I think about dating and how I will feel when I am 140 lbs and someone finds me attractive and not just for my face but my body too.
I will occasionally look at some clothing that I cannot fit into quite yet but just need to lose a few more pounds to.
I think of what the scale would look like if I kept eating.
I go back in my history and remember what I have learned from experiences of overeating...you can keep eating what you want and be miserable and hate yourself in 3 months or you can cut the crap now and be successful on your dieting plan.
There are definitely bad days out there when it comes to making healthier choices. Whether we just don't feel like it, or it's raining out, or there's some small obstacle in our way... some days require a little more work to get to a balanced place.
That's why I don't use motivation as my main drive. Because some days, frankly, I don't feel like it. So instead... I've committed to this path. That means I tell myself I'm going to exercise every day - no excuses allowed. And it gets done. Not because I feel like it or don't feel like it, but because I promised myself.
Not doing what I planned... it isn't an option. It was planned. It gets done.
"Lovely", I really like your response. I find that if I wait until I feel like it, that day may never come, and I wonder why I have accomplished so little and have feltl so depressed. I have decided to vision the life I want and make a plan with steps on how to get there.
I find it from different sources. I'm type II diabetic, and I have PCOS. When I go to the doc, and my labs look good, that's motivating. Especially if I see no movement on the scale, cause I know good things are happening internally.
Funny as it might sound, the days when I have to push myself to go to the gym, I have found repeating the names of two ex-husbands and one ex-boyfriend in my head makes me more determined. Long stories, but all three of them shafted me, the last one REALLY was a complete jerk. Every time I finish a routine, it's one more step towards proving them wrong.
Finally, now that I'm well and truly on my own, no husband, no kids, no close family, and just a few close friends, I'm HIGHLY motivated with making sure I'm in best shape and health possible. I absolutely don't want to be stuck in some nursing home somewhere, with no one who gives a crap about me. I know I can't guard against that completely, but I'm doing my best to eliminate the odds of that happening.
PS - I'm 43, so quite a ways from a nursing home, but I figure it can't help to start early.
That really helps me to hear that...I suck at staying motivated too. I ignore my attempts at motivational self-talk too often when it comes to food. I also am too used to letting myself down.
Great advice from a counselor, which holds true for everything in my life it seems:
It will never work out if you wait to do something until you FEEL like doing it.
Feelings come FROM actions, not the other way around. Do the thing to get the feeling.
Then remind yourself how it feels for the next time, but never rely on how you feel at the moment.
A couple of quotes
'Pain last for a short time but quitting last forever' I can endure the pain of having to discipline myself for a short while (I'm going for a hundred days eating well & exercise) or go through the rest of my life displeases with my body and having that negatively impact other areas of my life.
'A year from now you will wish you had started today' so i tell myself in a years time I could be twenty pounds lighter or have twenty more pounds to
lose.
I set myself mini challenges, one week without soda, sugar and so forth. I then try to build on from those challenges.
I have a fat photo of myself in my room (where I work out) to remind myself why I'm doing this, having photos of bodies I'm aspiring to attain helps as well.
Plus food will always be around. I will enjoy it so much more when I'm at a lighter weight and not have to worry about how much fatter I'm getting.
Wow im really enjoing your responses and im feeling more motivated already and been having a think already about what motivates me,
I have just done my workout dvd tonight and weights and i do weightwatchers.
After jogging last night, I realized that I liked being strong just for the sake of being strong. It felt so good to be able to run long and fast and smoothly, and I want that feeling to last forever.
And I know that in order to run like that for years to come--I'm already nearing the end of middle age--I have to make wise food choices. And all because of the wonderfully joyful, liberated feeling I get from running.
I find that good quotes motivate me because I can repeat them over and over and eventually, it sinks in!
One is something like: Dieting is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
Another one I like that I saw recently is:
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
I like it a lot because it seems like something is always happening in my life that derails me from my plan and really, that's not a reason to go and gorge myself the way I tend to do. I have to learn to live in the moment and do what I know is good in the long run regardless of the chaos in my path.
Dieting is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
I stumbled on this post today, & many things everyone mentioned were very inspiring! But this quote hit the nail on the head for me! Thanks! Keep up the hard work & good luck.
Oh, & what inspires me is my boys~ as in my son & husband. I want to enjoy a long, healthy, & happy life with them...when I fall off the wagon, I look at them & remember why i began this journey in the first place ...
What keeps you motivated?
