I am having trouble losing the last 6 pounds. I have been slacking off a bit and I need some help staying on track. I know I can do this but I am getting tired of Dieting!! How do you keep going when things get tough?
I can't get tired of dieting, if I ever stop, I will regain all the weight I lost and more. I don't rely on motivation, I rely on healthy habits. It does suck and seems unfair sometimes, but this is my life forever.
Maybe this will help. i read it in a book and realized I fall more in the interested category. I am trying to change that.
People Who Are Interested in Losing Weight...
1. stick with it until something better comes along
2. take action only if they feel like it
3. need to see results in order to stay motivated
4. blame people or circumstances for their struggles
5. easily give up when they face challenges
People who are committed to losing weight...
1. stick with their plans no matter what
2. take action whether they feel like doing it or not
3. assume that if they stay motivated, results will follow
4. take responsibility for their own actions
5. keep going in spite of challenges and setbacks
*based on 100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle, another good book about the psychological piece of dieting.
How do I keep going? Well, what are my alternatives? To throw in the towel and toss my hands up? No, of course not. There is NO stopping. Once I stop doing what I'm doing, I will gain weight and then I'll gain more weight and I'll be obese again and then morbidly obese.
I knew when I started this venture that I was in it for the long haul - forever in fact. There is no stopping. Just continuing. Whether I'm tired of it or not. I've accepted that this is the way it has to be. Any effort is more then worth it.
Have you checked out the Featherweight Forum? It is a very active forum with people who don't have much weight to lose. Why not check it out? It might be just what you need to keep yourself on track. Good luck to you.
I read this today in a textbook and thought how aptly it applied to my weight loss.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing and that's why we recommend it daily." ~Zig Ziglar
THAT is an awesome quote! Thank you for sharing!
As for my motivation, I really have no clue. I'm a planner. I planned to get back in shape after my third baby was born, so that's what I've been going by I guess. Until I feel like I've gotten "there" (wherever that is!) my plan will not be finished and thus I have to keep going. Weird. I've never really thought about that before.
What if you try maintaining for a month or two and then making a final plunge in for the last six pounds?
As people have said, motivation comes and goes, you simply have to make a commitment. There are lots of days that I don't feel motivated to keep going and I can come up with a million excuses but you just have to keep doing it.
And a couple of things to think about...you're almost to goal, but is it the right goal? Did you perhaps set it just a little too low? Is your body telling you that this is where it wants to be? Also 6 pounds won't make a difference in how you look but muscle and getting toned WILL. Perhaps shift your focus. It's tough to not be ruled by the # on the scale but that # isn't all that matters.
Also you mention that you're tired of dieting and don't feel like you can stick with it....is your diet very restrictive? Is it something that's too hard to stick to long term? We really need to be thinking "lifestyle change" not "diet." If you get tired of it and go back to the way you were you're just going to gain the weight back and end up starting that vicious cycle. So perhaps it's time to modify your plan into something that doesn't feel like work, something that you CAN do for the rest of your life, this isn't just about losing weight (although that may be the ultimate goal) it's also about being healthy.
One of the things that keeps me motivated is this dress i wore about 10 years ago when i weighed like 135. I keep it hanging up behind my bathroom door. Probably about once a week i try it on just to see if there is any progress. I'd really like to fit back into that dress.
Also, i have been doing alot of browsing the Victoria's Secret catalog. I really would like to order something (or buy it in the store) really sexy and surprise my boyfriend. You know...show up in a long, black trent coach and take it off and be wearing something really sexy!!! lol.
Just little goals like that keep me motivated to keep going. Also, I do realize that this is something i will have to continue for the rest of my life. I need to stay active and just really watch portions and what types of foods i eat. Not eat out 3 times in one day and such.
Today, to help me stay motivated, I bought a cute new fall shirt that fits me know but doesn't really look good yet. It will look a whole lot better 15 pounds from now. My plan is to be able to wear it (and for it to look good!) by the time it starts to get chilly outside.
motivation is a big part in my diet.... like lumifan4ever i have this gorgeous skirt that i used to could wear a while back but even then it never fit comfortably i always was adjusting it to stop it cutting me in half but now i cant even fasten the buttons so i put it in the section of my wardrobe where i always get my tops out of and i always see it and i say thats where i want to be and it also gives me motivation to keep at it and not slip away because if it takes me too long to lose the weight to fit into it then that skirt will most definatly be out of fashion by then!
i also have a little book i bought from austrailia that i take pride in and love so i keep my recordings of my weekly weigh in in there and i put little magazine clippings of diets and thinspirational celebs and if i start to cut a piece of the chocolate cake then i just remember about the book and i think 'oh no! i cant let the book down!!!!' lol as stupid as it sounds it keeps my going!
Thank you for all of your advice, everybody has a little different way to look at things. I was thinking about things last night and my original motivation to lose weight was to be in my sister's wedding that was in June. I busted my butt and lost enough weight to look hot in the dress (it was actually a little big) and the wedding had to be changed at the last minute and I couldn't afford to fly to the new destination so I got cut out of it and someone else wore my dress!!. Then I have some other issues going on family wise which is adding stress and I am debating as to start trying to maintain or keep going?? I just don't know, I fit into the size I wanted to, my old prom dress fits and my wedding dress is too big, the numbers aren't where I want them to be though. Guess I will have to do some soul searching to figure this out. All of you advice has helped. Thank You!!
How do you stay motivated?
