I have been reading this site for a very long time .. getting suggestions seeing how everyone else does things.. tried every diet known to man ... i always have the best intentions, but nothing works.. I get going good then bam its over fast as its begun.. I joined a gym.. went feeling good.. snow came and i didnt go for 2 days and that was 2 weeks ago... why cant i finish what i start? why do i do this to myself?! i know i need to lose 50ish pounds.. i thought i wanted to .. but it doesnt last !! i dont know what to do now ... im so aggrivated with myself! how do yall keep moivated?! how do u go for the long haul?!?! any suggestions?? thanks noel

I try and keep a vague idea of my goal in my mind, but on a day to day basis concentrate on one meal, one exercise routine, one challenge at a time, and one pound a week. I wish my weight would just fall off, but it took a long time to gain it, it's gonna take a long time to lose it. I found exercise the worst bit, as I hate it, and now I love it!!! Exercise time is my time, my thinking time, my play time, and I really enjoy it. Yes it's hard making time for it, but if I can anyone can!!!

Hey there!! Don't be so hard on yourself. I know exactly how you feel, because I can be the same way.

What you've got here is All or Nothing Thinking. You think that just because you missed a couple of days at the gym you've blown everything. Not so. It's totally hard to find the motivation to do what we know is good for us each and every day. I have tried every diet known to man, I've lost, I gained, I've even gotton to goal weight and maintained it for 2 Years. Then last year I had a baby and gained 80 pounds

My best advice to you is to just keep on trying. Recently I read Dr. Phil's seven keys to weight loss freedom and one thing that has stuck with me is this. I have to require more of myself. I have to want more for me. Some days when that alarm goes off at 4:30 in the morning, the last thing I want to do is get out of bed and head to they gym, I have arguments in my head, and some mornings it takes me 20 minutes to get motivated. But once I do I feel so good, and I just remind myself of that feeling the next time I don't feel like it.

If you haven't read Dr.Phil's book, you may find it helpful. I read it and gained a lot of insight about myself. Since reading it two weeks ago, I have lost four pounds and am now dragging my sorry (_|_) out of bed every morning at 4:30. It's the only time I have for me and find now that I enjoy the solitary me time.

Best of luck

I dont' know if this applies for you or not, but I finally realized that I'm comfortable hiding in my fat and if there is a reason for me to feel like I need to be hidden again, I'll eat to do it. I've just realized this and WHY I do it, now I'm concentrating on giving myself permission to lose the weight. I think this is why I've sabatoged myself in the past. Think about if there is some pay off for you to keep the weight on...that might be the key.

My two cents worth, hope it helps.

Some good answers here. I just wanted to share that it took me forever to really start and get into a regular exercise routine. I think for me it was a question of requiring more of myself, and also just really getting into a routine, so that it wasn't a matter of motivation, but just automatically doing it. Also, I got a tip from someone about a year ago about not letting myself get into the mental discussion of doing or not doing it. That is, I don't feel like doing the exercise today, maybe I could just skip it this time.... Once the thought enters, I ban it. Hope that helps.

Replacing habits is difficult and takes work. Everyone is different too, so what one person tells you may not work for you, that can make it even trickier.

I know how you feel. My problem is not getting out to exercise because I do that on a daily basis, and feel really good about it! I get up at 5 every morning. Unlike Neets, I get to sleep in. I even go to the gym at lunch time 3 days a week in addition to going to the gym before work every day.

My problem is staying away from the goodies that are in our Services Department. One large tin of a variety of cookies and beside it a container of candies. All of them are the bite-size candies, so of course, one won't hurt!

I have been able to lose weight, then something hits, like the weekend, and I have lost all control and perseverance I had during the week. The worse part is when the fruits and veggies are scarce in my fridge, then it's difficult to find time to go to the grocery store again to get more fruits and veggies. I have to get myself in gear and keep it going.

I did lose 30 pounds with WW. Then, menopause struck a blow to my wonderful goal. I've finally found something that keeps the hot flashes/night sweats under control, so now I have to get myself under control with the picking of sweets at the office. I know I can do it. I just have to stop and think twice or maybe even three times before I put something in my mouth.

Motivation is tricky and different for everybody, but I'll go ahead and make a stab at helping

#1 Try to make little changes at first. Then, when you have a handle on them, when they're automatic, add some more. Try not to think of diet and exercise as something that is all or nothing. Small changes develop into habits and can really help. Don't try to make so many changes at once that you quickly become overwhelmed and burned out.

#2 So you haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks, go today! Whenever you find that you've been slacking off, just jump right back in. You're in it for the long haul, and it takes time to develop new habits. At first it might be a constant battle. I've had those 15 minute conversations in my head just to convince myself to go work out. But now, more often than not, it's just automatic. If I can get to that point, so can you!

Dont let the fact that you have not worked out in two weeks discourage you.
That was a issue with me as well as trying to workout during the winter. Get a workout cd that you like and pop it in to workout to. Try and hit a gym even a community center might have a fitness area.
And give yourself one meal a week and have what you crave ,if all week you thought a nice mexican dinner would be nice give yourself that meal youve worked all week and done what you needed to do have it. You might be surprised to find out that you cant eat everything you could before. Put half in a take home box and then leave the box there.
Eating right and working out is the only way that you will lose the excess weight so we all know it has to be done. Look at your body and measure yourself. When you start to see the diffrences you will like it and you will like working out. Give yourself two good months of working out and eating right and you will see some nice results.
Just keep at it it will happen.

i have read dr phils book more then once .. i know my problems .. i know im an impulse eater.. think its key 4? lol.. good to know im not alone.. im hitting the gym again tomorrow... taking it one day at a time i guess .. ill keep comming here for support.. thanks a bunch

At the beginning of my diet, the day I got FED UP with being fat it was a night I had eaten normally, and I just HAD it with being fat. Usually, what had happened on those days is I would cry hysterically about being fat and then I'd go to sleep from exhaustion, and wake up and change nothing. The night I started this diet, I meditated. I sat on the floor (very uncomfortable for me, since, because of my size, it's hard to get up) I light some candles. And I just thought about what I was willing to change to loose weight. Surprisingly, I was willing to change a lot. I said a little prayer (I'm not a Christian, but most faiths have some sort of prayer), and I got a notebook and wrote some rules for my diet. The first was no fast food. The second was no soda. I started very rigidly, but the more I've learned about healthy dieting, I've realized that I need more than 1,200 calories a day to loose weight because of my size. Since then, it's been real easy to diet. I haven't given myself a choice. It's diet. I've been on my diet for a little over four weeks. (The first three weeks I ate an average of 1,500 calories a day, which wasn't right for me, but as a result my stomach has shrunk and I can't eat much more than 1,600-1,800). Anyway, my point before I started rambling about my diet mishaps, was that maybe you should meditate.