Hi I'm new and have a ? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

3prettygirls · 08-25-2005, 11:57 AM

Hi I'm Tori and I'm new. I just wanted to say hi and I can't wait to get to know all of you. I had a quick question. What is your daily motivation and how do you keep those nagging and negative thoughts away on a daily basis? I'm new to the weight loss arena. I've always been a little chunky but i didn't care now that I'm almost 240 its a huge wake up call! I guess I'm just looking for some support my dh isn't too big on me losing weight and thats kind of a downer. But anyway not trying to give you a sob story! Just looking for a circle of support! thanks for listening!

Leenie · 08-25-2005, 01:21 PM

Hi Tori and Welcome,

I'm sorry your DH isn't much support in your efforts to get healthy. Does he know that being over weight can do more damage to your body than you realize? I can understand why your having a hard time when you get no support at home.

This is a wonderful place that has oooodles of information right at your fingertips. The ladies and mods here are so willing to lend a hand.

Now, nagging and negative thoughts. Thats a tough one. I wish I had a great answer for you but I don't because some days are harder than others. One thing I try to say to myself alot is that I am worth it and I deserve to be healthy

Hope to see you on the daily thread. Hugs ~n~ Kisses.

Leenie

marbleflys · 08-25-2005, 01:57 PM

get an imaginary big stick to beat down those negative thoughts.....every day can be an accomplishment...for YOU. For me, exercise is my life-line, it always makes me feel better..

I'm sorry that DH isn't more in tune with what you need, but you can succeed for you. I read that you have 3 young girls and you want to be a good healthy example as their Mom.

Sometimes I can't look at the big picture, but dividing it into small portions works for me.....(I can choose to eat salad/protein instead of a cheeseburger, I can't find the time to do an hour of exercise, but I CAN do 10-15 mins and take a walk ....I can't do 50 push-ups, but I can do 2 today and 3 tomorrow....I can find time to do one set of dumbbell chest work after the shower if I put my wts. next to my bathrobe).

I firmly believe that small changes really help and that every ounce counts.

LovesBassets · 08-25-2005, 02:06 PM

Hi Tori!

Motivation is a tough question. Everyone has to find something that motivates them as an individual, and no one can tell you what that motivation *should* be. You could start by asking yourself WHY you want to lose the weight. How is the weight effecting your life? Do you have a goal that you want to achieve, but feel that the weight is getting in the way? Do you have children for whom you want to be a good role model? There's a million reasons and ways we all keep motivated. For a humorous -- but VERY *real* -- look at some of the motivating factors for folks on 3FC, check out the recent thread "Legs" by paperclippy: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63942

As for me, my motivation has evolved over time. Originally, I just didn't want to be a (tight) size 18 anymore. I'm single, and I thought "If I could just lose this weight, maybe someone would marry me!" But the more I worked out, the more I thought "Gosh. I feel GOOD. And I'm a size 16/14/12/whatever!" My motivation has since evolved into the fact that I know now that I want to feel good for ME. It would be nice to be a size 8, but it would be FANTASTIC to be healthy and active for the rest of my life. I want to wake up in the morning with a smile on my face, instead of thinking "Ack. What am I going to WEAR today?"

So I think the key is to find YOUR reason, and to allow that reason to evolve and change as your body evolves and changes -- it will come naturally, believe me. And stick around here for a while. These folks are fantastic!

You can do it, Tori!!

feffyy · 08-25-2005, 02:39 PM

Hello,

Welcome! You will love this website! There are alot of great people here to help you threw your weight loss. Feffyy

FloridaMichelle · 08-25-2005, 02:44 PM

Lovebassits,
You are such an incredible motivator! Congrats on your loss and achieving your goals! How good does that feel

and Happy belated Birthday

3prettygirls · 08-25-2005, 06:10 PM

I really appreciate all your words of encouragement. After I wrote this thread i sat here looking at the tv while the girls ate lunch and i decided I DO ahve the time to exercise and I did my Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk and it felt really GOOD! Then I cleaned the rest of the house. I felt so much better after I got moving. I want to feel that way everyday! I am really glad I found these boards!

LovesBassets · 08-25-2005, 06:16 PM

FloridaMichelle, that is seriously one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me! You made my day! Thank you.

AND there's a lesson in motivation here, because after I read your post (the first time

) I went to the gym and did 45 (consecutive) minutes on the elliptical!! I've never done more than 30 minutes at one time IN MY LIFE!!! So thank YOU, Michelle

!!!

Also (while on the elliptical) I thought more about your question, Tori, and realized that I didn't actually answer your question

. That being about "daily motivation." So I thought about it, and here are some of the things I do daily (or hourly

) to keep me motivated. Like I said in my previous post, you have to find what works for YOU, but I know that I like to see other people's plans/strategies/etc., so here ya go:

1. If it's a cardio day for me and I just don't wanna do it -- which happens VERY often cuz I despise cardio -- I tell myself "Those minutes that I'm on the elliptical are going to pass either way. I might as well do something productive with the time." ALSO -- and I think I posted this somewhere else -- if I'm actually ON the elliptical and thinking "I can't do this anymore," I think about how insignificant 30 minutes is in the scheme of the whole day. And I KNOW it's worth 30 minutes of work to have 23.5 hours of feeling really good about myself -- and PROUD -- because I am still working hard toward my goal.

2. Food motivation...I don't know how much advice I can give on this because to be honest my eating habits are pretty much ingrained at this point. BUT when I was first starting out, that cheesy line (some) grandmothers say: "A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips" was a real motivator for me. It made me stop and think every time I put something in my mouth. Now, when I'm tempted to cheat, I think "Hmmmm....okay, this bottle of Coke is 200 calories. It takes me about 20 minutes on the elliptical to burn 200 calories. I HATE THE ELLIPTICAL, therefore, I ain't drinkin' this Coke."

3. And then all those changes in your energy level, body, outlook, mood, digestive system

, self-image, personal pride, etc., etc., etc. come along and you find yourself discovering a million other little reasons to be motivated.

Okay, now that I've TOTALLY monopolized the thread, I'll stop typing.

- Kate

liz321 · 08-26-2005, 08:32 AM

Welcome.......stick around.......this place is great!

Liz

FloridaMichelle · 08-29-2005, 07:03 PM

Kate,
Tell us how you celebrated your birthday since you made your goal? You had 2 reasons to celebrate! In RE: to your thread and the coke......I'd just as soon do that 25 minutes then pass up on my daily Mt Dew!!! What a shame huh! And I wonder why I look the way that I do

Wannabe9 · 09-01-2005, 11:25 AM

I am pretty new here too and I think reading what everyone has to go through helps.
Welcome and have a great OP day. Also I do WW and that helps me alot even though I havent been 100 OP all the time..I try harder than without them and I am losing slowly but I am doing it.

Katrina_Marina · 09-04-2005, 05:46 PM

Hello, I'm very new here

but wanted to chime in.
Thanks for the motivation already! I have 100 lbs to lose. I have not lost any weight in the past 6 months or so - but have made some good changes. Such as pop consumption- from 3 or 4 regulars to 1 a week (regular) and probably 2 diets a day. I'm proud of that.
Fast food- that thankfully changed as my lifestyle did. (Went from on the run working any of all 3 shifts to a 8-5 ish job). I have fast food rarely now! And -- as everyone says, it really does NOT taste good once you're not used to it. I cannot believe I just typed that.

So I'm working at losing- one small victory at a time. Someone I know told me to call them NSV's - non scale victories. Cuz we can't always depend on the numbers.

LovesBassets · 09-04-2005, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaMichelle

Kate,
Tell us how you celebrated your birthday since you made your goal? You had 2 reasons to celebrate!

Whoops...I'm responding to you a bit late, Michelle

! I celebrated my birthday by falling off the wagon LOL

. I PLANNED it, though. Sorta. I had some cake and an ice cream n' chocolate chip cookie "sandwich" a friend made for me. Plus a doughnut. And, ah...some Skittles. Too.

And my reward for hitting my size-10-by-my-birthday goal was to buy a pair of size 8 jeans and come up with a new mini-goal for my signature. A girl's gotta stay motivated, right?