How do you keep yourself disciplined?

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Parnasse
Parnasse Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For me, the hardest part is to keep myself disciplined. How do all of you wonderful people do it?
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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,930 Member
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    Disciplined ... to do what?

    I've got to eat. So now I eat the lower calorie choices I've purchased and have readily available.

    I've got to get to work. So I walk to and from the bus.
    I like walking ... so I do that at lunch and sometimes after work.
    I love cycling ... so I do that as much as I can.
    I was doing those things before I started here.
  • Jmgkamp
    Jmgkamp Posts: 278 Member
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    For me it takes being conscientious about every decision I make related to food and eliminating mindless grazing (which I used to be an expert in). Once the numbers start to drop, the motivation increases.

    Good luck! I'm pulling for you!!!

    (55 down, 35-45 to go...)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You want it badly enough, you just do it. I want this, therefore it is.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I've just made it a normal part of my life. Yes, it's not always fun, but neither is going to work or doing the laundry. It has to get done so I make sure it happens.
  • DayByDayGetStronger
    DayByDayGetStronger Posts: 108 Member
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    We make it our second nature to eat healthy foods and log them somehow. You check your bank account to see how much money you have, right? We are dedicated to our health and managing our chronic disease called OBESITY. I lost 50lbs my first year of my new lifestyle. It was HARD!! The second year I plateaued because I needed to fix my brain. Therapy (2 years of weekly sessions) was what helped me the most on my lifestyle change. Once the head is changed...any goal we set for ourselves is easy peasy. :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Parnasse wrote: »
    For me, the hardest part is to keep myself disciplined. How do all of you wonderful people do it?

    Disciplined to stay within my calorie goal?

    First I decided I wanted to lose weight, then I lost weight and decided I want to maintain. I've been maintaining for a year and seven months now.

    Now my goal is to increase my fitness level, so I lift weights and run. My fitness level is increasing.

    You just have to decide what you want, set your goals, and enjoy the journey and realize what you are doing is changing your lifestyle and eating habits.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Eliminate obstacles to compliance + make a commitment until it's habit

    (Gym is close, I plan shopping etc)
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
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    For me, it's having all of the tech toys to quantify everything. Wifi scales, HR band that syncs with MFP, MFP food database etc.

    It means there are no gaps or guesses, so I'm not floundering around hoping that I'm doing the right thing. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I can see the results of my choices. And for me, that makes a world of difference in my ability to sustain this.

    I've tried a few times before, always with gaps. I was unsure how much I needed to eat, or I was unsure what the energy was in the food I'd consumed, or I didn't know how to quantify exercise or I didn't weigh myself regularly. Each one of those gaps meant that ultimately, I was guessing some part of my approach, and those gaps chipped away at my motivation.

    This time around, I'm 4 months in, and haven't missed a beat...
  • pzyxian
    pzyxian Posts: 22 Member
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    get workout buddies who are disciplined and learn from them
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I slag myself off

    Like right now I'm lying on the couch but should be thinking of getting ready to hit the gym ..I've given myself another 40 mins and then I'm up and at en
  • antonioschuck
    antonioschuck Posts: 1 Member
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    In terms of nutritional discipline I found the best way is to learn how your body works. Learning about the digestive system, how protein, fats and carbs are processed by our our bodies completely changed my perspective about what I put in my mouth. I developed a new sense of respect for this incredible machine once I learned the magical work it does. Go on youtube and search "digestive system" or "how protein is digested", etc and you will be amazed.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
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    What works for me is not making too many changes at once. I ration out my discipline. At the moment my diet is my focus but I started by just staying in a deficit, not caring what I ate. I now care what I eat. Before MFP and before calorie counting I eliminated soft drinks, that was the very first step. I am doing a small and unexciting amount of exercise, but that will be the next focus. I push at one thing long enough that it feels like a habit and then I push on the next thing.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You want it badly enough, you just do it. I want this, therefore it is.

    This basically. I want it, so I'm doing it.
  • axe324
    axe324 Posts: 1 Member
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    First I fixed my eating habits. A whole month of just calorie counting.. Once I got that in place I started cycling.. The food habits keep my intake in check a lot better than my previous failed attempt when I tried to do both in the beginning

    Also- I tell myself that I'm burning fat when I feel hungry
  • rugger2row
    rugger2row Posts: 10 Member
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    I find that I am most disciplined in the morning (and after reading a lot of articles, it sounds like that is the rule of thumb for how we humans are...but I only know for sure about me). Therefore I front load all the healthy (hard) decision making to the beginning of my day. I wake up and get my workout done in the morning at 4am (which for me is easier then after I get home from a long day at work). I also portion out all my meals for the day from the meals that I have already prepped for the week on Sunday (I don't cook during the week because it leaves room for poor decision making when I am tired and stressed. I know I make better decisions on the weekend when I am relaxed). My motto is that it is easier to be disciplined when you have set yourself up for success. I try to do everything I can ahead of time to make making the healthy decision in the moment not only the right option but also the easiest and most convenient option as well.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited July 2015
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    It's all about the clean livin' and self-denial for me!

    Sometimes I eat more than I should, but I get back on the proverbial horse ok. On a 1-10 discipline scale, I'd probably go 6 or 7.

    Now this is self-discipline, I'm assuming. I'm not into that kinky stuff.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    For me, it helps greatly that I can still all the foods I like, so there isn't the senes of deprivation that would come with a more traditional "diet."
    Having said that, someone once told me, "Self-control is like a muscle." The implication here is that the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
  • escadachic
    escadachic Posts: 395 Member
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    I'll be real for a minute here. The scale and the mirror!

    I often keep going back on bad habits and emotional eating. So when the mirror is being honest with me and the scale more so, I get a wake up call and yet again get back on the wagon. But been falling off a lot lately!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Focus, patience and good planning. Breaking it down and taking it one day at a time makes it more manageable.

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