Need some motivation!!

At some point I realized I could not keep up the motivation if I was constantly hungry and hating the diet foods I was eating. I just don't think most people (including myself) have the inner strength to be "motivated" in the face of constant deprivation. It'd take a Navy SEAL to have the fortitude to fight that battle successfully. So I reengineered my diet from the ground up to be something I could enjoy. More calories / slower weight loss. Total avoidance of "diet foods" or anything else I don't personally love to eat - doesn't matter if Brussel Sprouts are good for you, if I'm gonna stare at them on the plate and feel like I'm being punished! 1-2 pieces of Dove chocolate EVERY night (44 to 88 calories), it's the first thing I log in the morning so that those calories are already accounted for before the day starts! No diet shakes, powders, or other nonsense - only REAL FOOD that I LOVE. And also, I was hating the small meals, so I compacted my eating day into 8 hours so I could have two legit, full sized, non-diet meals every day. And so on. When I got all done, I had a plan customized to ME that was everything I liked to eat and nothing I didn't, and only demanding that I moderate my portion sizes and be a *little* hungry once in a while. The point being, you don't need motivation; you need a diet strategy that doesn't require you to be motivated because you're happy being on your diet.

Step 1 would be to cut that 1 lb/week goal in half, which will instantly buy you another 250 calories per day. Do it at that level for a week or two, so that you get used to dieting without feeling like you're being punished. While that's going on, think about what you like to eat and get plenty of it in there. Lose a pound or two, and then take stock. You can always go more aggressive later, after you have a customized game-plan in place that's making you happy.