How do you stay MOTIVATED?

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Fab140
Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm doing my best to stay on track, from scheduling out my workouts for a week and posting it where I can see it to trying to keep only "good" foods on hand. I notice, though, that I tend to slip up here and there because I start ignoring that little pep squad in my head. And then it's a landslide of bad behavior for a week or two before my jeans start getting too tight again. And I repeat the cycle. This is really starting to drain my "stick to it" power.

I have thirty pounds to lose before I'm at a healthy weight for my age and frame, and I fear I'll never get there. I've been this weight since high school!

So tell me, how do you do it?

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  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
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    I'm doing my best to stay on track, from scheduling out my workouts for a week and posting it where I can see it to trying to keep only "good" foods on hand. I notice, though, that I tend to slip up here and there because I start ignoring that little pep squad in my head. And then it's a landslide of bad behavior for a week or two before my jeans start getting too tight again. And I repeat the cycle. This is really starting to drain my "stick to it" power.

    I have thirty pounds to lose before I'm at a healthy weight for my age and frame, and I fear I'll never get there. I've been this weight since high school!

    So tell me, how do you do it?
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
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    I think most of us struggle...isn't that why we are here. We also need support from others and confidence in ourselves.
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
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    What I'm asking, I guess, is what gives you the drive to keep up with the routine?
  • mechanicmom
    mechanicmom Posts: 5,696 Member
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    Change up your routine when you can. Allow yourself to cheat a little every so often so you don't binge when you crave something. Set small goals for yourself. I started out needing to lose 25 pounds. Instead of looking at the big number I set a goal to lose so many pounds by my son's birthday, and then Christmas, and now a family vacation we are suppose to be taking in two weeks. My goal from Christmas to this vacation is 5-6 pounds. I've lost three , so I am half way there! Make sure your goals are attainable. You will hit plateaus. When you do, step up your work outs by 20%, or change them up. Find something you love to do like hiking, or bowling, or chasing your kids (or hubby) around the house and do those things to keep active. If you hate walking on the treadmill, find something else that you do like. I hope this helps! :flowerforyou:
  • dhayes
    dhayes Posts: 216 Member
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    I get my drive from wanting to get healthy. On the many days that I want to skip the gym, I just force myself to go...I make no excuses for myself to not go....as far as I am concerned if I don't go I am just being fat and lazy...and I DO NOT WANT TO BE THAT ANYMORE.
  • laurenk182004
    laurenk182004 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    I have a hard time sticking to it as well, but only when the scale shows a gain. I hate it when you work out, eat well, drink a TON of water and do everything you feel you could possibly do to lose weight and still gain a pound back every once in awhile. Those days make me feel like saying frigg it and baking a cake...lol But, I know that if I stop now, then I'll gain back the 20lbs I've lost and have to go through that much more torture at the gym...it's not worth it. How man y times have we all been on the right track and doing great, only to quit and gain back whatever we had lost. I wish that I had stuck to this healthy lifestyle the first time I ever tried it...if I had I'd been healthy now and looking great in a smaller size. I just remind myself of these things when it's a tough day...and eat a rice cake lol
  • rockymtnguy
    rockymtnguy Posts: 140
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    I find it is a commitment to yourself. Remember the old saying you can lie to your friends but don't lie to yourself. If you honestly want something bad enough, you'll go through hell to achieve it. Whatever it is you want, it will be in your head at all times.
  • dr_sus
    dr_sus Posts: 10 Member
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    for 30 lbs, count on losing 2 lbs a week so this should take you 15 weeks. i print out a calendar and write my weight on it for each day that i weigh myself and i put my workouts down for each day that i work out. i make sure to work out for at least 30 mins 3 days/week. my roommate and i must cook each other dinner if we don't do 3/week.

    one thing that keeps me motivated is KNOWING (not hoping) that eating 1200 calories/day actually does work. it's pure science.

    i think the reason people fail is b/c they feel discouraged one day and think "this isn't working". But the fact of the matter is that if you burn more each day than you consume, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. the scale might not show it each and every time but if you have faith that your calorie cuts are working then you won't give up.

    Also, you could give yourself some sort of reward every time you lose 5 lbs. Depending on how much $$ you are willing to spend, you could get yourself a little necklace at Forever 21 for $5 or a massage at the Four Seasons for $120. Anything to reward yourself should keep you going.

    Just remember the science behind losing weight. Burn more than you eat and you will lose weight. Most of us burn 1330 calories just laying around all day so if you eat 1200 calories you already have a calorie deficit (fat loss) of 130 calories. Don't give up and don't let small slip ups make you fail. You can always fix your mistakes the following day by eating fewer calories.

    Stick with it! You will feel so much better and have so much more confidence once the weight is off. :happy:
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
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    What I've found works for me is just not thinking about it. I know that sounds weird but it's exactly what I do.

    When I first started trying to stick to a workout schedule or healthy eating. I would torture myself with thinking about it.

    "I don't want to go to the gym"
    "This is going to suck"
    "I'm too tired"
    "I really want to eat those baked goods"

    ect...

    Now, I just go to the gym or eat the healthy food and don't even consider not doing either. I realized that the thoughts themselves were just making it harder. And when I start to go there mentally I just stop myself.

    I've now got to the point where going to the gym is like brushing my teeth. I wouldn't even think of going out of the house without brushing my teeth, and now I don't even consider not going (unless it's my off day :smile: )

    I also agree with setting small goals. My other thing is setting goals you can control. You really can't control your weight. It's true. You can control the things that may lead to a healthy weight, like working out and eating right, sleeping enough and taking care of emotional issues. I like to give myself gym challenges. I do two weeks of different workouts and its really intersesting to see how they effect your body. I did all cardio 5 days a week for two weeks at least 45 minutes. Now I'm doing th Body for life workouts for two weeks to see what that will do.

    I think a big part of it is patience. Know that the changes your are making are good for you and they are helping you.

    Good luck!
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
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    :happy:

    Thank you guys all so much! Great advice!!!
  • kistinbee
    kistinbee Posts: 3,688 Member
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    Megan...do you go to a gym? I joined a gym in November and find it very helpful. I'm taking Body Pump (a weight lifting class) 3 times a week, a Spinning class once a week, a Step class once a week, a Yoga class once a week, and I alternate using the eliptical machine, treadmill, and recumbant bike for my cardio work. When I first started, it was really hard to get myself to the gym, but now it's the first thing I think of when I get up in the morning and I plan my day around my workout that evening. For some reason, I have a lot of motivation...and a lot of it came from reading posts on here. Plus, seing the scale go down definetely helped. I started here in November at 183 pounds. After New Years I was at 174. This morning the scale said 166. So, the progress is AWESOME which makes me want to work harder. Mind you, everyone if different. I'm 24 years old, 5'6, eat around 1300 calories every day and work out for about 2 hours 6 days a week. So, I am busy. But like I said, I have this motivation! I just wish I could share it with everyone! So, I wish you the best of luck! Just keep reading posts here and hopefully you can gain some of the motivation I have!

    *Kistinbee*:flowerforyou:
  • Families_R_Forever
    Families_R_Forever Posts: 630
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    I am a stay at home mom so getting out of the house is my motivation. Sometimes I get so crazy at home that I am excited to go torture myself in the gym. It is my way to relieve stress and if I loose a few pounds along the way, well that's the bonus. Also you definently need to reward yourself. If I make cookies for my kids, I don't tell myself I can't have one, because then I would probably just eat them all. Instead I allow myself one and then I have something to look forward to. I just walk an extra lap at the gym later. I don't make treats like that very often so it's not a big deal. Good luck!! Heidi:wink::flowerforyou:
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
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    What I'm asking, I guess, is what gives you the drive to keep up with the routine?

    I am tired of this saying that I have been using it a lot, "who cares, I am too fat anyways." :smile:

    You know how they say Men love confidence in a woman, well...maybe that is my problem. I have none and it reflects on my life...if shows in my face, in the way I walk and talk,etc.

    I am started to accept this life of mine and maybe that is my biggest fear of all.

    My motivation is that I just moved into a Condo and I have the gym downstairs and I just have to remind myself that I need to be happy in this world we live in, some how.
  • Anna_Banana
    Anna_Banana Posts: 2,939 Member
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    I look in the mirror and know I don't want to be this size forever
  • rockymtnguy
    rockymtnguy Posts: 140
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    I think another point that should be mentioned is that we all want to move forward and begin to take care of ourselves most importantly. Looking good and all the other reasons are great and help us motivate. But the bottom line is to be better to ourselves. We are human breathing machines that need daily maintenance, ie. brushing when we get up/go to bed, cleaning ourselves, exercise, physical and mental stimulation, etc. Once we begin taking better care of ourselves we also begin feeling better of who are as well, mentally most importantly, but also physically. Have a great weekend, and lots of great posts on this subject everyone.
  • AtlantaSara
    AtlantaSara Posts: 91
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    Put on a bathing suit and look at myself in the mirror... this is not how I want to look - so that usually motivates me. If not, I pull out my smaller clothes, try them on and they don't fit or they are embarassingly tight... so that usually motivates me. I also have a photo of a fit person who has a very similar body type to mine that I look at.

    I have to exercise in the early morning and sometimes its hard to get out of bed (especially when its so cold outside) -- but I remind myself that I am only hurting myself and letting myself down by not going. Not exercising or exercising regularly is how I packed on the pounds to begin with . . .
  • newstart
    newstart Posts: 40
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    I tell myself that I can make the time for working out and getting healthier now or I can look forward to many visits to the doctors in the futur from the unhealthy body...
    I think I`ll stick to the gym as long as I can...
    Then it`s the other little things like comments that people make..For example, yesterday while I was getting my hair cut, the girls were telling me how good my skin looks..I know that it has been a lot better since I`ve been working out and eating better, including drinking my H2O.

    And most of the time, it`s simply the music..I drag myself to the gym and once there turn my mp3 on and just move forward...I also find that the more you do something , the easier it gets.

    I have even took a part-time job to fit in working out...I was lucky to be able to do so. I turn down full time hours and settled for less hours making getting healthier a priority.
  • NurseBarb
    NurseBarb Posts: 183 Member
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    Well I could say that I want to be healthy, and in part that's true. I quit smoking not to long ago and my bilogical father had a heart transplant and I DON'T WANT THAT!!! So there is some health concern and stuff there. But to be REALLY honest..................... I want to put on a pair of size 6 jeans and look fine as hell!!!!!!! I'm sick to death of buying 2 and 3X clothing at the tent makers. I have fat rolls on top of my fat rolls. I can feel my *kitten* on my back when I walk! :sick:

    I'm realistic enough to know that I will never look like Tyra Banks. But I look at these naked pictures of myself everyday and the fat rolls and that's my biggest motivation!!!!

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