What keeps you motivated?

I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror, so that keeps me going.

I just want to be fit and healthy...I'm not terribly concerned with weight loss...

This is honestly my motivation. I couldn't care less about what I weigh on the scale. I only care about being fit and healthy, and I base that on the fit of my clothes, and how I feel when being active. If I fit into the clothes I have (as a guy, I wear a large t-shirt, and 34 waist pants) and I can keep up with my day to day activities without being constantly tired or out of breath, then I'm where I want to be.

Well you are here! Step one! I've been at this for 5 years. It is a process and a journey. Where I started from mentally I have moved way past and beyond. I am at my goal. I have achieved a lifestyle change. Starting at day one is the hardest. But zigs and zags along the way all considered I have learned a lot. A lot about myself and a lot about what it takes. What it takes for me to stay focused is knowledge.

The first key for me was not quitting. What if I made the commitment to lose weight? I'd never done that before. Sure I tried to lose weight until I got bored with it because it was going to slow and i was starving! What if I really made the commitment? I already knew what happened when I quit. I just got fatter and fatter. But what if I stuck with it and could actually get to 135 pounds from 205? What if? That is what really happened to motivate me on day 1.

The second thing was what if I got rid of white flour and sugar? I'd never know if it worked until I tried it and followed through. I realized that eliminating those 2 things from my diet DOES WORK! IT TOTALLY DOES! Say good bye to those two things (including refined grains) and you will open the door to your own self control. I was completely addicted (still am) to both. When you stop pouring them into your body in about 2 weeks a simple calm comes over you. You don't feel the need to eat them any more. Sure, I'd still like to have them, and I do occasionally from time to time, but when I do, I remember the control they had over my appetite and I don't ever want to go back there again. I'd say that was the key that opened up the possibility for me to lose 70 pounds and finally reach my goal.

The 3rd thing was exercise. I hate to exercise. So what if I just walked 30 minutes a day EVERY DAY? I'd never done that before. What if it actually worked? Then I added strength training and now I walk twice a day!

So I did three brand new things in my life that I have never ever done before to see if they worked. They did. I lost 70 pounds. And the real secret is which is no secret now is it is much easier to stay on track than to allow myself to get sidetracked and find my way back. Over 5 years ago I started out to lose 70 pounds. I lost 53 and then decided I didn't' need to track calories any more. Big mistake. Old habits came back to some extent and I put on almost 20 pounds in 2 years and I spent one solid year "Trying" to get back on track. I knew what to do, I knew exactly what to do and I just couldn't make myself do it!

Luckily I found www.fatloser.com to give me a motivational kick in the butt and that helped me for some reason. So finding that and MFP in the same week was a killer combo for me. I got my motivation back and I began serious tracking of calories in & out.

So today I reached my goal of 135 pounds and what motivates me today is knowing what happens to me when I don't stay focused. Okay sure I had a handful of peanut M&Ms last night. But it was a handful, not the entire bag or half the bag or a quarter of the bag. I can handle sugar in that quantity every once in a while. Not every day, or every week.

So knowing my own personal limitations and weaknesses also motivates me to stay on track.

The 4th key for me was finding Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I was wide awake in the middle of the night and saw his PBS presentation and it intrigued me. I simply LOVE that eating program. I am aiming towards vegan but you don't have to go there. The changes I've felt in my body since I first even attempted to try to start the program in October are just incredible. And feeling so incredible is what keeps me on track. No more dragging myself out of bed. No more slapping myself around in the morning to get my day started, No more puffy face in the morning, no more stiff & painful fingers in the morning, no more pots of coffee or wake me up, no afternoon slumps, no watching the clock to see if it is time to eat yet. Sometimes I forget to eat "on schedule". You focus on the abundance of food to eat instead of the junk food that is missing from your diet. I am stuffed after every meal! When you get such nutrition into your body it operates on an entirely different level.

This is what motivates me today. I wouldn't trade my diet for the world! I have achieved the new healthy lifestyle that I was aiming for. It takes time and it takes growth and awareness on your part.

Best of luck to you. Keep searching for what works for you!

Bump

I totally agree.. you have to want it.. and want it BAD! I do it for my my husband, myself and my kids! I've been married 20 years, we have 4 kids. We had 2 right out of the gate... 15 mo. apart... then 5 years later we had another one and THEN... 7 years later another one! My oldest is 20 this year, then 18, 12 and 5!!! LOL
My Motto is...

FIT Moms R FUN Moms!

And having a baby at 40 was tough on the bod! This is a weird and kind of terrible thought.. but I think it often.... If something ever happened to to one of my kids and it was up to me to save them.... Would I be able too? Would I be healthy enough and strong enough??? THAT right there is MY motivation! Crazy thought I know.. I wonder why I think like that myself! But I do. I want to be able to do the same things with my 5 year old as I did with my oldest 15 years ago! My 12 year old thinks it's great that his mom works out and is healthy.
Moderation is key.... I used to use the "workout card" too. But I don't anymore. I just try to be consistent and diligent in my efforts.

It will pay off! I promise!

My Son was diagnosed with a disablity last year and it devasted me. I gave up on trying to take care of myself and ballooned up to 235lbs. The only other time I've been heavier was at the end of my pregnancy when I was 250lbs. I couldn't go up the stairs without feeling winded. He getting older and more busy so I have to lose weight to keep up with him. I also don't want to end up dying young because of something I could prevent (ie heart attack) and leave him without his #1 advocate and supporter.

Less noble reason....I'm too cheap to buy larger pants when I have perfectly good ones I bought a year ago and outgrew in the closet

You are a wonderful mother, and that is the highest kind of motivation.

When you have a bigger "YES" burning inside you, it is easier to say "NO". Your 'YES' is not big enough yet. Right now your 'YES' is part time. Make it FULL TIME and see your goals realized.

Feeling better about myself keeps me motivated...I don't want to go back to the place where I was at hating my body.

Also, clothes fitting normally keeps me motivated. I'm an apple shape naturally and it was hard to find clothes that looked good on me when I was a stick figure with a pot belly and back fat.

My husband keeps me motivated because he just looks at me differently now and I like it. He had no problem with how I looked before and was still sweet as can be, but I can tell that my body turns him on more now and that turns ME on.