How do you stay motivated

Here are some of my thoughts on motivation and losing weight.

Motivation isn't what made me lose 70+ lbs, motivation (in the sense of 'feeling like it' or raring to go) is a finite resource and unreliable.

If I only did things I 'felt like' doing, my life would be in a sorry state 🙂 I would have rotten teeth (I don't particularly 'feel like' brushing my teeth), no one would want to be near me (washing myself or my clothes isn't the most fun thing either), my kitchen would be full of dirty dishes, my house would stink of cat poo/pee, my possessions would have been repossessed (for not paying my bills) etc.

Consistency and habit is more important than motivation.
It's okay if life sometimes gets away from us, but I try to consider exercise or minding what I eat as a task like the ones mentioned above. It's okay to skip them occasionally, or perhaps put in a minimal effort instead of a good one from time to time.
Some examples:
- you could say that if its a hard day, you allow yourself the option of stopping your exercise after 15 minutes instead of the full session
- you could allow yourself a maximum number of days (for example 2) in a row to skip exercise

You could also plan for hard days:
- have some easy meals in the freezer/ fridge as a backup option when cooking seems like a giant effort or there isn't enough time
- do food prep in the weekend if you are regularly too busy on week days
- exercise in the morning if it's too hard to fit it in in the evening (or vice versa: do it in the evening if its tricky to fit in in the morning)
- always have your workout clothes ready if you think having to collect them is an extra barrier in starting a workout.
- aim for maintenance calories instead of your weight loss calorie goal on very hard days

It also helps if you keep your routine more or less enjoyable, requiring less willpower: exercise you enjoy doing, at a reasonable frequency (don't aim for 1 hour of exercise each and every day if you are just starting, for example); foods you enjoy, in a reasonable amount (not banning all the foods you like or having a very low calorie goal)