I say it every day, today is the day that I start my diet and exercise program. And every day, by about 12:00, I have had my share of chocolate and no exercise. I have absolutely no excuse, I am a stay at home Mom with lots of time to work out, yet never do. I just really need that motivation, and for whatever reason, maybe depression, I cannot get started. I would love to hear from anyone out there how they got motivated and kept them going.
Thanks!
You know, I'm not a big believer in motivation. Don't get me wrong - it's great while it lasts. But it doesn't last forever and it doesn't show up on demand. Motivation is fleeting. It makes things easier, sure, but it definitely is not necessary to get started. Truth is, even once you've gotten going, your motivation isn't always there - even as the scale goes down and you start feeling better, there are days where you're just NOT feeling it. Even now, maintaining my weight loss, I'm motivated to do what I need to do to maintain this loss maybe 75% of the time. If I relied on motivation, I'm pretty sure I'd be back at my starting weight by now.
So after THAT downer of a paragraph, I'll give you the good news. For me, motivation (which comes and goes and which I can't control) wasn't nearly as important as a COMMITMENT. I made a decision to do good things for my body. I made a promise to myself to honor that commitment. And then, every day, I did. Whether or not I wanted to. Whether or not I felt like it or had any motivation whatsoever. Because I had committed, and that was within my control. I could choose it and do it, and I did.
That commitment was my "lightning bolt", if you want to put it that way. And the best part, for me, was that once I made the commitment, the motivation tended to follow at least part of the time (you feel better, you want to do a little more, which makes you feel a little better, etc). But it's the commitment that gets me through the rough times.
and please, stick around! Check out all of the great posters and forums here, and keep posting. Can't wait to get to know you better!
I agree with mandalinn (wow! look how close you are!). My motivation is a very fugitive beast and often takes off for no apparent reason. On those days, I don't visit here much, everyone's stories seem pointless, the world goes grey, and I eat. What drags me back is trying over and over again to re-commit, and to try and get through even one day, and then the commitment grows.
I do find, in bad times, that trying to get through just one meal, then just one day, and then rolling another and another to it is the way to go. As soon as I've lost a few lbs, it does become easier to want to add a few more.
hi hopeful2lose,
i agree with the other posters, its not about motivation, its about commitment. i lost 28lbs a few months ago, and then the motivation went. i gained 20 of those pounds back while i was waiting for motivation to show up. i finally realised, it wasnt going to. because as long as i was doing nothing to help myself, my emotions would just keep pulling me back into my old habits.
i'm like you, a sahm with lots of time to work out and plan meals and get things done. but i just cant seem to do it. so i do one thing at a time. i get up every morning and make a todo list with 4 things on it. i can manage 4 things! i just make sure one of them is work out, and i do it first. then, i wash the dishes or vaccuum the stairs or whatever else is on the list. my house isnt spotless, but i dont feel overwhelmed and exercise is the priority. doing it this way is commitment, and that commitment is renewed every day when i make that list. i never want to do it, but do anyway.
i also go to weight watchers. the meetings just keep me focused. every week i sit in a room and witness exercise and healthy eating working for people just like me and it really pushes me on. maybe something like that would work for you until you got into the hang of it on your own?
i really hope this helps, and i promise, once you get started its far easier to continue. really hope you stick around!
I'm with the committment too. If you're committed, then motivation comes when you see the scale showing a drop (at least for me). I'm not a mom, but I am a stay-at-home currently and I find it difficult to get into "exercise" mode. I do believe that diet is key to weight-loss and exercise just gives you a more toned look. I would suggest you start working on your diet - clean it up, cut portions, get a calorie range (whatever method you choose, there are plenty of forums here) and establish your eating methods for a month before dabbling with exercise. Also, when you do get to the point of incorporating exercise, do it slowly if you're a first-timer to working out. Start with 20 minutes 2 days a week, then work your up to a more frequent schedule and for longer periods.
I agree about not relying on motivation. But I also like to avoid promising myself too much like "I will start acting completely differently (exercise a lot more, eat a lot less) starting today!" since that just sets myself up for failure. So after failing at variants on that theme, I won't try to commit to something like that. I would rather commit to keep trying until I find something that works.
So instead, starting very small works for me. My first step? Take supplements regularly and drink more calorie-free fluid. I still sometimes mess up on those, lol, but those were things I could build upon. Taking supplements means that I'm less concerned about missing out on nutrients on a low calorie diet and drinking more helps me realize that I'm not always hungry when I think I am.
Try something like that first. Once you feel like you can make a healthy change, it gets easier to add more.
I completely agree with the other posters regarding motivation; it comes and it goes. It truly is a question of commitment. I also think part of it is momentum. Have one good day. Then have two... and then one good week .... and then a good month, etc. For me, the momentum thus far has made me want to stay on track. It propels me forward, even when I don't necessailry feel motivated.
I wish you the best on your weight loss journey. You can do it!
I'm another one here who never relies on motivation. It never seems to be around when the cookies and pasta ARE. Nope. So therefore I made a commitment, an ironclad commitment, to "do this". No matter what. Whether I feel like it or not. The good thing is, eventually you start to feel so wonderful that you WANT to do this. AND it becomes AUTOMATIC. Just another day at the office. It becomes second nature and just "what you do".
So I urge you to make a vow, a pledge - a commitment to do this. Then seek out the best way to get it done. Set yourself up for success. PLAN AHEAD. Have the house stocked with good foods, get rid of the "bad" ones. Map out your food schedule IN ADVANCE and stick to it. No matter what. Because you made that commitment. Because you want to be slim and healthy more then you want "those foods". Because you're sick of settling for second best when first is within your reach.
Don't dread these changes. Embrace them. Find joy in them. Be creative. Discover who you were meant to be. And enjoy the process.
thank you for posting this question... because I wonder that myself. I've re-started one too many times. But COMMITMENT I understand. COMMITMENT I can do.
I think I'll write myself some vows and any time things get rough, I'll re-read them. I guess ... kinda like a marriage to my body and health.
Like the others It's not so much about motivation. This might sound harsh but I look at it as my part time job. Exercise, recording my food, planning what to eat, reading labels... Its all what's needed to get the job done, and if the desire to be healthy is strong then you're able to overcome motivation lulls.
Like with exercise when I didn't do it daily I had an excuse... to keep putting it off, but now it's just something I have to do. period. Some days its easy and some days I have to push myself out the door very reluctantly.
In the end the outcome it what makes it all worth it.
Wonderful posts! I've made a commitment too and afterwards I realized that I couldn't depend on motivation to get me through anything substantially.
I do like to pep myself up on a daily basis and muster up motivation to help me in my committment. I rely on motivational quotes everyday, I get those from everyone on this website and I commit to reading them everyday.
Secondly I go to the track in the mornings (I'm a runner now). I'm still slow and doing more walking than running. But what's a great motivation is seeing all the elderly ladies and gentlemen that are out there running on the track, doing tai chi on the grass, meditating, lunging, stretching, and basically running circles around me. I figure that it's a CRIME to abuse my body with unhealthy foods and a sedentary lifestyle and I don't want to turn 60 before I invest in my health. I'm now 33 and just 36lbs lost, and 5 months of daily exercise make me feel so good that I don't need arbitrary motivation anymore.
for me motivation comes and goes. weeks where i have a big drop, or fit into some old jeans, its there with a vengeance. the next week when i gain 0.5 lb, there it goes. i think people who just have that inborn motivation to control their weight dont end up getting overweight, its rare. you have to just decide, am i doing this? or not?
In your original post you seemed to indicate that you are trying to change everything at one time. That works for me for about 3 weeks--then crash and burn. I decided this was the last time I was going to lose weight so I changed one thing. A month. Over a period of several years. This is not rapid weight loss--but I've been going the right direction.
So, like yoyoma says perhaps you should start small. My plan could probably be speeded up, but it works for me.
how do I get motivated and stay that way?!
and please, stick around! Check out all of the great posters and forums here, and keep posting. Can't wait to get to know you better!
