Hey, I am curious to see how other people losing weight motivate themselves! Especially through stressful times!

For me, I created a magnet board that I have hung in my bedroom. Each significant weight loss or goal that I meet I put a magnet away from the center. My goal is to get down to the middle of the magnets, where there is a golden silhouette of a fit women.
I also thought of making an bracelet that says something like "I can lose weight, keep it up!"

Has anyone created something or done something to keep yourself motivated?

My 8's are getting a little baggy in the rear.

I have a reward bracelet that I add a bead to for every 10 pounds lost! I got the idea from someone here on 3FC!

I'm also motivated by my clothes fitting looser AND the shocked looks people give me when they see how much I've lost already! LOL!

Top that off with the fact that my husband can't stop telling me how hot and beautiful I look...and I just want to keep going!

My motivation comes from the mirror. I just cannot believe it is really me when I look at my arms, or my back, or even my face. Whenever I have an urge to eat absolute crap (Which honestly, is not often at all these days) I go flex at myself in the mirror. Haha! My husband says I look like a teenaged boy, always standing in the mirror and flexing my arms and my abs.

Right now I seem to have no motivation and just trying to do the things I need to do... but I love the idea of adding a bead to a bracelet. Thanks for the idea!

I bought myself a really pretty dress that doesn't fit right now. I hung it in the workout room and I look at it while on the treadmill lol Every time I have a craving I go look at it or look at my before pictures I took

I want.

Mine is infertility/baby related. I'm hoping to lessen some infertility problems by losing weight, to keep myself motivated I've attached a pair of baby socks to my fridge, I see them everyday and they keep me from going over my calorie limit.

Right now I have a number of motivations. 1) I'm diabetic and my doctor just put me on extra cholesterol medication because he says that diabetics have to have extra low cholesterol in order to avoid heart problems. I want off of that medication. 2) I bought 3 pairs of capri pants to wear this summer in 18W, and they are a bit tight (okay, very tight). But I was wearing 18W just a few months ago, before I gained back 25 of the 45 lbs I lost last year. I am bleeped if I'll cave and return them for 20's. And it's gotten hot already (I'm in California). I have to lose... and fast. Not too fast, though. 3) I just found out I'm going to a conference in July that will require a lot of walking and a plane trip. I hate flying fat. And I need to exercise in order to get fit enough to do all of the walking.

Diane

I have infertility problems but once I cut out sugar and lost weight I would get pregnant. I have five kids and it certainly does help to get healthy. Fat stores extra estrogen and that messes with our hormones. I wish you all that you desire.

Like Diane, I don't care to be on any medication for my diseases. I'm a type 2 diabetic/PCOS and managing with diet and exercise. I had hypertension for awhile, but have gotten that under control with diet and exercise as well as stress management techniques. I'm perimenopausal and am also struggling with hypothyroidism. And ADD. All of it can be managed with proper diet and exercise.

I also don't want to be a hospitalized old person, so I'm doing whatever it takes in the present to prevent that in the future. I have a loooooong to-do list and I need time to get it all done!

I also find the right support system is very encouraging and helps me stay on track. Creating community with my exercise partners, my stress management team and my local CSA farmers has been really helpful.

I might be an outcast here with my response, but honestly it's the truth.

Being overweight for most of my life, my main motivation at the time was to lose weight so I could wear all the cute clothes my friends wore, but I could never fit into. This was mainly in college, I had super thin roommates who would could buy anything they wanted, and that became my main motivation, but I also never managed to lose more than 10lbs.

Last year when I was in grad school, I went to crossfit with one of my friends wanting to see what it was about and realized how completely out of shape I was. Yes, I could do the elliptical for an hour with resistance but it was nothing compared to the strength training they do. I also had my body fat percentage checked, it was so high it scared me. A few months later I went to the doc and my blood test came out so bad he contemplated putting me on medication (in my early 20s!), and a few months later I didn't qualify for health insurance through my dad's plan. I was legit scared that I was doing some major damage to my body.

Trying to lose weight for "clothes" never seemed to work for me, I was looking for quick fixes without making appropriate changes. While my motivation started from materialistic things it quickly turned into more of health kick and that's when I started to actually lose weight in a way I could sustain. This is the first time in my life that I have been in the 170s (since high school!) without gaining it back in a week or two.

Anyway, sorry that was much longer than expected, but this was a great question to ask

First of all, to the ladies who are motivated by infertility issues: How brave of you, and how excellent idea to lose weight! I do believe losing weight will do wonders to your body and make it so much easier not to just conceive, but also carry on with a helathy, happy pregnancy. While it may not sort out everything, it can help a great deal. It's also the best possible motivation I know. I wish I was smart enough to lose more weight before I got pregnant with my twins, but all the years or trying and failing, M/Cs, and eventually IVF took the better of me, so I am fighting now, with two little babies to look after at the same time. It's doable, but it would have been so much smarter to do this when I didn't have them yet! I do wish all of you the best of luck, I really do. Beleive me, I can relate.

As for my current motivation, I could make myself sound all deep and sophsiticated and say I want to become healthier and fitter mum to my girls, and that I want to set a good example...and it's true, I really do want all that. But the more immidiate, more closer motivation I'm feeling every day is just plain superficial, but it's true: I want to look good, and I want people tell me I look good. Some years ago I lost 40 pounds. I could fit into clothes I liked. People kept telling me how fantastic I look. I FELT fantastic. I would walk in my new dress down the street and just FEEL pretty. And I want that feeling back. I want to be the girl who beated her obesity, who lost tremendous amount of weight and became healthier. And hotter. Simple as that...Though I would never admit this out loud!

Motivation for me is all over. I have pictures on my phone that I keep as backgrounds - or quotes I use. Something that when I open my phone I remember why I'm doing this. It also helps when I get ready in the morning and I'm not using a small army to get into my clothes or they are so tight I can't breathe. I'm noticing small changes within my body and when people take pictures and I see them I can see I'm getting smaller. It's more so of the little things that are helping me. The big things I'm sure will come with time.

My kids.....