Keeping motivation D:

[spiitze]

Gah. I have major issues with keeping to anything. I do really really well for a few days, then i start binging. it's STUPID. i lose ALL motivation. You guys all seem way more motivated than I, so do you have any tips?

 

[__penguin__]

Keep the junk food out of the house! I dunno about other people, but I can resist unhealthy stuff in the grocery store... but not in the kitchen! If you can just buy a bunch of healthy replacements for junk food and keep them in your house. That way, even if you do end up binging, it's better to binge on healthy things than on unhealthy things. 3nodding Also, find a source of cardio that you enjoy and can do for 30-60 minutes a day. I do DDR, so I highly reccomend that.. you can ask me for more information about it if you want. But if not, there's also running, swimming, dancing, or anything like that. biggrin  

[Iconised Ghost]

i try to keep up motivation by being positive, and controlling my eating to the best of my ability. I work really hard at uni at the moment (working until 3am, sleeping for 3 hours, and getting up at 6am to keep going on days when things are due!) so i cut myself some slack on exercise. I know this means that my weightloss will be slower, but i also know i need to do well and just exercise when i can. I guess what i am trying to say in a long winded way is that i try not to beat myself up about stuff toooo much, just enough so i convince myself to try not to eat something bad again xp

I also like to cut things into chunks. So i say "ok, all i have to do is eat ok today" and not worry about tomorrow, or yesterday.  

[Divash]

How do you remember to brush your teeth every morning? It's not an enjoyable activity, but you do it because you know you should. How do you feel motivated to get up and go to school or work? Not enjoyable, but necessary, and you do it. How do you feel motivated to do anything that you do all day, every day, unless it's thoroughly enjoyable? Because you know that you need to do it.

Weight control can be enjoyable if you think of it as a game or an adventure. "What new, healthy food can I eat this week? What new sport can I try? What idea can I take on today, and share with my best friend tomorrow and tell her that it works?" But even if it's not enjoyable, it's something that you need to do, for the sake of your health.

Also, life gets more enjoyable when you're feeling good about your weight. Shopping for clothing becomes a treat ("Wow, I look great in this top!") instead of a chore ("Nothing in here fits or looks good on me. I want to cry."). Shopping for groceries, likewise, as you'll find that fresh fruits and vegetables are not only tasty to the mouth, but also tasty to the eyes, with all those plump fat juicy colors (I'm getting tomato-cucumber-scallion-lust just thinking about it). It's great walking into a roomful of people, because instead of wondering, "Am I the fattest person here? Do I look even fatter in this outfit? Does this shirt hide my big belly? Does this skirt show the lumps of fat on my thighs?" you're now thinking, "If there's anyone whose head doesn't whip around so they can stare at me and my lusciousness, it's because they ain't interested in girls (or boys, if you're a boy)." You can get on rides at an amusement park without wondering if the safety bar will fit over your gut. You can take airplane transportation without asking for the seatbelt extender. You can take a walking tour around a cool city, without getting tired and irritable even before seeing the first attraction on the list. You no longer fear running into your ex, but rather, relish the idea ("Eat your heart out, Turkey Butt! You dumped THIS, because you are stupid!") You'll find yourself looking for opportunities to go out and be seen, instead of thinking, "I don't want to go to X-event because I look fat."

Fat shouldn't get in the way of enjoying life, because you can be fat without being ugly, fat without being mean, fat without being heartless, fat without being unintelligent, fat without being unfashionable... and yet, fat does get in the way of a good many people's self-esteem. Low self-esteem does get in the way of life. Majorly.

So while you may not totally love choosing spaghetti squash with a spritz of olive oil instead of a cheesy pasta dish, and you may not totally love going for a jog on the treadmill instead of watching TV with a box of bonbons, it is more than worth the changes you'll be making in your lifestyle. The motivation is there. Find it, dig for it, and do the right thing for yourself. I promise, once you see the results start happening, it will become fun.  

[Aranel-Raina]

I understand your problem. I have never been able to keep up motivation in the past either.

Mainly because I always wanted to lose weight to fit in better. Now, however, I have decided being healthy and liking myself is more important.

What you need to do is decide why you want to lose weight. If it is for other people and to fit in you will have a hard time sticking to it. If you want to lose weight for yourself, if gets easier (no much but still) because it is for YOU and no one else.

Luck. If you fall off the track once or twice just get right back on and don't look back at your stumble. Everyone will stumble occasionally.