what helps you stay motivated? i keep going on diets and them i start losing weight but somehow i dont stay motivated and i ended up eating "bad" foods and gaining more weight than i have lost...
Long-term, my motivator is better health. I can run up a set of stairs without huffing and puffing. I can fit in an airplane seat without crowding out whoever is sitting next to me.
Short-term, but I've found participating in the challenges on this site to be motivating. I set goals for the 21-day challenge and then have to get on-line every day to report whether I'm meeting my goals. I pledged to never lie to the group. If I mess up, I must confess to the group.
I used to diet all the time.. I kept going up and down It's hard...
I found it easier when I started to exercise and I looked at what was making me gain weight in the first place... it all came from there. I began making small, gradual, and healthy changes.. and now, I'm not on a diet although I am losing weight.. I eat 3 meals a day and some snacks, I eat well rounded and not actually small or half-sized meals, and I exercise a few times a week. Plus I treat myself well, or try to when it's not so easy. And it's been working!
Something else that helped was looking at WHY I was eating so many foods that I knew weren't good for me (unhealthy foods, I guess the so-called "bad" foods) and what my motivation was for wanting to lose weight.
As for my motivation, in replying to your message, I realized that my perspective has shifted and my motivating force is to achieve having lost this weight. Yes I want to be healthy and I want to be active. I want to run, I want to be active, I want to join a sports team, compete maybe even... ! I want to look "good" (what I deem to be good), I want the ease of clothes/shoe shopping - right now, I'm having a hard time finding a shoe that will FIT.. nevertheless I like! And as much as I may love being able to wear all sorts of things that I think I'll look great in, it'll also be such a relief to not have the hassle of worrying I won't find clothes to buy when I am down to my last pair of this or that. I want all of that and more. But I also feel like I've begun a challenge with myself and I want to cross the finish line and feel successful by attaining my ultimate goal. In a way, it sounds like it's about the number on the scale, but I'm not taking any short cuts and I'm not using a stop-watch... my only stipulation is that I take the healthy route by eating well and exercising well.. so the overall goal may look like the number but it's about so much more than that.
Good luck! You can definitely do this and treat yourself well in the process
I agree... better health and being able to do things I couldn't before... fitting into smaller, more attractive clothes. It's worth it. When I get discouraged I remember how far I have come and don't want to mess it up.
My motivation is my kids. I watch a slide show of my kids on my computer as I work out.
To help me keep with it, I really use 3fc and fitday. I can come here everyday to check in and remember that I am doing this for a reason. When I feel discouraged I take my measurments and try on my "skinny jeans" I can almost wear them again!
Beautifulone, it's like you took the words right out of my mouth, I feel exactly the same way, you put it quite eloquently.
I can not find a shoe to fit on my foot either, and it's enough already, why should I have to live like that? I am always looking out for my children's health in every aspect of their lives and it's time for me to show them that I too take health seriously for myself, not only them. I have't been able to travel in years because I am terrified of taking up too much room on the seat and the seat belt not fitting me. It's enough. Every social event is a nightmare to me because I have nothing nice to wear. I can go on and on and on but the bottom line is my motivation is I am sick and tired of living the way that I am. Doing without certain foods and large quantities has got to be better then living the current life that I am living. What is it they say "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"? Well I'm ready to test that out.
My health is my number one motivator. Both my parents died very young due to health problems and being overweight. That is not going to happen to me! I am going to live to be a little old woman. My second motivation is wanting to be around for my hubby and my kids. My third is I want the mirror to reflect what I see when I look in my hubby's eyes. He thinks I am beautiful and the best thing on earth. I want to see that again too.
I would love to say that health is my main motivation, but I would be lying I haven't had any weight-related health issues despite having been overweight/obese since about age 4. I know if I continue to stay around 300 pounds, I will run into health problems in the future, but right now, I honestly can't say that's my main motivation--more like just an added benefit of losing weight right now.
My real motivators come from my size. I hate having to spend $40 on a pair of jeans because I can only find cute jeans at 2 or 3 stores, and they're never cheap, whereas my thin friends have their pick of any store in the mall and can find jeans in a pinch for like 10 bucks. I also hate flying and movie theater seats because I always end up hogging the whole armrests because of my size. I haven't been to an amusement park in years, despite my absolute LOVE of roller coasters for fear of not fitting in the restraints. I love my boyfriend dearly, but there are some "intimate" times when I feel like I may crush him, and no girl should ever have to worry about that I used to work in a shoe store and bought shoes all the time, but I now HATE shoe shopping because my feet have recently (over the past 2 years or so) grown so wide that nothing fits right, and I really don't want to be limited to only a few Dr. Scholl's styles for the rest of my life. I want to have kids in a few years, and I don't want to have to deal with the increased health risks of being obese while pregnant (I know plenty of women have had safe pregnancies while obese, but my health history leaves me less than optimistic that I would be so lucky).
I was in a public restroom yesterday. As I sat on the toilet in the normal stall (not the big handicap one), I couldn't get the toilet paper from the holder without some bodily contortions because my thighs actually pressed against the paper holder. No one should have to live like that forever.
what helps you stay motivated? i keep going on diets and them i start losing weight but somehow i dont stay motivated and i ended up eating "bad" foods and gaining more weight than i have lost...
I think your belief that there is such a thing as a "bad" food is part of the problem. For a diet to work over time it has to be sustainable for you. That means including treats WITHIN your plan. If you restrict too much you won't be able to keep it up long enough to meet your goals.
There's a thread about moderation right now that raises some interesting points. You may have true red light foods that set you off and aren't work the risks. However, with those exceptions, you should include in your plan food that makes you happy. If those foods are "bad" (to me this means bad fats, lots of sugar, chemicals), limit the portions.
motivation
My second motivation is wanting to be around for my hubby and my kids. My third is I want the mirror to reflect what I see when I look in my hubby's eyes. He thinks I am beautiful and the best thing on earth. I want to see that again too.
I haven't had any weight-related health issues despite having been overweight/obese since about age 4. I know if I continue to stay around 300 pounds, I will run into health problems in the future, but right now, I honestly can't say that's my main motivation--more like just an added benefit of losing weight right now.
I used to work in a shoe store and bought shoes all the time, but I now HATE shoe shopping because my feet have recently (over the past 2 years or so) grown so wide that nothing fits right, and I really don't want to be limited to only a few Dr. Scholl's styles for the rest of my life. I want to have kids in a few years, and I don't want to have to deal with the increased health risks of being obese while pregnant (I know plenty of women have had safe pregnancies while obese, but my health history leaves me less than optimistic that I would be so lucky).
