Needing motivation...

JustJenn419
JustJenn419 Posts: 780 Member
edited September 2024 in Introduce Yourself
Hello Everyone! My name is Jennifer and I'm brand new to this site. I just joined MFP on Wednesday and a gym last week. What I wanted to know is where everyone draws their motivation from. I've never been a "small" girl but I was in pretty good shape about 7 years ago. Then I was in a bad accident that destroyed my back right along with my motivation. Everytime I start something new, either a diet or exercise program, I lose my motivation super fast. I'm hoping this site, and the people on here, can help me stay on track. What is the secret to your success???

Replies

  • afteil
    afteil Posts: 162 Member
    Welcome! I hope that we can give you the motivation that you need- but remember that this journey is all about YOU. That is what keeps me going- this is YOUR life and YOUR body, so motivation comes from getting into the body and health that you want. This website makes it easy to do well- it gives you how many calories you should do and helps you track your foods and exercise pretty easily, so you are almost guarunteed to do well!. Dont give up or lose motivation! Remember that it takes about 21 days to form a habbit, so keep your effort up for that long and you will be home free! :)
  • MzSarnz
    MzSarnz Posts: 1
    Find a work out that you like to do, become obsessed with it. :) For me I have a gym routine and hate when I miss a day. I find this site a motivational tool as well because you track everything, you get great visibility to anything you do or eat and it definitely opens your eyes to some things. =)
  • farmboyphotography
    farmboyphotography Posts: 181 Member
    The secret to success for me has been joining MFP with a partner, my wife, SMC_Chick! We are in this together. We have a shared experience, with daily workouts and comparing notes on our food diaries. That is one place to start, with a friend, partner, coworker or family member.

    By extension, when I joined, I sought out a bunch of people here to support and who can encourage me in return. The other thing that is helping is that I log everything I eat, even when I eat junk food. You have to own your actions. When you succeed in meeting your goals for that day, consider it a victory. When it happens again, it is another victory. You build your success on those daily victories, which soon become weekly victories. Before long, you are on your way to feeling great and being fit.

    Welcome to MFP. I wish you all the success in the world. You can do this and exceed your expectations. We are all here to support each other, and that includes you. =)
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I have lived almost all of my adult life with the same attitude. I would be gung-ho for the first few weeks then just slowly go right back to my old habits . . . guess they were comforting and "predictable".
    My journey has not been the smoothest, I've had some setbacks in motivation here and there, but something just "clicked" one day, guess you could say I had my "ah ha" moment.
    I have always wanted to be slimmer and healthier but something inside me just changed and I REALLY wanted it . . . more than beer, more than chocolate, more than a moment of pleasure that I knew I would feel guilty about.

    For a while whenever my husband would suggest dinner at the pub, or something calorific, I would burst into tears. I would explain to him that this is something I REALLY wanted . . . I was sick and tired of being sick and tired from my excess weight. It didn't take him long to understand that I was really serious this time . . . and now when I have a weak moment and suggest something decadent he is the one to question me and remind me how far I have come and how amazing I look.

    Everyone draws their motivation from a different place but having some wonderful people as friends here on MFP and a very supportive family certainly has helped.
  • lizzybedizzy
    lizzybedizzy Posts: 81 Member
    Hi Jennifer I'm Liz. I also just joined this site a week ago now. My motivation is to get me to be happy with me inside and out. To not end up in a hospital bed with a heart issue as it is really bad in my family. And most of all to look in the mirror or at a photo and absolutely love what I see looking back at me. :smile:

    I do agree that it has to be YOU that makes the choice to stick with it. No one else can make that decision for you but I think you will find that there are so many supportive and friendly people here that you will want to come back each day and check in and report that you lost 2lbs or that you were under in your calories or had a great burn on your workout.

    Something that might help is to find a picture of you from 7 years ago and post it up in a place where you have to look at it every morning and a few times during the day to remind you of where you can be. I have one on my fridge and on my bathroom mirror.

    WELCOME!!!!!

    I'm going to send you a friend request. I found adding people helped me to want to check in everyday.
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    I find the best motivation is to have a goal on a set date to prepare for.

    In my case, we are having a weight loss competition at work. We weighed in in January and will weigh out next month. We each put in $20 so there is something at stake. So that's been my motivation to watch calories and lose weight. I'm down about 20lbs in that time. I started at 210 and my goal is about 185. I'm at 188 now so I'm on track to reach my goal.

    Also, I am going to do Warrior Dash on April 30th and I needed to be in better shape for that. So that's been my motivation to exercise more and improve my endurance.

    It seems the same for a lot of people on here. Either to look good in a bikini by summertime or to fit in certain size wedding dress in time for the wedding.

    So pick something to work toward with a deadline attached to it, and go for it!
  • squeaktones
    squeaktones Posts: 195 Member
    welcome jennifer. hope you are finding your way around here. if you have a photo of yourself at a small size you can tape it to your fridge or mirror to remind you that it is possible to get to the size you want to acheive. that can be your visual motivatior. set short term goals for yourself instead of one large goal. if you fail to exercise or eat too many calories or eat the wrong thing that day don't let it ruin your whole day. look at that as challages not obstacles. as long as you are moving and trying your best you are not failing. don't give up. you don't have to confine yourself to just one exercise. walking, zumba, step exercise, kick boxing, swimming are all great activites to try. just to try to something that is making you move all of your muscle groups.
  • JPRobocker
    JPRobocker Posts: 74 Member
    Reasonable goals. I find that the more often you meet your goals, the more motivated you will be. Don't try to lose 75 lbs all at once, try to lose 5-10 in a month. When you suceed, it gives more motivation to keep going. Progress is always motivating. That and other people. Any one at home to help you keep at it or on this site. Add me as a friend if you'd like. It's always good to know you're not alone in your weightloss goals.
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