[Melgettinthin]

Hey guys! Well, as you know I am new to this forum. At the moment I am *VERY* motivated to lose weight. I am trying to exercise at least 4x a week, writing in my food diary, visualizing myself at my ideal weight (or at least thinner!), journalling, faithfully attending my group, and spending time here.

All good, and I am glad that I am doing it.

Problem is, it's 'early days.' I am always very motivated at the beginning of a diet journey but then as the newness of the whole program or regime or whatever I am on starts to wear off, and the novelty of wholemeal veggie spaghetti starts to wain, I lose my motivation. Next thing I know I'm eating Krispy Kremes for breakfast and it's all over.

I REALLY DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN THIS TIME!!!

So I am just wondering, folks, what do YOU do to keep yourself motivated? How do you keep that fired-upness you feel at the beginning of a weight loss journey so that you can keep on program and make it to goal?

This has been a big stumbling block for me in the past and I REALLY want to conquer it this time! So all advice appreciated.

[LondonJulz]

Hi and


I find that this happens with me also! One way that keeps me motivated is to come here and look at all of the before and after photos (even the progress photos). I try to log in here once a day to read the new posts, etc. Knowing that there are SO many people all around the world that are going thru this with me helps a great deal!!
I get so bummed because I realize that it'll take me well over a year to get to my goal weight. So, I make "mini goals" that are attainable but that also keep me accountable, and it gives me something to look forward to without having to wait a year. I look back now and think "had I kept on the "diet" that I had started in August '06, I just wonder what I'd look like now.... so it's a lot easier to keep on track with mini-goals.

Hope this helps....and again

[boaterswife]

First of all, welcome to 3FC and the 100lb. club!

So many different things can be motivators, and each person on here has their own things that motivate them. For me, it has had a lot to do with size. I didn't want to be the size I was, so I've constantly kept things in my closet that were a little too small. I go through and try them on probably weekly to guage where I am. As they fit they go into the section of the closet holding things I wear a lot. As other items get too big they get purged from the mixture! Second, be sure to take measurements NOW! I didn't take any until about 3 months ago, and as disheartening as they are at first, later down the road you will want to know what they were. I wish I had my starting measurements.....I don't ever want to go back, but I'd love to know just how far I've come. There will be times when the scale doesn't move but the inches will be withering away.....let that motivate you to keep going! Good luck!

[hellokitty81668]

I don't really know if I have the answer, because I know I have lost weight before, loss the motivation and gain it + more back. I don't know what is different about this time, I guess my health and life became more important.
What keeps me motivated is a few things:
I don't want to go back to what I was: Growing out of 26 pants, feet swollen, no energy , pain, lazy.
I have a few pics of morbidly obese women around and I look at this and think to myself this is what can happen to me if I keep it up.
I also have pics of me, to see what I have become.
I come here daily for inspiration.
I also use fitday.com to log in my food.


I am 39 yrs old, do not want to get to 40 being obese.
cheryl

[rockinrobin]

I don't always feel motivated. And being motivated to goal isn't enough. We've got to keep at this til way after goal. Trust me, maintenance is no different. Except that yeah - it's longer. It lasts forever.

But I've said this often, it's not the motivation that needs to last, it's the COMMITMENT. I've commited to this new and healthy lifestyle. So that even if I don't FEEL like sticking to it, well too bad on me. I've made the commitment. If I don't stick with it, what's the alternative? To go back to where I was? to be unhealthy, unproductive, inactive. This is what keeps me going. I don't ever want to go back to where I was. I was miserable then. Life is much better being thinner and more fit. With much more joy and waaaay less worries.

And of course I wouldn't want to let down my fabulous wardrobe, talk about motivation. I love my clothing now. Believe it or not, it has become a real big motivation for me, one I hadn't counted on.

Do whatever it takes to keep you going. It's worth it. You're worth it. And you CAN do it.

[traci in training]

I agree 100% with Robin on this one. I have no motivation. I am not motivate-able. But I am committed and determined. I have had a brain change and everything that seemed impossible for years is now the right answer for me. Eat less. Eat healthy. Move my body. Make good choices. Live it. Don't give myself up to the fat side.

I don't know if it was my health scare (phyllodes sarcoma, three partial mastectomies) or the loss of my job (manufacturing plant closed) or the new adventure of being a fulltime student (trade act benefit of plant closing, now a fulltime nursing student) or the age of my girls (oldest daughter moving to college on Sunday) or my husband's change of lifestyle (100 pounds lost, 40 more to go), but it changed my brain. Jeez, when I list it all out, it's amazing that with all of that since December, I've not drowned myself in a box of Ho-Ho's!!! Guess that's an NSV, isn't it?

Anyway - my point is - you have to get a brain change for the plan (whatever the plan is) to work. You have to decide that enough is enough. This is the first time in my life that "cheating" isn't something I think about, because there is no one to be cheated but me. I choose to eat something after careful consideration. Want a piece of cake? Is it worth it? Will I enjoy it as much as I'll regret it? If I decide yes, I eat it and move on. But most of the time it's just not going to add value to my day or my life and I know how hard I've worked for this change and I don't jeopardize myself.

It's so hard to put the brain change into words, but you'll know it when you feel it. It's the difference between fighting with yourself and supporting yourself.

[Robin41]

I get my motivation from watching my blood pressure go down. That's all I need. Clothes and things are fun but I pretty much just needed to hear a doctor say I should think about going on blood pressure meds. I track my blood pressure once a week and there seems to be a pretty strong correlation between whether the weight goes down and what the pressure does; you could almost lay one chart on top of the other.

Find the one thing that really matters to you and focus on it.

As an aside, are you really from London? I only ask because in your avatar picture the sun is out and I've been to London several times and I've never seen that.

[rockinrobin]

It really does all boil down to good health. That's what we're doing this for. Robin41 is absolutely right. I can't tell you the worries I had about what I was doing to myself. I was very fortunate to not run into any medical issues, but I was CERTAIN they were just around the corner. I had all kinds of thoughts constantly running through my head. I was certain I was going to have a heart attack. I mean there was no doubt in my mind, it was just a matter of when. I was certain that I was putting myself at added risk for all sorts of cancers and thought every ache and pain was some sort of cancer. And in my head there was no way I was not going to wind up with diabetes and G-d know what other PREVENTABLE diseases.

My fears have been greatly alleviated. And that's just how I want to keep it. Now at least I know that I am doing everything within my power to keep those diseases at bay.

It's hard to remember the health issues day in day out, but we simply MUST.

[GirlyGirlSebas]

Welcome to the 100lb club. I'm so glad you decided to post with us.

Motivation....that's something we talk about a lot and we all try to find it and hang onto it! I have to agree with what Robin and Traci have said about committment. This time is different because I am committed to doing this...no matter how long it takes, how painful it might become or how others around me might respond. I'm now 43 years old and I've been fighting this battle since I was 9. Do I want to live the rest of my life as a fat unhealthy woman? What does my future look like if I don't make some changes? And, honestly, I can't allow myself to quit this time because I don't really know if I could ever build up my courage to start over yet again I am absolutely sick of living the life of a fat unhealthy woman....I deserve better.
I do struggle. Its not easy to change eating habits that we've had for years. When I'm struggling, I make sure to sign onto 3FC and reach out to the people here on the 100lb club. They have always been here for me and we will be here for you, too.

[jellybelly06]

I agree with above. It is about commitment. I have a song I listen to when I work out, that I love! Part of it says: "it doesn't matter how you feel, it's what you do that matters!" It is so true!! The more you look to your commitment, the less you will depend on motivation. Each time you tell yourself, "I am going to do this" and DO IT, the more you believe it. Each time you follow through, know matter how you feel, you prove to yourself that you are commited. Jelly

[Eves]

Welcome to 3FC!!!

I agree with Robin and Traci, motivation is only a half step. What I've found is that motivation will not get me through those tough times, like your best friend's birthday party (omg, CAKE!), a nice dinner out (omg, TIRAMISU!), or even daily life (should I eat out or cook?). Motivation is what I need to do what I do with a smile on my face.

Which means I run around town, eat my veggies, say no to chocolate without a smile.

I see it this way, I don't tap dance my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth, but I still do it. It's the same with exercise and diet, I may not feel like doing it, but it is what I do. I'm not on a diet, I just eat this way. I run, walk, lift weights because without that my health would suffer, just like my teeth would rot if I didn't brush them everyday.

About once a week I get some short term motivation: a pound will go down, or I maintain, my pants get looser, some compliment, etc. This will help for maybe half a day, but it won't get me through the rest of the day. What does is knowledge that this is what I do in order to be healthy.

This isn't to say that I suffer through it at all. The best part is that I like what I eat, and I like the way I feel after I exercise. And hey, when you're motivated use that motivation to do something that you would normally hate doing. I look for healthy recipes. I *hate* looking for healthy recipes, but when I get some motivation I use it to go online and really search.

GOOD LUCK!

[rockinrobin]

There are just hundreds of reasons why to do this. Lot of motivation. But unfortunately it's not enough. When you've got that piece of cake/pizza/or whatever in front of you, that motivation just fades - right out the window it goes. But once you've made that commitment for a lifetime, well that's a whole other matter. Of course there are still going to be times when we give in and eat that cake/pizza/or whatever, but it's the commitment that makes us think twice about it and get right back on track and keep those "giving in" moments to a bare minimum.

[CLCSC145]

Welcome! Well, as a person in a motivation-free zone right now, I have to say that the fear of remaining fat and unhealthy is keeping me going. Also, I recognize the signs of my committment slipping, and I'm working to get that back. Basically, I get tough with myself and say, "Snap out of it!" While there are some fun moments (seeing the scale move, clothes getting too big, nice comments), much of this isn't fun for me. And it isn't meant to be. My fun was when I ate all the junk food years ago. Now it's my job to work it off.

[Melgettinthin]

Hey there thanks so much for all of the thoughtful responses. All very useful.

I really like what some of you are saying about commitment. It's funny, put that way, it makes total sense. When I was younger and just out of college, if I had a big night out I had practically no problem calling in sick from work and I could never understand why my Mom would get so angry at me for doing so. Now I would never dream of doing something like that because I know I've made a commitment to my job and I can't not show up just because I don't feel like it. So I drag myself out of bed.

It has me thinking I have so many commitments to OTHERS. Why not this commitment to myself? I am realy going to ponder whether or not I am truly committed to this, and if not, what I can do to get there.


OT: Robin41 I am not from London, I am originally from Chicago (and a proud graduate of the University of Iowa, traci in training!). That picture was actually taken on a rare warm summer day in Brighton, UK, about 50 miles south of London. (It's been an absolutely dismal summer here - pretty much nothing but rain and 60 degrees..)

[traci in training]

It really has to be a committment to yourself. You have to give yourself permission to be a priority, and then you have to decide if you're willing to stand up for yourself. The other day I had a waiter say I was "high maintenance" because of the things I wanted left out of my dishes and on the side. YEP! I'm high maintenance because I'm worth the effort!