I am having so much trouble staying motivated. I have lost 8 pounds total, I started South Beach in January over the course of a month and a half I lost 8 pounds. I was very motivated when I started, it was a new year, my 40th birthday is next year and I want to be thin, I have a vacation trip planned for October to Disney World with my family and our friends, these were all good motivators for me in the beginning. But now the weight loss has pretty much stopped, I can't seem to stay focused, I have lost and gained the same two pounds over and over again for the past couple of months, I'm very frustrated, I don't know what to do at this point, I feel like I am all over the place with my eating, one day I'm on plan and the next I can't figure out what I'm doing.

Is anyone else having this problem?

What got you motivated to lose weight and what is keeping you motivated throughout your journey?

The thing that made me finally decide to lose weight was last year I quit smoking and gained 30 lbs. When my size 20 jeans no longer fit I said this is enough. I'm over being fat and I'm going to do something about it.

This may sound crazy but the thing that keeps me motivated is when I first started trying to lose weight I bought a pair of really cute rhinestone jeans that were a size 16. I'm going to get into those jeans if it kills me!! I guess when I'm in a size 16 I'll go buy a pair of 12 or 14.

My main goals are to be healthy and in better shape. That is what drives me to keep going through times I don't see a loss.

Sometimes when we don't get the results we want it's because we have the wrong goals. Anytime in the past when I have dieted it's been because I wanted to lose weight. Obviously those times didn't work for long. I may have lost weight, but afterwards I didn't have motivation to keep it off. Now my goals will last through weight loss AND maintenance.

You should have short, middle, and long term goals. My long term is the most important one of being healthy and in better shape. My middle term is the weight loss part. My short term are little goals I set along the way, or maybe even day to day goals.

Just a suggestion.

I got motivated when we started planning a family trip to Barbados last winter. I decided that since I would be undoubtedly be appearing in many photos, I didn't want to be permanently ashamed whenever we show trip photos to friends and relatives. So, I decided to lose weight.

Part of what keeps me motivated is meditation and visualization. Every night when I go to bed, I meditate for a bit and visualize my metabolism speeding up and my skin and body shrinking. (Ok, I skip a night or two per week, but MOST nights!) I've also got myself convinced that the weight loss in inevitable, and practically done and all I have to do is live through intervening months to where it is finally reality. If that makes sense? In other words, I've decided that in the future, the weight loss has already happened and is a fact and all I have to do is go through the proper motions in order to get to that time where I've already lost the weight. Nothing can stop me.

All it takes is compete dedication and singleminded focus.

And starvation and torture.

From what you've written, it sounds like you anticipate all the rewards to materialize at the end of your weightloss. I have set up a system for myself where I get a reward (clothing and jewelry are my preference) for every 10 pounds I lose. No matter how little the reward is, I find that it really helps to reinforce my efforts along the road. Maybe you can gradually get things that you will need for your vacation anyway (sunglasses, sandals, etc.). For me, the end can seem so far in the future and that can really get me down. Focusing on the short term, and acknowledging the steps taken along the way have been working for me. Granted, like everyone else, I still fall into slumps where motivation seems to have abandoned me (I've also been gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over the past month), but you just have to hang in there. Coming on this site helps a lot, because everyone has essentially the same issues and a genuine desire to see others succeed in their efforts. Good luck!

I do the mini-rewards thing too. Last time I was losing weight (I'm trying to end a year-long plateau right now) it was really helpful for me to wear one of those italian charm bracelets. Every time I lost 2 lbs, I got a new charm at this place that sells them for $3. I could look at the bracelet and see how far I'd come--and I got cute charms. It isn't motivating me this time around, but it worked well then.