# Motivated?



## roadless (Sep 9, 2006)

How do those of you that are actually following an eating and/or exercising plan successfully get and stay motivated? :shrug:


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

RL- have to admit my motivation is the stick not the carrot. If I don't exercise I ache. So whenever I start aching I remind myself whose fault that is and get back on the exercise plan. Rarely exercised regularly until I got to this stage; age or illness; who knows, of stiffness and achiness unless I stay active. 

The final question is... would I not have these aches and pains if I weighed what I did 10 years ago?!? (20 pounds less) Gee I may have just discovered the carrot to make me add sensible eating to my exercise plan and actually try to lose weight not just maintain/ stay pain free...


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## Nancy in Maine (Jun 24, 2002)

Oh motivation! I think I'm motivated to lose weight at least once a week. But I don't think I've made a strong enough commitment yet. I've lost weight and kept it off in the past It's either all or nothing for me. I do good with exercising because I like being active as opposed to sitting around. But once I get hungry all my good intentions fly out the window. Maybe I need to make a contingency plan for when I'm hungry. Something that will satisfy both my hunger and craving and feed me emotionally. Like do something when I'm bored and tempted to eat and make up a list of ok snacks.....hmmmmm


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## vtfarma (May 6, 2003)

motivation - stand naked in front of my mirror. If that doesn't motivate me nothing will. I gained weight (about 5 lbs) back over the past 2 weeks, had to be something to do with the 3 packages of twix bars I couldn't stop eating! :shrug: Today I am motivated. I hate wearing tight clothes. I am not thin by any stretch of the imagination. At 195 and 5'5-1/2" I am obese still. I am much thinner than I was a year ago, about 40 pounds or so.


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## Nancy in Maine (Jun 24, 2002)

Yep, seing myself naked in the mirror is my daily motivation too. I've been right out straight with projects today and worked up an appetite just now. I started for the potatoe chips. BUT I remembered me saying I should make up a list of snacks. So instead I made a couple of peanut butter and cracker "sandwiches" with a 4 ounce glass of milk to hold me over 'til supper. Probably 200 calories. Baked ham, baked potatoes and squash. YUM! Worth being a bit hungry for. 

Vtfarma--congratulations on the 40 pound loss! Don't give up!


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## vtfarma (May 6, 2003)

Thanks, I am more motivated right now. I have not really been trying but was not "off" it that far (until I ate the 3 bags of Twix bars). I will keep going and lose. I turn 47 on February 4th and would like to be to my ideal weight by then or our anniversary in April. I'll take either. I just know that this is a lifestyle for me. There will be times that I want candy and I will eat candy or pie or something. Most times I eat healthy but the thought of never eating another cookie drives me right off the diet with frustration so now I just take it one day at a time. It seems to work.


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## Anita in NC (May 10, 2002)

I go to Weight Watchers. The weekly meetings help to keep me motivated. Otherwise I'd just eat what I want but since I know I have to go and weigh in every Tuesday I do try and be good even though it is SLOW going.


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## miss_dee (May 30, 2005)

I've been going to WW for 7 weeks now, and the meetings help keep me motivated. I don't have a scale at home, so if I want to know how much I weigh, I have to go to the meetings. Knowing that somebody else is seeing and recording my weight helps to keep me accountable. The first week was the hardest, but that first weigh-in was so worth it, and it's gotten easier each week. On WW, you can pretty much eat what you want as long as you keep track. It really is an easy plan to follow, but you have to want to do it.


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## cem (May 5, 2006)

I am going to go to TOPS tonight (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) 

It's an affordable alternative to Weight Watchers. TOPS has been around since 1948. They have changed a lot and, in fact, are modeling themselves after Weight Watchers more and more. They now have an exchange system in place.

They charge $25 to join, and the meetings are $3.00 each. (Weight Watchers charges $20 to register and $13.00 per meeting.)

Tonight is my first meeting . . . weigh-in at 5:45 p.m. I think I need the accountability of having someone else weigh me each week. Otherwise, I just keep saying, "Oh, well, I messed up today, but I'll do better tomorrow!"

http://www.tops.org/desktops.asp

I REALLY need to get this weight off. I just don't feel well. I know I am playing with fire. My back hurts, my feet hurt , and I am having trouble sleeping. I weigh 90lbs. more than when I got married, so my husband is sick of it. My goal is not to lose 90 lbs. (I am realistic, that was 15 years ago), but I want to put on clothes without thinking about it. Getting dressed is miserable when you're fat. I got the poor pity me's, but it is self-inflicted pain that I finally need to deal with.


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## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

well, my cholesterol has gone down 50 points overall, the good has come up, the bad has gone down, and the triglycerides have gone down, but not enough. my blood sugar went down, nutritionally i'm in excellent health. i'm still 30 lbs over the MAX for my height and build. i've lost 9 lbs in 6 months, but i can now run 2 miles, and am in much better shape than i was 6 months ago. that's motivation. i feel and look better-but i'm still not satisfied with my weight.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

What gets me motivated? 

1. I try to watch The Biggest Loser every Wed night (pre-empted for basketball this week :Bawling: ), and I keep telling myself that if they can do it, I can, too. I don't have nearly the amount to lose that they do, but my losses are a lot slower, too. It makes me want to work a little harder when I see how hard they are working.

2. Knowing I'm going to be checking in here just about every week. I hate to post a gain, love to post a loss! 

3. Reading what everyone else is doing to lose, and seeing that all of us have trouble or fall off the wagon at one time or another. It just keeps me interested in the weight loss process to check in here, or to visit with my friend and co-workers who are also trying to lose weight.

4. Having my "skinny pants" handy to try on as I firm up or the scale goes down another notch. It is SO much fun to find a pair of pants that was too tight last month, try them on, and find out they fit. It's great to pull out winter shirts that I know were tight last year, and find them loose now. It's easy to forget I've lost 15# (about 10% of my starting weight) until something like that happens.

5. Forgiving myself and moving on. I'm going to eat the wrong foods at times, or eat too much of ANY food occasionally. I get on a particular food kick and give myself permission to have that food in moderation until I don't feel like eating it anymore. If I don't, I'll eat all the good for me stuff while I'm thinking about onion rings (for example), and then end up eating the onion rings, too, because that was the food I really wanted. Now THAT is a way to de-rail a diet plan! Since I am not "dieting", but rather making changes that will keep me healthier for a lifetime, I go ahead and have the treats - just in small amounts. One or 2 fun size candy bars are enough. Get the others out of sight and I probably won't even think about them again.

6. Looking at where I was, where I am, and where I am going. That's both my skinny past, my fat recent past, being over halfway to my goal, and my plans moving on towards that goal.

7. Catching a glimpse in a store window, and realizing I look pretty good!


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## Songbird (Apr 2, 2006)

My parents died young and weight obviously was a big health issue for them. I'm 49 and don't want to follow them to an early grave so I plan to slowly take off 50 pounds, hopefully. I want to be around for my grandchildren and live a long happy life with hubby, so health is my motivating factor and the fact that I will look better is very motivating as well.


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