Extra Easy How do people stay so motivated??!!

[Queenietb1983]

I follow slimming world by myself usually. As am a single mum and wanna watch my pennies I don't go to a local group. I have all the information about free foods and syns etc. I get motivated and do great for couple of weeks, sometimes losing 3lb a week! Then I seem to lose my motivation and it goes downhill from there! How do others keep themselves following to the diet and sticking to it?? Thanks.

 

[Goodygoodstuff]

Gosh if I could bottle motivation I would be filthy rich! I struggle as well I find writing a food diary really helps, as does regularly posting on here. To be honest though I did best when slimming for my wedding last year as I had a very important, very fixed, goal in sight. I put pictures of my wedding dress everywhere to remind me why I was doing it. But you really have to have your head in the game, without it you just will not succeed.

 

[alwayssunshine]

I'm not sure how to explain it but I don't know that I am - or ever was - particularly motivated as such. Grimly determined more describes my mood at the start, I think. I really wanted to do something about my weight/eating habits or I knew I'd just keep gaining and gaining and I didn't want to see my weight creep up to 14st, then 15st and beyond. I've been doing SW since January and some weeks, I've felt very focused, very positive etc. Other weeks, I've felt a bit fed up with it all but have just kept plodding along and sticking to the plan. I've been 100% every single day since I started and I'm really proud of myself for that - especially since pre-SW I'd attempted to go it alone and lasted a day or two at most. In my personal experience, motivation is fleeting or at least comes and goes for most of us. They key to success is to work out how to stick to the plan even when you're not feeling particularly motivated. For me, it helps to mix things up a bit. So I have Red and Green days as well as EE. I try to vary my HEs and try out new recipes to stop me getting bored. I'm also finding that exercise is very important for me. It helps keep my mood positive and I get a huge sense of achievement from getting fitter.

Good luck!

 

[Kefalonian at heart]

I also feel very focused one week (esp. after a loss) and then a bit fed up another (when I was careful but STS or gained a bit)...but my motivation long term is the health benefits of not being over weight. My main focus is that I don't want diabetes - late onset type 2 runs in my family. If you have a goal (an event rather than a weight) it helps, if you don't make one up...I treated myself to a non-food gift for my first 6kgs (hair straighteners), and then again for my club 10 (a t-shirt in a smaller size!). This forum is also a great place for support. Good Luck x

 

[AnnaFaraday]

Talking about this with a friend the other day - interesting response. She asked me: "when you get up in the morning do you have to feel motivated before you shower and clean your teeth? Do you have to feel motivated before you change the sheets or put the bins out? Do you not go to work until you feel motivated to do so? No, you just get on with it. This is a task like any other, just get on with it, and stop wittering about motivation!"

Now, there's a thought!!

 

[Rochelle1]

Have to say I agree with the above, I just get on with it and stop moaning. I eat plenty, I'm never starving hungry, I have chocolate every day and I feel better than I did before. So what's to complain about? The only motivation I've needed so far is the numbers going down on the scales and the fact that I am avoiding weight related health problems.

 

[kerryathome]

also agree with others above, for me its about stopping thinking about slimming world as a 'diet' or even a weight loss plan, we have to eat everyday to stay alive, once you've got that in your head and stop thinking you 'can't' have something because you're on a 'diet' it becomes much easier to focus.

I must say though group to me is £5 well spent (well I don't pay now cos I'm at target), its an investment in myself, maybe think of something else you spend £5 a week on and if its not essential swap it for a SW meeting, it might be the thing to get you on track xx

 

[willfitskinnyjeans]

It took me about 2 weeks to get to point of what there saying above. Not sure how far in you are but my first 2 weeks you needed that motivation because it hurt, the withdrawal n detox from sugar n crap actually made me hurt. After that it's just life now. Adapting your own recipes and cookbook to be free meals and not buying certain things is second nature.
When the detox n cravings are over you actually get a taste for real food.

 

[Mandlegrot]

Talking about this with a friend the other day - interesting response. She asked me: "when you get up in the morning do you have to feel motivated before you shower and clean your teeth? Do you have to feel motivated before you change the sheets or put the bins out? Do you not go to work until you feel motivated to do so? No, you just get on with it. This is a task like any other, just get on with it, and stop wittering about motivation!"

Now, there's a thought!!

This is so true - why is it that when I so a sleep-in shift at work and the alarm goes off I can wake up straight away and work within 2 mins. If I tried doing that at home, it takes me about an hour to get out of bed!!!

Weight loss is all about little decisions and choices that you make each day - one more biscuit, measure my ketchup or just dollop it on, oh go on then one more etc - and I find motivation comes in these small choices, or my victories over them The other day, I resisted a second sweet potato as I knew it was a bit greedy. I then chucked away some salad dressing I'd been looking at all afternoon. Small, but good victories - and moving towards making these choices more regularly means they will embed themselves in you, and will become the default response, rather than a laborious task! This is what keeps me going - it might not work for some but it does for me. I find the scales going down good, but its not as important as making the right choices, as without them, the scales will go up.

Its too easy to see a loss then get lazy - a lot of people in my group do Thursday night as a treat night which I find crazy!! They get a good result - and go to the chippy. If they get a bad one - they still go to the chippy and gorge. To me, that wouldn't work! I did it myself when i got back from India a few weeks back - I was expecting about half a stone on, but only 1.5 - I was chuffed! And then i ate utter rubbish for 10 days and gained 3.5. I believe this was because, in my head, I'd factored in a gain before I'd given myself the chance. Funny psychology but I'm back on track now and feeling a lot more motivated

 

[Queenietb1983]

Thank you for all your replies! Some great ideas! Think. I am just having a down day. Things seem so much worse then don't they. I feel so much. Bigger, yet want to comfort eat! Really need to change my way of thinking! I have been good all day today! Not even used my he yet so can have healthy munch later. New day tomorrow and all that. Think I need to keep coming on here so stick to it!

 

[lauuuu10]

Hi! I hope I can post on here as I'm not officially with slimming world.. (yet I buy the magazines and cook a lot of the recipes - I just don't go to an actual group!) I find it very hard to get motivated at first, but I soon get there! I generally think of the benefits of being slimmer. It's really good to have a goal in sight too - I am using the summer as a motivator... I want to look good in summer dresses haha!

Another thing I do is to think of how good I feel when I get a loss. This week I lost a massive 6 pounds from not snacking, lowering the amount of carbs I eat (I have had problems with losing weight so decided to see if this would make a difference and it did!) and from generally being good and having one small treat a day, such as a small packet of low calorie crisps or a kit kat. As I've lost weight this week it's made me not want to put it back on, so I'm a lot more concious of what I am eating.

 

[*Emsie*]

I think if it is something that you really want then accepting that it is as much a part of your daily routine as having a shower etc can be a good idea. Then try and take it a meal/day/week at a time and keep going towards your main aim but without letting it overwhelm you.
Also accept/allow that there are times that you can have a little treat say a birthday/Easter/party etc flexi-synning maybe so you don't feel deprived as you can then get back on plan and keep going towards a slimmer/healthier you.
Its not easy but it is worth it x

 

[Kefalonian at heart]

Thank you for all your replies! Some great ideas! Think. I am just having a down day. Things seem so much worse then don't they. I feel so much. Bigger, yet want to comfort eat! Really need to change my way of thinking! I have been good all day today! Not even used my he yet so can have healthy munch later. New day tomorrow and all that. Think I need to keep coming on here so stick to it!

I find a satisfying low syn hot chocolate helps with sweet cravings. If you use your HEa for the milk, use a sweetener instead of sugar, the cocoa powder is just half a syn a teaspoon.

 

[*Emsie*]

The soya milks that you can have as healthy extras are good for this as you get more mls for your allowance