Alright guys.. so its been awhile since i've been on here. I haven't really beed on my diet at all and am looking (well.. kinda needing to) get back on it.

Only problem is...

I HAVE ZERO MOTIVATION.

The longest I have ever been on a diet was just over 1 month (about 2 or 3 months ago).. and i'm trying to think about how i did it last time. I know that it was because of this website but also because I had the motivation.

i'm gunna say this again.. I HAVE ZERO MOTIVATION... even writing this i'm wanting a cheeseburger.. and If i had one right here you couldn't pay me to not eat it.

so.. who can help and get me back on track?!

Thank you!!!

Motivation is a very personal thing. It must come from within ourselves.
Other people no matter how well intentioned seldom are sucessful at motivating someone else.

That being said how do we motivate ourself. In my humble opinion the first step is answering the question "what is in it for me?" Unless we see a benefit
to ourselves we will not be motivated.

One way that works quite well is to get some paper and put two columns on it. one labeled "Benifits of Dieting?" and the other labeled "Benifits of not dieting"

Then take your time and start brainstorming. Fill those two columns with every conceivable answer that you can think of evan if it seems far fetched. An example for an entry in the first column might be "longer life span" and example for the second column might be "No weighing and measuring food"

When you finish, and please don't rush it, look at the two columns closely and decide what you really want to do. Diet or not! Then do whatever
you decide. The important thing is it will be your decision, not someone else.

This is only one suggestion for how to start. Take it or leave it. Whatever you decide I truly wish the very best for you!

Larry,

Motivation is tricky and personal but if you want to change then you're the only person who can help you. I know its probably not the answer you were looking for but really you're the only person who can. You have to start thinking positively because negative thinking is so bad for you, think of all the mean things you say to yourself, be conscious of it and make an effort to stop those thoughts and switch them to something positive. Other than that there's a few things i do to help me stay motivated.

I love my food and dammit now i want a cheeseburger lol but I think the way Im approaching things is not to deprive myself, I give myself a day off from the diet where I eat things i know I cant eat the rest of the week, dont over do it but just so that you have something to look forward to.Then I have 4 strict days where I stick to it to the letter and then one day where i can let myself have a treat. If you break it up like that its seems to help but doing it this way you have to keep active, especially on my diet day off, you have to back it up with exercise.

The other thing that is helping me is keeping the jeans I want to get back into hanging up beside my mirror, so I see myself now and what I know I can achieve and it is the best motivation, getting dressed in the morning, getting so angry at myself when I look at my skinny jeans and know I'm going to have a positive and productive day and that i am doing it for me.

Take it one day at a time and if you dont have a great week, keep trying dont give up, dont be discouraged, you can do it, keep telling yourself you can and you'll believe it!

It's a good idea to browse the motivations we all have for getting to a healthy weight. Sometimes it works to get all psyched up and go whole hog at once. But don't get discouraged if that's not how it works for you.

I've found it's often easier to *add* a few healthy habits first and start feeling good about those before restricting diet. Examples of positive things that you can do that are good for you are to take supplements daily, take a walk in the morning (or do some other activity that you enjoy regularly), floss regularly, drink a certain amount of water every day, eat a large salad with lunch. Depending on your budget, you might also be able to add some expensive but healthy foods to your diet (e.g. fresh raspberries, lobster, gourmet mushrooms). You may have some other ideas of changes you can make that aren't burdensome to you.

And you probably don't feel like doing all these things at once either, just pick two and add a new one when you are ready. After you have adopted positive habits, even if you haven't lost any weight, you will probably be a lot more psyched about calorie restriction to remove some weight. And, with healthy habits like those in place, it will be easier to add calorie restriction than to do everything at once.

Good luck!

Sorry you're at a "stuck" moment. It wont last forever. I really like the idea that someone else mentioned. If you're not ready to commit to a whole plan yet one or two healthy changes may make a difference in how you feel about yourself and give you motivation. Hope you find success.

I feel that if your comfortable at your weight you should keep it.

When I started losing weight, I really didn't notice any changes until months afterwards. But, as I lost more weight, I gained more confidence, motivation, and felt like lighter and much more comfortable.

I still have a long way to go, but I think that if you like yourself at that size, why not stay there?

I agree with previous posters that the motivation has to come from you. If you don't feel the need to diet, that's fine. Maybe there will come a day when you will.

Having said that, I'd like to share one thing that kept me going several years ago when I lost quite a bit of weight. When I really wanted a particular food that wasn't on my plan, I would tell myself, "The food will be there later." Whatever it is that you crave will still be there for you after you finish your diet. I need to take my own advice this time around. I also feel that having certain things in moderation help to satisfy the craving so you can keep going.

Good luck!

I agree with the other posts. I'd also like to add that for me, I decide to just have one good day. I try not to think of the future...next week, next month, next year...I just decide to have one good day. Then, I have another good day...once I'm in the habit of making good choices for my health, then I start planning and looking into the future. I think it's easy to get overwhelmed and saying good bye to the junk food (to which I'm sure I'm addicted), is like saying good bye to a best friend who you don't want to say good bye to. But, if you tell yourself you just won't see that friend for one day, then it's all manageable. Of course this food isn't a friend at all, is it?

Someone here has a quote under their ticker that I really like...it says something like: "Dieting is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard." Of course if you're happy with your body, then there's no way to be motivated (unless there's a health concern perhaps).

Sometimes, you can make a cerebral commitment to weight loss and the motivation will follow once you start feeling better and seeing results. Best of luck!

I find that it helps (sometimes) when confronted with a craving, or some tempting food, to simply say: "Do I want this snack, or do I want to get the weight off? What do I ...WANT...?"

Usually the true WANT is the long term goal.

It's rare on these forums, for people to have trouble finding the WANT. I'd suggest reading some of the threads here about "What was the aha moment" or "What finally did it". Many people reach a breaking point, or a realization, where the WANT kicked in for real.

You know nobody can do it but you. Only YOU can find the OOMPH to do it and only YOU can find the right way to do it FOR YOU.

My health was enough to motivate me. I just got so tired of being tired! Feeling like crap, no energy, etc. And then, of course, the endgame of motivation!.... putting on a swim suit & standing in front of the mirror. I usually find that motivation enough!!

Some great ideas here =)

I'm gonna take a slightly different approach, though. I don't use motivation.

Don't get me wrong. When I'm feeling motivated it is fantastic. Everything is right in the world and I'm. Going. To. Walk. Off. These. Pounds. Right. Now! Hyah!

However, there are plenty of days when the drive isn't there. Plenty of days I'd rather just sleep in. Plenty of days I could eat the rest of the ice cream in the freezer.

What keeps me from doing what I want for the moment and instead do what I want for the future? Commitment.

I make commitments each week. I make commitments each day. Heck sometimes I make them every hour.

"Today I'm doing 10 minutes of walking on my treadmill. No excuses." It gets done. Not because I always feel like it, but because I told myself I would.

I don't always feel like brushing my teeth or doing the dishes or paying my bills. But, those things have GOT to get done, too.

Motivation is a fickle, fleeting mistress. It's good times when she's around, but Commitment is what keeps me going.

Motivation comes from within, like everybody said.

I parent my kids with that in mind. I don't put pressure on them to do good in school or be great athletes, but when they get good grades, or make great plays in sports, I ask them, "How does that make you feel?" and I put the focus on how what they did on their own, for themselves by themselves made them feel their best.

Do you have someone in your life that you could ask to mentor you in person? A workout buddy? Someone to be accountable to? Someone to brag to? Yet someone who won't judge for setbacks.

It just sounds like the motivator in you is currently on the couch watching TV and we may need to look elsewhere.

Something that has helped me to get out of a rut is focusing on the foods I CAN eat, not on what I can't eat. Trying out new recipes, making an effort everyday to eat at least one really healthy meal (even if the rest of the day is... uh, not so spectacular!)

This trick really helped me get back into exercise as well. When I stopped exercising constantly a while back, I was really going at in the gym. Full on weight routine, tons of elliptical. When I fell of the wagon, getting back into fitness seemed really, really daunting. I very rarely had the motivation to break out the gym gear and try to have a major exercise session that I new would feel like torture to my less in shape body... it was frustrating.

So, instead, I starting going on long walks with my ipod. Easy to do, no real preparation, and entertaining. Focusing on the exercise that was easy to do, instead of what's going to be best for fat loss right now, made it less of a chore.

If you focus on the positive, you won't feel defeated by slips ups.