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Old 09-12-2008, 12:35 AM   #1  
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hello everyone!

so i feel that every once in a while, i get in a weight-loss kick. I look in the mirror and i want to change and i'm super motivated! I go to the gym, 3 + times a week...etc. BUT i expect instant change, which i know is unreasonable, and by instant i mean, like significant weight-loss in a week...and when that doesn't happen, and surprise surprise, it doesn't. I get discouraged and unmotivated. Or I get busy and the gym is the first thing I sacrifice. Delayed gratification is something I'm working on.

My question is, how do you guys stay on the band wagon? I want this time to be different. I'm focusing on other things, such as improving my endurance for running, re-building my strength for climbing. But already i find myself slipping. I want to do a nightly regimen of sit-ups/crunches and free weights, but once again i can't find the motivation...ugh. Any suggestions? Insights? Similar experiences?
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Old 09-12-2008, 01:06 AM   #2  
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What worked for me, was changing my motivation from weight loss to health, I found that much easier to stick to. I couldn't control what the scale said, but I can definitely influence the good, healthy food I eat.

I read this book called Super Foods Rx: 14 Foods That Can Change Your LIfe and the author did a great job of making the science of nutrition accessible for me. It made a lot of sense - eat blueberries for your brain, spinach for your eyes, tomatoes for healthy skin, yogurt for your gut, nuts for your heart.

Instead of concentrating on what NOT to eat, I concentrated on what TO eat. I made it a little game to eat as many super foods a day as possible (while staying within my calorie range for the day), that kind of stuff is motivating for me, I like goals like that.

After awhile, my way of eating became my habit and it's just what I do now, I don't really have to be motivated to do it. I eat a lot of food I like, I look forward to meals, it's not a terrible struggle to keep doing it. I do have to stay accountable - get on the scale once a week (no exceptions!), food journal and count calories every day, but they are small tasks and a small price to pay for my health and cute wardrobe.

Good luck!
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Old 09-12-2008, 01:16 AM   #3  
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Before I had my baby, I tried a few times to lose weight. I could just never get below 155. I tried a couple really restrictive diets -- they don't really click with my personality. After I had my baby and found myself not losing any more baby weight at 184 pounds, I decided I needed to change my whole lifestyle. I decided on WW and started walking that day, April 7, 2008. I am only 9 pounds away from my dream goal now. I can't believe it. I think the difference with now and before is that before I would commit to either exercise or diet. Now that I am doing both, I think it has made all the difference. Not drinking also helped. I was partying a lot and just felt yuck for many years. I never really wanted to diet when I was hungover -- or exercise for that matter. Now I rarely skip workouts and am pretty conscious of what I put in my mouth. I feel better than I have in years -- actually, since high school. Funny, and that's when I started drinking.
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Old 09-12-2008, 01:21 AM   #4  
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For me, the difference was deciding that being -motivated- didn't really matter, but that being COMMITTED did.

Regardless of your motivation levels, which change, if you are committed to doing something, you do it. End of story. So for me, it was about letting go of the idea that I had to have some arbitrary factor called motivation come into play, and embracing the idea that committing to make change was a CHOICE, under no one's power but my own.
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Old 09-12-2008, 02:02 AM   #5  
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Got to agree with the others. I committed to exercising every day, whether I felt like it or not, and changing my way of eating. Now, it's just habit. I treat myself occasionally to junk food, but for the most part, I rarely think about it. Exercise is like brushing my teeth. I usually don't think about whether I want to do it, I just do it. But, as I mentioned earlier, I occasionally don't feel like it. That's when I make myself do it. And I'm always glad later that I did.
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Old 09-12-2008, 04:54 AM   #6  
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I totally agree with mandalinn82, it's not about motivation but dedication. 9 times out of 10 I can't be bothered going to the gym and would rather stay at home and eat cake, but I tell myself it's something I have to do. I sometimes can't be bothered to go to classes, but I'm dedicated and still go.

One way I encourage myself to go to the gym is to take small steps and say I can turn back if I still can't be bothered. Par example, I change into my gym kit and get my stuff together, but say 'go to the door and you can turn around here if you really want to'. Then I walk to the front door of my building and say 'get to the gym and you can turn around here if you really want to'. Once I'm at the gym, I figure I might as well go in seeing as I'm already here, and I get my workout done.
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Old 09-12-2008, 06:10 AM   #7  
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There's some good ideas in this thread too ....

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151353
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Old 09-12-2008, 06:16 AM   #8  
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I'll jump on the commitment band wagon.

I could never solely rely on motivation. It's just that fleeting and is never around when I need it most - when I'm tired and hadn't worked out yet, when I'm stressed and tempting food is around.

That's where the commitment comes into play. It is much more lasting. It's what gives me that "just do it no matter what attitude". I've made the commitment to better health and that's it. Period. I've made the decision to get and stay trim and that's that. No ifs, ands or buts. No excuses.
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Old 09-14-2008, 02:33 AM   #9  
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thank you all so much, i never thought about it as a commitment and not motivation. I like that a lot. Thanks so much!
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Old 09-14-2008, 06:19 AM   #10  
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i think for me its more about routine than anything else....
a routine helps me stick to my exercise....
and tends to help with food....
for example ill brush teeth after a meal to prevent me eating anything else....
i just need to fall back into this routine again....
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