What Motivates You?
 

When you think you can't do it, and you want to give up, what motivates you to keep going? Is it a person? An album? A movie? Or even this board? I know that I often get discouraged and need a little help. Sometimes just pampering myself for a night gets me motivated to keep going. Your goals are set, but how do you see them? Do you post it on the wall? What do you all do to stay focused?

I decided early on that I would not depend on motivation to reach my goal. When I don't feel like eating right or exercising I just do it anyway - just because it is the right thing to do.

I apply the same logic to every other area of my life so why should my weight loss efforts be any different? I mean, I have days that I want to pull the cover over my head and go back to sleep but I get up, get the kids fed and dressed and take them to school - because it is the right thing to do not because I'm motivated to do it.

Of course, there are days when I feel particularly motivated. I usually don't know where it comes from but I always use it to my advantage - I just don't COUNT on it.

As for how I see my goals, I tend to think of them abstractly. They are forever changing so it is hard for me to make a point A to point B to point C type of plan. I've always known that I wanted to be healthy, feel good, and be happy with how I look. I didn't always know at what weight that would be or what it would look like. I just plugged along assuming I would know when I got there. I do quite a bit of visualization but my vision is never so much about a certain number or size. Instead, I see myself doing all of the things that I want to do and feeling the way that I want to feel.

The great thing is that the more weight I lose the more real life experiences I have to draw on to keep me going. I've reached a point that so many awesome changes have taken place that I know what I stand to lose if I give up or slip back into old habits. It isn't motivation so to speak, but knowing what is at stake and using that information to make the best choices most of the time.

I think of the smaller sized clothes starting to populate my closet! And I think of the Half Dome hike coming up the first week in August with my sister & niece (I need to be below 200 by then). I generally wake up a little before my alarm goes off in the morning and I try to visualize my day--from what I'm going to eat to how I'll deal with being hungry to my workout...along with those smaller clothes and that big hike :)

Smaller size clothes, especially ones that I've had packed away for over 10 years. :carrot:

Having male friends ask my husband how much weight I've lost. :D

Knowing that my family is proud of my accoomplishments. :hug:

Being able to be proud of myself. That's a biggie right now, because I've hit a plateau. But now that the holidays are over and most of the junk food has been purged, I can look forward. :yes:

Coming here and reading about other's successes is a huge help to me too. :)

Health. Shopping. Looking nice in clothes. Never wanting to go back where I was. Knowing from the beginning I was going to have to work hard at this for a lifetime.

new here
 

I am new to this site and what motivated me to begin to be a better me, is my 15 year old daughter. She is insulin dependent and I see her gaining weight and I want to be a good example for her.

My motivation has changed over time.

When I started out, I was motivated by anger -- anger at myself for letting myself eat my way to (basically) misery, and anger that I wanted to be fit SO badly but had barely ever lifted a finger in my life to do anything about it. I'd be a very wealthy woman if I had a penny for every minute I spent (wasted) of my life wishing I was thin, moaning about how unfair it was that I was fat, and basically believing I was dog poo because of my weight.

Once I was "into" it -- losing weight, exercising, and eating well -- I realized I could DO THIS for life if I just stayed focused. So the motivation then was to continue on. That turned into the realization that I DESERVE to be healthy, and I began to see the whole journey as a true gift to myself.

Now -- as superficial as this may sound -- my primary motivation to keep going is how fabulous I feel in size 8 jeans :) . It may sound goofy, but just wearing CLOTHING is a constant reminder of how far I have come and inspires me every single day to STAY fit because I never, ever again want to feel so miserable, tired, unattractive, and PO'd at myself as I did when I was 189 lbs.

What better motivation can there be than the thrill of sliding my hands into my pockets whenever I want to feel my hip bones which I'd totally forgotten I even HAD?? ;)

At first my motivation was health, my mum and dad both have type 2 diabetes and neither of them were ever obese unlike my sweet self.

But I don't think that alone would have been enough to keep me going. As I lost each pound, life got easier, that became it's own motivation. I could go to the gym and not look as if the paramedics should be on hand! I could start to shop in "normal shops", and people started commenting on my change.

I think external motivation is fine, but at the end of it all, if you are not intrinsically motivated, if the desire to lose weight doesn't become part of your psyche, then it is highly unlikely you will succeed.

I know this sounds weird but I think of how everyone will see me when I come back home, or I think of the summer (clothes, swimming...ect...). I also try and telll myself "If I do this now and stick with it next month I will be really happy I did this"

jenn

There are two incredibly special men in my life who motivate me. I want to be around for them, and become MORE beautiful by losing weight and being healthier. (They fuss if I imply I'm not beautiful to begin with.) ^_^

Er... Kate... can you stop reading my mind please?!

Seriously though I remember when I used to think... "I'll run a marathon, I'll bloody show them!" when I came last at cross-country and now, well that is more of a realistic dream. I still want to go back to school with a marathon medal, but now I'm thinking, "Well actually I could probably run the 2007 marathon."

And I still do have this burning anger that I could be SO much better at EVERYTHING I want to do!

Anyways... motivation, yes. I like to read about fitness and find that motivates me, I got a women's running book and a weightlifting book for Christmas. They make me want to exercise more. I read in the running book that you should use "positive affermations" (Oh yes!) and stick "I am a runner" on post-its everywhere! She also said "I am an athlete" is even better. And since I kickbox AND run AND weightlift - "I am an athlete" is going to be graffitied inside my kickboxing bag, running shoes, on my weights... :rofl: And do you know what, my mantra when I meditate is "I am an athlete" and it WORKS! I'm starting to FEEL like an athlete!

Oh god have I rambled enough? :rofl: Other quickies

1) mini goals / targets / rewards such as a charm for my bracelet when I'm "normal" weight

2) pictures - fat pictures, pictures of ladies with nice abs, a card I bought yesterday that says - I will have perfect thighs in my lifetime

3) Clothes - ****-O clothes! :D I bought loads of running clothes, some in a size smaller than usual and just clearing out my wardrobe - I threw out LOADS of old stuff and found "skinny" stuff that fit!

Ok end of tome :goodvibes:

Hmmmm....


I am a dancer
I am a dancer
I am a dancer

I'll have to keep that up and see if it works!!! Thanks, 2frustrated.

Some great ideas here!

If you have any of your OLD clothes around, put them on. Or rather, put them over you -- how loose are they?? ;)

.

This is SO true. I think that all the reasons we've listed--health, clothes, feeling & looking better--are things that we can think about whether we're doing something or not. The million dollar formula that nobody has been able to bottle is that magic moment when we go from THINKING about all those things (I should.....) to actually DOING something about it! And once started, how to keep that whole game in perpetual motion (because starting to make the changes is one thing, keeping them going is another). And it IS perpetual, but we can't go "on" a diet and lose weight and get healthy, and then go "off" it...this is for LIFE. Like so many here on the boards, I've lost tremendous amounts of weight before...and had it all come back. What will make this time different? I *hope* it's the knowledge (intrinsic motivation) this time that I can't keep abusing my body and have it then be willing to carry me to a ripe old age--and a healthy, active senior status at that.

OK...I'll get off my soapbox :)

At first it was fear.
I had a couple episodes where My heart felt like it slowed down much it was stopping and had a couple spells where it felt like I was going to faint. So that scared me I have a young son whom I want to see get married and I want to be a grandmother.
And another thing that helps motivate me is seeing Christopher Reeve go thru what he has and still try to walk again. Up until he passed his will was to get back and walk again when doctors told him otherwise.
If this man can put fourth the effort to try and walk again, Im going to put fourth the effort to try and lose this weight. I can walk, run and I have no excuse for not doing it. http://gprime.net/board/images/smilies/superman.gif

I don't have one big motivation. I was watching something on tv last night where this bloke was talking about how desperately he wanted to fit into a certain suit. I've never been like that. I've never been absolutely desperate to be any particular size or any particular thing.

I'm not sure you have to be. What occurred to me is that you only have to be motivated to take each decision on its own. The choice isn't "stick as I am and be fat" or "change and be thin". It's more complicated.

I wake up. Would I rather have a lie in or would I rather go to the gym and help myself get fit, healthy and thinner? A lie in will give me maybe an hour extra of sleep, and how much will I enjoy that long term? So I get up and exercise.

Mealtime. How much extra enjoyment will eating something that's not good for me give me compared to something that's relatively healthy. And that's a decision that has to be taken on a meal by meal basis. There are times where only something unhealthy will do, for whatever reason. Fine, eat it. But if you're not really craving it, or needing it, and you'd rather trade off the half hour of satisfaction it will give you for an extra step on this health journey, then do that. Most of the time I choose the healthy option.

It's like the tale of the two men who come across a tiger and one man suggests running. The other says "surely you don't think you can outrun a tiger?" "No", the first man replies, "I think I can outrun you".

It's not just a case of being motivated by the big goal, or something that can sometimes seem impossible. It's a question of doing enough each time to make a difference, even if it's sometimes only a small difference.

I just do it because I have to. I have a choice and, having realised how much healthier I feel now I'm not so fat, the choice gets easier and easier. The habits have been formed now, and it's just something I do.

To tell you the truth, I don't have one motivator because after years of trying to lose weight I finally realize that motivation never lasts. So, I am determined to lose weight no matter what. I am aware that I will be able to fit smaller clothes and climbs stairs better and all that good stuff but those are just benefits to me and not motivator. Most days, I'm not motivated, I just do it because I know that it's what I need to do to be a happier and healthier person.

Another little incentive scheme (which is actually costing me BIG BUCKS) is to have a "fat jar" or "glamour fund" or whatever you want to call it.

I put 50p in my fat jar for an exercise session, 50p for a good day's eating. It's costing me loads at the moment, but I'm going to blow it on something GREAT!

This might sound incredibly petty and self-serving, but fear of looking like my older female relatives.

LovesBassets and 2frustrated are reading my mind too! My original motivation was being fed up with the way I look. I had a previous unsuccessful attempt to lose weight (gained it all back + more), but that failed attempt taught me to value my body and respect it. I think the reason I have been successful this time around (so far at least *crosses fingers*) is that my lifestyle has changed more because of loving myself than because of hating myself.

Most days now I don't really think about it much past my weigh-in in the morning (I have to stay accountable!). I eat healthy not because I am trying to be thin but because after spending the past 16 months or so eating healthy, I actually feel gross if I eat junk. Here's a good example: the other day I made this orzo pilaf recipe from Cooking Light (so it's pretty low-cal as these things go). Today I brought the leftovers for lunch, and couldn't even eat half of what I had brought, because the recipe was so well-constructed that it TASTES unhealthy and it started to make me feel sick!

Of course the exception is dessert. ;) I feel gross after eating fatty greasy main-course food, but I can eat ice cream and cake and cookies forever! But anyway my point (did I have one?) was that after a while the motivation is just that I know I will feel crappy if I eat crap, so I eat healthy instead.

YP1, I love your thing about the tiger, that's great!

Other little motivators I have used throughout my weight loss journey:
- trying on smaller size clothes in the store (no need to buy!)
- trying on old larger clothes and looking at how small I am in them
- giving myself a gift for each mini-goal, things like a haircut or an expensive beauty product or a new pair of jeans (never food!)
- keeping record of my personal fitness records and comparing the most recent ones to the old ones (like moving up the time it takes me to run a mile from 15 minutes to 10:30)
- keeping a record of my measurements and always looking back at where they started

My health is what motivates me the most. I've tried so many times to lose this weight. I was diagnosed with diabetes at 21 right before school started back up. It really scared me, but I know I did it to myself. I've been told over and over again. Even after I was diagnosed, I didn't change my ways. I still continued to eat the way I use to, and I didn't take my medication. I just got to thinking about it. My grandmother has diabetes, and her health is really terrible. She's had multiple strokes. My dad has diabetes, and it has destroyed his kidneys to the point where he's on dialysis. I was thinking about it, and I don't want to have to sit next to my dad on dialysis. That would hurt me, and most of all it would hurt my parents to see that happen so this motivates me to continue. When I think about quitting, I think about the worse happening, and this keeps me going.

My motivation is to have children some day. My doctor has told me numerous times that if I don't lose weight, there's a very good chance that I'll never have kids. I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, and by losing weight, the syndrome will lessen itself and make it more possible for me to have children.
Another motivation of mine is just as another person had said earlier. Every extra pound I've put on, is from someone else hurting me. Using food as a comfort after every heart break, loss, etc., has caused me to gain so much weight! Every pound I've lost since I started four weeks ago, has been a small victory in knowing that one day, they'll all be jealous :) haha

I just had to offer a *HUG* for this post. Health is also a huge concern for me. I have lupus, and while it's not a "lose weight or die" situation, I know that excess fat puts a strain on the body, and that's something I definitely don't need.

Keep up your determination, sweetie; you have the right to a healthy life.

Thanks very much tipsygypsy. Health is important for all of us, not just physical health, but mental health. Being overweight can really do damage to both. That's why I, and I'm sure everyone else, wants to get this weight off. We not only want to be as healthy as possible, but we want to look in the mirror and love the person we see. I know we will all reach our goals too!

I think my top three motivators are health, because my family has a history of heart disease and cancer, and then because I am just tired of being fat. And what I think about when I don't really want to work out is how much better I feel afterwards, and the vision of myself wearing clothes I've only dreamed about while meeting Steven, (a friend in the marines who's been gone since last February in Iraq) and my best friend, who, while I love her to death, always made comments about how fat and out of shape she was at a size six, while I sat and sweated after a workout and looked at myself and thought it was looking pretty hopeless.
Superficial, but I really want to see the look on her face, since I havent told her anything other than I'd tried working out again, and I think she's picked up some pounds since I saw her in May. Mean, but I can't help myself sometimes.

:-p

I have had every possible motivator to lose weight but I have always had such a hard time keeping the momentum going. This time around it has been pure vanity. :dunno:

I know its bad that I am more disgusted with how my body looks then how my health is but, unfortunately, that is what is keeping me going. Remembering how good I looked in this one pair of shorts that I had, then thinking that those shorts would only get to the top of my knee now has had a great effect.

I am going to be 30 in July and decided that if I didnt start doing something about "wishing" I was thinner again it would never happen.

That I feel good about myself for the first time in years and there's no way I want to ever give that up again.

And being able to squeeze into a nice pair of jeans helps :cool:

Honey, there's nothing wrong with admitting you think you're beautiful. If you think you're beautiful, then go with it! :cp:

And be proud of it!

And oh my gosh, look at the weight you've lost! Way to go, girl, and you be PROUD of that and don't let anyone take it away from you.

Health, looking good, smaller sized clothing, etc. All of those are motivators for me. But, it's not what is driving me to do it "this time" I have tried so many different diets, but the bottom line is that even though I hate(d) the way I look and feel, I was not motivated to commit myself to a permanent change. I don't know why NOW is different, but I am ready for this.

It has been wonderful reading about what motivates everyone because I can relate to almost every one of you. I have been heavy all of my life and have yo-yo'd with almost every diet on the market. Unfortunately, that inner "fat genie" keeps returning and I get very lazy about what and when I eat. I am going on a cruise in 7 weeks and am embarrassed to say that I don't want to take a bathing suit with me. I look in the mirror and am disgusted with myself. Clothes which I wore just 6 months ago are snug and I find myself looking for the "next size". I know that this is a slow process, but every pound lost for me is a pound closer to a better self image. 3FC is a great find for me and I read as many posts as I can to stay motivated. Thank you ladies!

Thanks, Linda! (That was my best childhood friend's name!)

Wow, it's wonderful how close you are to your goal. Congratulations! :)

My group first of all! :hug: Without them, I would be lost. Secondly, seeing the clothes (especially the underwear) fall off of me! :D Thirdly, when someone you haven't seen in awhile comes up to you and tell you you look great! :hug:

emerald dragonfly

Accountability!

That is the one thing that keeps me on the right track. I am accountable for what my weight is when I weigh in and report it on this site to everyone. When I did LA Weight Loss when I went in to weigh at the center and talked to the gals there that was my accountability. I can't just hide it away and forget it. I have to face the possibility of gaining in a week or losing weight. That made me be more honest and follow my plan. Right now I am not saying that I am dieting as to watching portion sizes and drinking my 8 glasses of water a day. I know what is healthy and right for me and what is not. My kids are my little alarms too. I can't hide anything from them. They keep me honest and working hard.;) Hopefully I will be able to reach my April Fools goal sooner if I keep my accountability up here.

I chucked out all my fat clothes (except one skirt, to remind myself how far I've come!) So I have nothing to fall back on, and will have to walk round naked if I put any weight back on! That's a great motivator!

As time goes on (I've been dieting since July 2005), I need less extrinsic motivation, as just looking better and feeling better is enough to keep my hand out of the biscuit tin! It just seems so pointless to trash what I've already done, or put myself back feeling negative, or even having one binge and putting myself back a week - when I can just carry on, and get there sooner! So the further you get, the easier it gets!

Now I feel my goal is in sight and I'm more fired up than ever!

PhatPx

Phoenix, I've been doing the same thing! I haven't kept any of my fat clothes, and it really has kept me "on the wagon" sometimes!

What helps me...
 

This isn't my motivation, but it does keep me from eating when I am bored. I keep a picture of me in a bikini, (back then I thought I was fat....I was far from it when I look at it now). Then I think of the picture my dad took of me on vacation this year in my bathing suit, and I think which one do I want to look like. I know that I will not look as thin as I was, but there definitely is room for improvement! LOL

I helps me keep from eating chips or ice cream when it is in the house. I go a drink a big glass of water instead!

Angela

What type of exercise do you recommend for a 46 yo non athlete. I've tried the treadmill. But for some reason have trouble sticking with it. Someone mentioned T-Tapp, but what is that? Does it work? I need someone to motivate me... Any suggestions.

Tired of being FAT!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...0/150/200/.png