My motivation originally was to get healthier, as time went on, it became keeping off what I had gotten off, and seeing that my ultimate goal was/is within reach.

It takes a long time, it did me anyway, so chugging along and just following your plan as mentioned by a couple posters above is important, just keep going.

I always liked to look at WW success stories, love People magazine's lost half their weight issues, Extreme Makeover Weightloss edition got DH motivated to make some charts, he made a chart for twelve weekly weigh ins and that was phase one, try and lose one pound a week. You can see in my siggy it took way more than 4 phases to get where I am, but we're getting there.

I also can't say enough about this site, there are so many threads that can help you. Weight loss support, challenge threads, food plans and programs, even general chatter.

Best of luck to you

I think that motivation has to be intrinsic, like seagirl's suggestion. What are YOUR reasons to lose weight? What do YOU expect out of this journey? How do YOU feel in the process?

I used to try extrinsic motivation (fitting into some old jeans, being swimsuit ready for summer, etc.), and I used all sorts of reminders. None of that worked for me, ever.

This time I have been dieting for more than a month, which is more than I have ever dieted (I usually quit after a week or two) and I have been using only intrinsic motivation: it is a journey that takes time, it is my life and eating unhealthy foods isn't an option, be patient and persistent and you'll see results, etc. Just positive mental affirmations, and the constant reminder that this isn't a diet but a lifestyle change. When I think of my new eating habits in terms of "diet" I keep thinking of all the things I am deprived of; when I think about this as a lifestyle change I focus on the positive, on all the yummy, healthy foods I'm eating and how my body's properly nourished. It's just in my mind. That is where my motivation starts and happens.

I hope you find your motivation within yourself.

I have a couple forms of motivation:

1. I made one of those thermometer posters showing % progress to goal weight. It's fun to color in a bit with a red marker when I lose weight, and I can easily visualize my progress.

2. I have some rewards planning for specific weights, like getting out of a BMI category or getting half-way to my goal weight. They average out to about one every 10 lbs. Example rewards (not food-related): getting a massage, getting a poster that I want framed, getting some fancy make-up. They are great mini-goals that keep me motivated. It's a lot easier to think "man, only 2 lbs until I can have a spa day" instead of "man, I have 70 more lbs to go, that's so many!"

3. I use the site weightgrapher.com. It gives you a trending average line of your daily or weekly weigh-ins, so you can see if you're on a downward trend even if the scale goes up a few pounds once in a while.

4. I found a link with a bunch of strange stuff and their weights, and I visualize the weight that I've already lost in weird things. For example, I haven't just lost 16 lbs, I've lost a sperm whale's brain! It's more fun to think about it like that.