What keeps you motivated?

i started because i hit my 21st birthday and i realized that i wasnt happy with my image and i had to take care of myself. i had just gotten out of a long term relationship so i suppose finding a new partner was part of it as well.
i continue for the same reasons, although i have some new motivation now, such as never going back to the place i was physically 8 months ago, and a sort of positive pressure from my loved ones who continually remind me of how well im doing without even realizing that they are doing so.

I started because I was so unhappy with how I looked and how I felt. I am never in pictures and I refuse to let anyone take family pictures.

In March, I woke up on a random day and said today is the day I'm going to change my life.

What keeps me motivated is my progress and thinking about how exciting it's going to be to actually be in the pictures.

Another thing is my fitness level. I love to run and I have so much energy. I never want to get back to that person that was fat and tired all the time.

I got started because of gravity. Well, gravity and stairs...haha. Seriously though it got to the point where everyday tasks were just hard and exhausting. As my daughter started getting older and running around I noticed that I couldn't keep up with her and she was 3!!! I decided to get in shape for a few reasons. I want to set a positive example for my friends and family...I want to run around and be able to do anything my daughter wants me to do...and I want my wife to think i'm hot...lol

I stay motivated because the results are amazing. Eating healthy and keeping track of the calories really works quickly! The results are getting attention from everywhere now and I'm happy to report back to friends and family that it doesn't take a fad diet, or depriving yourself of things you want. You don't have to starve, or do anything complicated to get results. All it takes is being accountable and staying active and you can have a healthy body!

It was a struggle to start though...i litterally put my weight bench in front of my bed so that i had to trip over it every morning and every night...and every bathroom trip during the night. That got me started...and its just the initial 2 weeks thats the hardest. Once you pass those...you're on your way.

What keeps you motivated? Why did you start in the first place?

Motivation is fleeting. My health got me motivated Habit keeps me going

If I ever feel like my motivation is waving I just look at the success stories on the forum.
I also have a couple of old photos of myself at a healthy weight to aim for.

I wanted to look not just ok, but awesome in a bikini. What keeps me motivated to maintain it is wearing a bikini--often!

This. Sexy is my motivation. :glasses:

What keeps me motivated is how easy it is to gain weight now that I have hypothyroidism. I gained over 25 pounds when I had to have my thyroid treated with Radioactive Iodine to shrink thyroid nodules. Since the treatment also shrinks the thyroid and pretty much kills off it's function, I have to be on Synthroid for the rest of my life. After I had the treatment, became severely hypothyroid, got on medication, reached my correct levels, I then developed a major problem with gluten. Between the hypothyroidism and the gluten problems, I spent about a year feeling absolutely awful every single day; extreme fatigue, intolerance to heat and cold, night vision deterioration, weight gain, muscle cramps, joint pain, hair loss. When my endocrinologist suggested I was having gluten problems, I cut out all gluten and within 2 weeks began to feel like a new person. I could exercise again because I wasn't so fatigued anymore. The daily pain in my muscles and joints disappeared totally, and my hair began growing thicker again and I no longer have a bald spot at the base of my hairline above my neck. Just remembering that year (from 12/2010 to 11/2011) is enough to to remind me I never want to feel that way again.

I've reached my weight loss goal (and then some) and now working on muscle building and strength training. I can honestly say that at 55, almost 56, I am in the best shape both weight-wise and health-wise than I have ever been in my life. Feeling so horrible for a year is my motivation for getting in the best shape I can.

I wanted to increase my odds of living a longer, healthier and more productive life, as well as actually live long enough to see my daughter take over the world. My daughter was my inspiration. She's 8 and swam over a mile in one hour at her swim team's annual swim marathon. She didn't stop once. I just thought it was time for me to get my act together.

Didn't really have a motivation initially beyond watching the numbers on the scale gradually go down, but I've found learning about macros and how to fuel my body has been a really enjoyable experience.

Now my motivation is that I want to buy a decent winter coat that covers my thighs for this winter and I only want to buy it in one size because I'm cheap, so I have to shift the lard by the time the winter coats are in the stores.