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

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  • mangobadango
    mangobadango Posts: 294 Member
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    I think about the consequences of quitting. I may be kicking and screaming while I go for my walk but I know the consequence of not going for that walk just means that a few months from now I will be trying to start over all over again.

    Flip around the thought of "What is the point in continuing with this?" With "What is the point in quitting?"
  • TiffanyHarris4
    TiffanyHarris4 Posts: 6
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    I hired a personal trainer. Sometimes we only meet 2 days a week or less, but I know that at the end of our 12 sessions, we will be measuring and re-testing and I always have that in the back of my head. You can't go wrong when you are being held accountable!!
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    The fear of gaining it all back.
    The fact that I sold all of my "fat" clothes.
    The pictures of me on my fridge from when I weighed 400 pounds.
    Knowing that everyone around me is watching me and they will notice if I quit :)
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    New workout music and remembering what it felt like before my getting in shape endeavor. Its hard sometimes, I get in a funk once in awhile, especially when I bust my *kitten* at the gym and I gain 5 pounds :S......
  • kahlee2000
    kahlee2000 Posts: 77
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    My niece -- She was born with a heart defect and had four open heart surgeries before 12 years old. Three weeks ago she went in for a heart transplant. Through it all she has remained positive, happy, and lives every day to the fullest. Every time I decide to quit I call and talk to her, look at her picture or put on the shirt that we had made up for the family to wear to hear fund raiser that was sponsored by her school.

    She is my hero, my inspiration, my motivation, and the most amazing person I have ever known! :heart:
  • sweetsarahj
    sweetsarahj Posts: 701 Member
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    When I feel like giving up.... it is usually when I have 3-4 reps left in a set of heavy weights. I pretend someone told me I can't do it.... it makes me push through to prove to myself that I am capable of anything I put my mind to.

    When I want to eat something that is not on my plan, I negotiate with myself and plan a time in the future to have it. For example, there is a place across the street that makes very very very yummy sushi. I wanted to eat it today. Instead, I decided that I'll have it for dinner on Tuesday after Ultimate frisbee. That way, I have something to look forward to and a reason to stick to my nutrition plan until then. Also, planning a 'cheat' after an intense workout makes it feel like less of a 'cheat' :)
  • busymommyx3
    busymommyx3 Posts: 40 Member
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    I think of all the times I gave up before and how long it took me to get back on track. I also don't want to gain all the weight back that I have worked so hard to lose. Another thing I do is look at catalogs with cute skinny models wearing cute clothes and visualize myself being able to wear those cute clothes, that helps alot!!
  • fitnfancy80
    fitnfancy80 Posts: 251 Member
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    MFP. The people on here are amazing. And I can't wait to post my after pic.
  • J3SSP3NNY
    J3SSP3NNY Posts: 235
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    I look at my own before and durings and remind myself I NEVER want to look or (more importantly) FEEL that way again.
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,443 Member
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    This won't help you but what keeps me motivated are my estranged wife and her "ancient warrior". :grumble:

    Otherwise, I just enjoy the little accomplishments and think to myself its starting to pay off and that keeps me going, pushes me even harder.
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
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    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 was able to pull at least 5 Facebook status updates from this
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    My results! It keeps me motivated.. taking pictures is so helpful to see how far you have come.

    When running if I feel like quitting I always tell myself "you haven't quit a run yet, don't ruin your streak".
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
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    This won't help you but what keeps me motivated are my estranged wife and her "ancient warrior". :grumble:

    Otherwise, I just enjoy the little accomplishments and think to myself its starting to pay off and that keeps me going, pushes me even harder.

    ^ This !!
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    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.)
    Thanks! That is really just a brief summary of how I think about things. Great results require great motivation, and having a wonderful family is the greatest motivation of all. Who do I want them to see me as? More importantly, what example do I want to set for my kids?

    The effort that we spend keeping our bodies healthy has a direct impact on our quality of life, and the lives of those around us.
    The effort that we spend keeping our minds healthy has a direct impact on our quality of life, and the lives of those around us.
    The effort that we spend keeping our spirits healthy has a direct impact on our quality of life, and the lives of those around us.
    Many of the things we do mindlessly are harmful to our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Generally, we do those things our of habit, our of a short-sighted desire for instant gratification, or out of some sense of entitlement. All of those things are destructive in the long run. The problem many people have is that the rewards for abandoning these destructive activities take time (sometimes a lot of time) to realize, and we, as a culture, have been brought up on the concept of instant gratification.

    Allowing yourself to become aware of the implications of your actions on your identity, that your actions are what really determine who you ARE, allows you to understand the immediacy of your decisions. Yes, giving in to temptation does make you weak. Yes, giving up DOES make you a quitter. And yes, sticking it out and pushing yourself when all you want is to quit DOES make you strong (in more ways that one). To paraphrase Zig Ziglar: Life is tough, but when you're tough on yourself, life is infinitely easier.

    That is my perspective, in any case.
  • WILSONBA
    WILSONBA Posts: 197
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    this isn't advice for anyone this is just what i do. i only say this because what i do can be harsh for others, but i insult myself when i run...yes it sounds strange but it works for me. when i'm running and want to give up i (inside my head) yell at myself asking myself questions like "are you a wimp!? "and other words that i don't prefer to say on MFP. Actual advice that would help others is make a workout list on your ipod that only plays songs to motivate you. this seems to help me that way i don't have to skip through my playlists causing me to slow down and get unfocused.

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