What Helps you NOT quit - when you want to give up?

My body!

Mostly Before and After Pics really help me stay motivated. I think" If they cab do it, so can I". As well as all the great quotes and sayings like" You have to earn your body" and "Sweat is fat crying". I love those.

Also, when my daughter asks me questions like " Mommy, when you got married were you skinny?" (This question just came up this morning and I'm not THAT overweight!) Daaaang! It make me want to show my daughter what HEALTHY and thin looks like. Not just "Skinny".

I've only been a member here for 11 days, but I just recently saw a picture of myself from a couple of years ago - I was the chubby blonde girl! NEVER AGAIN!! No, I know not there now and I realize that, but with what I was doing (nothing), I'll be back to that point without even realizing it. Also, I like the clothes I have now - I want them to fit and to look good on me again - to my standards, nobody elses...because yeah, I've heard the "You look fine, you don't need to lose weight" and the snorts when I mention calorie counting or working out, but I just don't say much about it in real life. You guys on here are definitely the motivation I need and reading the comments, the stories, so much that I can relate to, makes me want to keep on doing the best that I can & not be a quitter.

I have four daughters, and the oldest if 14; we've always been an active family and I pride myself in promoting that, but somewhere along the line I didn't pay attention to myself and got lost in parenting. I looked in teh mirror and realized I didn't want them to think this is what motherhood was about... I want to be strong, healthy, fit and I want to set challenging goals and have my daughters know I earned all of it. I want them to know that taking care of yourself is okay, and although I started late, I think I'm already impacting them.

Shopping for clothes is a lot more fun now..
Being a model of healthy living for my daughters.
Several of the older people at church gush over how well I've done--I know that if I slack and revert, they'll notice.
A few of my friends have said that my success has motivated them to get healthier as well.
Being able to move around more easily.
Sometimes I make myself go out for a walk, and I always feel better after.
Looking at old pictures and thinking, "NEVER. AGAIN."

Sometimes when I get bummed that I haven't lost faster or more consistently, I think back to last summer, when I was so happy to get to 275. And then in the fall, when I was thrilled to get below 250. So I look at where I am now, and the perspective helps.

I forgot to mention--seeing how much difficulty my Dad has in getting around. He's spent a lifetime not taking care of himself, and I want to avoid that!

remembering why you're doing it in the first place.

my theory is i dont really need to be motivated 100% of the time as long as i'm truly committed to what i want to get done.

I've got into the habit of posting on MFP my exercise plans for the next day the night before. Just means my friends have an idea what I should be logging and it makes me more determined to see it through!

I have had to think about this several times lately (have felt like calling it quits a few times) but I remember why I got on here and I set mini goals to reach (something attainable but forces me to push myself).

I find it most helpful to remember what/why I'm doing this. For my health. To live a long life with the man I love. To decrease weight/stress on my knee. To better my odds against my family's history of heart disease. That's reason enough for me to keep going. I didn't want to work out today but honestly, those things work for me. Just need a reminder some times.

The ability to delay immediate gratification, to persevere in the face of adversity, and to persist when it seems like you are getting nowhere are all major indicators of who you really are. Weights are not going to lie to you to make you feel better about yourself. Exercise will always be honest with you about who you REALLY are. All self-deception and pleasant delusions go out the window as soon as the weights come off the rack. So who do you want to be? Someone who quits as soon as things get hard? Someone who is too weak to push themselves outside of their comfort zone? Someone to weak to change or improve, even though you want to? Or do you want to push yourself to your limits and beyond? To set aside pain and fatigue, and push out one more rep. To push through whatever obstacles or temptations get in the way of doing what you know is the right thing.

What example do you want to set for your children, and for the people who look up to you? That it's ok to quit when things get hard? That it's ok to cheat when you feel like you deserve to indulge yourself? That it's ok to fail because you are entitled to do what you want, instead of what you must? Or do you want to show them that strength of character and will can carry you through towards your goals, even when your body is failing? That the mind and spirit can overcome, and that effort, commitment and dedication pay off. That the satisfaction that comes from doing what's best, even when it's hard, is superior to the instant gratification that comes from doing the wrong thing, even though it's easy.

Strength of character cannot be faked. Your body, your mind, and your spirit are who you are. So who are you going to choose to be?

That's what keeps me going. Fitness is not about looking good, it's about life. It's about who you are.

I live at the beach, so I imagine squishing my current pale, soft, cellulite, stretch marked body into a tiny bikini in a month or two. That does the trick 99% of the time.

Otherwise:

-I look at the progress I've made and know I don't want to disappoint myself by erasing that hard work.
-I set small, easily attainable goals so the big goal doesn't seem so out of reach. (ie: do 2 workout vids tonight)
-I really focus on the "If everyday was like today you would weigh XXX lbs" at the end of checking in on a good day. I sit there and let it sink in, envisioning my body at that weight, and realizing that 5 weeks is a relatively short amount of time.

The ability to delay immediate gratification, to persevere in the face of adversity, and to persist when it seems like you are getting nowhere are all major indicators of who you really are. Weights are not going to lie to you to make you feel better about yourself. Exercise will always be honest with you about who you REALLY are. All self-deception and pleasant delusions go out the window as soon as the weights come off the rack. So who do you want to be? Someone who quits as soon as things get hard? Someone who is too weak to push themselves outside of their comfort zone? Someone to weak to change or improve, even though you want to? Or do you want to push yourself to your limits and beyond? To set aside pain and fatigue, and push out one more rep. To push through whatever obstacles or temptations get in the way of doing what you know is the right thing.

What example do you want to set for your children, and for the people who look up to you? That it's ok to quit when things get hard? That it's ok to cheat when you feel like you deserve to indulge yourself? That it's ok to fail because you are entitled to do what you want, instead of what you must? Or do you want to show them that strength of character and will can carry you through towards your goals, even when your body is failing? That the mind and spirit can overcome, and that effort, commitment and dedication pay off. That the satisfaction that comes from doing what's best, even when it's hard, is superior to the instant gratification that comes from doing the wrong thing, even though it's easy.

Strength of character cannot be faked. Your body, your mind, and your spirit are who you are. So who are you going to choose to be?

That's what keeps me going. Fitness is not about looking good, it's about life. It's about who you are.

Internet quote of the year award.

Wow you should do this for a living (if you didnt steal it from someone else.)

The thought that both my ex husbands are going to be at my daughter's wedding and they will both be bringing their wives/girlfriends.

Honestly? The buddies here on MFP. When I am not having success, they are, and when they are having a tough time, I'm doing ok, and the little "you can do it's" and "don't give ups" mean the world to me. Other times it is noticing that my scale is going up or not budging, or I see super fit people running by me outside and want to BE them, knowing it just takes a little more work. There are days, though, when it's all I can do to keep trying or even care that I should portion my food.