[Magpie]

Itryharder...you encouraged me to join a buddy group and I feel ready for the support. I don't know
how to join so I would appreciate if you could email me at .... [email protected]
I have been trying to respond to you from another section and don't know what I'm doing : (

To everyone else, I'd like to say ...THANK GOODNESS Easter is over and all the treats and dinners that go with it...that was a rough ride and although I chose to eat what I did, I'm not happy with myself.
I wore an OLD pair of fat pants to work the past two days and I'm on the verge of having a bonfire with them so I can' t put them on again I'm still motivated to get back on track , now to action this.
I have been re-reading my material and I'm really really pleased I have you dear people to share with
I have spent alot of time browsing and reading the posts and it is such a help. I'd like to respond to
so many of them but of course that isn't possible but I do benefit from reading others comments.
Delia, I also go to my clothes in the closet and try them on often , I really related to you.
Thanks to one and all, Magpie

[Lin S]

Hi,

Maintaining motivation is probably the most difficult part of this journey. I've found that my enthusiasm and motivation tend to go in cycles. I'll be really excited and gung ho for a while, then I'll be tired of it all. I've learned that the motivated feeling is just that--an emotion. Emotions come and go. And often if I act motivated, I will regain the motivated emotion.

Sometimes all I can do is fall back on the Nike slogan and "Just do it".

Sometimes it's Yoda's admonition that gets me going again--"Do or do not. There is no try."

Sometimes I rely on the routines of what I normally eat and how much and when I normally exercise to keep me going. I pull out old menu plans that were really successful for me and reuse them, for example.

Sometimes I try something different or resurrect a technique I haven't used in a while. I change my exercise. It's getting warm now, so I'm going to start swimming. Or give myself a pretty sticker on my tracker when I've met my goal for the day. Or try a new recipe.

Sometimes I just remind myself that motivation is an emotion and it will return if I keep doing what I planned to do. I often give myself pep talks in my journal. Writing, for me, is a one of my best tools to keep myself motivated.

Good luck, everyone. This is a hard issue to deal with and we all struggle with it.

Lin