't fit in a plane seat belt, so I'll have to ask for a seat belt extender. Happens every time. The person next to me will make faces of annoyance and disgust at knowing they have to sit next to me. I'll be ashamed to eat anything other than a salad in public because of the looks. I just don't want to go anywhere.

So, when I went to my doctor, and he said, "You know, everything looks good, but we just have to get this weight off of you." He said it in such a matter-of-fact way that it made it sound for the first time to me like someone else actually thought that was possible. I seem to have had a mindset for a long time that nothing was ever going to work for me. He didn't shame me. He just told me how. He said, "Myfitnesspal."

It started me thinking of everything I could do, want to do, and plan to do that can actually happen when you're not afraid to leave your house because of your body.

I spent my whole adult life and most of my teenage years obese, and it wasn't fun. I hated being fat, and now that I'm slim, I like it. It's worth the effort. I feel more confident, I get to shop in regular clothes shops, I get to wear clothes that actually suit me and not just go with what will fit.

Both my parents and other members of my family suffer with lifestyle-related health problems (including type 2 diabetes and cv problems). Looking at them, there is no way I want to go through that. I have also worked with a lot of elderly people in varying degrees of health, and I can see how important it is to keep fit and healthy. There's a massive difference in quality of life between those who are active, lean(er), eat well etc and those who have never really taken care of themselves. I kind of got away with being overweight in terms of my health but there's no question it would have caught up with me soon.

Now that I am a healthy weight and more active, I can appreciate loads of benefits that I didn't even anticipate, such as being able (and willing) to go for a random hike or bike ride at someone else's suggestion, or run in a race, or being able to lift/carry heavy things up and down stairs without being wiped out for the whole day.


This is a lifelong process that doesn't end when you hit your goal, and at the same time, you don't have to wait to hit your goal to reap the rewards. It's not just about getting the weight off. For example, being more active plays a huge part for me in managing depression and anxiety. Running really helps keep my moods stable and helps me cope with stuff.

Being in control of my food intake is massive too. Learning to eat food you enjoy in moderation is so useful, and actually pretty empowering. Learning to cope with emotions without overeating, learning to experience and appreciate hunger/appetite, learning to slow down and really savour the food you eat... I've never had the best relationship with food and, although I still struggle with this, improving that relationship has been worth it even if I had never actually lost the weight.

So, if I go "off track" a bit or out of my normal routine, it's totally worth it to get back on track. Not as a means of desperately eliminating any weight gain, but because the way I live my life now, and eat, and move, makes me feel good. I'm slim, and fit, and strong, and (more) energetic, and I've learned that I'm capable of amazing things. I feel more of a participant in life. Why would I not want to keep that going?

[And I'm not trying to suggest for a second that it's easy: I am someone who struggles a lot with maintaining my weight loss. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it to never give up.]

The snack food industry is never going to own me again. It's not very dignified to live life as Ben and Jerry's blimp gimp.

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER !

My life has changed for the better & I won't go backwards ........ back then I felt awful, looked awful, and was so miserable I'm surprised my marriage stayed intact ....... but it's all good now :drinker:

Best of luck to you, honey !

keep your clothes that are too small! Being able to put them on again is the greatest feeling. Id also say its better to give yourself rewards that aren't food related, which it seems like youre doing. When you use unhealthy food rewards it makes you feel like you are constantly restricting yourself from the best foods, when in reality you can learn to receive the most satisfaction from healthy foods.