Starting to give up! Where do you get your motivation?
lmlarson78
Posts: 2
I have been fighting weight my entire life. I lost 100 pounds 8 years ago and now have gained most of it back. I can't seem to find that motivation to lose it like I did before. There is always an excuse for why I can't start today or why I can justify overeating. I need to do this for my health I don't want to end up in an early grave because I refused to lose the weight.
Where do you get your motivation from?
Where do you get your motivation from?
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Replies
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lately i get motivated by shopping. especially since i am down two sizes and out of plus sizes for some things. its amazing how much better i look in things i never would have thought were for me... and how i can wear designers now (from clearance centers of course) and what used to make me miserable is now really motivating. and if you havent gotten there yet you can look around at what to work for.
i also get motivated by my son. he MAKES me go to the gym and eat healthy. he tells me things like "mom, that is full of cholesterol and fat, lets go somewhere healthy' (hes six and wants to be a cardiologist when he grows up so he cares about healthy hearts)
i am motivated by how much more stamina i have to do fun things now, and how great it would be to have even more!
finally, i get motivated by my desire to erase this pre-diabetes diagnosis from my chart. i need my eyes and my legs and i do not want it to progress. not to mention my endochrinologist tells me i may be able to solve (at least relieve) my hormone problems which cause hair growth and loss just by getting rid of fat cells that store excess testosterone.
so yea. thats what keeps me going.0 -
I have been fighting weight since 2006.
I was a size 4 all the way through highschool, and in college I 'met' food, and its been a tough breakup.
Recently the biggest two changes have been:
May 28th, starting eating CLEAN.
June 10th: Starting consuming 100gms of protein daily, to be 'too full' to snack on carbs like I used to.
Since June 6th, Ive lost 13 pounds which is the most Ive ever lost.
The key is killing those cravings by EATING ON PURPOSE. I hated planning, but I LOVE THE RESULTS too much to give up.
My motivation comes from results, and unfortunately, results only come from committed discipline.
You are a lovely lady---- you are worth it.
I like to go online and find inspiring Anything: clothing, songs, stories, God's word.... anything that 'fills my cup' and gets me excited to work out.
Take the time to write out your 'whys'.....its something working in Mary Kay taught me.
If we keep our list of reasons "why" we are working on something close by, its easier to remember and keep pressing on.
For me:
Feel good in my own skin.
For people to see that I love the Lord more than I love food.
To show my husband a sexy wife, not a marshmallow.
To have fun with fashion again.
To prevent health issues my parents suffer from.
To just enjoy my life again!
That list gets me back on track every time.
Another key is forgiveness. If you fall off one meal, you literally have to pretend it didnt happen, and press forward.
Forgive yourself, let it go, and pick up right where you left off. No waiting another week in between.
I have made LOTS OF MISTAKES trying to eat clean and eat protein, but this time, I picked up where I left off by the next day.
Because of that, I have a lot of progress made and no regrets.
YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!0 -
chadya07 pretty much summed it all up for me too. That is why I will never stop logging and weighing myself daily. I am not obsessed with the scale, I do not get upset by small fluctuations. But this is what keeps me focused. It is easier to lose 2-3 pounds rather than 10-20. Do not give up, I did not figure this all out until I was 48.0
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My motivation mainly comes from wanting to avoid an early grave like my father. He died a couple of years ago from a heart attack and high blood pressure issues. I am motivated by the fact that I am starting to feel a lot better health wise and I am stronger than what I was a month ago and that has been a great feeling. I am signing up for 5k races that I can run or walk and am working on being able to complete one by only running hopefully before the year is out.
I finally had to have a serious heart to heart talk with myself about how important it is for me to get healthy if I want to live a long healthy life. Mainly, I want to be able to take more road trips and be able to hike in beautiful locations without being winded and missing out on the beauty around me because I am struggling to get air! I realized that I have to get rid of the excuses because they are slowly killing me. I have been able to stay motivated by working towards smaller, easier goals that will lead to my major goal of losing over 100 pounds. I feel because I am setting small attainable goals it is helping me to stay encouraged by the little things that I am accomplishing everyday to become a healthier person.
I hope this helps and you can add me as a friend.0 -
You either want it, or you don't.
Excuses mean you don't REALLY want that healthy lifestyle.
The trick is to start today, even if it is a little change. So what if you blew your lunch calories? Make up for it with a healthy dinner. Go on a walk later, and try harder tomorrow. If you need something visual, stick a photo of you at your best on the fridge and look at it every single day. Write a list of your goals and put it next to that picture, so you can mark them off as you make progress.
Little changes made over time worked well for me so that I wasn't trying to change 90% of my habits all at once. Try to eat healthier this week and start throwing in exercise the next. Make changes that won't overwhelm you and you'll be more likely to succeed.0 -
"Sometimes I feel like giving up...then I realise that I have a lot of motherf***ers to prove wrong!"0
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I don't want to turn into my parents.
No diabetes, sleep apnea, knee replacements, hip replacements, heart trouble, can't move around to play with the grandkids, out of breath from walking across a room, had to get a new car because they couldn't get into the old one, need to sit at specific tables when eating out (too big for the booths and some tables are too hard to get to with a cane), specialty shops for clothes, disabled sticker for the car because of mobility problems, complications during surgery, complications during surgery recovery, trying to hide in the back of all the group photos, etc. etc.
Yeah, I have motivation enough. I love my parents, but I don't ever want to be in their shoes.0 -
My motivation to start was being able to enjoy travel. Now my motivation is to retain the increased energy and well being that I've gained. I cannot imagine going back to being tired all the time and feeling like a failure every day.0
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Weeeell, you have to look at it like you do other things in your life you don't really want to do at times...
Get up early and go to work
Do the laundry
Cook dinner for your kids when your exhausted
Clean up your kids vomit when they're sick
Go and visit certain family members
Pay your bills
Mow the lawn
Etc
Etc
I think you know what I mean!0 -
The only motivation you need is within you. Learn to enjoy healthy, mostly clean, foods. Proteins and fats (good fats) will help you feel full longer. I eat when I'm hungry - learn to follow your body ques.
You can do this - although it may be a bit slower than it was 8 years ago. Aim for 2 pounds a week - but be happy for any loss since it gets you one step closer!0 -
I'm not sure if it's motivation driving me anymore. These changes I've made are just habit now. I don't even consider not getting up to work out in the morning, or ordering out for lunch instead of bringing my planned meal from home. I used to have a really hard time staying motivated to keep on track, but now it's a non-issue. It's really become second nature to me.
As far as how I got there, I'd say everything changed as far as my mindset when I started lifting and eating more. The weight loss is pretty slow (about .5 lb/week), and it's not as if I'm seeing amazing results in the mirror all the time, but this is just my life now. I enjoy lifting way more than I enjoyed all the cardio I was doing before and eating more while still losing weight has kept me from just throwing my hands up in the air and binging when things got hard.
It's NOT hard for me now. It's about finding that zone. It shouldn't be all that difficult and, if it is, you may just be doing something wrong. Not eating enough often leads to overeating when your hunger gets overwhelming. Forcing yourself to do exercise you don't enjoy is setting yourself up for failure. It's trial and error, so don't beat yourself up. When I was finding it hard to stay motivated before, I just told myself, "you either want it or you don't." That's it. If you want it bad enough, you'll do it. If you don't, you won't. Simple.0 -
My weight has yoyo'd since I was in my early teens (possibly younger), before that I was a stick with a 34c boob (yay! not). After I started to gain all my weight my mum put me on various diets, and I became bulimic...then in 2007 I hit rock bottom; was made redundant from my job, nan got diagnosed with lung cancer and I hit 368lbs on the scale. To be honest I am lucky I am still alive, I am just 5ft! I struggled to get clothing, hated to be seen out anywhere, lost the few friends I still had because I was so uncomfortable about waddling out I just kept saying no until they didn't ask any more.
My motivation is gained by looking at the picture of that girl. I didn't gain anything after that point but it wasn't until 2010 I decided that I needed to do something - when one of my sister's kids called me their fat auntie. I felt awful, hated myself more than I had done before and decided to do something about it. Admittedly it's been a slippery slope (sometimes going up rather than down - mostly following Weight Watchers)...but I am on the right path again and am currently 225lbs...granted, not the 196lbs I reached last spring, but I am getting there again...
If a picture of yourself how you DON'T want to be again isn't enough think of the fact that you don't want to die an early death because of blocked arteries or suffer problems with diabetes?0 -
I am motivated by watching my numbers come down. I love looking periodically at the reports and seeing the line on the chart drop each week (sometimes every other week LOL). It is really exciting and uplifting to me. Keep at it you will get there too.0
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Here's something I did:
1. figured out what kind of lifestyle I would like to have.
2. Learned what kind of diet fit that lifestyle.
3. made the decision that this is a lifestyle change not something I can do in any kind of short time.
4. began changing.
At some point, you have to look within yourself, and ask, "do I really want it?" Like Yoda from Star Wars said, "Do or do not, there is no try." You become the person you seek to be.0 -
3 yrs ago I started using MFP along with joining the gym and completely changing my eating habits. I made the gym priority and managed to lose 50 lbs. Last year around Oct I had an issue with my sciatic nerve and I was forced to stop working out for close to 8 weeks. Once I was able to workout again I would still get pain occassionally and that caused me to lose an interest in working out. By the time summer rolled around and the BBQ's and get together invites started flowing along with my love for beer and great food before I knew it I looked up and had gained more than half the weight I'd lost back. So it helps me to look at pics from when I lost that weight, to think about how I felt when I did it. I also get support from those around me who love working out and make it a point to eat well. Whether that be on Instagram, FaceBook and personal friends. I was blessed with a boyfriend who is very fit and has been very encouraging and supportive. I would suggest you surround yourself if possible with those type of people. Also getting back on MFP consistently has helped me as well. Build yourself a great support system here.
Good luck!0 -
Honestly, it isn't about motivation. Motivation gets you started... Habit keeps you going.
Remember when you were a kid, and your parents would try to get you all excited about something like brushing your teeth? (Yeah, me neither.. But stay with me here :laugh:) Motivation! Now, 10-20-30 years later.. You brush your teeth daily without any need to be "motivated" to do it.. Because it's just a habit.
Eating healthy, logging, and even exercising are the same. For me, cooking, logging, and eating healthily are simply a habit now. I don't need to be motivated to do them. All the best! :flowerforyou:0 -
My motivation has changed over time....
In my 20's I wanted to be thin
In my 30's I wanted to lose the baby weight and get back to my high school weight
Now in my 40's I want to be healthy for ME.
You need to find your own reasons. For me the older I got the more important and less superficial the reason was the more successful I have been.0 -
My motivation is my WANT... I want this.
I want to be healthy
I want less pain
I want to look normal
I want cute clothes
I want to be sexy for my hubby
I want to be there for my family
I want to play with my grandkids
I want to take my dog on good walks
So yes I WANT this and I will do what ever it takes to get it.0 -
i suggest making some attainable fitness goals that dont aren't vague and don;t give you structure on how to attain them
being able to run a mile in x minutes, being able to do 30 pushups, etc. making progress towards those goals are good motivation to keep going0 -
Motivation is when I look at myself naked and see what I don't want to see..I simply want to look good naked and that's my main motivation. To strut past the mirror and say "damn girl"
Daily, I perve through a lot of fitness instagram pages of trainers and other people who have taken the weight off. It's not easy, but once you know exactly what it is you want. You go get it. Figure out what matters most to you, and why you want to lose it. 0 -
It's the seemingly endless day in and day out that wears on us, isn't it? The weight loss road stretches out into infinity at times. While I am hugely motivated today, I know that my spirit might be lagging next month as the realization sets in that this lifestyle change stuff needs to be permanent.
I think being accountable to someone(s) is helpful. If we go through this alone, who has to know when we've had a bad day or feel like we've blown our chance at being healthy? I also think being surrounded with like-minded people, who fully support and understand the journey, make it harder for us to be so unkind to ourselves. When your motivation is on empty, reach out and let someone else's motivation carry you for a bit.
And here is a rather silly thing I use, that has helped tremendously (I have no idea why!): if I really want something that isn't particularly good for me (say M&Ms), I think to myself that of course I can have M&Ms, I'm 44 years old! But, I also think to myself that M&Ms have been around since 1941, and are likely to be around for a good long time in the future. So, maybe I could eat something that isn't so potentially destructive to my forward progress, and save the M&Ms for a time when I am more confident in my ability to eat sensibly.
You will figure this out. 0 -
I know a lot of people say "don't give the scale power, it's only a number" and so on...but for me the NUMBER actually is a motivator! I felt really good at 270 lb, I wasn't achy or tired or miserable in my own skin. I feel better at 173 lb but not drastically enough for avoiding fatness to have motivated me. Whether right or wrong, I assigned the number of 180 to myself as a "reasonable weight" for myself as a 5'8" 30-something female...and I plan to stay under it for the rest of my life now that I have reached it. I know that is probably overly simplistic and a pretty 'easy' goal compared to what many people strive to attain...but it is something I worked toward, reached, and now am working to increase a buffer so I'll stay well beneath that number. What number I see on the scale is what motivates me. Other things are just bonuses, like non-plus sized shopping and fitting much more easily into everything around me (booths, bath tubs, theater seats, etc).0
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all i can say is, i finally learned that motivation comes from within. Even when you don't want to log or go to the gym just do it. the motivation follows. The point is do SOMETHING. Even walking into the gym is a huge step or having a whole day of logging in and being under your calorie goal. it is all those baby steps that lead you to have that motivation to keep going. Hope that helped0
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Tv-
biggest loser, extreme weight loss
an di wanna fit smaller clothes
and donate the big ones0 -
Sign up for a race.0
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my motivation comes partly from fear and partly because i'm NOT the woman i WANT to be. i have four fairly young children, i want to PLAY with them! this time is so fleeting. i want to live to see my grandkids. diabetes is rampant in my family, with strokes and heart disease thrown in. when i look at the food at our family reunions and the size of my family (extended included, with rare exception) i realize it's not heredity, it's how we eat.
i spent a good month and a half with just a toe in. now i've gone the same amount of time all in and have lost a total of 11 pounds (i'd lost three when i found this site). i'm blabbing to everyone about trying hard, mostly to have cheerleaders and to be kept accountable. i'm joining every challenge i can find to keep myself motivated. i figure if i work hard NOW i'll be able to enjoy years and years. don't get me wrong, my eating will have to change forever. i can't live on baked goods and bread slathered with butter.
now when i eat i think "i had to work out for x amount of time to burn that off, is it worth it?" the answer is usually NO, it's NOT. occasionally it's "yup, sure is" and i splurge.
my motivation has been lagging for the past week, so i told my husband, my trainer, some friends, and they pointed out how far i've come quickly, that helps.0 -
No motivation involved. It's really pretty simple. I'm a healthy active person, so I need to fuel that for the years to come.
--Instead of putting me last and burning the candle at 3 ends
--Feeding my body what it needs, instead of what's left or what's easiest b/c I'm exhausted (see candle-burning)
--No more tearing myself down. Period. If all I did was walk the dog today, hey, I did SOMETHING towards relearning healthy habits.
Thing is, when you find yourself going around the mulberry bush again and again...it's not about the food. It's about what you think you deserve. After lots of work on the issues *behind* some unhealthy habits I'd developed, I now wholeheartedly believe that I deserve to a healthy, happy life. There is no battle.
What do you deserve?
:drinker:0 -
For me, I get my motivation from my streak I guess. Not technically a number but I often tell myself "If I'm going to blow it today then why did I bother with all those other days of effort!?" And then my self control comes back. It doesn't feel like motivation though, since I'm still not happy I can't blow my day on tasty treats.0
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Like you I had lost my weight about 7 years ago and then slowly put it back on. As soon as I started this journey again, I put a "skinny" picture of myself on my refrig and looking at it reminds me of how awesome I felt then and how much I enjoyed the compliments I received. Whenever I feel discouraged, I look at that picture and then find something healthy and filling to munch on. I hope this helps and I wish you the best in your journey. :flowerforyou:0
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Wow everyone what an absolutely amazing group of people! I can't thank you enough for all the responses! Congratulations to all of you on your successes!0
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