What Works to motivate you??

Sad to say, but keeping an image of an unhealthy close relative in my mind that I don't want to end up resembling keeps me motivated!

I also like to reward myself with new workout clothes occasionally. Keeping track of my physical activity each day and tracking my progeess/setting new goals also keeps me going.

I try not to rely on motivation. It's a rollercoaster, and dieting needs something more reliable. What I found helps me best is not to keep trying to motivate myself (although I welcome the feeling when it's around). I shifted focus from the goal to the process. I measure my success by my ability to develop working real life strategies, habits, and weight management tools, regardless of what my weight is doing.

I also don't ask too much of myself. I can't see myself consistently eating a diet very low in calories or exercising for hours, so I pick things that are relatively easy to do consistently, and I do them consistently. I don't expect perfection either. If something doesn't go according to my plan, I just forget this blip and continue where I left off.

Trying to always look for context in the big picture has been one of the most important skills I managed to teach myself. Partial success is not failure, and what looks like failure can actually be important steps towards success. For example, I had McDonald's a few days ago and went over my calories (by 800+ calories, for a total of 2800 calories), but I'm proud of my day.
- I didn't get the triple chocolate muffin although I wanted it. I decided that I could either have that or the McFlurry, but not both, and I decided on the McFlurry. I didn't impulse buy the muffin. Every time I keep my eating controlled and avoid impulse eating is a win.
- It was a hungry day and I knew I would be overeating anyway. McDonald's is filling for me, so it was a good choice.
- I didn't judge myself for going over calories, and it made me happy that "judgement days" rarely happen nowadays. They do me no good.
- The protein in that meal was great, so it feels like a win because I don't always eat meals with decent protein, especially not ones with red meat (I need the iron)
- I didn't have a "screw it" day just because I went over calories. My eating was controlled and anxiety-free.
- I was tempted to exercise it off next day, but it didn't feel right. I was feeling sorry for myself and that it "wasn't fair" that I get so damn hungry sometimes, so exercising would have been a form of being desperate for control. I'm proud that I didn't force myself to exercise it off when it might have felt like a purge. I'm very careful when to exercise off extra calories and when not to, making sure I only do it if there are no negative feelings attached, but sometimes I slip. That day I didn't slip, so it was a win.

It's all about perspective. Neither current weight nor one day's calories are a measure of my success or failure. That's a narrow way of looking at it. Everything that gives me an advantage for long term weight management is a success, regardless of what my calories are doing on any particular day, and everything that gives me a disadvantage is an opportunity to refine my strategies.