I always go through short bursts of enthusiasm in whatever I do (learning guitar, painting, etc.) and I'm worried that when the enthusiasm for losing weight wears off I won't have anything to keep me going. I've been having an awful day today, and I just don't know what could keep me motivated on a day like this if I'm not as 'in the zone'.
The only thing that really keeps me going is seeing the scale go down, because I don't know how to identify the other changes that happen to me. I've lost almost 60lbs, and I still feel 370lbs sometimes. I know I shouldn't depend on the scale though.
So what do you do to keep yourself motivated on bad days? I really don't want to fall off the wagon just for a few bad days, it's so much harder to get started again than it is to keep going.

3FC keeps me motivated! I know what you mean by those short lived bursts of enthusiasm that's why I was never able to maintain any weight loss.I've only been here a few weeks but whenever I'm feeling down I surf the site and I always find a thread or post that speaks to me.So I know this time will be different because I've never had an outlet like this before. So stick with it you've come so far!

P.S. There is always looking at yourself in the mirror naked.That also keeps me on track cuz the mirror doesn't lie.That's why when people say "You're not fat" I reply "I'm naked under my clothes!"

Wow, do I ever agree with both of you. I have days like that too when I know that I am not going to make it through the day without overeating. And I have found that 3 fat chicks on a diet helps me too. I try to get on here every single day and post to my blog every single day at least once too. What keeps me motivated? My knees were getting really bad to the point of where I was having trouble getting up after sitting and that is what got me going at first. My knees have gotten much better with 17 pounds down but I weave in and out of staying motivated. It is certainly not an exact science for me and I just take it one minute at a time. Hang in there and stay with this site..........keep posting and set yourself up a blog, which I use like my own personal journal, pretty boring but helpful to me. You'll be ok.

Faith. I don't mean a religious faith, though it is religious-like, I suppose. I think having faith is more important the bigger you are. Faith in the math, faith in long-term health being worth it, faith throughout time.

When I was younger and hotter and had to lose, say, 12 pounds to look better in my bikini, I'd 'diet' and step up the physical activity and Voila ... a few weeks I'd be rewarded with a thin self.

Results are not so instantly gratifying when you have over 100 pounds to lose. Some people probably know that better than I, so not the preacher here -- but I remember that even after 40 lbs lost people weren't noticing, I was still literally fat, etc. So time is, frankly, less rewarding the more you have to lose. When something takes more time, it can be hard to remember on a day-to-day basis why it's so important to stay on plan ...

Which is where my blind devotion comes in (heh, that sounds bad). But I just tell myself that it doesn't matter if I fluctuated these last 5 days, or if I don't want to exercise, etc. I try to just ... have faith that it is important. That it is working. I basically just try to keep myself from reasoning with myself -- if you know what I mean (excuses, deals, etc).

This probably sounds a little intense, but it is a part of it to me.

One of the big lessons I finally learned is that I couldn't depend on motivation. I had the same experience you did, going full-tilt for a while then when the novelty or excitement wore off, wandering off track.

I don't use the word "motivation" any more. I recognized that's what was needed to get me started, but from that point I simply had to be *determined.* I was going to do what I needed to do, regardless of whether I felt like it or not. Instead of depending on that go-go-go emotion, I learned to depend on *myself.* The emotion will come and go, but I just made up my mind I was going to keep plugging away, even if it didn't seem the easiest or most exciting or most entertaining thing to do.

That said, a lot of things help me stay on track. When I lost my first large amt of weight, it almost became my hobby. Whether it was visiting (reputable, healthy!) bulletin boards or sites (like here or stumptuous.com), or reading about the psychology of obesity and weightloss, or learning about exercise, or whatever, every day I was fully *engaged* in the process and devoted to learning about myself and how I got this way, and turning that around. That kind of mindset really turned this into a lifestyle change instead of being just another "diet."

First of all congratulations on the 60lb that is AWESOME!!! I suggest you go to a gym or find something that weighs 60 lbs and try to pick it up. It will reaffirm your success.

3FC is a strong source of my motivation as well. Community support goes a long way. Another is keeping a focus on the end goal. To not only be healthy but to finally be able to shop for clothing anywhere I want and not just Big & Tall clothing stores. The joy of fitting into a shirt or a pair of pants that I couldn't before is huge..

My focus aside from attaining good health right now is that I wan't to be able to run... It's something I have rarely been able to do since I have been over 300lb (accept on the occasions I have lost weight on many previous diets,) since high-school. It was a major source of motivation at the gym this past week, it forced me to push my self beyond the pain and past exhaustion on both the treadmill and the elliptical.

Another source is TIME, it's almost 50% motivation 50% scare tactic. I constantly try to remind myself that time will pass no matter what I chose. So it's up to me if I want to use it to lose, or if I wan't to waste it.

Being pissed off is keeping me motivated. I am so unhappy right now that all I have is anger to push me and this site. I come to this site and laugh and just generally feel better about what I'm doing.

Motivation is great...it really is but I don't rely on it when I'm going through a tough time. It does help but honestly pure determination has kept me on track when I feel like I need a serious kick in the pants.

When I do want a bit of extra motivation I either look at my goal pants hanging up on the outside of my closet door, looking back at actually how far I have come, and then I come here....in my RL I do not know anyone that has had as much success at weight loss as the women (and men!) here at 3FC have

Motivation is not enough for me to get the job done. It's not around when I'm having a lousy day, when I don't feel like exercising or when I'm surrounded by tempting foods.

Which is why I rely on the ironclad commitment that I made. The commitment to myself to do whatever it takes to lose the weight, keep it off and be healthy. I've made the commitment. I'm in it for the long haul. Period. Bailing out when the waters gets rough is no longer an option.

It's hard enough staying on track with a commitment. Without one, it would be next to impossible to do what's necessary day in and day out to lead a healthy lifestyle.

That being said, now that I AM A healthy weight, well I absolutely love and adore the results of my ongoing hard work. I love my medical results, my increased energy, my confidence level - and my fabulous wardrobe!!!!!

Commitment -- that is a really great way to put it.

I agree that it is definitely determination that keeps me going. I also do a lot of pep talking myself. In the past I would get impatient and negative and that would lead to giving up. This time I'm not allowing myself to give into that kind of thinking. I went out to dinner with friends last night and they are able to eat whatever they want and stay thin. In the past this would have totally bummed me out and I would have given into a pity me party. This would lead to saying the heck with it all and going back to eating whatever I wanted. Now i don't let my inner child get away with that kind of thinking. My body is what it is and I just have to learn how to care for it so it will be healthy. It isn't too hard, it is so worth it to feel and look so much better. I don't worry about what other people can do or what they say about what I do. I had to decide that it was worth it, all the hard work and discipline. Don't let yourself think of it as a whim. It's you taking care of yourself.

3FC's, the way that I feel... and me. I keep me motivated!!!!

Being so darned uphappy. Im sick of it. I want to be happy, and that keeps me motivated. Tired of letting life pass me by.......I will continue on this journey if it takes me 5 yrs or more. I WANT TO BE HAPPY AGAIN! And I will! And if you decide that you are tired of being unhappy, and make the decision to change it, you will do it. You can do it if you want it bad enough......

Even time I'm feeling a bit unmotivated, I go do something, like buy a new workout outfit, or find a new workout video to do, read a new weight loss magazine... Stuff like that. When I have a new toy, I'd want to put it to good use. The more expensive the toy, the longer the motivation stays, haha!

So far my spoils are not many: Nike Plus (Super fun to see the graphs!), Running Shoes (I've been using my mom's too small ones till then), and two sports bras (NO MORE BOUNCING OMGYAY!).

Things I want: Jillian Michaels New DVDs, Some books that I don't remember the names of... and Workout clothes! I'm telling myself when I hit 59.9kg I'll go get those stuff, hee!