How ?

I just keep telling myself that my old habits aren't worth it. I'm so much happy now and feel better physically and mentally. Plus I set goals for myself. It's what is keeping me going since I hit Maintenance a month ago

Yes, food tastes might good lol. Our survival mechanisms can only tolerate so much, then it's feast time brought on mostly by caloric over restriction, hedonistic behavior and some pretty fancy food combinations. The brain is the master and is going to tell us what to do based on available data, and if there's food about, chances are your going to engage in feeding. If it was easy, the nation wouldn't be in the pitiful state it's in now and oh, did I say food tastes might good these days. Maybe try and transition to a more whole food diet, food manufacturers don't like this idea, at all, but our satiety signaling hormones will. Cheers

I have struggled with this too. Getting out of calorie counting and then having to get back in. It was only 2 weeks ago that I finally got my motivation back. I found the reasons I want to lose weight. I had slacked for a couple months.... Those reasons are what got me. April is my next appointment. It will be one year since the original health scare that got my obese butt moving. I had high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, and kidney issues that all resolved with weight loss. I am 5 pounds away from normal BMI and I want to stay healthy. I would love to go to that appointment at normal BMI. Last appointment, 6 months ago, I was over weight. So that got me moving again. Oh and my birthday. I wanted to be 164 by then and I made it! So, I have found that the key to motivation is not wanting to want it but having those reasons that MAKE you want it. What's your reasons? You don't have to answer that but find those reasons that are powerful enough to motivate you.

You start with the first steps. You don't have to go from poor diet and no exercise to good diet and regular exercise overnight. Start by hiding and not buying those evening snacks. Start with a healthier option for lunch. Start with a smaller dinner portion. Start with a 30 minute walk. And go from there.

schlaffalisha wrote: »

How does one get re motivated to start counting and tracking food , I used to be so dedicated. Then I started binge eating again. I've gained some weight back and I'm trying so hard to keep with my calorie deficit.. how do you stay motivated and dedicated... getting my workout and steps in has been no problem I've been pretty consistent.. it's the food !!!! 🤷🏻‍♀️

this isn't exactly an answer to your question, but may be helpful.

i lost my first 60 pounds doing food substitutions like substituting light ice cream for full fat (dryer's and breyer both have yummy sugar free options), light yogurt (dannon light & fit rocks!) for 2% yogurt, light cheese for full fat cheese, i found soups and sauces with less calories. i found many tasty options that i like enough that i'd eat them even if weight wasn't a factor. so that even on days where i'd stress eat, it would still be significantly less calories. admittedly it takes some experimenting to find the foods that are both lower in calories but still yummy, but i had great success, dropping from 242 pounds to 180 without making other changes.

Lots of really good advice here!

I think it's all about habits and being honest with yourself. I am relosing weight I lost two years ago. I had a baby, which requires weight gain and that's fine, but I gained more than I should have and that's on me - I quit tracking because it seemed "too hard." It really isn't, but I slid out of the good habits I had formed and had to relearn them over again. That's harder than just keeping them up! The good thing is I learned a lesson from it that I plan on not forgetting again.

I think focusing on one thing at a time is the way to go - it's easy to go all in for a few weeks or months before you get exhausted and quit. But you can make smaller changes and have them just become part of life, then move on to the next thing. Then it's just your life and it's just how things are.

You don't get motivated, you consciously change habits that make it easier for you to lose weight. Motivation doesn't last. Habits do, if you stick to them long enough.

Antiopelle wrote: »

Something that won't work for everyone, but certainly does for me is Beck's diet solution. It doesn't give food advice, but shows how to retrain your brain using behavioral techniques. Every time I stray away from healthy habits, I grab the book again and the exercises (for the brain) really help me to get back on track.

AwesomeSquirrel wrote: »

I’m a fan of Heather’s over at the Half Size Me Podcast. She talks a lot about how binge eating needs to be addressed before starting any weight loss. I would recommend that you try her podcast, specifically episodes 547 and 548 where she coaches a lady on this topic.

As for motivation unfortunately that is a fickle friend. Finding a lifestyle and habits that support your goal is the approach that works for me, and that has involved changing my relationship to food rather than white knuckling it.

Best of luck to you!

Another fan of Heather’s "Half Size Me" podcast and cognitive behavioral techniques

I can never count on motivation so rely on habits and discipline.

http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-discipline/