Trying to get back on track with friends!
 

Hey I'm Imani. I use to be on this website daily trying new exercises, some recipes and fun other stuff, but recently I've been side tracked. With work and i finally moved out of my parents house. I live with my best-friend and we're trying to get back on the grind but honestly i don't know how to get as motivated as i was last year, and the summer is almost over. Any advice for us?

I have lots and lots of advice! But mostly of the "this works for me" variety. Here's what I do to try to get and/or stay motivated.

1 - Watch videos of the super-morbidly-obese. Not because I want to feel superior to them, but because I have the kernels of it in me. They have very difficult lives, and I don't want to deal with their challenges.

2 - Adopt a "fake it till you make it" attitude. Say to myself, "I am a fit and healthy person. I work out on a regular basis. I don't eat junk food to excess, and I don't eat in secret." Etc.

3 - Journal or post here. Why do I want to do this? Why is it important to me? Someone's signature line says something like, "You either sacrifice for what you want, or you sacrifice what you want." I ask myself if maintaining my not-so-healthy lifestyle is more important to me than sacrificing the benefits of that lifestyle for the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. That helps me reshape my focus sometimes.

4 - I buy goal clothes. I shouldn't do it because it doesn't often prove helpful. But some people swear by it, and I like to do it, even if it isn't helpful. For these purchases, thrift stores are my friend.

5 - This time, I got big motivation from a bet I made with a personal trainer. That first really tough weekend, when I was hungry and thinking to myself that it could be put off and in a situation with family where I wanted to seem to eat "normally," I pictured this trainer in my mind. And I pictured getting on the scale and not registering a loss. And I was so angry at the prospect, I kept at it, and that spurred me back into weight loss mode. Don't know how to recreate that for you, but it might spark an idea for you, at least.

Good luck! This is hard. And starting can be the most difficult.

I've done a lot of the suggestions that Laurie shared with you and it does help. Also I have to discipline my self not to think about regrets but to focus on my present day and the plan I've chosen. I can get real impatient and discouraged if I think about the past and/or the future so I try to keep my mind centered on this day only. It helps me.

I have also bought clothes as a motivation and it does help