How do you maintain that initial excitement!?

That initial exceitement wears off .... it's natural and happens about everything in life .... ever been crazy in love and then found it changed as time went on ... still in love but not like when it was new? Ever buy something new and feel absolutely blessed everytime you looked at it, thought about, touched it and then after a while you didn't much care anymore? .... If you had that initial surge all the time you would fry your brain!

The way you keep on going is you make it a pattern of living ... like how you get up each morning, brush your teeth, put on your clothes ... all without much thinking about it. In other words, it has to become a part of your everyday living ... a habit of doing things a certain way.

For me, there was no initial excitement. I didn't want to be here and I didn't want to do this. It was with heavy sighs and rolling of eyes that I set out to prove people wrong. They thought I should be able to lose weight ... but I was too old, too far along into perimenopause ... there was no way I could lose weight and I was just simply going to remain the weight I was for the rest of my life.

For 10 days, I was right.

And then I started to lose.

For me, sticking with it was a combination of my natural stubbornness + seeing results. An easily manageable plan also helped ... a plan that allowed it all to become habit. It's just what I do now.

I think the trick is finding something that keeps you going after the "honeymoon" wears off. For me, I was never losing weight just for its own sake, but for the sake of other personal goals of mine that required a level of physical fitness I didn't and don't have. Those goals are still important and meaningful to me.

The same way you get up and go to work every day, day after day, week after week, month after month, year...

You find a pace and stick to it. It comes your life, or the way you live.

The first 6 months or so were tough because it was a new habit I was trying to form. 2 years later, the habits are in place, so I don't need the excitement or motivation any more than I need motivation to take a shower every day or do the dishes when they are dirty. I don't feel like I need to be excited about those things. I am passionate about things I enjoy, and don't need to artificially stir up excitement for things I consider 'adulting'.

But for that first 6 months or so, I found what worked for me was to make a deal with my husband. By nature I am super competitive, and didn't want to lose the 'bet'. For example, we each set up goals each week, and if we didn't meet the goal, we would watch a movie of the other person's choice. My goals at first were things like drink my 8 ounces of water and take my vitamins every day. A little later on, I was struggling with motivation to work out, so I would make a bet him that I could work out a certain number of minutes that week.

We would change the bet every week, depending on how we needed to challenge ourselves. Sometimes the loser had to do a household chore normally done by the other person. The great thing was, if we both met our goals, no one had to lose. Conversely you could have positive rewards if you meet the goal.

I went on iTunes and found an album of drill instructors "singing" motivational cadences. Helps on those long tread mill runs!

Become grateful each and everyday, that is the key to happiness instead of yearning for excitement that cannot be sustained. Think of it this way, you wouldn't appreciate excitement if it was a part of your everyday life. We appreciate it for the short time it comes our way, whether it be a new job, relationship, marriage or a new baby. Look up words of inspiration and most center on the word gratitude.

Look for contentment versus excitement. Be grateful for your new job, your health, your family, etc. because none of us know what's ahead of us in the future..

Susan

I have set up lots of incremental goals and made a google calendar for just those goals. Some of them are lose 1st 10 pounds, lose 5% of my body weight, lose % of my body weight, be in the 100's (wonderland!), have less than 50 pounds to lose, etc.... I have figured out approximately how long this should take, then add 3-4 weeks to that to account for weight loss not being linear. Every time I hit one of those goals, I realize I'm making progress. If I don't hit a goal, then I can see how far I am from that goal and adjust the calendar accordingly. I never "beat myself up" for not hitting a goal by a certain date. Those dates are just to keep me focused and moving in the right direction. I have lost 26 pounds in 92 days using this method. It has really helped me on days when the scale just won't budge for awhile. I can see where I've been and where I'm going.