Yesterday, Someone from this site suggested I make a list of the reasons I want to be lose weight. That way when I'm struggling I can look at it and keep myself motivated.
So far I have:
So I can fit into my purple dress for the summer
So that I'm able to run around with my boyf's daughter more and have more energy
So I can buy prettier underwear and feel sexy again (everywhere I find pretty underwear, they NEVER have my size.)
So I have more confidence
I just wanted to know, why are you losing weight?
I also have a horrible picture from my holiday last year that makes my arms look really fat. I know the top Iwas wearing wasn't very flatterin, but this year I don't want to look back on my holiday pics and not want to post them on facebook or get print outs.
My son!
My beautiful FH ( future hubby)
My wedding next year!
Fashion!!! I wanna buy something sexy not what ever fits!
I also wanna add, when I hit my goal weight I'm going to get professional photos done with my FH and son. I avoid the camera, I only have two photos of me and my 2 1/2 year old son together ( I tear up thinking about that tbh)
Last edited by fancypants; 03-20-2011 at 07:06 AM.
I'm so with you with the fashion thing! Shops that sell the latest fashions only go up to a size 14/16 and that really annoys me.
I feel like a skinny person trapped in this body. I love fashion but I can't fit into any of the nice stuff! Or it fits, but doesn't look nice on me...
Itīs a very good idea to make this kind of list Never thought about it before..
Here is mine:
To feel attractive, healthy and good about myself
Not to think what if I were skinny... (like if a boy doesnīt like me or something else)
To feel comfortable being naked with my new very athletic boyfriend
To fit into all the jeans I have in my closet (itīs ridiculously expensive to buy jeans in Iceland, you donīt find them for under 100 dollars)
To not feel horrible when I see pictured of me out, when I actually thought I looked good
To not feel like I am wasting my potential, because I have ,,such a pretty face" ugh hate this sentence! And Iīm really lucky with my built when Iīm thin, donīt mean to sound egocentric but when Iīm thin I have the ,,perfect hourglass figure".
To not be the fat friend no one wants to hit on (all my friends are skinny)
So I can feel cute and feminine
So I donīt weight more than my boyfriend
This is very good. I do IOWL podcasts along with my diet and and in the very first episodes she talks about towards and away from motivation.
Many people are motivated by an away from motivation, (like, not to be fat anymore). It's what lights the fire and gets us started, but often people flicker out because they never planned a towards motivation. Having both what you don't want, and what you do want as motivation increases your chance of success.
My away from motivation is these rolls of fat I've seemed to accumulate. Looming health conditions (diabetes and now stomach cancer run in my family... while I'm relatively healthy, minus a thyroid problem... and my blood work is still good... adult onset diabetes because of weight runs rampant on my dad's side of the family) Also, I'm tired to my joints hurting. Specifically my hip and knees!
My towards motivation is- it might sound so cheesy or too simple- I want to play with my daughter. I want to take her to the beach and not feel self conscious. I want to take her to a water park and not be the so focused on how I look as opposed to having fun with her (and making sure she's safe.. can't swim yet ). I want to take her to amusement parks and not worry about fitting on the rides with her. It's sad because just about 6 months ago I had resigned myself that she'll just have to go on rides with my brother. But no. I want to go on rides with her and do all those things. Dammit!
This is a great idea, and I bet you're going to catch a lot of inspiring thoughts on this thread.
When I started, what kept me going was that I made a commitment to myself to stay on plan every single day no matter what for one year. It didn't matter if I was having a bad day...I was on plan. It didn't matter if the scale was stuck...I was on plan. I became very routine oriented so that it eventually became such an engrained habit that I couldn't help but stick to plan. And I chose a plan that was completely sustainable, so sticking to it was not hard. I went to the gym every single weekday and if I didn't feeling kicking it hard, I did something gentle that day. But I still had to do something. And for diet, I stayed within my calorie range. This means if I knew the evening's events would involve cake, I could plan for it.
Now what keeps me going? The life I have achieved! I love this new body. My fitness goals and achievements keep me highly motivated. I can run six miles now, and could do more but I haven't had more than an hour to give. I can do 38 push-ups in a row. I can roller blade, play basketball, clean my house, do dishes without my back hurting and my confidence is through the roof.
My motivation has been slipping lately and even though I've stayed on plan I find myself asking what it's for so I'm glad you made this thread.
My motivation is...
to avoid dying an early death like my father did because of weight and heart problems.
to never wonder if someone is judging me because i'm overweight or that i'm losing out on a relationship because someone finds fat unattractive.
to be the beautiful young person i can be and not waste my 20s being overweight.
to prove to myself that i am capable of doing amazing things if i just put my heart to it.
to help those who've always wanted to lose weight but never got around to it by being a good example.
to be strong and have more energy.
to feel good about my appearence.
to surprise my ex when he gets back into town in April.
to actually see what I look like "skinny" since I've been overweight since I hit puberty.
to prove all of the doubters wrong.
Great thread and I so relate to what so many of you have said! Here are a few of mine....
> I want to stop thinking about being overweight 24/7
> I want to have a life again. I don't see my old friends who remembered me as being 30 pounds lighter.
> FASHION! I want to wear short skirts and shorts again. Chubb rub sucks.
> I want to get a good nights sleep again. Being overweight makes it harder to roll over in bed and everytime I move from one side to the other, I wake myself up.
> I miss the attention I used to get from guys. (But right now I'm struggling with being uncomfortable when I get it)
> Getting fit - no more heavy breathing from walking up one flight of steps.
> I'm disgusted that guys think that I am desperate for attention and I'd jump at the chance to be their "call girl". (this is MY perception - may not be true)
The new things that I can do.
The new clothes that I can wear.
Knowing that I am extending my life.
Being an example to my children.
Feeling better about myself.
More energy.
No allergies.
Feeling pretty for the first time in a really long time.
- Costumes. It's always about the costumes, nothing motivates me more. I started this diet because I missed my favorite costume, which I'd long since grown out of. I now fit into it just fine, but my eyes have turned to new ideas, ones that would require me to be at least a size smaller. The anticipation and glee get me up onto that treadmill and keep me there even when it hurts.
- Habit. In the early days it was a struggle to stay motivated. But by this point it's actually become routine to keep going, keep trying, to get back up after every fall. I do still slip up, but I never let it last.
- Gratitude for what I've achieved. My health especially... 85 lbs ago I was pre-diabetic, developing sleep apnea, and always exhausted and miserable. Now, the doctor calls me "very healthy". I will never let that be taken away from me again.
- To fit back into my WHITE sz 8 jeans
- To be able to wear BOOTS again (calves too fat)
- To be able to fit into all the CUTE clothes i have hanging in my closet (I refuse to get rid of them)
- To not be embarrassed to be NAKED in front of my boyfriend
- To be able to wear something SLEEVELESS without a "cover up"
...and the absolute BIGGEST reason of ALL....
- TO BE ABLE TO WEAR A BIKINI WHEN WE GO TO JAMAICA IN AUGUST!!!
I WILL be 50 lbs lighter by then dagnabit!!! I refuse to go on vacation FAT!
For me, I have a medical condition where my extra weight causes fertility issues. The hubs and I have started talking about having a baby, and I really don't want to go through the kind of struggles I've heard about. So my motivation is that I want to have a healthy home for a future child.
-A kickass pair of jeans waiting for me in my closet
-To no longer have any excuse to hold myself back ("I can't do that, I'm too fat, people will judge me")
-I'm already gorgeous, so I can't wait to see how I look once I lose 25 pounds
-To impress everyone I know once I am done losing the weight
-To look in the mirror and go "awwwwww yeaaaaah"
Nothing else. I am not motivated by fitting into new clothes (I hate to shop!) or looking better (I think people should love me for who I am, not for what I look like) or to claim success (I think it's a failure I let myself get so heavy!) .
But health? To feel like I'm on top of the world... to sleep amazingly well, to feel full of energy, to not have to take any medication, to be able to do anything I want, with no limitations? That's priceless to me.
So, even if the scale doesn't go down, I know that everything I do today is taking me to a more optimal state of health, whether it's weight loss or getting stronger or better cardiovascular health.
What keeps you going?
Never thought about it before..
). I want to take her to amusement parks and not worry about fitting on the rides with her. It's sad because just about 6 months ago I had resigned myself that she'll just have to go on rides with my brother. But no. I want to go on rides with her and do all those things. Dammit!
