How to keep the motivation? I really need help with that
AraSauret
Posts: 8 Member
So I'm open to any suggestion on how to stay motivated during the whole journey because that's really what I'm lacking at the moment...
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Replies
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The best thing for me is to avoid boredom. It makes me want to cook and or eat. Make sure to set 1 small goal a week. This really helps me because if I look at where I want to be physically I know realistically it is 2 years away. Good luck11
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So I'm open to any suggestion on how to stay motivated during the whole journey because that's really what I'm lacking at the moment...
For me personally I weigh every morning... watching that scale reduce the numbers I see before me each day is my motivation, my 0.1lb closer to my desired weight, sometimes I see a big loss sometimes a little and then at times it just simply plateaus which is common and then maybe a few days later I'll see another decrease! Just remember where you started, where you want to be but most importantly - why you want to be there!!
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I have found motivation to be something that comes and goes. The best thing for me has been establishing new healthy habits. When the motivation is waning a little, the habits can take over.
It also helps to have short term goals and start focusing on the next one just before you reach the current one.11 -
For me personally it's a combination of things that keep me going when I get it in my head I want to quit. It's looking back at the pics from where I started, the measurements, my journal from day 1 when I couldn't even walk 5 minutes let alone talk at the same time. It's also the way I feel not eating so much processed foods the fact that I don't get sick as easy. It's those little things that are keeping me going. Sure I know I have well over 100 pounds to go and I try not to focus on that I focus on hey I've lost 30 pounds look how far I've already come I can't stop now!
Find those little things because you are worth being both happy and healthy! You can do it!6 -
Everyone has their good and bad days or weeks but if you've got the right mind set you'll be fine
I find taking before and after pictures really help seeing your body change that makes me motivated to see even more results.. 3 -
Love this thread of peeps! Great motivations goin on here and I certainly agree with the pics. I personally put a pic on the fridge to remind me of my goals-- helps to make good choices as I reach go the handle1
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Motivation is fickle and temporary.
You just have to chose to do it.
In the beginning, set yourself up for success. Don't buy trigger foods, find a workout plan you enjoy and can stick to, set alarms on your phone- build the habit.
Also, keep your "why" in your head. Mine is my kids, so they have a mom who can play with them and doesn't hide from a camera. One who doesnt pass her baggage with food on to them- so they learn healthy and don't have to relearn with bad habits to make it harder.
But it really comes down to doing it when you don't want to. Saying "No thanks!" to the dessert that you really want, but don't have room for. You just have to do it.9 -
One of my favourite expressions from MFP posters is "Motivation (or willpower or losing weight) is hard. Being obese (or fat or heavy) is hard - pick your hard"
What do you want? A momentary hit of endorphins followed by self criticism and misery or another pound lost?
No one can give you motivation - we all struggle and you have to find your own reasons for pushing on.
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I'm with @genpopadopolous, WHY is always my motivator, I could care less about the numbers on a scale. If that's your motivation that's cool too but I find always being mindful, or reminding yourself of your reasons WHY you're putting yourself thru tough workouts and logging food tediously even when it gets annoying sometimes, is easier to maintain long term.
For me personally, my WHY is my family. Having a mother and grandfather that are type 2 diabetics, and a brother who's type 1 is a huge reminder of WHY choosing to live a healthy lifestyle is important. Seeing them poke needles daily just to live is enough to motivate me to want to do everything I can to avoid being in a position like that myself.
My suggestion is to find that WHY in your life and make that the goal.6 -
So I'm open to any suggestion on how to stay motivated during the whole journey because that's really what I'm lacking at the moment...
It's a competition, you set your calorie goal and it's a daily challenge to hit your target. Fundamentally, you need to feel that internal challenge to hit goals. If you don't feel that challenge then you need to reexamine why you want to even lose weight - maybe you really don't care.5 -
In short my advice is - stop relying on motivation. Motivation is a positive emotion - meaning when you aren't so positive it wanes, and it isn't always around. Do you go to work because your motivated? clean your house because your motivated? Wash your clothes, shop for food, pay your bills? Nope - you do them because you have to and that's a part of life. Try and think of weight loss as in the same category. You're not doing it because you 'want' to (which is motivation), do it because you HAVE to (which is determination, even resignation).15 -
MarvinsAMartian wrote: »I'm with @genpopadopolous, WHY is always my motivator, I could care less about the numbers on a scale. If that's your motivation that's cool too but I find always being mindful, or reminding yourself of your reasons WHY you're putting yourself thru tough workouts and logging food tediously even when it gets annoying sometimes, is easier to maintain long term.
For me personally, my WHY is my family. Having a mother and grandfather that are type 2 diabetics, and a brother who's type 1 is a huge reminder of WHY choosing to live a healthy lifestyle is important. Seeing them poke needles daily just to live is enough to motivate me to want to do everything I can to avoid being in a position like that myself.
My suggestion is to find that WHY in your life and make that the goal.
I can totally relate. My dad's side of the family have always been and had tendencies of being grossly obese. My dad, now 60, is on dialysis 3 x a week, diabetic, has had a stroke due to diabetic coma, and is on the verge of amputation of his right foot. My WHY is right in front of me. My brothers (I have 5 and I'm the eldest and only girl) all are overweight and one is 28 with the health rate of a 60 year old bc of his obesity all his life (pushing 400lbs.) I don't nor will I allow myself to be that way at 60. I will do whatever I can to help me in this Dept. I don't want my children to care for me bc of a self-induced condition, and I want to be an example for my children, as well.
So can these emotions and witnessing of these dilapidating illnesses be considered motivation? I guess it is all a matter of perspective ✌2 -
LaurenGetsFit2 wrote: »I feel like motivation is largely a myth.
What works and gives results is dedication---and that is built by habit.
Agreed! I think motivation is a "spark" that can really ignite something in a person and make them take those first brave steps into the gym or make them throw out the junk in their cupboards and vow to start a healthier life but I don't think motivation is something you can sustain in that sense. You need to not be relying on it anyway. Instead self-discipline will create a habit eventually if you're disciplined enough to keep on going even on days when you're not motivated.1 -
Things that help me:
- Remembering why I want to be healthier. I recommend actually writing out by hand (not typing) a detailed, lengthy list of all the things that make you want to be healthy, that you could do/do more easily if you were healthy, that make it worth the effort, etc. My list has everything from "Lower my risk of diabetes, which runs in the family" to "I want to be able to backpack across Europe" to "I want to live long enough to see my nephew get married" to "I will like shopping for clothes more" to "My back won't hurt so much."
- Remembering that motivation follows a behavior rather than proceeds it. We're only motivated to do thing X because we did it once before and it was good. Things have to be rewarded before they feel rewarding. If you wait until you feel ready/motivated, you wait forever.
- Trying not to prioritize how I feel and instead focus on what I know/think. I never feel like going to the gym. Never ever. Not once in my entire life, even when I was a student athlete. If that was the deciding factor, I wouldn't go. But I think I should go and I know I will benefit if I do. So I go.
- Company. My sister is also working to get healthier, and we check in with each other and cheer each other on and mourn the lost progress and push through the plateaus and all of that.
- Keep things interesting. I get bored with the same workouts especially. I need to try and do new things, and it helps me to mix up the days/times I work out.
- Take breaks. Forgive myself for them. And then make corrections to stay on track.
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So I'm open to any suggestion on how to stay motivated during the whole journey because that's really what I'm lacking at the moment...
For me, it isn't about motivation. It's habitual. It's waking up everyday and making a decision, making decisions throughout the day that aid me in reaching my goal. Positive affirmations, if you will.3 -
Here's an MFP classic: "The Myth of Motivation (and what you need instead)"
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818701/the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead/p11 -
A lot has already been said (habits over motivation, etc), but it can also be as simple as comparing your dietary habits with another aspect of your life. You don't feel like getting up and going to work but you do anyway, because you need to pay your bills. You want dessert, but it doesn't fit in your calories, so don't try to make excuses for why you can have it. Set firm boundaries for yourself, the way you would for your children (whether you have them or not), and stick to them. Reward yourself or make small allowances when appropriate. Consequences will follow. You can't relying on feeling like you want to go to work to pay the bills, so it stands to reason that you need more than motivation to lose weight. Structure, habits, staying busy and keeping familiar healthy patterns can help too!5
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You're reason for doing something different needs to be stronger than your reason to keep doing things as you have been. For me, finally going keto full time became about how I felt overall, not just the weight loss.0
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Motivation will wane, great habits will stick with you.
That being said, I subscribe to every newsletter and blog I can find on healthy eating and spend my downtime reading them rather than watching TV. It helps me stay focused, not necessarily motivated.1 -
Continue to log no matter what. Once the feeling of giving up hurts more than the undying hunger for comfort food, you're succeeding.0
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It is hard to stay motivated, especially when the scale stops moving and/or everything has gotten tedious. My wife had a lot of weight to lose and made a paper chain, adding one link every time she lost a pound. This chain was displayed in our bedroom so she would see it every single day when she woke up. She could visibly see what she had accomplished. It kept her going every day until she got to her goal. She kept it up for a few months of maintenance, and I bought her a symbolic bracelet as a replacement when she took it down because it was just collecting dust on our ceiling. I'd definitely recommend the paper chain or some other visual depiction of your success.7
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really silly but looking at new clothes online. I want too look GOOD in them! Not yucky!0
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For me it is doing a great variety of exercise - I walk, do different classes at the gym - kettlebells, body balance, cross training etc. Occasionally will go a long cycle, have started burlesque and pole dancing classes.......doing what I enjoy, and allowing myself a day off and a wee red wine at weekends helps too!
I find that as my body shape changes, I become more motivated, and I have loads more energy than I used to! I am paying attention to what I eat but it is all about the exercise for me :-)
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The only thing that motivated me was purchasing a FitBit and adding all my friends on the app that also own one (surprisingly quite a few). We do daily challenges to see who "wins" at most steps, most calories burned, etc. I find myself walking an extra 5,000 steps strictly out of competition. Swinging my battling rope an extra 15 minutes (300 calories), getting back on my bodybuilding routine, getting proper sleep, etc.
Every one has something different that they need to stay motivated and excited; for me that's tech nerd gadgets and friends that have the same goals.0
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