I'm starting tomorrow! How can I stay motivated.

MotherShabubu
MotherShabubu Posts: 10 Member
edited December 2 in Getting Started
I have 50 kilos (110 pounds) to lose. I know it's going to be a long and very difficult journey.

Any tips for staying motivated?

Also, feel free to add me as a friend!

Replies

  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Set up mfp to lose 2lb per week.

    If you don't have a medical condition, don't cut foods out of your way of eating (I refuse to call it a diet). Losing weight is all about calories, well eating less calories than your body needs to maintain. Not cutting my favourite foods was the biggest motivator and helped me to stick to the weight loss. Just weigh your food with a food scale on grams and choose accurate database entries that reflect the packaging information. No gimmicks, silly rules, shakes (unless you want to add more protein to your diet), pills. Just eat the foods that you like, but weigh and log them.

    Good luck.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    I agree with cerise noir.
    Don't look at this as a diet, look at this is a lifestyle change. Diets fail, you're miserable you sacrifice stuff and that's why most people don't succeeded diets.

    As far as motivation the motivation has to come from within. No one can motivate you to do anything. You have to find your why, something that's totally selfish. it has to be for you it can't be for the kids I can't be for the significant others. Buy it being totally for you, all the other things work themselves out. You also have to realize that you're worth it. Good luck
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    It doesn't have to be a difficult journey... think positive!

    And the time will pass anyway!
  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Set up mfp to lose 2lb per week.

    If you don't have a medical condition, don't cut foods out of your way of eating (I refuse to call it a diet). Losing weight is all about calories, well eating less calories than your body needs to maintain. Not cutting my favourite foods was the biggest motivator and helped me to stick to the weight loss. Just weigh your food with a food scale on grams and choose accurate database entries that reflect the packaging information. No gimmicks, silly rules, shakes (unless you want to add more protein to your diet), pills. Just eat the foods that you like, but weigh and log them.

    Good luck.

    This is great information.

    Only thing I'll add is, when you have 100 pounds to lose it's not going to hurt you to lose weight at 3-4 pounds a week for the first 20-30 pounds. But if you are worried about motivation being an issue you may want to stick to 2 pounds a week. Losing weight slowly is more likely to keep you from falling of the wagon.

    Also, the closer you get to your goal weight the more unlikely it is for you to lose weight at 2 pounds a week. Don't let that discourage you, it's completely normal.
  • tinuz
    tinuz Posts: 1,123 Member
    to be honest, feel good about yourself.
    Have a plan and stick to it, keep the mindset, then the results will come.

    Don't expect immediate results....
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited June 2016
    MotherShabubu wrote: »
    I have 50 kilos (110 pounds) to lose. I know it's going to be a long and very difficult journey.

    Any tips for staying motivated?

    Also, feel free to add me as a friend!

    Think of how exciting it is to start a journey. One thing I regret, and I'm only about halfway through my journey, is not having more before pictures. Do yourself a favor and take some and take pictures along the way, too, so you can post in the success board. If you haven't already, check out some of those stories. I think some of the best stories are from people who have lost over 100 pounds. You can be one of them!

    ETA: I agree with others that this journey does not have to be difficult. Misery is not required to lose weight. If anything, I enjoy all my food as well as my treats more now that I eat a little less because I'm not stuffing myself full or eating subpar food that just happens to be there. Nope, I deserve better than that and so do you. Losing weight can be delicious. That is nothing to dread, but something to look forward to.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    The best thing you can do is make it as easy as possible, and build good habits. My most important habit is planning my meals the day before. Every day, I get up and know exactly what I need to do and how I will do it - down to exact portion sizes. Making the plan takes less time than brushing my teeth before bed, and following the plan is just second nature by now. I am actually not all that motivated - I just do it anyway, like all the other things I have to do that I don't particularly feel strongly motivated for, but do anyway.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    It's certainly not too late to start today and tomorrow really does never get here.
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
    Start today. Don't focus on the end goal or staying motivated - that is already giving thought to failure. Simply try and make each decision your best one possible. Learn to be in your body and in the now. How did your choice make you feel? Is it a feeling you want to recreate?
  • Veryana
    Veryana Posts: 122 Member
    It doesn't need to be constant suffering. Healthy food can taste delicious. I was having hard time adding fruits and vegetables to my food but then I figured out why not have a smoothie? Fruits, berries, some yoghurt and little bit juice or milk... Tastes so awesome and fresh and it is really filling for the amount of calories it has in it :smile: Freeze the fruits and add some frozen banana in blender with them? Nearly like sorbet!

    And the best thing is... Once you start to lose weight and feel the difference you will want to keep going on. I've lost 10 kg (22 lbs) since January and even tho it doesn't sound like much for me it is a lot with 50 kg overweight. I'm so much stronger and faster and I can run without running out of breath instantly! That alone feels like huge victory for me!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    MotherShabubu wrote: »
    I have 50 kilos (110 pounds) to lose. I know it's going to be a long and very difficult journey.

    Any tips for staying motivated?

    Also, feel free to add me as a friend!
    Motivation is internal. You either have it for this or don't. People can encourage, urge, support, cheer you on, but if you're not up for it, then none of it will matter.
    Get in a good routine and be CONSISTENT. Changing your behavior will be the one thing that keeps you on track.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    I think tracking is vital and will be motivating in a month or so when you see how far you've come. I've also really cut back on sugar and carbs, which is something I never, ever thought I could do. But it has really tamped down the cravings a bunch, to the point where most of the time I would rather be eating the good stuff.
  • imchrisandrews
    imchrisandrews Posts: 1 Member
    edited June 2016
    Set a 13-week goal, then set weekly checkpoint targets. 110 lbs in only 3 months would be a bit ambitious, so say you're looking to drop 20 lbs (my current goal actually for the next 13-weeks!). That's only 1.5 lbs per week! Not so daunting when you look at it that way. Check in with yourself every week. Even better, grab a blank printed calendar and cross off every day that you've stuck to your calorie intake target, and every day that you've done 30 minutes of exercise. When you see all those days crossed off, you won't want to break the chain! And identify a reward that will come at the end of those 13 weeks when you actually succeed. Make it something good, like a weekend vacation. Use all the money you've saved from not eating out (that's my plan!).

    Lastly, the biggest motivator, I find, is success. When you start to feel and look better, you'll know you're getting results and you'll want to keep going. BEST OF LUCK, we all know you can do it.
  • amanda000002014
    amanda000002014 Posts: 73 Member
    Your not starting tomorrow because you started today by creating a thread. Write your goals and the reasons why you have them. I doing some elimination.I made a list of the foods that make me fat and I am cutting it out one step at a time; my hardest being the soda. It took me about two weeks. I on my second day and I am feeling awesome. I used to hate water now that's all I drink, and since I stop drinking Mountain Dew And am now drinking water my tongue despise sweets, especially soda. I picked a weigh in day, which is every Thursday and that's also the day I reevaluate my diet. Although my goal is to lose weight my ultimate goal is to change how I live my life. I am looking at losing the weight as a bonus for the changes I make in my life.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    If you set yourself up for a long and difficult journey you won't lose any of it let alone 50 kilos.

    Nobody can motivate you, so go back to rethink why YOU want to lose weight.

    The new lifestyle can have a lot of benefits, feel more energetic, sleep better, hurt less, spend less money on food, eat less enjoy it more.
  • Annahbananas
    Annahbananas Posts: 284 Member
    MotherShabubu wrote: »
    I have 50 kilos (110 pounds) to lose. I know it's going to be a long and very difficult journey.

    Any tips for staying motivated?

    Also, feel free to add me as a friend!


    I can only tell you how I got motivated. Trying to lose weight was never my forte.

    I just kept ignoring the symptom and then one day I found it hard to breath when I laid down. Then one day, I was gasping for air. I drove myself to the hospital (I don't know how). All I remember was getting out of my car in front of the emergency room. The next thing I knew...I was in ICU. My blood pressure was 220/190 my resting heart beat was 180 beats per minute....and I was 302 pounds.

    All of my organs were shutting down. All of them. Doctors stated if I did not drive to the hospital that night I would have died.

    I don't have diabetes, never had a heart condition but this was 100% related to my weight.

    I tell this story because no matter what diets I tried, I failed. It took me almost dying at a VERY YOUNG age to get my motivation.

    I pray others do not have to go through what I did for that motivation.

    For your motivation, let it be FOR YOU. Not for a special guy or a special girl....or even your children at first. I. The beginning you need to do this for you.

    Never give up! Never let a bad day derail you. Never let a day that you cheated fail you. Progression is never a straight line. Success has no lines. Only you can dictate your own success :)

    I have complete faith in you!!!!
  • ChristopherLimoges
    ChristopherLimoges Posts: 298 Member
    edited June 2016
    Throughout your journey recount how better you feel every week or so. Recount mental, emotional, and physical positive changes. Let these be your motivation to do more, and go further. Distance yourself from the negativity, and just continue working towards your goals. Many say the best motivation comes from the rock bottom, and being there long enough to know better. Some say the motivation can only come from self.

    Whether where it comes from: every interaction influences each of us on a day to day basis; all the better reason to seek more positive possibilities if you ask me.

    Motivational speakers, and coaches, will sometimes tell you the same thing, and that, - no - motivational speech will make you do something. That's because, ultimately, we make the defining decisions, -- at the end, -- and in the beginning, of each conflict we encounter. The decisions in our control, are ultimately our own. Bear this as a burden, and you will either succeed greatly, or fail miserably. The choice is always ours.

    There are quite a few motivational pieces available to you. One that's stuck with me for some time is called, Rise and Shine.

    Welcome to The Grind.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPLxQD4akQ
  • MRbigGUYXXL
    MRbigGUYXXL Posts: 119 Member
    by starting the day after tomorrow hahaha keeps me motivated . ........ down side is i never started :/
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    MissusMoon wrote: »
    My "tomorrow" took 12 years to come. There was always an excuse, an event, something. You're going to have to learn to deal with all those things successfully, why not try now?

    I totally feel you on this one. It was always 'I'll start next week, this week it's my friend's birthday' or 'I'll start in a couple months, after Christmas' or 'I'll start tomorrow' and then the next day someone would invite me to lunch and I never started to 'diet'. What I didn't realise is that I could have handled all of those things by either eating smaller portions of things I liked, making healthier choices, or taking a day out (no way am I restricting Christmas day, but Christmas isn't an excuse to binge for two months!). They were not good reasons not to start a healthier lifestyle with smaller portions. They were excuses because I didn't really want to change.
    Of course, it may be that OP is in a time zone that means 'today' is already over, or maybe 'today' is something special. Or yeah, maybe OP just didn't want to start today. Whatever it is, one day won't make too much of a difference as long as they really DO start tomorrow. Good luck, OP! I recommend the 80/20 approach. 80% nutritious food, 20% treats to keep you from feeling deprived.
  • JamesBost2016
    JamesBost2016 Posts: 36 Member
    I found that finding MFP friends that are motivated help me. I stay accountable to my diary daily. When I finish it for the night I'm done eating. No cheating. Other people's open diaries help me with ideas. Good luck.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    You only need to keep your motivation for a couple of weeks. After this it will become a habit.

    But for the first several weeks - why don't you make a kind of a game out of it. Log all your food and then do some exercise to "earn" more food to eat :) I like taking long walks, using my pedometer and then after I get home I happily log in around 250-300 calories. That's a lot more to eat! :) Also don't forget to take before pictures. I forgot and my before picture is half way in. I regret it now. But these are very motivating once you start losing.
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