What keeps motivating you?

ManlyMutt
ManlyMutt Posts: 23 Member
in Motivation and Support
The last few nights I've had really rough sleep. I have sleep apnea and although I tried various ways to take to a CPAP I never could. Some nights I think my sleep apnea are worse than others. They used to be far worse and more often 100 pounds ago. It's days like these that keep me motivated to lose weight. They're reminders on why I sacrifice so hard, because I know the more weight I lose the more these bad days wont happen as often and eventually not at all. And those good days will become even better days. We all have our motivation(s). What's yours?
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Replies

  • nookicky
    nookicky Posts: 16 Member
    Sports! Aerial arts, in particular. When I find a certain pose or combination is easier than usual, or I'm able to do something I couldn't do the week before, I know what I'm doing is working and that I just gotta keep working at it. It is a huge confidence booster and a fantastic motivation.
  • ManlyMutt
    ManlyMutt Posts: 23 Member
    niamhdean97 wrote: »
    The pandemic and feeling isolated has left me so unmotivated and I'm really struggling with it :(

    You are definitely not alone! A lot of my friends have been struggling and losing motivation as well. The covid 15 is a real thing. A lot of my friends are gaining weight and having a hard time losing it. A therapist friend of mine says her industry is booming because of this. I just did 12 sessions with a therapist and it really helped me. I truly believe in therapy and can't recommend it enough, but also know it's not for everyone.

  • Jennliftsandspins
    Jennliftsandspins Posts: 150 Member
    I keep a note on my phone of motivational quotes and sayings that speak to me. These relate to fitness as well as other areas of my life I’d like to improve. When I feel motivation lagging I take a look those quotes and feel better. I have a Pinterest vision board as well relating to fashion, travel, fitness, and motivation.
  • 190reasonswhy
    190reasonswhy Posts: 25 Member
    Motivation is seeing my cholesterol numbers drop at my Doctors in April. I had a total cholesterol of almost 300.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    For me it's feeling like a different person. I really changed from age 30 to 40. I made a big transformation in so many ways even though the most obvious externally was of course my 100+ weight loss. Remembering how I felt before vs. now motivates me.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,462 Member
    Any hope for working things out with the machine? The thing I really hated about the CPAP was what it stood for. I found it humiliating.

    But that said, after the first time I got some real sleep with it, I was in. Fact is the thing saved my life.

    I would have never made the changes I’ve been able to make without real sleep. Before the machine I probably hadn’t actually slept in years.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,387 Member
    seltzermint555 wrote: »
    Remembering how I felt before vs. now motivates me.

    ^^^ Mostly this, but including:

    *ability to get up and go when I feel like it, and feeling like it a lot

    *recovering the urge for nervous movement I had thirty years ago versus the “planted on the couch moving the feeding arm” limited range of motion

    * Ability to try - and accomplish- new poses, new skills, new exercises without fear of “she’s too fat/will fail” side eyes

    * Smaller and better clothes. Who knew there was a pretty cool fashion sense buried under that extra 90 pounds?

    * overcoming the GERD from Hell, the constant exhaustion, and the lack of sleep

    * my muscles. I don’t flaunt them but they are a constant, secret source of delight. Well hello there, little guys!

  • Alinouveau2
    Alinouveau2 Posts: 6,154 Member
    My clothes feeling looser, seeing results. Keeping my lungs healthy and in good shape. Being in shape just makes everything so much easier I think
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,482 Member
    To still be decent at running, jumping, climbing, kickboxing and an occasional break dancing move on the floor. I like sports and am always marveled at by my fitness when I play with guys 20+ years younger than me. At 57 I can still run a 5.5 sec 40 yard dash. By no means fast, but not slow either.


    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
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  • Izactoknife
    Izactoknife Posts: 8 Member
    I currently have some momentum going with jumping on the scale every morning. It's been pretty exciting for me to see that number continue to go down every day.
  • tbilly20
    tbilly20 Posts: 154 Member
    My motivation is my kids. I have two young daughters who need their Dad. My father passed when I was in my early 20’s, and I must do all I can to stay here for my princesses. I am recovering from heart surgery, and failure is not an option!!!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,387 Member
    mpkpbk2015 wrote: »
    My motivation is I can sleep all the way through the night and not have to get up and go to the bathroom. When I was 227 pounds I had an overactive bladder and had to get up several times a night even when I stopped drinking liquids at 6:30. I also don't have to take reflux meds anymore, and I am no longer pre-diabetic. My biggest motivator is looking at my old pictures and putting them next to my current pictures two years later and remembering how I felt and never wanting to go back and feeing like that way again. See for your self.ck0ych5b39ay.jpg
    yhtjpskt8dnt.jpg

    Ooooooh!!!!! New picture! Those are some bad *kitten* arms, my friend!!!! You go, girl!!!!!!
  • ManlyMutt
    ManlyMutt Posts: 23 Member
    A lot of what I like from this thread is a lot of peoples motivation that keeps them going is stuff I look forward to and that adds to my motivation. Being able to sleep through the night and feel rested feels like a dream, but I know it's a reality if I keep my weight loss up. The feeling good and not constantly exhausted sounds so great! I take 400mg of caffeine over the course of a day and it's just enough to barely keep my functional! Some really inspiring posts in here!
  • ManlyMutt
    ManlyMutt Posts: 23 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    Any hope for working things out with the machine? The thing I really hated about the CPAP was what it stood for. I found it humiliating.

    But that said, after the first time I got some real sleep with it, I was in. Fact is the thing saved my life.

    I would have never made the changes I’ve been able to make without real sleep. Before the machine I probably hadn’t actually slept in years.

    I was SUPER excited to get my CPAP machine! I had been wanting to get one for awhile but without insurance it took me awhile to save up for both the at home sleep study and CPAP machine. I became super frustrated trying everything to sleep with it because I knew how good it would make me feel. I cried when my mind would freak out for no reason. Like why did my mind fight this when I wanted it so bad? I've had friends that went on a CPAP and I could SEE the difference in how they were not just how they explained how much better they felt. It's a huge motivator knowing that if I lose the weight I can feel that way without the CPAP. I agree, I think if I slept better I'd have more energy to workout with more intensity and lose more weight. I have not been able to psychologically convince myself to give it another try as much as I would like to. I tried it for a couple months spent $100's on therapy and still couldn't get it to work. Spending close to $2,000 over all on trying to take to something and not being able to was very frustrating, but it also is a bigger driver on not giving up on weight loss and actually being successful in something. :)

  • sportygal1971
    sportygal1971 Posts: 60 Member
    My motivation is better health. I want to improve myself and have better quality of life in later years.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,935 Member
    ManlyMutt wrote: »
    88olds wrote: »
    Any hope for working things out with the machine? The thing I really hated about the CPAP was what it stood for. I found it humiliating.

    But that said, after the first time I got some real sleep with it, I was in. Fact is the thing saved my life.

    I would have never made the changes I’ve been able to make without real sleep. Before the machine I probably hadn’t actually slept in years.

    I was SUPER excited to get my CPAP machine! I had been wanting to get one for awhile but without insurance it took me awhile to save up for both the at home sleep study and CPAP machine. I became super frustrated trying everything to sleep with it because I knew how good it would make me feel. I cried when my mind would freak out for no reason. Like why did my mind fight this when I wanted it so bad? I've had friends that went on a CPAP and I could SEE the difference in how they were not just how they explained how much better they felt. It's a huge motivator knowing that if I lose the weight I can feel that way without the CPAP. I agree, I think if I slept better I'd have more energy to workout with more intensity and lose more weight. I have not been able to psychologically convince myself to give it another try as much as I would like to. I tried it for a couple months spent $100's on therapy and still couldn't get it to work. Spending close to $2,000 over all on trying to take to something and not being able to was very frustrating, but it also is a bigger driver on not giving up on weight loss and actually being successful in something. :)

    Which mask style are you using (well, trying to use)? Would changing that be of any help, unless you've already tried the alternatives?

    I have sleep apnea, have had various mask styles, haven't really struggled with any of them (just how I'm wired), but they do vary a lot, subjectively.

    Have you tried sleeping sitting up (recliner or incline pillow)? That helps some people. Depending on the nature of your obstructive physiology, there are also devices that reposition the jaw, might help.

    My motivation? Stay independent as long as practical (I'm 65), be able to have a fun/happy lifestyle as long as possible while I continue to age, keep the low cholesterol/BP and overall improved sense of well-being that came with being at a healthy weight.
  • MollyLaine
    MollyLaine Posts: 10 Member
    My family. I want to have another baby soon and don't want to deal with the issues I had during my last one, hypertension and gestational diabetes.
    And I am now pre diabetic and I've watched my family go through hell with it and other weight related issues and I'm determined to not go down the same path.

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