Hey Everyone, I am a new member. I am 21 and from South Carolina. I need the extra motivation I dont seem to want to exercise even though I know I need to. Weight loss has always been a hard thing for me so anyone with some tips or advice would be great. I would even like to make some vitural friends on here to encourage eachother on our weight loss journey. Thanks !

Hello! I'm 21 too, I live in Southern California. To me the hardest part is getting started, once I get through the first week or so I enjoy the eating right and exercising routine. I've gone up and down in my weight a lot and this time my main goal is to lose it and keep it off! To me the best motivation is to keep reminding myself of my goal because I know I will feel better once I achieve it. If you need more motivation feel free to contact me for it, good luck!

I dont know if you watched the Oprah show talking about the book and movie "The Secret" but that has been a huge turnaround point for me. Basically the principle from what I understand is that you have to think positively and assume that you will get to your goal eventually, everything else is just the steps you need to take to get to that goal. I'm just explaining in the way that helped me to get motivated but you might want to pick up that book because it really helped.
I work out daily minus one free day. So the way I do it, is I go in the morning before work. I find that if I set my alarm to go there, I figure my sleep has been disturbed anyway, and I only have another hour or so if I dont go to the gym so I just jump out of bed. I usually have everything ready to go before I go to sleep and my gym is on the way to work so that's definitely a motivator. But since I've been going in the morning, I find it a huge difference. I have more energy so I dont eat in the day out of bieng tired, and I get the whole night off. I used to work out after work and would spend the whole day eating and dreading the gym. But now I feel like if I overeat later, I just wasted getting up in the morning. Just the way I got motivated, it may not be right for you, but I think the key is to convince yourself that you are doing it as a treat to yourself rather than a chore. It is what is necessary to get to your goal. Just keep picturing yourself the way you want to be and you'll get there! Good luck!

Hi there,

Good for you for taking care of yourself! Around the time I was your age I was in the process of losing 100 pounds (which I've kept off almost all of for more than 10 years) and I started right about where you are. You can do it!!!

One way that I motivate myself to work out is to buy new shower products I'm really excited to use, then leave them in my locker at the gym. That way, I have to go to the gym in order to use the new stuff! It can be an extra "perk" that gets me out of bed in the morning if I know I have something from Bath and Body Works that smells divine waiting for me.

Hope this helps! Good luck to you and keep remembering you are worth it!

Holly

Hello and

You've come to right place. This is a wonderful community of people that are more the willing to support you though your journey. I have found so much support here.

The biggest thing with exercising is getting started. I am really not that big of a fan of exercising but I know it will get me to my goal faster. Try and start by adding little things to your day. For instant all school year I have been walking to and from school (1.2 miles) most days (I'm in the midwest so once the snow got really bad and it got really cold I started accepting regular rides home). My friends offer to drive me both ways but most of the time I only accept rides home. Also I started making running part of my weekly schedule. I plan time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to run on my treadmill. I purchased one in my home because I know if I had to go to a gym I wouldn't go. Also I purchased a second TV for my apartment so that I would have one in the bedroom where my treadmill is because I am more likely to use it if I can also take a study break and watch some mindless TV. I hope my suggestions are helpful. And again best of LUCK!!!

It's so hard for me to get to the gym but recently I've been thinking to myself "If I don't go what will I do with my time" and the answer is most likely sit at home and watch tv so I figure it's so much better for to go to the gym. This idea got me to the gym 5 days last week! I feel so much better about myself. Hopefully I can keep it up. I think going to the gym in the morning is a great idea if it works for you.

I really want to excercise. But it is so hard to find the time. So I do small things that seem to really count. When I go to the store, I park at the end of the lot so i walk farther to the door. Anytime I can use stairs I do vs using the elevator. Just a couple of examples. Try doing some simple excercises whille watching tv. It all adds up. Well it works for me anyway!!!