Motivational Ideas

Caz

Repeat Offender
I've been having a bit of a think. I often start out on these things full of enthusiasm and motivation and after a month or so that fizzles out and it gets harder and harder to keep it going. So I'm trying to put things in place to keep me motivated and I thought I'd share them.

Pictures/Quotes everywhere!
I've put a load of pictures and quotes around the house in different places. Pictures which motivate me, like a starting photo of myself, a person whose figure I'd like to have when I'm at goal. Or a dress I'd like to be able to wear well. And quotes which motivate me, a couple of which are in my signature. Things like that. I've put them in certain places like on my fridge, on the door to the pantry, on the freezer, in my purse etc. Places which if I'm about to go and break my plan and eat something that I shouldn't, I'm like to see one of these and 9 times out of 10 so far it's stopped me! I think because it makes me stop long enough to go what do I want more, this bar of chocolate that'll last me 5 minutes, or to get rid of this big fat ass? I know which I want more!

Reward jar
I've also started a reward jar. Rewards work when it comes to motivation, I've used them in some way with every class I've ever taught and they always help. So I was having a think and wondering what I could use as a reward for myself. I know some people use a food treat but to be honest, I don't want to do that. I don't want to use food as a punishment or reward system for myself, I just want a normal healthy relationship with food free from emotional ties. So I thought about it and when I lose all this weight, I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe, so I'm going to reward myself with money instead! I've got a giant empty whiskey bottle thing (no I didn't drink it all!!) and so here's my reward system for it:

£1 for every...
Day that I stick to my calorie limit AND 20 minutes of exercise
1lb that I lose each week
Time that I go to kick boxing/boxercise (starting in the next couple of weeks hopefully!)

That COULD be £10 a week. Normally I probably wouldn't really be able to afford it, but what I'm going to do is use my tips from work (I work in a pub) to do it. So by the end I could have a nice hefty amount to go and buy myself the wardrobe I've always dreamed of being able to wear!

Mini Goals
I'm going to set myself mini goals and if I meet them, I'll get a small reward such as getting my nails done or something like that.


If anyone else has any other ways they motivate themselves, feel free to add! Thought it might help others out a bit :)
 
i log my weigh every week in a chart on computer with weight gained, weight lost and what my current weight is so i can watch the numbers go down.

also my measurments, i have never done this on any other diets i've been on, its such a simple thing but really works.

also getting into my old clothes is sooo motivational for me. when i started i couldnt get my old clothes past my legs now they fit :)
 
New bead for my Pandora bracelet for every stone that goes. I'm wearing it a lot, so I can see what I've achieved so far.

I've just revamped my wardrobe - bought some new stuff and am listing the old stuff that no longer fits on eBay. (Now THAT feels good!)

Mini-goals work well for me psychologically, but I tend not to reward myself for those - or I haven't so far. The current mini-goal is to get to 50lbs gone (3lbs to go!) and I think I might do something to celebrate that one, because it's a biggie :)
 
New bead for my Pandora bracelet for every stone that goes. I'm wearing it a lot, so I can see what I've achieved so far.

I've just revamped my wardrobe - bought some new stuff and am listing the old stuff that no longer fits on eBay. (Now THAT feels good!)

Mini-goals work well for me psychologically, but I tend not to reward myself for those - or I haven't so far. The current mini-goal is to get to 50lbs gone (3lbs to go!) and I think I might do something to celebrate that one, because it's a biggie :)

It's definitely a biggie and worth celebrating!!
 
I have a spreadsheet which I print out each week, listing what my weekly weight is, how much I have lost in total, my measurements, what my kcals were for the week and what exercise I have done. It really motivates me and shows how well im doing.

I also have goals to achieve each week, i.e burning 2000 kcals, doing so many hours of exercise or not having choccy for the week.

On my dressing table is a fat photo and one showing what I was like when I was slim. This is a constant reminder of where I could be if I am either good and stick to my plan, or bad and go back to my old lifestyle.

I also take a photo of the scales when I weigh in and keep this as my phone wallpaper. So everytime I pick my phone up I see my weight. This is my biggest motivator, because I am always doing something on my phone so I am constantly reminded.
 
I like the phone photo idea!
 
I do the following:
- Take photos on my iphone
- Record my weight and body fat. The former on a spreadsheet with a nice shiny graph!
- Have set mini goals for myself (the first was 5%, the second - 10% etc.)
- Whilst I don't have rewards specifically, I'm rewarding myself a lot in general (but NOT so much with food! - this was always a big thing for me on WW, I'd go and weigh in, and then have pizza for tea as a celebration if I lost weight!!), and have bought new clothes now I'm 1/3 of the way through my journey. I'll next buy some new clothes at 2/3, and then a new wardrobe at goal.
- I also have a "bank", but it's not for me. For every 1lb I lose, I put £1 to my fund. Everytime I skip a gym day, I put £1 in too (only 7 missed gym days since February - which is quite good as I go x6 a week!). This money will go to a local charity raising funds for a little local girl who needs an operation on her spine, but needs to fly to Florida to have it done. Should she get all her money before I hit goal (hopefully for her!) it'll go to the blind, as there's a blind girl at my gym who just gets on with it. She's a real inspiration, and we all think of rubbish excuses NOT to go - and there are people like that who would probably kill to be able to go and workout with the same physical ability as us.
- Every now and then I like to go on asos.com and pick out all the stuff I'd buy if I was at goal weight XD
 
awww fatatack- thats sooo nice!!

i also have my boys christening in aug- i want to be at my goal weight for then. when i first set my goal- i had just had my boy and was a size 16(nearly 18!)- when i've always been a size 8 this was a big shock to me. Just thinking about being 9 stone- i thought there is no chance. but now i'm stone and half away- i'm like, yes i can do this!

Also remeber- i had come back from travelling and some one told me that some one had seen me and said bloody hell she piled some weight on- i no shes pregnant but shes took the mick with it- that was when i new i had to loose it, never in a million years thought i would- but i'm going to- and i'm going to squeeze- no fit nicly in all my old clothes again.
Just wish it would of happened over night- but like people say- it took 9 months to get there- i've got 9 months to get it back so just got to be patient!!

there are sooo any times i thought this isnt working and wanted to give up, so i am so glad i did my charts- them weeks of loosing very little all add up.

Another 20 week and 6 days- i WILL be getting my little boy christened in a size 8 dress.
 
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