How do you stay motivated?

Knowledge, learn how it works.
Prepare and plan
Get the right mindset.
Commit and make it happen.

Its straightforward then because you know the why and how, then its up to you just to get on with it. It makes sense and everything fits. If you want it badly enough you make it happen. Unless you want to quit or yo yo then make it count.

I stay motivated by keeping my Fitbit Charge HR on. I only remove it when I bathe. Looking at it multiple times a day keeps me on track like nothing else has before. It shows how many calories I'm using and how active I truly am.

Motivation is a very personal thing. Each person has something, but you really have to find something of your own. The transition from high school to college is a tough one, because you are living a completely different lifestyle. It's easy to get lost in the inactivity of class time, study time, lounge time, and hanging out. Most of which probably include eating of some kind. Find a way to decide to grab the reins and take control.

look at it this way, yes you've gained weight, but it could be worse. There's no better time to start than now. You can do it. don't get overly stressed out about it because that will just make you frustrated and give in. Have fun with it, find food you like, be consistent, weigh and log everything before you eat it, and you'll be surprised what you can do.

for me it is how I physically feel now that the weight is gone and I am in pretty good shape again.

I have energy and that is motivating...barring that I look at the pic that started it all...

That's me in the red dress which btw has a tummy control panel in it...*smh* I can't believe I let myself go that far...

999tigger wrote: »

Knowledge, learn how it works.
Prepare and plan
Get the right mindset.
Commit and make it happen.

Its straightforward then because you know the why and how, then its up to you just to get on with it. It makes sense and everything fits. If you want it badly enough you make it happen. Unless you want to quit or yo yo then make it count.

^^ this.

knowledge is power. you can't hit any goals unless you plan FOR EVERYTHING - food, workouts etc.
also - find something you love. just because everyone is running, doesn't mean you'll love it. i hate running but i love muay thai. i can't get enough of it. my friend loves tennis and can't get enough of that. so find something you truly enjoy because working out shouldn't feel like a chore!

i stuck with it because i stopped trying to get skinny and wanted to get healthy. shifting my focusing away from my weight/fat and concentrated on how i felt and how strong i was getting/feeling made all the difference. i no longer needed to weigh myself; i no longer needed to fight the temptations because i realized that MY CHOICES will give me consequences - good or bad. bad choices make me feel awful; good choices make me feel awesome so when awesomeness is an option, why would i willingly choose to feel awful??

this was like a freaking revelation to me LOL. by the time i looked in the mirror again, all my weight had come off and i was like, WHOA! where did those muscles come from?! i haven't looked back and now, at age 39, i'm in the best shape of my life. i recently found my high school jeans (size 2) and put them on for kicks and they were loose on me. my reaction to that was pretty much in line to when my husband proposed haha!!

I stay motivated by using a fitbit. It helps to have a goal of 10K steps a day. If I find that after dinner I havent hit my goal of at the very least 10,000, I ask my fiance to take a stroll with me around the neighborhood. One time I even made him walk the three floors of the mall, since we were already downtown and had dinner there haha. I stay motivated by weighing myself everyday. I read the community boards here on fitbit in my free time or when Im bored at work because it keeps me from eating crap when sitting at work. I try to constantly educate myself and try new recipes so that I can stay motivated.

There's really no secret to staying motivated. My motivation comes from within myself - my new lifestyle is a habit now. I don't lay in bed at 4:30am and debate on whether I should get up and work out that day or not. I get up and do it because that's what I do now.

Pre-logging has really helped me. I pre-log WAY in advance, which wouldn't work with some people's lives, but it works for me and really helps me stay on track and not end up at 6:00 in the evening without any calories left. I spread out my meals so I'm eating often and eating foods I enjoy so I don't feel like I'm restricting myself too much.

It's really effortless at this point, but I've been through the yo-yo dieting, so I know that it takes time to get to the point where it's not constant effort on your part. I eventually reached a point where I knew that I either wanted it or I didn't. If I wanted it bad enough, I'd do what it takes to get there. No BS excuses. And that's what I did and will continue to do.

Not being too hard on yourself or completely cutting out foods you like is also a big help. You don't need to eat 1200 calories per day to lose weight. You don't need to eat a salad for dinner every day in order to lose weight. You don't need to snack on nothing but celery and baby carrots to lose weight. Calories in vs. calories out. Don't complicate it.

Find a workout routine that you really like. I hated cardio, but I absolutely love lifting. Getting up really early to lift is no hardship because I enjoy it so much. If I skipped it for no good reason, I know I'd regret it, so I just don't. I don't give myself the option to miss a workout. I just DO IT.

Finding YOUR motivation is something that you have to do on your own. Good luck.

jen_jonesss wrote: »

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I'm 27 years old. I live in beautiful Orange County, CA and I'm still suffering from the freshman ....55? Haha just like most people in there 20s your body goes through some changes and well mine did just that. I went from being 5'8, 120 lbs and pretty athletic to 5'8 175 and a work-ohlic. It's been SO hard to loose any weight! How do you stay motivated and on track?! My friends aren't in the greatest shape either but they don't struggle with the insecurities I do. I used to be a beach bum but haven't put on a bathing suite in 2 years.. I refuse to wear shirts without sleeves and I won't workout without a hoodie on. It's been tough needless to say. I'm ready to take control for the millionth time

You're young ... you should be out experiencing life, doing active things.

When I was in my late 20s/early 30s, if I wasn't out doing something active and interesting on weekends, I felt like I wasted a weekend. At that age, I was into bicycle racing, and then I got into long, long distance cycling which led into travelling around the world for cycling events.

Have a look over this list of sports ... and start trying things, even just to say that you tried that once.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports

If you focus on being more active, it really helps the motivation because you develop goals as a part of the activities you enjoy the most.