What motivates you guys to keep going when times get tough?
I've been going through a few rough patches where I want to give up and eat junk food.

I always always set short term goals. I know I have a big end goal but I set short term goals like, I can't wait to see myself at 190, then 190 then 170 and so on....I also work out in a group setting and we are always competing. I want to be the fastest, or the most accurate...anything. I just want to be the best at something and then motivate the other girls the way they do me.

I think the short term goals are the best part of doing weight loss. I get a mini celebration every couple of weeks and it really does work!

It's weird, when I was first losing weight at home I also got this guy into doing it as well. He seemed to be the one who helped kept me motivated because the next day at work we'd discuss the workouts we'd done etc...
I moved back out across the country and lately it has been hard trying to find that motivation, until again him and I kept in touch and we discussed doing the P90X fitness program together. Well tuesday I wanted to slack, and of course he wrote on my wall saying he had just finished his workout and BAM motivation hit me to get off my mcdonalds eatting *** that day and to do a workout.

I think for me, though I've made rewards for myself at the end of the month if I complete the task I have going on, it helps me if someone else (Who I know personally who is struggling with the same problem and trying to accomplish the sort of same goals). I didn't choose for it to be this way, it just seems to work well for me


Also, I'm not very stricked on my diet, counting calories and going through the motion of what other people do I can't do. I find it exhausts me and I want to give up. So I go with the flow and I seem to be doing well (minus the holidays). If you feel the need to eat junk food, have a 1 day a week thing where you can eat that crap. Find meals you enjoy so it doesn't feel like a hassle to be doing this. Or if you want to eat a slice of pizza for lunch do it, but eat a healthier breakfast and a healthier dinner. You know? I don't know it works for me and I excersis and I'm loosing the weight by not just eatting rabbit food or following a specific diet.

Vacation plans! I also want to be in my feel great weight. I agree about the short term goals though...they make this journey so much more bearable.

hwta motivates me is that my man has like 0.02 % body fat lol and i want to be in shape with him, but also i want to be healthier so that i can feel good and energetic and not tired all the time

What stops me from eating nasty is the fact that it sets me backwards. That's just more work! And there will always be rough patches -- being concerned about our body and health shouldn't be an ever present problem. And if we catch it early it'll make a lifetime difference.

My other motivations:
(i'm phrasing in a positive way intentionally. "I will..." has more mental power and energy than "I want to..." )
- I will fit into all my favourite jeans and tops
- I will have toned muscles and be able to move comfortably (and far more gracefully too!)
- I will wear clothes that fit and make me look awesome! (good thing is that I already have a bunch in my closet ready and waiting)
- I will stop banging into countertops and doorways as my mind will know how big I actually am again (see: graceful)
- I will feel sexy. Again.

We can do it!!

Ahhh thanks so much guys!!! it's all really great advice! I will definitely make some small goals!
Groups and buddies working towards the same goal you are also seems like a good idea. I have to find some people that want to do what I'm doing near by.

I'm not a motivated person. I'm a committed person.

If I needed motivation to get me this far, I would have stopped when I was 215 lbs...

You just have to say "I'm committing to this lifestyle" then stick with it.

And an occasional single-serve bag of potato chips never killed anyone
I do work in treats for myself - but I make sure they fit into my plan.

This time around I think what has motivated me is so different and I think that is why my results are so different. I used to have mostly vain reasons for doing it. I'm only 24 but I am afraid for my health, because I look at my extended family, and they are falling apart health wise, and through helping them or taking care of things for them I see how they struggle, I see how their life quality is so poor. It saddens me. This is the only body God gave me, and I got to a place where I realized that I need to treat it like the treasure it is, even when I feel like it is trash. I also would like to feel sexy though! That would be a nice perk.

Im motivated and committed. Certain things motivate me to keep going such as seeing others progress. Something about seeing others do what Im trying to do does something to me. My pictures also give me a push. For me Im committed to working out but the eating part is harder for me and it takes a combination of both committment and motivation!

What keeps me going? Well, total vanity at this point. I love clothes. I love looking good in clothes and feeling pretty. I feel pretty now so I imagine I will feel even more pretty at my goal weight. I know this may sound terrible, but its true. Also, fear of going back to my high weight keeps me going. It was not a fun social life at that weight and I really don't want to go back there any time soon/at all.

I like that, I actually didn't think of the committing thing. Of course it's in the back of my head it's just not out there to speak like the motivation thing.

I posted pictures of myself on my weight loss blog. The straight up, these are me, I'm starting this pictures. I call them my nasty fat!pictures. Because they're out there for the world to see, I want to try to do better! I want to be successful at losing weight because of that.

So I'm working on it.

I'm also motivated because I want to go to grad school, and when I start there to meet new people, I want to be the best possible version of me I can be! And that includes a much healthier version.

I'm motivated by mostly good things, but also some shameful things.

I.E.
I'm motivated to look better than my ex-friends.
I'm motivated to make my sister jealous.
I'm motivated to look gorgeous and feel sexy.

I'm motivated by wanting to feel good about myself. I want to be able to be active and I want to travel and I want to look good doing it!

Also, my poor little baby puppy needs someone to play with and I have really been neglecting the runs. She deserves runs.

Mostly, though, I'd like to defeat the thing that's been tormenting me my whole life: my weight.