100 lb + weight loss: how do you stay motivated?

I am also a fan of mini goals. You can set 10-15 lb goals and celebrate hitting them along the way. It makes it easier to stay on track when you goal is smaller and closer than large ones far off in the distance.

Another idea, weight loss can be a frustrating journey and the scale can be your best friend or your worse enemy depending on the day. Setting fitness goals has helped me alot along the way. I personally find meeting my fitness goals more satisfying than seeing the scale go down. Even if thats not the case for you it gives you other goals to be achieving and feeling good about when the scale is just being stubborn.

MINI goals will get you there! slow and steady wins the race. And it helps maintain the weight off!

I agree with the mini goals idea. I have lost 130 lb since 2008 but I NEVER thought I'd lose over 100 lb. Along the way it's always been mini goals of losing 20-30 lb and then resetting my goals when those are achieved. Honestly for me personally...I don't think I would have had as much motivation to even BEGIN if I was focusing on a number like 70, 80, or 100+ because it would just sound too extreme to me and too overwhelming.

Even though I'm still a work in progress (I'd like to lose another 10lbs and I'm training for a competition this fall), I was asked to post my own story to my gym's website and here's what I wrote. You may find some of it useful:

Healthy Lifestyle Achievement:
With the guidance, support, classes and facilities available to me, I was able to lose over 200lbs. over the past four years – without surgery, pills or other supplements. Instead of a quick fix, I focused on making small, sustainable changes to my diet and fitness regimen that I could maintain and add-to as time went on. I went from sedentary and physically-challenged (a simple walk around the block was a daunting task) to a physically-active fitness and healthy lifestyle enthusiast.

Story of success:
There were four critical factors in my success: mental, physical, nutrition and support. Had I not taken the time to get my “head straight,” the other physical and nutritional changes would never have been sustainable. The support factor is one many overlook, but it was the game-changer for me. The trainers and other members I met here have become an integral part of my life and have made countless impacts on my journey towards a healthy mind and body. I am sincerely grateful to trainers and coaches for their guidance and expertise. Their impact on my training and approach to fitness has been immense and it’s with their help that I’ve decided to compete in my first fitness competition this fall! When others ask me about my journey, I tell them that it was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, but the effort pays off in spades. I love the new outlook I have on life and my body as they continue to evolve, and am so appreciative for the path those mentioned have helped me pave.

I changed how I looked at weight loss. At first, it was all about hitting my goal weight - and that weight seemed absolutely unattainable. So instead, I would aim to lose 20 pounds at a time. As time went by, it wasn't really about hitting goal weight anymore - it was about living a happier, healthier life. I enjoyed how eating better made me feel. I liked how my body looked and felt after exercise. THAT was the goal; weight loss was the side effect.

I've been maintaining my 130+ pound loss for almost two years now and sometimes I'm totally amazed that I've managed it because it just isn't that hard. And the reason it's not hard is because I really changed how I live my life. I changed my priorities. Exercise became not just a habit, but one of the best parts of my day. Eating well became a way of life. I still have days where I don't live up to these new habits, but two things on that - those days are the exception, not the rule; and I simply don't *feel* as good when I deviate from my regular routine.

So, bottom line - instead of focusing on losing 100 pounds, focus on living your life like someone who is 100 pounds thinner. Now that I live like a fit, healthy person, I AM a fit healthy person. I continue the very same habits I used to lose weight, with a bit more wiggle room. I eat great food, I indulge on occasion, I exercise because it's awesome, not because it means I can eat more.

My motivation to lose, and my motivation to maintain, is the same: I live life more fully when I'm fit and active. I enjoy my days more. I have more energy. Everything - seriously, everything - is better now. And it's not better because I'm at my goal weight; my life was nice when I weighed 300 pounds too, and there are many people who are overweight who live wonderful lives. But for me, life is better because my weight was holding me back from experiencing it - physically, emotionally - and now there is very little in the way. So when I have a rough weekend where I eat too much and think of just throwing in the towel and sliding back into bad habits, I think about how it feels to hike for miles with my family...the example I set for my son....the freedom of being able to do anything I set my mind to...how much simpler it is to shop for clothes...that I can look myself in the mirror and, flaws and all, be really fricking proud of what I've accomplished.

That's my motivation. It's not the number on the scale, it's the adventures I get to have now that I'm not letting my body and mind hold me back.

I wish I could learn to enjoy exercise and use it for motivation. I struggle to make myself exercise. I am joining a gym next month and I hope this will help me because they offer a variety of classes and get more motivated.

Joining a gym for me was life changing. I love classes and I love lifting. It's a rare day when I have to make myself exercise (though those days absolutely do happen! Once I get there and get going, it's fine. And if it's not, it's only an hour!)

Best of luck to you

Honestly, I think the more you have to lose, the better off you are. What makes weight loss much easier is when it becomes just part of your routine. If you've got a lot of weight to lose, it's not going to be just a short-term change. You've got loads of time to find what works for you and settle into it, so it becomes second-nature.

You've also got the benefit of having several times when you'll notice big changes, and how massively better you feel. For instance, at one point, I was able to comfortably sit in chairs with arms again, then I was able to do a push up, then I was able to sit in folding chairs without worrying, then I could climb the stairs without getting winded... You'll have a lot of little milestones to celebrate that will keep you motivated.

I know it seems like you're staring down a never-ending path, but you'll get there. Just start walking, and at some point you'll find that you're just enjoying the stroll!

Definitely this^. There is comfort in having time/patience to play with what works for you and what doesn't, and have the time to develop new habits knowing that this is a long-term commitment.

I want to get to about 190lbs, which from my original start weight was 117lbs. Of course, if I look at 117...well that's when I struggle. So I try really hard to not think about it. Smaller goals along the way. I try to focus on ten pound chunks. I made a point based system for myself and I wont let myself spend money on clothes or shoes or books or tattoos until I earn enough points for it. That way it feels like a game. It's been about three weeks since I've been back using MFP and back on a routine. It's starting to feel like normal.

The important thing to focus on is one foot in front of the other. Step by step and it becomes a habit eventually.

i did mini goals as well, but one thing that keeps me going was/is, every day that i eat healthier, exercise, make better choices for myself, is better than not. also, I reveled in every pound lost, cause if I never lost another pound, well, at least i wasn't 1 pound heavier.

Cause here's a news flash for you, once you lose the 100 el bees. you gotta then work on maintaining your goal weight, thats when the real work begins, for the rest of your life.