Motivation

[deeface92]

Hi,

I've recently been away and struggling to get back into the good habits I'd started. Where do you get your motivation from? Really struggling this week. I've lost 9 pounds so far and would hate to see it creep back on

[Jo4950]

Well done for all your great work so far, hold onto that wonderful feeling and use it to help keep you going.

Have a fab week

[Ali911]

9lbs is a wonderful achievement use that as your motivation .. you worked hard so keep going to see improvements. Why go back when you can go forwards ? Good luck & have a great week

[3rd-Time-Here 6lbs]

I use the posts of other forum members as my motivation. Just reading about how everyone is getting on and understanding that at some point we all struggle a little is keeping me on the right track. I gained 0.5 lb this week as a result of too much partying. So determined to be amongst the losers on next Mondays weigh in on Lowcals thread. You can do it, you have proved that by losing 9 lb to date. Don't give up.

[las2811]

My motivation is the results with each little bit of weight I have lost. I routinely try on my clothes and am always excited to see stuff that was too tight is now to big and that i am buying smaller dress sizes. Have you been taking progress photos? I always used to hate seeing myself but I have been taking photos of me in my underwear and then comparing them side by side. It is amazing how different you can look with only a little bit of weight gone. I also love when I get positive feedback from people, It can take a while but once other people start noticing you feel even better.

Other things that keep me motivated are pictures around the house and little progress bars that I have made (essentially coloring in strips of paper to represent what weight I have lost and how much till my goal). Having a visual cue is great.

Good luck and congratulations - you have done amazing

[trafford1]

It's not always easy to find the same motivation after being away, but now you are back you need to find that get up and go attitude you had before, keep moving, the more you move the more energy you use, the more energy you use, the more weight you'll lose

Those 9 lbs should be your motivation right there, so keep going and well done on your achievements so far

[GoogleMe]

I find the graphs you get on MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper helpful.

I am struggling a bit with losing the last 10kgs (I lost 20kgs to get to a healthy BMI) I still carry a lot of wobble round my middle. I suspect that I may naturally not fit the 'prescribed' hip to waist ratios but there's too much blubber for now to rationalise that way. So a look in the mirror is a reminder there's still work to do.

But adopting new habits means that some of the 'motivation' work becomes irrelevant. For example, I do 10 minutes of yoga every morning. Very occasionally I have to 'motivate' myself ie think about whether I am going to do it or not, usually I just do it. The same goes for some eating habits eg now if we are having a pie, I don't even think about having potatoes as well, and if the rest of the family are having oven chips with a meal, I always do myself sweet potato wedges, no oil.

[Hidden]

Plan ahead and leave yourself little reminders and cues. I put my running clothes out the night before so when I wake up I can get out of the flat and start running straight away. I take a healthy apple flapjack out of the freezer in the morning so I have a snack ready for later in the day, I really like knowing I have things like that to look forward to. I also sometimes plan a healthy dinner for when I get home and enter it on myfitnesspal ahead of having it, so I can see how my day's calorie consumption will pan out.

Also, try on clothes you were wearing before you lost the 9lbs. I was surprised how much my body changed after even losing the first few pounds, you will probably find that a few items are already much too loose. Identifying some clothes that can be taken to the charity shop or put in a Scope bin (if you have one near you), can help you feel more determined not to need to wear those larger clothes again. Or sell them on ebay and use the money to buy something new. Also, just be patient with yourself. I find that determination and motivation comes in waves. In between you just have to tread water and follow plans that you know will work. Good luck

[sandylaner1]

Ruth is right. we can't always see weight losses, especially if they come from areas of our body we can't see. as we lose weight, it comes off in the reverse order that it went on. without measuring (thighs, etc) we don't really know how much we have lost from a particular area. clothes ARE an excellent way of gauging weight loss.

don't forget to love ALL of your body: but treat the (Fat) bits as children who are now old enough to leave home: they will always be loved- but its time to move on.

it may be a bit of over simplification...who knows?