How do you keep yourself disciplined?

Parnasse
Parnasse Posts: 7 Member
edited November 21 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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Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,634 Member
    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
    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: 15,151 Member
    You want it badly enough, you just do it. I want this, therefore it is.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    edited July 2015
    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
    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: 12,942 Member
    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
    Eliminate obstacles to compliance + make a commitment until it's habit

    (Gym is close, I plan shopping etc)
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
    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
    get workout buddies who are disciplined and learn from them
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    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
    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
    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: 1,137 Member
    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
    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
    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.
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  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited July 2015
    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
    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
    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
    Focus, patience and good planning. Breaking it down and taking it one day at a time makes it more manageable.
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  • alimagnum
    alimagnum Posts: 1 Member
    Discipline ? My goal provides my discipline. For once in my adult life i want to be normal weight. Moving down thro 4 dress sizes is the motivation, think of those shopping trips, and more motivation you have, the less obvious amount of discipline is needed. I admire those who can change what they eat, how much they eat and exercise from the get go and shed lots of pounds in a few months. Well, that ain't me ! I've chunked down 58lbs over 26 months, done it in stages. Be realistic about how long its going to take, dont measure your progress against others. Just keep focused on what you wamt to achieve.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Practice

    ^^This. It gets to be habit, and after 3+ years I absolutely will not let myself get back to the place I was. The alternative is not acceptable, so will continue to monitor and stay within the "normal" range for my weight.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    disciplined?

    i dont want to be fat.

    thats my motivation. LOLOL
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    First, I decide what I want to do (e.g. lose weight); you gotta want it! Then, I decide how I want to do it (e.g. calorie counting). Then, I remove any unnecessary obstacles (e.g. choco tacos in the house). Then, I track my progress (e.g. weigh myself). The progress or (lack thereof) keeps me in check. But it all goes back to truly wanting your goal over the alternatives...
  • margaret123mfp
    margaret123mfp Posts: 3 Member
    I just tell myself how badly I want it and if I blip all my hard work for that day is ruined I feel. I look at before and after photos on google/here/instagram etc.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    Avoid making food decisions when hungry or tired! Eggs and cheese sticks are two fast low calorie and satiating options to get unhungry and buy yourself some time to make a rational good decision. Almonds are good for this also, but higher calorie.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I decided that losing weight was more important than not. It doesn't really take discipline, it just takes reminding myself of my goal.
  • ljones27uk
    ljones27uk Posts: 177 Member
    depends on what you are trying to achieve.. For me, I am training for a marathon, and I find having an event booked in my diary that I am committed to is great for keeping me dedicated to training. Ive a few family members travelling to the marathon, so I feel like I really need to be ready for it on the day and perform as well as possible.. (for me its all about completing the course, Ive not done a marathon before and have never really been into running)... beyond the marathon Im not sure but I am looking at what else I can get booked up so I dont slip into bad habits and have something more to focus on.
    Re Food and overeating... Old photos of me before I lost a load of weight helps me stay dedicated to not putting it back on.. :-)
  • Holly_Wood_888
    Holly_Wood_888 Posts: 268 Member
    My clothing is my best motivator... Since my journey from 170lbs-119 and a struggle with over eating and eating the wrong things, I keep in mind how I felt being so overweight each morning when I get dressed.
    Each day I make a mental note at how comfortable they feel compared to how they felt when I was heavier :)
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