Hi,
I have really been struggling lately, so I decided to get some inspiration going - other than visiting you lovely chicks

My greatest motivation is wanting another child. I look at my daughter and feel such intense joy at knowing her and being her mother - how could I not want to share this with more children!

But I dont want to be overweight again and pregnant.

So I have just created a montage of pictures that cover my fridge door.. pictures from my pregnancy (which aren't very flattering) and of our daughter as a newborn and of the special moments since. I am hoping that it will give me motivation and determination everytime I look at it.

Do you have something that gives you motivation to want to continue your healthy eating and exercise?

That's such a sweet & genuine motivation Mine is sort of silly... I have pictures of what I used to look like, quotes, little stickies with however many more lbs I need to lose, or how many I've lost - hung up in random spots in the house.. On the mirrors, on the fridge, on the pantry.. if I get depressed or feel the need to cheat I look at those and they remind me why I'm doing this (to get healthy), and how far I've come (almost halfway there)

I haven't done this in a while, but I often hang an article of clothing on my dressing room door that I LOVE, but that doesn't currently fit me.

Right now I ahve 2 countdowns one to my cousin's wedding in april and the other to my birthday in June I'll be 29 then and I'm determined to be fit before I turn 30

Hummm I use to hang pictures of swim suit models on the fridge and bathroom mirrors. Until DH's male friends said that it bothered them, and that they found it kinda strange. I also use to hang my modeling pictures on the fridge. They eventually got covered with mucho school stuff from DS and DD so what is the point of them being there?

I'm just the opposite. When I hang pictures of what I used to look like or pictures of people who I wish I could look like, I get discouraged. What truely motivates me is people watching. I see the really large women with their canes huffing and puffing just to get off the bus or metro and I think I don't want to be like that.

I keep thinking that one day I'll bring my camera along and just take pictures of people I don't want to look like.

I had a picture of a very large woman sitting in a sea of desserts at one time that worked great for me. I reminded me that I could look like that if I wasn't more careful.

My inspiration actually comes from people telling me I look good. My dad told me he was proud of me for trying to get healthy (my dad NEVER says he is proud of me) and that he was proud i was doing it while at college when most people start eating UNHEALTHY. Also, when i went home to visit my family at thanksgiving the one guy that works with my mom told me i was looking good...This guy has known me since I was like 14 (and he was 17 I think) and for him to tell me I look good after losing weight makes me want to lose more, because its nice to get a compliment from someone you find attractive.

I don't use pictures of myself before or use pictures of what i want to look like, because that puts an unrealistic expectation into my mind and then i get discouraged. I have quotes that make me feel like i can do anything and can accomplish anything.

I have this posted on my computer desk.
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

I always think of that wether it is losing the weight and fearing that I will just gain it back again or whatever I am facing those words help me through it! They are my inspiration. That and the fact that I know God loves me no matter what size I am.

I don't use anything for motivation except shear determination. However, there is more to the story...

Until a few years ago, I had never had a weight problem. I could eat anything I wanted and it did not affect my weight. Mentally, I had an image of myself as being thin. I discovered, though, that when I am under stress, my metabolism shuts down. Totally, completely, nada metabolism. Consequently, at a very stressful job, I was gaining 10 - 20 pounds per day when the stress was particularly bad. I saw the scale climbing, but my mental picture of myself was still thin.

I also shy away from cameras, so there are not very many pictures of me at any stage. Until....yes, there is an until...my granddaughter was born and it seemed like a good idea to get a pic of the four generations. I could have climbed under a rock and died when I saw myself in the picuture AND the picture was passed around to absolutely everyone. BUT, remember, my mental picture of myself was still thin. Some psychologists call this cognitive dissonance, where reality does not match your mental ideas. They also say that when you realize there is a dissonance, you do whatever you can to bring the two opposing things together.

That gave me two choices...make my mental picture match my body and accept that I am fat, or make my body match my mental picture of myself. My choice was to do something about the body.

Someday, I will get brave enough to post the before picture that drove me to weight loss and an after picture for comparison. However, do at some point take a look at your mental picture of yourself. As your body gets thin, be sure to change your mental picture with it.

OMG I can so relate to that! I did not know how big I was til I saw a pic cause I had been thin and still saw myself that way. I am camera shy as well but I had my pic taken of me and my great nephew last year at thanksgiving and when I saw it in Jan. OMG I was crawlin under that same rock! I looked so HUGE! That really was a wake up call for me. Thanks for sharing!

Peggy, that is GREAT... thank you!

Peggy, you need to publish...you are a great writer! Very inspirational!

I give myself charms for my charm bracelet when I lose five pounds. I wear it all the time, and the noise helps motivate me, as does looking at the charms which are all about what I want to do when I am at goal (dance, have a baby) and what I am able to do now that I'm losing weight (lift weights, get closer to God, go on trips). It really helps.

Peggy, I have that! I always think of myself as voluptuous and then am confronted with reality when I see my picture. I refuse to change my self-image so am working on the body.
(Can you tell I've just taken another look through the pictures of me with Hershey in the TheraPaws calendar?)

I have the opposite problem...want some?