Staying Motivated

What worked for me was having *nothing* off limits, but making sure I stuck to my calorie goals. So if I wanted pizza, I could have it, but had to make sure I exercised enough to earn it. Likewise for ice cream, chocolate, or anything else I really enjoyed. If I knew I couldn't have something, it would make me want it even more. Depriving myself doesn't work for me. Also, constantly trying new foods. I tried to eat less chocolate and other goodies, but I was eating MORE of better stuff, like Fiber Plus bars or yogurt or fruits. I was still having yummy things, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. And I tried to be more creative with meals, too. More variety = less boredom.

Another thing that helped was having my main focus be on fitness, rather than the scale. If this was just about the vanity of losing weight, I'd have quit. But I wanted to be able to run a 5k, and I had to stick with my training schedule if I wanted to be able to compete. By the time I was done with the Couch to 5k Plan, I had a newfound love of running! That lead me to want to be able to run 5 miles, then a 10k, and now my goal is to run faster. And I've learned that I really like what weight lifting has done for me.

It's all about making good habits. You have to push yourself beyond the "I just wanna quit" moments for them to become habits.

Im having the same problem! I always want to eat out while im at work but i start out eating healthy in the morning i would really like to hear what people have to say:) I need to stay motivated to not eat fast food with all of my co-workers!!!

It's a lot of work, but making a daily menu and sticking to it helps A LOT. I make a menu using this site (plug in foods until I get it just right) and then set one day a week aside to prepare all the big stuff that isn't grab 'n' go ready. If you know what you're going to eat every day, you know what to expect, and there's less room for fudging it or trying to improvise and making poor food choices. If you eat healthy, you'll be surprised how much food will add up to 1500 calories (or whatever your daily limit is). I have a hard time eating all my food! Check out my diary if you'd like.

Remember, you need to PLAN in order to succeed. This means planning your workouts and planning your meals and nutrition. If you fail to plan, you PLAN TO FAIL. Period. Don't let that discourage you, just remember a little bit of effort in the planning department will reap LOADS of benefits in the execution department. I promise! :flowerforyou:

Also, when you're planning your meals for the week, plan ONE day where you get to cheat on say, one meal or one snack. Don't let yourself cheat the entire day (you can, but I wouldn't recommend it). That way, you have something to look forward to while you're eating healthy the rest of the week. You can only have your "cheat" day if you eat healthy the whole week, though! It's good to make yourself work hard, but it's also good to reward yourself as well. Rewards are GREAT motivators.

I have a goal weight chart next to my scale at home. Eat time my weight lowers, I write it down and I write down the date, right next to my scale. I can see it EVERY morning. At the bottom of my chart, I have my reward to myself listed once I've reach my first mini-weight loss goal. Knowing that I am going to treat myself to a mani/pedi spa day is a BIG motivator!