Well Im not quite new to the site but i just started using the site like i should be lol Lets put it this way im all over the map. I started in end of jan/ beginning of feb of this year in the beginning ofcourse i was all "yea i can do this" and going to the gym 6 days a week and loving it then i went on vaca for a weekend and thats when it went all downhill i ate good the first day and after that just ate and drank what i wanted too since then i havent been able to get completely back on track. I eat good during the week because i make my own food and bring it to work dinner i 90% eat good but might add a semi bad small snack at lunch thats how i was able to maintain what i lost but not lose anymore. My problem is now i dont want to go to the gym. I think about it and say yea im going to do this def im going to go and when i get home i lay in bed and do nothing!!! i dont get whats wrong with me i want this so bad but i cant seem to get into my head to get to the gym and eating out is a major problem as much as i tell myself to order a salad i end up ordering something ridic bad like a burger or nachos whatever (atleast i dont eat the whole plate anymore lol) I just want advice on what you did to stay on track and what got you motivated!!! Please help me lol

Hi Amber.... this may sound strange, but when I start to go off thed wagon, I I hit the mall. I try on things that I know probably won't fit and I browse the store that I want to be able to shop at. It really puts me bck in place, plus I get some walking in. Just a thought! Now, it doesn't have to be the mall. Go to a place or read things that give you the motivation to do it! It may take a few visits, but it might just give you a push

I thought of the gym as my second job. No excuses. YOU have to want this.

Do you want to lay on your butt and get fatter and fatter or do you want to change your life? Do you want to wear plus sizes or do you want to shop anywhere you want? Do you want to be able to go out and do physical things or do you want to end up in a hospital bed? Do you want to have great physical fitness or diabetes?

I would ask myself all those questions when I started wanting to be lazy and skip working out. It's all inertia- once you get going it will get easier to keep going, but getting started has to be YOU lighting a FIRE under you butt to get going and then making a commitment and sticking to it.

Nobody can do this for you- so are you going to do it?? Just do it!

Great idea!

Regarding the gym.....I can't say that I ever want to go. What I do is I actually lie to myself. I tell myself that I'm just going to go and walk on the treadmill or do the elliptical for 20 minutes....not intense...just to break a sweat and say that I did it. Then, once I get there and I'm warmed up, I can do a lot more and I end up having a great workout. Another thing that sometimes helps is putting out your gym clothes the night before. If you wait for motivation to come knocking on your door, you may never be where you want to be. Also, once you see results, the motivation will follow...but it's not a constant state....it waxes and wanes like the moon.

Finally, I really think working out is good for your health and fitness, but for weight loss, it comes down to the eating. However, for me, I find it a lot easier to eat right when I'm working out.

Best of luck to you!

I'm in the same situation - lost 20 lbs and have been "coasting" for the past 5 months, stopped going to the gym and am afraid I'm headed for disaster if I don't get my act together.

If you'd like we can stay in touch and motivate each other to go to the gym and stick to our healthy eating! If you'd like to "pm" me and we can figure out how to do it.

Take care,

Claudia

Hi Amber!
Regarding exercise: I think of inspirational stories I've seen or read about whenever the alarm goes off and I'm tempted to go back to sleep. I have a 92 year old uncle who walks at least a mile every morning. If HE can get his butt out of bed, so can I. I think of military veterans who have suffered injuries or even lost limbs while serving our country. If THEY can go through the painful process of rehabilitation and remain focused on becoming healthy and mentally/ physically fit-- so can I.

Regarding eating habits: I believe in moderation and lost my weight without following any formal "plan" other than logging my calories in Fitday and watching my portions. However, when faced with temptation on vacation or elsewhere, I simply reminded myself to put my big girl pants on and SAY NO. The only person in control of what goes into my mouth, is me. Period. And if I'm disappointed in my choices after a week away from home or a night out on the town, I have to own up to the consequences and FIX IT. End of story. This was a liberating realization for me, and one that helped me make some pretty drastic changes in the beginning of my journey.
Basically, I decided that, similarly to the days when I don't feel like going to work, or don't want to pay rent, I still HAVE TO DO IT. I can't negotiate my way out of those things, and I treat eating the same way. It's not a tempting, agonizing, emotional decision to pay rent or show up on time for work--- and it shouldn't be to decide what to have for lunch either. I make the choice based on decisions I know are good for me at the time, and voila. The aftermath is what it is.

Best of luck to you!

Awesome idea!!!! A bad shopping trip is what motivated me to change my life in the first place. Thanks for reminding me to go back to the whole reason I started!

My advice:

1. Try to lose the ALL or NOTHING mentality. If you eat "off-plan" one day...start new the next day. Don't beat yourself up over it. We like food...it's not a crime...it's normal to overindulge every now and again. Remember that one overindulgence does NOT make you fat...it's days, weeks and months of it that DO!

2. Allow yourself 1 special treat every week (albeit, your favorite meal, snack, etc.) For me...it was Jamaican food takeout, pizza or chinese usually. This is good for you mentally as it helps to remove that feeling of deprivation.

3. Set up an eating plan NOW that you can easily transition into maintenance. Don't eat grapefruit, egg whites and boiled chicken and brocolli now if you don't intend to eat that way for the rest of your life! You'd do better to just eat smaller portions of the foods you like and will probably end up going back to eating anyway. No deprivation = No need to go back to any old way of eating...cuz you're already there!

4. If you don't want to go to the gym...DON'T! The gym is not the only place you can get fit. Just put on your sneakers and go for a walk! I've got a state of the art gym at home but it did NOTHING to help me to achieve the bod I now have. Running got me in tip top shape. Yup...that's it. Running and using portion control of my favorite yummy foods. Now that I'm in maintenance, it's no problem to maintain because I was happy with my way of eating while losing weight...and I simply continue that way of eating into maintenance. Only now...I get to eat MORE!

Happy trails!

Just stay focused!

It can be really hard to stay motivated. Many of the things previous posters said are what I use for motivation. The absolute main thing is I don't make it a choice to eat right and exercise. I HAVE to do it just like I HAVE to go to work. If it is a priority, that is the way you need to treat it. When I do fall off the wagon by eating something I am not, I make sure the next day, I stay completely focused and HAVE to exercise. Don't get yourself down when you get off track, you need to hop right back on is all. Like this morning, I set out my clothes to wake up early and go running but because of a really bad storm, I was woken up several times through the night. When the alarm went off this morning, I didn't want to get up at all, so I didn't. But that just means, that I have no choice but to go home and at least do a workout video.

I agree. Staying motivated itself is a full time "effort" and sometimes separate from the actual process of losing weight/exercising.

What has helped me stay motivated is making Xs on my calendar when I have worked out. It is really neat to see those throughout the month. I know I am doing something good for me.

Seeing how my body is changing as my muscles tone up and how familiar clothes fit me looser. Then, giving them away and starting out with a smaller size and then having that process happen all over again.

Having good reports at the dr's. office (probably not all of you will relate but for those who do)---I leave smiling. Yea, I did it!

Rewarding my efforts with a non-food reward; ie, a heavier free weight that I have recently graduated to, a heart monitor and calorie burning watch I can wear throughout the day to log my progress, a new exercise dvd that feels fun to do (like Zumba), etc. Something which reinforces all the good I am doing for myself.

Just a few things that help motivate me over and over to never give up and to keep trying each day.

Pam

I have found that visualization is the best motivator. If you've ever been at goal weight previously, I've also found that looking at old photos is a huge motivator. I also like to think about all the wonderful things I will be able to do when I'm thinner like hiking, bungee jumping, rollerskating, etc.