Lately I haven't been feeling as motivated as I used to be. Its impossible for me to exercise now since I go to school on the evening and that's the time I would usualy walk and run and now with stress building up its harder to eat for me....the day goes by so fast I hardly have time for anything anymore including eat.I'm not as hungry and I can't really measure my food or write it down. Its hard to stay motivated how do you keep going? I don't wana gain everythn back I've worked so hard

Ah, the vicious cycle.

No exercise --> Increased stress --> Poor food choices --> Decreased motivation --> Stalled weight loss or weight gain

I hate to be blunt, but if you truly wanted to exercise, you would find a way. Exercise is cumulative. Can't schedule one block of time for an exercise session? No problem. Break it up into smaller chunks that you do have time for. Make a conscious effort to walk more during the day. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Park farther away than normal. If you carry a bag (like a backpack), purposely carry extra weight, like bottle(s) of water. This is something I did when I first started exercising by taking walks in my neighborhood parks. I had a water bottle for drinking and another for lugging around. Remember, exercise is a great way to relieve stress. Be strong. We are always here for you and believe in you.

3FC helps to keep my motivated.

I stay motivated by thinking of all the things I want to do when I reach goal: surfing, riding a motorcycle, and travel the world!

Motivation is fleeting and sometimes so impossible to find you forget what it feels like. That's when commitment and determination and a lot of self talk come into the picture. Motivation is great when you are starting out. Motivation is a really awesome feeling that comes after a good sweat or wanting to fit into a pair of pants, but it is not the most reliable friend. That's when I just need to do it. Sometimes, it's just about getting out my running shoes and taking it from there- one lace at a time, one foot in front of the other. Sometimes I just need to take it step by step to get the job done.

Hi Cherry! I've been there before, and what always always works for me is to set a goal for a certain date. For example, I'm going home to see my parents in a month, and I want to be in the 140s by then. Is there an event coming up than you can work for? A wedding to go to? A party? a birthday? I find if I have a concrete goal and date to work toward, it always motivates me.


oh, and this may sound kind of silly, but i have a word doc on my computer that i open up for "inspiration" every so often. In it is images of clothing items that I wouldn't buy now (or when i was heavier) but that I plan on when I lose the weight. Good luck!

oh and a new playlist on iPod def motivates me to work out... before and during!

I do the same things. Visuals have always been a big motivator for me as well as a concrete timed goal.

Fear is always good. As in, fear of gaining back weight & being forced back into the smaller life that I had before losing weight.

And shame. Shame at others seeing me balloon back up, shame at having to give up the nice clothes I've bought. Shame at the doctor's office, when the nurses who were always so happy to see me each time I weighed in & my blood pressure & etc. became healthier & healthier have to start recording backwards progress.

I tell myself it's non-negotiable. It's not optional. I don't skip brushing my teeth. I don't skip bathing or washing my hair. I don't skip my medication. Well, it's akin to that stuff. It's my health, my hygiene, my body.

motivation is what's needed in the beginning. Habits are what will carry you through the rest of your life. The idea is to get good habits set in place while the motivation is strong. That way, when the motivation dwindles, you won't have to think about making healthy choices... you will just make them.

It took me a year to lose 48 lbs. It was a slow process. But, I worked on a few key factors:

- reducing stress eating
- eating smaller portions
- cutting out soda (only drinking low-fat milk and water)
- being more active

After the "honeymoon" period of weight loss, it got tough to stay motivated... the losses slowed down, and frankly, other things in life took up my mental energy. However, after 4 months at a new job (and not really actively working on losing weight), I still managed to drop 12 lbs. I couldn't figure out how/why at first, and then I reviewed my actions, and I realized that I had trained myself to eat healthier, without thinking about it.

Concentrate on the rewards, and the rewards will come. Make a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Create a mental picture of where you want to be. Have faith in yourself. And, really work on creating habits that you can live with forever, no matter what life throws your way.

I gave up on motivation long, long ago and instead I just keep slogging along. I slogged through 2008-2009...and...voila! 161 lbs later...still slogging happily along. Motivation is fleeting. Commit, then do it. Leave motivation for the birds.

Agreed, motivation comes and goes for me. I made a decision to do this and just keep plugging away. There are many words that apply, commitment, determination, persistence, sometimes I think, even stubbornness.

Motivation comes and goes for me too. Someone out here (I can't remember who!) has the saying "It's not about motivation, it's about commitment" in their signature. I totally agree with this. Motivation helps in the beginning to get you going and change your habits. But it is commitment that keeps you going.

im doing the same thing! i used to be a realllly good surfer back in high school and now i can barely stand up. it used to be the biggest passion in my life and i stink so bad now its sad.

also im engaged to be engaged (thats what the bf keeps calling it. basically we're waiting for some money to start being made) and everytime i dont wanna work out i just picture the wedding dress i want to wear in my head and me in it looking like i want to look.

i just set really good goals for myself to look forward to and you just gotta realize that if you keep pushing through the "i dont want to's" it will just become a lifestyle, not a diet

Motivation is tricky. Sometimes you have it, and sometimes you don't. And commitments...well, we ALL know how easy it is to break a commitment. In my humble opinion, (which isn't worth much these days) it takes a lot more than motivation, commitment or all the other nouns combined. It takes WORK. You have to WORK for it. It takes a verb to do something about it...action.

Motivation may get you started but you can't depend on motivation to always be there. I think it is good to look for motivation because it helps but..

You make a plan, stick with it and just do it. Don't even allow yourself to question the plan unless it is to improve it. ie, if your plan is to wake up at a certain time and exercise, then you do it rather than trying to re-evaluate that plan when your alarm goes off. If your plan is to avoid a certain food/restaurant/etc, don't purposefully walk by that food in the grocery store or drive by that restaurant, just avoid it.

I was just thinking about this very thing this morning because honestly I don't have much motivation to lose weight as I'm pretty happy where I'm at but I decided I will do it, I have a plan and I'm executing that plan.