Hi Barb,

I did not contribute before because everyone else already contributed more than I could say. However, I feel I can contribute to debunking the motivation myth.

Don't wait for imotivation.

You do not have to be life-long motivated, you do not have to like it, as long as you just keep on doing what it takes.
You only need the motivation at one moment : NOW. If you take it one meal at a time, one day at a time or 5 minutes at a time is irrelevant.

And yes, there will be days that you are motivated. Enjoy it!.
But there wil also be days that you are not...just keep hanging in there, keep making the right choice.

For myself I can say that as I get more practiced in making the right choice, the days that I wake up with motivation are on the increase. I have more energy. I have more joy in life, and I actually enjoy exercise more. And I like eating nice (expensive!) fruits & veggies instead of (cheap!) junk food. I am working on that guilt feeling, telling myself that I am worth it. My body is worth to have good food, and not junk food. For me, it boils down to the fact that I am worth taking time for myself, nourishing myself, and enjoying life. And I like seeing myself in the mirror and thinking I actually do look good.


Good luck on your journey,
and keep posting here!

Rabbit

Pookie!

I did miss you around. I am sorry to hear about your loss.

Rabbit

Pookie, My mom died Aug 18th and I almost have to think of something else and keep busy or it's right back to those tears.

Wow, this is one of the best threads ever on maintenance! There certainly isn't anything for me to add except that there are some 'stickies' in the Maintenance Library discussing the book Thin For Life (by Ann Fletcher) that might be worth checking out. The focus of the entire book is keeping off weight and chapter 5 in particular is relevant here: TFL Key #5: Nip It In The Bud: Break The Relapse Cycle

Barb, you're back - even though you're struggling. Please stick around! Frankly, many days are a struggle for a lot of us. One of the best things I've found to keep me on track is to come here to 3FC and at least read daily - it keeps me tuned into to maintenance and doesn't allow me to slip off into my own little world of rationalizations and denial.

Freaking brilliant!!! That one hit me right between the eyes!

When I started this time around I was 39 and felt at least 50. One day, I had this lightning bolt of a thought "I want to be fitter at 50 than when I turn 40". Well, that bit of brilliance was nice, but what do you do with that?? I halfway thought of waiting till 40 to start -- 8 months away!

Instead, I decided to focus on that goal. I only later realized I was commiting to a process. Think of it. No specific weight goal. Fitter. Healthier. Able to do more and be more. I think the process of trying to lose over 100 pounds was just too daunting. I didn't know if weighing XX pounds was attainable, but being fitter... it was harder to screw that up.

Commitment doesn't mean I have to be perfect, but does mean that every day I have to try. Commitment doesn't mean sticking to one plan or one set of rules, but being flexible for whatever's going on with me. Commitment to being consciously aware of what I'm eating has been a big part of the battle.

Motivation's great when you have it, but when you don't, there's still commitment.

I think this is very wise.

Anne

I absolutely agree.

I shed over 80 pounds (started at 233) while deep in the throes of perimenopause (no easy feat, because the metabolism is completely shot!). And no, it's never as easy to shed the weight as it is to put in on, dang it!

Here's a point that I'm jumping in here to emphasize. People who lose weight generally forget how they gained it in the first place. Somehow, they think it happened overnight. Like magic. The truth is, it happened while they were going about, living. Follow me here...It is our old lifestyle - our diet and our exercise (or lack thereof) that made us fat. What we chose to eat. How much we chose to eat. Where we chose to eat. And whether or not we exercised at all.
If you expect to make temporary changes to that lifestyle in order to shed weight, you will never be able to keep it off. Ever.
This is not about temporary changes in what we eat.
This is not about temporary changes in a work-out regimen.
If you want to shed the weight and KEEP IT OFF FOREVER then you will have to change your lifestyle (diet AND exercise) FOREVER.
So what if your best friend can eat an entire plate of cannoli and never gain a pound while just THINKING about pizza puts 5 pounds on your thighs. Babe, life ain't fair. Get over it.
Make a healthy diet "NORMAL" for you.
Make exercise "NORMAL" for you.
Make a permanent change in your lifestyle and you will keep off your weight. I promise. Worked for me.

Thank you all for your thoughts and insights. This thread has been exceptionally helpful to me as I struggle to get back to my healthier lifestyle following a bit of a relapse after an injury to my foot.

I agree Sherry about the great thoughts on this thread. I usually stayed away from the maintenance forum because I was afraid I would feel bad or guilty or a complete failure because I was not to the "maintenance stage" of my life yet unlike the other folks here.

Pookie, you've raised such an important point that I simply cannot fly by without emphasizing it ... I think that the day anyone decides to embark on a path of healthy eating and exercise, one has begun the "maintenance stage." There may be pounds to shed and fitness routines to master, but there's no mistaking it: maintenance is here and now, not down the road. And you know what? You can do it.

Meg, can we make this thread a sticky ... or, are we still collecting "best posts" somewhere?

Thanks Robin,(Airegrrl) !

Robin - outstanding idea to make the thread a sticky. Here goes!

You know, Pookie, I've gotten to the point where I truly appreciate the work and dedication of someone who's lost even just 10 pounds and kept it off. We've all been around 3FC long enough to see a lot of weight loss - but sadly, not enough weight loss maintenance. Robin is 100% on the money (as usual ) - maintenance is the name of the game from Day One.

I reread this thread tonite. What I learned about myself is that my way of eating is now the "normal" for me. If I eat off my plan that is the "abnormal" for me. Exercise is my "normal" instead of sitting on my butt. For me, I think that "consistency" has been a lifesaver, it far surpassed "motivation". As many times I just don't feel motivated, but make the right choice and exercise anyway. It's what I have learned and what I am going to stick to.

I'm so glad I read this thread. I haven't been posting as much as I used to, life happens and time is something I wish I could have more of sometimes.

I do come in once in a while to read the maintainers forum. I've been stuck with the same weight for a while, haven't lost much of lately and I've been up and down a few pounds for the longest time. This thread is the kind of support that I love, coming in here just reminds me that I'm doing this for the rest of my life and that I WANT to have a better life, better health, and all the other benefits that come from losing weight.

I'm one of those people who find comfort in food when stressed out, and lately I've had a lot of stressful situations in my life, my eating hasn't been the best. But I do give credit to myself for sticking with it for the most part. I haven't gotten the "what-the-heck-may-as-well-quit" attitude and this is the longest I've been in any kind of plan, I started in April of this year doing WW on my own (not attending meetings or on-line). I'm still working out every morning at 5:30, even if I'm half asleep on exercise machine. I know what I'm doing today, I have to keep doing for the rest of my life.

I don't feel like I belong in the maintainers forum sometimes, but reading this post helps me see that anyone who's trying to lose weight should come here and stay here. I have to say, this is where I've found the support and inspiration I need to keep me going.

Thank you all!