What KEEPS you motivated?

[Yam-Yam]

I love the thread about what motivates us to want to lose.

However, I was just wondering what motivates everyone to stay on track?

Please share any and all tips, tricks, secrets, encouragement, information...

One thing that keeps me motivated when I travel is to bring my scale with me and step on it every morning. If I've had a big night out and had too much to eat and drink and I step on the scale the next morning and want to faint, I cut way back that day.

In the past when I went on vacations without a scale, I tended to underestimate my celebratory calories!!

[AsmallerME]

Mini goals keep me motivated. Right now I am just hitting 249 on low days so my next mini-goal is to consistently hit 249 or lower on all days, even at night, and then even fully dressed. Once I make that, I focus on seeing 239. And then it just continues. My longer term mini-goal is to have noticeable weight loss by a family vacation in 7 weeks. I'm already down 28 since they saw me last and hope to be down close to 40 by the trip.

[Yam-Yam]

Reading the daily weigh in thread and also the weight management thread on this JUDD forum also motivates me. In fact, all the JUDD posts make me want to keep going!

[KeirasMom]

My daughter keeps me motivated. She's really involved in helping me shop and exercise so the fact that I'm learning helps me to teach her. It's very motivating when your 7 year old tells you to pick the apples over the chips!

The SCALE keeps me motivated. I've never had losses this great or this consistent. EVER. When they slow down, I tweak a little and they speed back up.

UDs keep me motivated because I know I can have whatever I want.

DDs keep me motivated because they're stress free and give me a calm sense of control.

This forum keeps me motivated because you all are just so darn wonderful and supportive!

I could go on . . .

[DD80]

Feeling better, being able to CONTROL my eating, and watching the scale move down!

[Yam-Yam]

I love these! This is just what I needed to get more motivated to stay on track today!

Amber: You really got me thinking more about the mini goal idea. I like the one where you want to weigh your lowest with clothes on! I'm going to adopt that one.

Another thing that motivated me was yesterday when I wore the cutest pair of bling jeans I have ever owned. I remember trying them on in the store a few months ago and they were sooooooooo tight. But I bought them anyway. Yesterday they just slipped on. I was walking past some shops and looked at my reflection in every window! Couldn't believe that flat belly was mine.

[sophiethecat]

Great thread!

There are many things that keep me motivated. One of them is getting up every day in maintenance and knowing I am not 35# or so heavier like I was last year. That I can wear small T-shirts and clothes I couldn't begin to get into last year.

And being in maintenance, I shake things up a lot with different routines, so each day is a little different and prevents any "diet fatigue" that has always been a problem for me before. I feast like a queen much much more than I ever thought possible and yet still lose even in maintenance!

Also very motivating is knowing that I may be making myself healthier not just because of losing fat, but through the very way of life (as someone put it on another thread) through which I lost the fat and am maintaining. I could probably quit JUDDDg and MUDDDg and everything else and just eat reasonably well most of the time and be OK, at least for a while. But I don't want to quit this wol ever! It's too much of a treasure to be able to do something that costs nothing and yet is able to benefit every cell in my body, resulting in hopefully better health, less chances of disease and slower aging. Believe me, they are trying as we speak to bottle this stuff up and make a fortune off it, but we have this remarkable tool within ourselves already for free!

[adillenal]

I bought the book and I have read it from cover to cover, even the recipes.
I reread a few pages every night to keep my mind straight about what I am supposed to be doing, turn the light out and go to sleep. Reading the diet plan over and over helps me stay motivated.

[boop13]

I find the small shifts on the scale very motivating, and after only being back for 2 weeks, feeling like I am in control again, and being able to make wise choices! Also reading the success stories keep me motivated... Knowing if so many others can do it... So can I!

[Yam-Yam]

Originally Posted by adillenal

I bought the book and I have read it from cover to cover, even the recipes.
I reread a few pages every night to keep my mind straight about what I am supposed to be doing, turn the light out and go to sleep. Reading the diet plan over and over helps me stay motivated.

Same thing here! Every time I go back and read, I learn something new that I missed before.

I also like Dukan's book a lot and go back and re-read parts of it. It reminds me to make healthier choices, even on UDs.

[vilanteira]

What motivates me to stay on track and keep on going is that I'm giving my digestive system a rest-and-recover day essentially every other day. I have a somewhat sluggish digestive system probably due to years of dieting and seriously bad food choices and food sensitivities and metabolic/hormonal issues, etc. I've found that my digestion works amazing well and smooth after doing JUDDD even more so than just on LC, and I really think it's because instead of eating a lot (or even normal amounts) on a steady basis daily where things just get backed up and adds more burden on my digestive system, I actually fast for most of the day until dinner, every other day on my DDs. Even if I end up eating before dinner on a DD, the amount is still so little compared to UDs that it has the same effect.

I'm rarely bloated anymore (except TOM-related, food sensitivity-related or overindulging in the wrong carbs, etc), bathroom visits are a breeze and normal, and my gastrointestinal issues are pretty much a thing of the past. That really keeps me going as someone who has suffered some form or another of gastrointestinal distress since childhood. When the scale slows down or if I'm not having a good day or week, this is what keeps me going, along with that strange euphoric mood I get on a number of DDs and reading the JUDDD section of LCF. I cannot tell you how much everyone here motivates me, and how helpful you all are.

[Yam-Yam]

Originally Posted by vilanteira

What motivates me to stay on track and keep on going is that I'm giving my digestive system a rest-and-recover day essentially every other day. I have a somewhat sluggish digestive system probably due to years of dieting and seriously bad food choices and food sensitivities and metabolic/hormonal issues, etc. I've found that my digestion works amazing well and smooth after doing JUDDD even more so than just on LC, and I really think it's because instead of eating a lot (or even normal amounts) on a steady basis daily where things just get backed up and adds more burden on my digestive system, I actually fast for most of the day until dinner, every other day on my DDs. Even if I end up eating before dinner on a DD, the amount is still so little compared to UDs that it has the same effect.

I'm rarely bloated anymore (except TOM-related, food sensitivity-related or overindulging in the wrong carbs, etc), bathroom visits are a breeze and normal, and my gastrointestinal issues are pretty much a thing of the past. That really keeps me going as someone who has suffered some form or another of gastrointestinal distress since childhood. When the scale slows down or if I'm not having a good day or week, this is what keeps me going, along with that strange euphoric mood I get on a number of DDs and reading the JUDDD section of LCF. I cannot tell you how much everyone here motivates me, and how helpful you all are.

Wow! That is a GREAT benefit. Come to think of it, I have really felt the de-bloating and "clean" intestine benefit as well since I started this. Many good side effects besides WL.

[Yam-Yam]

Another thing that keeps me committed to JUDDing is the calm relaxed feeling I get, especially on DDs. Used to be I would feel stressed about everything I had to do or was putting off. Or, I would feel guilt and anxiety about not going and working out at the gym for 2 hours. Now on DDs, I get things done, but I'm not in a frenzy. I have this peaceful feeling like all is right in my world. This is a nice way to live.

[vilanteira]

Originally Posted by Yam-Yam

Another thing that keeps me committed to JUDDing is the calm relaxed feeling I get, especially on DDs. Used to be I would feel stressed about everything I had to do or was putting off. Or, I would feel guilt and anxiety about not going and working out at the gym for 2 hours. Now on DDs, I get things done, but I'm not in a frenzy. I have this peaceful feeling like all is right in my world. This is a nice way to live.

Oh yes, I'm feeling that right now as I write this! Very nice.

[Luna Loca]

What motivates me is the same as many others here...

Reading how others have reached/are reaching their goals is motivating.

Mini-goals are motivating. Getting to see the next lower decade...then, always being in that lower decade, even at night before bed on an up day...then the next lower decade...

Always having a pair of jeans that are the next size down. Every so often, trying them on and seeing if they fit. If they do, I start wearing them and start looking at the thrift stores for the next smaller size.

Going for my walks and watching the men in passing cars watch me...shallow, maybe, but does good things for my ego and keeps me exercising and eating right--I want to be hot this summer!

[gotitnow]

Another wonderful thread!! Reading in this forum has become a daily ritual for me it is soooo motivating. I love that at the end of a good down day my body feels good, as many express here , but I am always so proud of myself each time, so it's like a constant source of "atta-girls" that really boost me along and I go to bed with a smile on my face!

Phyl

[Yam-Yam]

Originally Posted by boop13

I find the small shifts on the scale very motivating, and after only being back for 2 weeks, feeling like I am in control again, and being able to make wise choices! Also reading the success stories keep me motivated... Knowing if so many others can do it... So can I!

Feel the same way about the small shifts on the scale. On past WL plans I would try so hard and deny myself soooooo much. Then when the scale would go down only .2, I would be so mad!

Now every ounce is wonderful because it keeps happening over and over. DH laughed at me a lot when he would say I look great and have a flat belly. Then he asks how much I've lost now. I say 34.2 and he used to laugh. Now he is eating what I'm eating and this morning I told him his belly is noticeable smaller and ask how much he lost. 16.8 he told me. I burst out laughing. Point 8?? See how good it feels??

[DD80]

Originally Posted by Yam-Yam

Feel the same way about the small shifts on the scale. On past WL plans I would try so hard and deny myself soooooo much. Then when the scale would go down only .2, I would be so mad!

Now every ounce is wonderful because it keeps happening over and over. DH laughed at me a lot when he would say I look great and have a flat belly. Then he asks how much I've lost now. I say 34.2 and he used to laugh. Now he is eating what I'm eating and this morning I told him his belly is noticeable smaller and ask how much he lost. 16.8 he told me. I burst out laughing. Point 8?? See how good it feels??

The .2's matter! Especially when you are 170.4 this morning and you want to be 169.9. Amazing how .5 lbs can mean so much to you when it means going down to the 160's.

[Demonica]

What keeps me motivated is my vision of going to a 15 year class reunion at the end of this month, with former classmates that used to torment me about my weight, as a hot mama

Seeing people that I used to work with at my last job and hearing "You are SO SKINNY!!" They watched me shrink from my starting weight to where I was a year ago so I don't want to disappoint them!

Putting on the next smaller size jeans and having them FIT!! Makes me look even more forward to going down another size.

Buying the first 2 piece swim suit that I have dared to own in over 12 years. That keeps me motivated to stick with it so I'll look even better when summer gets here.

[Beeb]

3 things:

1. The number on the scale. I weigh everyday so I can keep myself in check and reign myself in if that number is getting above the normal JUDDD bounce.

2. All the clothes I can now wear in my closet and I can now try on and have clothes look so good on me in the stores.

3. How I feel doing JUDDD, especially the energy I have on my DDs! I'm sleeping like a baby now, more rested than I have ever been in my life!!! Never had this kind of great sleep/restfulness on any other WOE!!

[~PaperMoon~]

What keeps me motivated is remembering how it felt before and how I feel now, not wanting to have to lose this much weight all over again and beginning to feel like I felt when I was in my 20's. I feel like my old self again, the younger me. I never want to go back to how I was before and I never will. I garuntee it! Plus just plain old knowlege keeps me motivated, knowing what I know now, is like staying motivated to not go into a pack of wolves or something. I know too much information now, just knowing how bad some food is for you and how it affects every aspect of your life not just your health. I had a complete paradigm shift in how I view food, eating and staying active.

[gotsomeold]

1. This forum

2. Being at peace with the scales. Seeing upward bounces as learning experiences (yup, too much salt in that Mexican), and knowing the next bounce will be down.

3. Knowing I am learning things about my body and metabolism that will make a difference in the rest of my life.

4. (This just happened). Having a gent look me over and do a double-take when he got to the grey hair .

[adillenal]

I realized this morning that I have another motivator and it is the scale. I love being able to write down a lower weight on my calendar every morning. Today was 166.0 and I immediately started thinking about my UD menu and it motivates me to stick to it and not get into the up, up and away mode.

[Jbinme]

I've been thinking about this. One big one for me is the fear of going back to my old mindset of not caring. Not caring how I look, feel, just not caring about myself. I had thought that if I did anything that was 'about me', I was selfish. I learned that from my Mom which makes it uncomfortable to talk about my weightloss with her now.
Now I have 2 daughters and I don't want to pass that on to them. I want to show them that it's wonderful to love and take care of yourself and it doesn't take away from those around you. And I never want them to be embarressed by me. That was a big one when my daughter started school. I didn't want to be so embarressed about how I look that it stopped me from being involved.
It motivates me when my girls say 'you look pretty'. I'm sure I looked pretty sometimes when I was heavier but I sure didn't feel it!
JUDDD BUDDs keep me motivated! This is my group therapy!

[Yam-Yam]

Wow! Wow! I'm staying motivated just from reading all your posts.

I loved getting on the scale this morning. It stayed exactly the same as yesterday. That never used to happen at all. On JUDD I see my body's pattern. I drop to a new low, go up a bit (on average, I mean - we do bounce) and then stay there for about 15 days or so before dropping below the new low I hit before. Interesting stuff. It motivates me to look at my daily weight chart and analyze the patterns. And there are patterns.

Another thing that really motivates me is reading books that detail the benefits of this WOE, IF. So, I just went to amazon.com and read a bunch of reviews on The Fast-5 diet, ordered that. Several reviewers recommended The Warrior Diet. I had never heard of that one, so ordered it too. Now I can hardly wait 'til they get here. I don't have a Kindle or Nook and I really like real books, so I always go for the 5-8 day free shipping.

I absolutely cannot believe that I never heard of JUDD or Dr. J or IF or all of you before December!!!!! What did I ever do without all of you??? I feel like I have known you forever and I want to be a part of this group forever.

[Kissa]

Originally Posted by Jbinme

I've been thinking about this. One big one for me is the fear of going back to my old mindset of not caring. Not caring how I look, feel, just not caring about myself. I had thought that if I did anything that was 'about me', I was selfish. I learned that from my Mom which makes it uncomfortable to talk about my weightloss with her now.
Now I have 2 daughters and I don't want to pass that on to them. I want to show them that it's wonderful to love and take care of yourself and it doesn't take away from those around you. And I never want them to be embarressed by me. That was a big one when my daughter started school. I didn't want to be so embarressed about how I look that it stopped me from being involved.
It motivates me when my girls say 'you look pretty'. I'm sure I looked pretty sometimes when I was heavier but I sure didn't feel it!
JUDDD BUDDs keep me motivated! This is my group therapy!

Really, really :good post: Thank you for reminding us that this about self respect, not simply vanity.

Yes, this is my therapy too, thank you all.

Also it motivates me to have had to give away 4 pairs of pants to a younger woman this week. And the ones I have on today will have to go too.

[Yam-Yam]

Originally Posted by Kissa

Really, really :good post: Thank you for reminding us that this about self respect, not simply vanity.

Yes, this is my therapy too, thank you all.

Also it motivates me to have had to give away 4 pairs of pants to a younger woman this week. And the ones I have on today will have to go too.

[Gweebles]

The scales going DOWN makes me motivated. I just couldn't get past the 340 mark no matter what I did. I chugged water, upped calories, downed calories, upped fat, downed fat, and a big fat NOTHING.

This gives me control too. I do fight an ED (binge then laxatives) which LC helped control but still kicked in sometimes. On JUDDD, I have control over the calories and this helps me not go out and do something that dumb and destructive to my body.

Convenience. Three workdays with shakes and yogurt or something and then 2 days with pre-measured food. Easy-peasy! My days off are easy too because I have my Smoothie maker to make good LC shakes and I have my scales to make my UD easy. I can't believe I hadn't tried this before.

[Yam-Yam]

Gweebles: You are doing so great! Been reading your posts on other threads today and I'm just thrilled you finally broke through the plateau!

[Gweebles]

Originally Posted by Yam-Yam

Gweebles: You are doing so great! Been reading your posts on other threads today and I'm just thrilled you finally broke through the plateau!

Thank you, I'm so excited to finally get things working for me after so long of struggling just to lose a few pounds. Tonight is a DD and I'm not even hungry. So weird!!