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I need motivation.....

#1

Maryjaneld , 04-09-2005 07:05 PM

I want to start this new healthier time in my life, however, I find myself lacking the motivation. Any ideas on how to kick myself in the rear and start losing weight? What motivates all of you?
Lauren

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#2

paperclippy , 04-09-2005 08:55 PM

Hi Lauren! Motivation is definitely a hard thing to come by, I think. I assume you've already tried picturing yourself at your goal weight. Personally, I was prompted to change my lifestyle after looking at myself in the mirror and being totally disgusted with what I saw. I was at the heaviest I have been in my life and I hated it! I couldn't wear any of the clothes I wanted, I couldn't do the physical activities I wanted to because I was too out of shape.

A year or two ago I started getting into fashion and beauty, which I had never paid attention to before. It hit me that I could wear the right colors and blow-dry my hair right and apply makeup, but none of that would cover up my fat belly and gigantic butt. Also, I started to feel uncomfortable getting intimite with my boyfriend, which had never been a problem before -- just because of my stomach. I got really fed up with it and decided that it was time to fix it! I had the advantage that I was moving to a new place and starting a new stage in life, so I didn't have anything in my house to get rid of, or any restaurant habits to break.

I was the least motivated with exercise, because I was so bad at it and it seemed so time consuming. But I found that if I go in the morning, I can stick to a routine, and now that I have been working on fitness for a while I actually enjoy it and look forward to going to the gym! I have hated exercising my entire life, because it was so hard for me, but after a few months of going 3 days a week, I finally feel like my body is thanking me and I am accomplishing something great. It's just as good a feeling as I had the other day, when I was lying on my back in bed and I could feel my hipbone under there for the first time in years!

I don't know if that helped you at all, but I know you can do it! We're all here to support you. Think about how healthy and beautiful you will be when you reach your goal!

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#3

Maryjaneld , 04-10-2005 10:32 PM

Thank you very much Paperclippy! Exercising is also the least motivated part of my weight loss. I just bought an interesing looking exercise tape of five 10 minute workouts - bootcamp, pilates, ballet, kickboxing, and yoga. Maybe if I start small with 10 or 20 minutes, I can at least exercise 5 days a week and that'll be better than the 1 day a week that i'm doing right now.
I have to work on the eating right. I have tried visualizing myself at a goal weight. The hard part is knowing that I had lost 30 lbs 4 years ago, and then my mom died and I gained it all back, and then some. I have clothes ranging from size 8 -> right now, size 16 and that's depressing.
Thank you for cheering me on, I think, with this new added support, that maybe I can do this
Lauren

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#4

angelfadedblue , 04-11-2005 12:17 PM

Inspiration!!!!
Ok, girls (and Guys). This is a post I absolutely LOVE from Meg, and I re-read it because It inspires me to keep going. I hope you find it helpful.. kep on truckin!
For actual thread:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39446

Quote:
Originally Posted by Meg
If there�s anyone who can relate to what you�re saying, it�s probably me. I walked the same road myself back in 2001 and 2002 and experienced all the same feelings that you talk about in your post. You�re not kidding when you say that losing weight is hard work, but I want to tell you that it�s so so worth it. From where you are now, you have a vision of what your life�s going to be like at goal, right? A dream about how you�re going to look and how you�re going to feel?

OK, I want you to step into my skin for today and feel what it�s like to be me. You with me? You see, I used to think it was all about how I�d look when I got to 135 pounds. I never realized that the pay-off is how good I FEEL. So if you can walk around in my (sweaty gym) shoes for one day, I guarantee that nothing in this world will stop you from losing the rest of the weight.

Here we go!

It�s 4:30 AM and I wake up before the alarm, bursting with energy. I need a lot less sleep now than I did 122 pounds ago. I never dreamed that I could feel so good! The first thing that goes through my mind every day is � woo hoo! I did it! I�m not fat anymore! To me now, every morning is Christmas morning; every day is the best day of my life.

I jump out of bed, make coffee, and throw on my gym clothes. That�s a huge change from before, when I was allergic to exercise. I�m at the gym when it opens and do my cardio for the day, listening to music with a great beat. I notice how much faster and more intensely I can go now than when I was heavy and every day I try to do a little more than the day before. That endorphin rush is a great way to start the day � I�m always so jazzed when I walk out of the gym.

Back home to breakfast: oatmeal and chocolate protein powder. The way I eat now and the way I used to eat are like night and day. No more sugar highs and crashes, no more feeling bloated, no more hating myself and feeling controlled by food. I plan my meals for the day and enter them into Fitday.

Then the usual Mom stuff and household stuff. It�s so cool to fly up and down the stairs without having to stop and catch my breath or having my knees and feet hurt. I get my chores done in about half the time it used to take. I love the feeling of being strong just while doing the everyday tasks of life: taking out the trash, carrying the laundry upstairs, hefting the 20# box of kitty litter.

And then the highlight of my day: back to the gym for weights. The gym was the scariest, most alien place in the world for me when I was heavy and now it�s home. I love lifting weights and love the muscles and the look they give me. I used to be afraid to look in the mirrors at the gym (you know how the walls are lined with mirrors) - now I catch a glimpse of myself and marvel at the stranger who�s looking back at me. How could this be me? I spent all my life as the fat girl and now I have toned arms and little hips. I walk out of the gym on , knowing that I've pushed myself to my limits as I worked to build my best body. Lifting weights has taught me that I have strength and endurance and discipline that I never imagined and it carries over to all other aspects of my life. I know that I�m capable of anything that I set my mind to doing.

Let�s stop and do some clothes shopping on the way home, OK? I walk in and bypass the plus sizes and head for all the pretty clothes in the regular sizes. I don�t have to shop for camouflage anymore � no more big T-shirts to hide the butt or long sleeves to cover the jiggle. No more elastic waists or towels strategically covering up my bathing suit. I can look at crop tops and low-rise pants, beautiful (and sexy) lingerie, and tank tops. I see something that I want to try on and look for it in a 4 or a small(which can be hard to find). Now stand in my shoes with me in the dressing room and hold up a pair of jeans in size 4. They�ll never fit, right? They�re WAY too tiny � I used to look at small sizes and think that no one could have a butt small enough to fit in those. But they slide right up over my hips and fit perfectly (no sucking in the gut). The problem with clothes shopping when I was fat was that nothing looked good. The problem now is that too much looks good � hard on the old budget.

Back home, normal life. My dinner�s different from the rest of my family�s but it doesn�t bother me or them a bit. And then to bed, knowing that I physically feel better than I ever have in my life. But more than just how good I feel is the knowledge that I did it! It took me 47 years, but I finally got rid of the fat that weighed down every aspect of my life. There�s no better feeling in the world.

Losing weight � and more importantly � keeping it off is hard work and it�s a job that we�ll have to do for the rest of our lives. It takes sweat, hard work, planning, and self-discipline. You know what to do; like you said, the elements are habit now. But trust me, the pay-off at the end of road is far, far better than you can imagine.

Keep going � you�ve come so far now. When you think about the alternative � going back to being fat and unhappy � really, what choice is there? I guarantee that when you reach your goal (and you will, I�m sure) you�ll agree with me that it was the hardest and, at the same time, the best thing that you ever did in your life.

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#5

paperclippy , 04-11-2005 12:44 PM

Thanks for posting that Angie, that's really inspirational!

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#6

Maryjaneld , 04-12-2005 09:23 AM

Thanks a lot, that was great. It's nice to see the payoff of losing weight, besides just looking smaller. I was so motivated, i ran and did a 30 min workout.
Lauren

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#7

BrunetteChic_2000 , 04-12-2005 10:43 AM

OMGosh!! I LOVE that post by Meg!!! Angie, thank you for re-posting!

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#8

flxthct107 , 04-12-2005 02:19 PM

Yes, Thank You Angie. I really enjoyed reading Meg's post!

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#9

Jessie_777 , 06-19-2005 02:43 PM

I wanted to float this post back up. I'm needing some motivation big time lately This post seemed to help. What do you do for motivation?

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