Motivation needed!

This is such a problem for me as well! My friends are either overweight or have never struggled with their weight so they don't pay much attention to what they eat. It's so hard to be out and making the healthy choices when there is no support.

I'm totally in the same boat. My motivation is at an all-time low, and I'm getting pretty depressed.

And I hear you on others' being "sweet." My bff showed up with a surprise Dr. Pepper, my boyfriend got surprise pizza, when I was really depressed about something, he pulled into a Culvers and said ice cream would cheer me up (so sweet - what could I say?!), random goodies being thrown at me from here and there - GAH!!! And it's not their fault, because I'm always so back and forth on eating well, that they just assume when I've had an "I don't care anymore" stretch long enough, anything is safe since it just depends on my mood at the time (which has been leaning toward all the pizza, Dr. Pepper and ice cream in the world).

Boo.

I am learning to politely say no thank you:)

My inspiration is not to give up on myself! By giving up on your "diet", you're giving up on yourself. As Audjrey said, only you can change your eating habits; you must own your own destiny. As I say, it's about choices; a choice to say no without the guilt of how someone elses reacts. Don't forget to remove the word "diet" from you vocabulary; it is a form of self sabatage. Feel free to friend me. Good Luck! :glasses:

Audjrey is exactly right about taking care when sharing your goals, changing your vocabulary [or more important, associations], and finding inspiration--these are all important points that aren't often addressed, especially the difference between short term motivation and inspiration.

I'll try to keep this short, but I am well-versed, taught, and practiced in fitness, health, nutrition, and weight management. In fact, I'm hoping to find the INSPIRATION to write a book in the [hopefully near] future. WOW, just realized that saving the posts, emails, and texts I send to friends would be a great start...and positive progress LOL

Anyhow, the first post I read on this thread [today being the first time I stumbled upon any posts, etc....because I only use this site as a more convenient way to track my calories, etc. than the Excel spreadsheet I haven't put enough time into automating] was the one that expressed discontent in GAINING weight since beginning, as opposed to losing weight....

So, I'll skip the most common point to address [that being gaining weight from increased movement (exercise)], and I'll point out that is very common to gain some weight before you lose more weight--at least when taking the CORRECT step in beginning to track your food (CALORIE) intake and [even better] exercise (CALORIE expenditure).

The reason behind this is somewhat mental/psychological [and the reason weight management is even more of a MENTAL battle than a physical battle]:
I'm willing to bet that you had already experienced some weight loss success [or at least success at more exercise and/or less eating] prior to setting up your profile on this site; in either case, it's common for people to have set-backs; it's also common for a set-back to be after accomplishing some success [resting on laurels, so to speak]; since efforts are often the result of short term motivation, and since positive reinforcement is one of THE BEST motivators, it's common that some already-achieved success created the motivation [and/or momentum] to begin/continue setting up your profile (seek out assistance) on myfitnesspal here. It’s natural to ease-off on the throttle a little bit…after the excitement of jumping on the accelerator!! [I hope the car reference helps more than hurts]

Sorry for being long-winded; all I am trying to say is that you shouldn't beat yourself up for some progress backwards [and I use that term "progress" intentionally]--because if you take lesson from it, by identifying the CAUSE for the weight gain [re-gain?], you are progressing by LEARNING how to help yourself become a better manager of your own FITNESS.

The bottom line [other than: (1) carefully identify your allies [no offense to those who may hinder you, usually], (2) learn to eliminate negative vocabulary and form new, healthier associations with positive, albeit, challenging behavior/habits, and (3) realize your best chance at success stems from inspiration, not just motivation....] is this:
Understanding the CAUSE for every RESULT should be a constant awareness and essential part of your independent fitness plan.

This may now sound silly, but please respect [as best as you can] the fact that much of this material will be copyrighted in the future--for now I just really hope I can help people...because that's always what I've been about....

One last thing:
My mother taught me, and my grandmother taught her, and it used to be a magnet that hung on their refrigerators:
NOTHING tastes as good as skinny feels!
Some have adapted this to make it sound more politically correct, etc., but the fact remains that NOTHING beats the feeling of feeling good about yourself, and for 9 out of 10 people, feeling thinner [which is almost ALWAYS healthier] is the most wonderful thing you can feed yourself!!
So if it works better, REMEMBER: Feeling thinner [or healthier] is the most delicious thing you can feed yourself! NOTHING tastes as good as skinny feels ;o]

Don't know if I'll be posting anymore in the future, but hopefully I'll see you around....

Bobby K.