What keeps you motivated?

My son is 7 months old and I haven’t lost the baby weight. Between him being diagnosed with brain cancer at 3 months old and me going back to graduate school, my health hasn’t been a priority. With everything going on, I finally decided I don’t want to be worried about my weight and what people think. So I just decided to go for it and not second guess and not look back. My hope is that when life settles down I will be able to look at myself and I’ll be proud.

I don't want to have a heart attack and I fear that I will within ten years if I don't get a grip on this.

I didn't notice this (no old, fat people)! I'm getting older, too (just turned 63) and have 40-50 pounds to loose. I've lost 20 and then fell off the wagon when I mistakenly took a bite of some rocky road ice cream. BIG mistake. So I'm trying to get back on track and need to find my motivation.

I had a few "ah ha" moments late last year that really set me onto my "this is my life forever now" journey.

1. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure last fall - my dad passed away at only 60 from high blood pressure that he left untreated because he was stubborn and didn't like doctors.
2. My co-worker who is the same age as I am had a heart attack last December, it was a minor one but I realized that although he is chubby I was far more obese than he.
3. I have very bad knees from sports injuries when I was a cross country running teenager. One knee in particular is very bad and something popped last fall so it became so much worse, my only option left is a knee replacement and Im not even quite 50 yet. It prevents me from doing a lot, even just walking sometimes so any extra weight is a killer for pain and my quality of life in general.

I got depressed around the same time as a result of these "issues" and floundered for a few months in a depressed state. It hit me early 2017 that this was completely in my control. I could follow in my father's footsteps or I could just wake up every day and concentrate on my health.
I started on January 15, 2017 by promising myself that I would log every morsel on MFP and would make sure to be in an appropriate calorie deficit each day. I didn't look any further forward than that original 12 weeks as I knew that with about 85 lbs to lose it would take much longer. Looking at the big picture was just to overwhelming so this strategy worked for me. I did not exercise at all until month 2 when I had lost a bit to make it easier on my knees, bought a recumbent bike and started doing weight training 3 times per week.

I don't look forward to far, it just overwhelms me and freaks me out! Instead I pick mini goals to accomplish, like my first 12 weeks I did lose 24 lbs, exactly what I had targeted. It is now 10 months into my journey and I have lost 60 lbs and am 25 lbs to my goal weight. I have had periods of time that my knee went out badly again so I have not performed any exercise for a month or so to recuperate. I ALWAYS log every morsel and I am ALWAYS in an appropriate deficit every day. Since Im sometimes not as active as I could be I am strict with my calorie deficit and what foods I put into my body. I eat absolutely NO processed items, no dairy, wheat, or red meat (some due to allergies, some choice). I do miss some things sometimes but I would rather live a long and happier life than indulge in a moment of pleasure that will have regret afterwards.

My "ah ha" moment where I really hit my stride was at about month 6 into this journey, where I finally got the saying my mom has had on her fridge for years . . . NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SLIM AND HEALTHY FEELS.

I will always pass up something calorific now because I feel amazing and know that this is a lifetime of making the right choices . . . if you want to live life as a slim and healthy person than you need to live that lifestyle for life too. Im no longer depressed at all, I wake up every day with purpose knowing that Im in control. Im a much happier and energetic person now.

1. I'm moving to a different job in a different country next year. I want to create a good first impression and start a new life in a fit condition, ready to meet potential stress. It is motivating to have a concrete date defined by external circumstances by which I should achieve a certain result.
2. I do a fair amount of public speaking, and I feel more confident if I know I look fair.
3. I often feel dejected, sleepy, and lacking energy, even though I am healthy. I hope to alleviate some of that by losing extra fat.
4. Having a structured approach to fat loss helps you portion your time, so that everything else is also structured. E.g., preparing for a test or meditating. It breaks time-consuming binges such as excessive computer gaming or posting at forums.
5. I was overweight a while ago, then I lost weight due to dietary changes, but then I picked a bit up again. I had such fluctuations throughout my life. I am now quite afraid it would spiral out of control, so I am striking back at it while I still only have a budding tummy.
6. If I don't lose fat now (30), it will be harder to do later down the road. I'm fairly healthy now, even though I used to be overweight some time ago, and I'd prefer to keep it that way.
7. I have even more important and urgent things to do than the gym, so exercising is a form of procrastination, to a degree.

Feeling cute in my clothes! And seeing small progress in my body like my arm looking more toned or my tummy looking flatter. It's the best!

At first is was health and feeling good and fit, but it’s also largely due to vanity. I wanna look good as I can!!