motivation help? (long post)

tillyfloss

Gold Member
Have been thinking the last few days why some of us get motivation and manage to keep it and why some really struggle.
I thought that maybe in a totally non patronizing and totally supportive way, maybe those who are completely in the zone right now, could list some of the things they have done and do to keep themselves right where we need to be!

I thought this might help some of those struggling to find the zone or staying in it.
I just want to say I think it's important that this be done in a supportive and non personal way, its up to each individual then if they want to try any of the techniques we might use....


So I will kick off with some of the things that have helped me:
  1. In the early weeks, i used a 'mantra', whenever the thought of food even crossed my mind i would repeat (sometimes out loud!) " Everyday in everyway I get slimmer and slimmer and feel better and better!" I still say it when the demons arise, but it really did help me through the difficult times!
  2. I stopped making excuses. In the past attempts, any excuse was great, the diet made me ill, was too expensive, was anti social etc... in fact the better the excuse the less guilty I felt, after all if it wasn't my fault, then I couldn't be blamed for failure. However this just resulted in me getting heavier and heavier. I was just deceiving myself, so this time I made a pact with myself to make no more excuses! Total honesty and this has actually extended into other areas of my life too.
  3. I created and write a blog on almost a daily basis, in it goes the absolute truth, certain very sensitive things go into a private diary, but every day I write the absolute truth somewhere! After all if I lie, I know I am only fooling myself. These are a great resource for looking back when things get bad or things seem monotonous.. I can see exactly how far i have come, and how I coped in the past with difficult situations.
  4. i made a 'life plan' in my case a 5 yr plan of what I want to do with myself, somethings I can't do till i'm slimmer such as a parachute jump, or ride a horse for the first time (a fear of mine) some things I have already done such as having my hair cut short. I have included things like career, relationships etc... and jiggle it weekly to add or even take things away, the important thing, is to make sure that I look at these each and everyday as it ensures that my reasons for becoming slim are at the forefront of my mind... great for when the demons rear their ugly head!!
So.... these are some of the things I have done and do each day to keep me 100% whch I have been for nearly 9 weeks.
So what do others do, maybe something we do might just help someone else!
Just to say once again, this isnt meant to say I am fabulous... I have struggled so many times myself, its just this time I am finding it so easy and hope that this post might help even one person to find their own personal on switch.

Anyone else?
x
 
I know what you mean Tilly about finding it easy this time. That's not to say I don't have days where I struggle, but I am so in the zone this time.

Things that have helped me have been focusing on going on holiday. I know not everyone can do that, but I have set myself a goal of making enough money at work, combined with hitting target. If I don't get there then I won't be going.

Another thing is spending hours obsessing over the clothes that I'd like to buy and planning my wardrobe :)

Like you Tilly I have stopped making excuses. I have stopped thinking 'oh I'm just meant to be this way' or 'I'll do it another time' I want to do it NOW and I want to do it quickly!!!

I get head cravings as much as the next person and I'm not sure why I am able to get through. Loving the tetras helps me as I do crave them. I find I crave them more than food a lot of the time!
 
I tell myself, in 3 months time I will either be at goal (if I stick to the VLCD) or I will weigh another 7lbs on top of the weight that already makes me miserable. No matter what, time will pass...and what I do now will affect greatly how I feel then.
 
I feel a bit of a dork because I am only on day one LOL, but I do feel amazingly positive about this, and I was just talking to my parents about it when i went to visit them.
I just figure that this diet is so easy to figure out - well the SS part is, and that is all I can talk about. The reason it is easy is that is completely black and white. You add water to x and you drink it. You are not using judgements about measurements, guessing how many points are in something, thinking one little stuffing ball wont hurt and I will pull points back tomorrow... because you eat exactly what you are told, and if you do that is IT. If you 100% do it, you will lose weight.
Some weeks I felt like I had 100% done WW, yet gained a pound or sts. It could just have been a bad week, or I might have miscalculated and gone wrong somewhere. But there is no accidental errors of judgements on CD, any errors are slips, and you can't blame anyone or anything else. You can't do anymore to lose weight either, you are doing the max already. Maybe a bit of exercise yes, but you can't eat less.
Makes it easier I think.

Plus I made a table today, a word doc. 21 cells across the top, 12 deep. It looks like a brick wall. There are 252 boxes or bricks altogether. Every time I make a sensible choice and have the CD meal, I colour the box in. So rather than looking at months or weeks of doing it, which is difficult to picture and doesn't change daily, I "tick off" each meal. In 252 boxes (well 249 now) I "could be" around the 10 stone mark, and that is a massive incentive for me. The chart is going up on the wall. :D
 
I love your 'wall' thing Tinka...
I am a very visual person and to me this is just a journey... Ok a really important one... but just that... anything that helps me get through it is fab!!!
I might just 'steal' your wall!
x
Gaynor you are so right and this is what my cousin says too! She had me look abck at this time last year.. so much has happened, it has flown past, but one thing that had changed big time was the fact I was heavier!!
Not anymorex
Watergirls...
This is the first time EVER I am interested in clothes and at present am like a fish out of water.. havent a clue what i should be wearing.. great watching the pounds melt though!
x
 
I know this sounds contradictory to everyone elses input, but i don't focus on the end goal. I take everyday as it comes, and every day that i complete i congratulate myself.
I don't know whether i have a mental block about the end goal but i just don't visualise it and for some reason this motivates me.
 
Hiya Dreamingmaid. no not contradictory.. thats why i thought this post might be good, as there are so many ways for different people to get in the zone, absolutely no right and no wrong way as long as we get there and stay there :)
x
 
i am also new and this if my first day so i am sure i will lose motivation at some point but i find other people before and after pictures really help and motivate me to carry on
 
Ladies, all great ideas. I think i might do the 'wall' thing too as i am hoping to be all but target in 6 weeks and that would be a great visual countdown.
I lost 3 and 1/2 stone last year and have put 1 back on again so wearing last years summer clothes is huge incentive for me. Also, having been overweight for such a long time i got a lot of pleasure from shopping for clothes that fitted rather than covered and the subsequent compliments that followed. I wore knee length dresses and skirts last year and my confindence grew hugely - that is what i want again.
Good luck to you all on your journey.
Mx
 
I spent a long time, perhaps 18 months, considering doing this diet and always had reasons not to - social functions coming up, work commitments, worried what people might think etc. What changed for me at this point was that I realised I didn't want to be in the same position in 12 months time thinking I wish I had started last year, so I think to myself...

I don't want to be full of regret in 12 months time, I have already wasted enough time being overweight, this is only a fraction of time in my life!

It seems to be working for me.
 
Hey,
This post is really useful Tilly. I'm due to start CD on 29th June and I have a fear that I won't be able to be as successful many on these forums. I'm going to take it day by day.
 
Great thread Tilly!!

The first time I cheated (and only time so far) I started a diary straight after. Its helpful being able to come on here but writing it down pen on paper is sometimes easier and I'll be more likely to re-read it. I found it helpful to think about why I did it and to see it written down. Today I was away to have a nibble and the food was in my mouth then I took it out- I said internally "no, I don't need that and I need to stop the picking, I'm in control"

So I guess to summarise-

1) keep a diary-learn about your triggers for eating, boredom, stress... Try to disconnect food from emotions. Accept that you want something but you're choosing not to have it.

2) It's never too late to stop- If you're away to eat you can stop right there, If you've had some you can stop and throw the rest away, If you've had a binge you can stop,get back on track and not let it continue all day.

I feel really lucky to feel in the zone most of the time and really feel for anyone going through tough times or struggling and i hope this helps.
 
Hey,
This post is really useful Tilly. I'm due to start CD on 29th June and I have a fear that I won't be able to be as successful many on these forums. I'm going to take it day by day.

Taking it day by day is great advice to anyone, it can seem like a long way off when you think how far you've got to go but every day on CD is another step along the way to goal!
 
Taking it day by day is great advice to anyone, it can seem like a long way off when you think how far you've got to go but every day on CD is another step along the way to goal!

I'm looking forward but I'm scared at the same time too. I'm sure once the first week passes it will get better, but I'm more worried about maintenance in the long run :)
 
What has kept me going in the last week? I've found my dream big puffy princess wedding dress!! Keep picturing 'thin Lisa' wearing it, and imagining how amazing I'll feel compared to how 'current Lisa' would. Ohh can't wait to go try it on now!
 
Honestly I do the following things

I don't think about the diet. I mean that I don't think "only x days til I can eat" or "I can't go out because...." I just eat my packs and treat it like any other food. The weight will come off.

I don't stress about my weight. I've stalled this week, but so what? It will come off next week, I'm still losing weight and have shed an amazing amount so far. I've spent so long FAT, that one week at this weight wont kill me or make a whole load of difference long term.

I update my blog as often as I can. Its nice to see the sense of momentum its beginning to build.

I look at myself naked every day - and this week although I haven't seen a huge scale shift I have definitely seen a huge body shift.

And most of all I laugh my way through where I can, this shouldn't be a struggle, its shouldn't be a sentence, it should be a journey of self discovery and emergence into a new me, or rather the me I used to be before I got trapped in my fat body and upset myself.

Now thats not to say that there are times where I get bored, or fed up, there are. I'm not perfect and I am the first to admit that I have had slip ups too, but overall thats how I keep my pecker up.
 
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