Ok, so I've been here for a while now, lurking in the background.
I was active a few months ago on these boards, until I got tired. I got fed up. Done. Over it. I had worked my rear off for 7 months, only lost 10 lbs, and stopped losing. I kept working and working and stopped losing.
So I gave up. And I gained everything back. Well, almost...close enough. Now I want to try (again), but I am having the hardest time getting motivated. How do you guys get motivated?
(I plan on having blood work done this month, I found out my mother had a thyroid problem while young)
i'm having the same problem. I had lost about 18lbs. nowhere near my goal...but now i've gained back 11lbs. So i'm trying again because i feel disgusting. But its so hard and i find myself popping stuff into my mouth without even thinking about it. and going to the gym or working out...forget about it...i find every excuse in the book. :-( i just need a motivation buddy i think..or a work out buddy.
When I need motivation I sometimes go to youtube. Either to search for weight loss before/after pictures or to search up the stuff that I wonder about weight loss and health.
For instance..I found a video called Stop eating your angst. He has lots of other videos too and I find him inspireing. Might not be for everyone though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvqodVI1oGg
Another person on youtube that I really like is Nutrition By Natalie. She gives lots of tips and it's really interesting . Worth to take a look at least
I also like to search for the foods I love the most and see how damaging they are for my health..so in that way that will tempt me more to avoid those foods.
I understand very well how utterly annoying it is when the weight just isnt coming off no matter how hard you try. But...maybe think of it as you are doing something good for your health. Everything you do, eating healthy, avoiding crappy foods, exercising..will improve your life quality
Honestly, reading about people's successes and being on forums, like this one, has motivated me. I just started posting but it already motivated me to go workout today and eat according to my plan simply because I know I already posted this stuff here.
When I am feeling less then motivated I write a list of all the things I look forward to when I have lost the weight. Things like
- Take more pictures
- Not always want to wear sweaters to "cover up"
- Bra not sinking into my back fat or any fat for that matter
-My underwear not pinching my fat and making my muffin top bigger (TMI?)
I am always adding news thing to my list and when I need a boost I read it over again and see if I can think of anything else I was to add. I also read fitness magazines like women's health, oxygen and so on. I don't know why it works but it always makes me want to move.
Focusing on being healthier and fitter and not so much on the scale. By giving up grains, sugar, and dairy I feel a million times better than ever, and it's something I can do for the rest of my life. There is no deprivation, if I want something I eat it. No guilt, no obsession, just feeling better. Go Paleo!
The goal stories here on 3FC really motivated me when I was starting out. It's amazing to see all of the people who reached their goals, and the photos are amazing!!
Now I just look in the mirror and see how I've changed or how I can wear size 4 pants when at one time I was wearing 18s...
I've more or less stuck with things since May. This is now by far the longest I've ever stayed with an eating plan.
I now realize that (for me) the motivation rollercoaster is natural. One week your a crazy gung ho diet ninja where nothing can tempt you. Then the next week you need to sit on your hands to stop yourself from eating. You can think of nothing but food and could care less about your waistline.
Now I know when a "low motivation" stretch comes that it will pass. It doesn't stress me out as much as it used to. I just do my best to hold on and wait for the motivation to come. Sometimes I need to force myself out of a funk but they usually don't last that long or bother me that much.
Thanks guys. I'll have to take a look at the stories you are all talking about. I know once I start again (working out and eating better) I'll get back into it. It's just taking that first step that's the hard part.
I too am having a really hard time getting motivated. After I had my twins I lost 50lbs for my wedding and got down to 170lbs. Im really short (5'0") so that is still a lot of weight but I looked beautiful on my wedding day. After my wedding something happened and I just started indulging in everything, it literally happened my wedding day. I had been dieting and depriving myself of the foods I loved so when my big day came around and I could enjoy that big piece of cake I did, but now I can't stop. I have unfortunately over the past year put back on the 50lbs, Im up to 218lbs. Im really depressed. I cant wear anything but sweats anymore. I'll do great with my diet all day but as soon it gets in the evening hours something clicks and I have to have sweets, my husband compares it to alcoholism. I literally cant stop eating, I can go through an entire box of oreos, or a bag of snickers minis in one night. I currently trying Weight Watchers but I keep messing up and eating everything I shouldnt eat. People tell me dont have the bad food in your house to begin with, but my husband and kids and i live with my parents right now and my parents buy the junk food not me. Ive asked them to stop but they tell me that the whole family shouldnt have to suffer because I cant control myself. Im miserable. I look in the mirror and see this fat ugly girl who isnt worth anything which gives me no motivation whatsoever. I feel like I am stuck this way forever and Im only 27. How do I stop these horrible sugar cravings and stick to weight watchers better?...Im desperate for some guidance!
I got pissed off. Is it okay to write that? We'll see when I post this. I got mad. I got angry. I got frustrated. I didn't stop tho. The alternative, to get fatter and more uncomfortable in my own skin, again, just wasn't/isn't an option.
Find something that can work for you in the long run, and then a little bit in the short run do something a little more drastic. Eliminate junk. Eat less. Remind yourself why you're doing this in the first place.
I am hypothyroid and diabetic, and have a fatty liver. Those are metabolic issues I deal with and I got mad enough to find a new way...calorie counting...and when I hit a plateau, I switched it up, limiting my choices and thus temptations. I made my diet pretty "brainless" - at least for the work week. I simplified it, and it paid off in a good loss in the short term, which was motivating!
Come here and vent. Come here and read about other people's inspirational journeys.
Whatever you do, don't quit. Break the cycle. Realize this is for the rest of your life (for most of us repeat offenders/serial dieters) and find whatever it is that works for you. That may take some experimentation.
Starving, for me, was not sustainable. Weight Watcher's points plus program did nothing for me but de-motivate me--the result wasn't worth the effort for me. It did, however, make me look to alternatives, and I happened on the calorie counting, which is working. The fact that it is working is very motivating. Knowing this is forever, is very motivating. It isn't easy...but it is what it is. I NEVER want to lose these pounds again--I want to reach a healthy weight, and learn to maintain it. That is my motivation....reaching, and achieving, maintenance.
Last edited by 124chicksinger; 11-09-2011 at 09:06 PM.
I also have a sexy little red tank top hanging on the cabinet that holds all the junk food. Hopefully if I stay out of said cabinet one day I will be able to wear the shirt.
I like to think about the way eating healthy makes me feel. I don't need a nap to get through the day anymoore, I'm not ashamed if someone sees what I'm eating, I have energy to spare, and I feel good about building a better future for myself. It's easy to forget all that stuff when you're de-motivated.
How do you get motivated?
. Worth to take a look at least 
