The key to motivation is...figuring out what motivates YOU.
How's that for a vague answer, huh? It's an experiment. Trial and error. Dig deep and learn something about yourself. And what motivates you today might not motivate you 6 months from now, or after three years of maintenance.
When I was losing, going from 185lbs to 125lbs, just the decreasing number on the scale was thrilling enough for me to stay motivated. Seeing the change in my body was motivating. Wondering what I would look like when I got to goal was motivating. Just these ideas in my head kept me going and kept me on track. But after a year of maintenance, I got bored with seeing the same number on the scale and the "new toy effect" of my new thin body had worn off. I lost my motivation and got off track.
I'm having to figure out what motivates me all over again. It's taking some soul searching. I'm finding that I'm doing really well with tiny and easily achievable daily goals. And each day, the goals aren't the same. Yesterday one of my goals was to not eat any cookies from the cookie tin at work. Today my goal was to not eat a single unplanned bite (I'm terrible at taking "just one tiny bite" and not counting them). Tomorrow my goal is going to be going out to eat with friends and ordering exactly what I have pre-planned. I write these goals down each night in a physical journal, and then each night I write about how I did with the goals and any thought processes involved.
It might sound silly, but it's really helping me stay on track. It's a physical task that can be objectively completed. It's not a vague concept of "I'll stay on plan today." It's "today I'm going to do this, this, and this."
But, that won't work for everyone, but my point is that you just have to find the tricks that work for you.
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