Monday, July 18, 2011

What keeps you motivated today?

People ask me all the time what keeps me motivated. And what keeps me motivated today, may not be the same thing that kept me going last week, or last month, or even last year. Sure, the overall reasons I stay doing what I am doing are the same, ( being healthy, feeling this amazing, even just waking up every day as THIS person, in THIS body as appose to the one I was waking up in 3 short years ago, ) even as those simple things keep me motivated overall, something has to keep me motivated on a daily basis. So if you ask me that today, you will most likely get a different answer than you did last month.
Today it may be the family wedding coming up this weekend, and the dress I want to wear ( although I am going with a different dress than the one I had planned but that is only cause my mom came from Vegas for the wedding, and her dress is the same color as the one I was going to wear and I do NOT want to be matchy matchy with my mommy). BUT I have another wedding to go to in August that I plan to wear that amazing dress to.
Next week my motivation may come in the form of trying to work off whatever it was I ate and drank at the wedding, ;) .
Sometimes my motivation is from the sole fact that I do not, and will not gain back any of the weight that I worked so stinkin hard to lose. That I know I am worth it, that staying fit is worth it. That giving back to others , and helping them feel as amazing as I feel, is worth it.

I am not going to sit here and sugar coat it for you . It . IS. HARD. staying motivated. counting calories still, every day ( no matter what you think, that doesnt end when the scale shows you that magic number that you have worked so hard to see). And knowing that I still have to work just as hard, and workout just as much as I did before , just to maintain the weight loss, it is STINKIN HARD. BUT.........

OH MY GOODNESS.....

SO WORTH IT.....


I had a customer at the Nook today do the " I know I know you but are you really the same person who "use" to work here " thing in our conversation, and then she cut me off mid sentence and said " You look amazing, how did you do it" ? So after thanking her, I told her, and we chatted a bit, and she told me how she lost 50 pounds a couple of years ago, but in the last year has put it back on. I asked her if there was something that made her put the weight back on, ( an illness, new job that kept her from working out, ect) and you know what she said ? She said she just got lazy with what she was eating, and her special treat that she let herself have on a weekly basis, became more often than that, and she just couldnt help herself. I just wanted to give her a big hug and let her know that that is EXACTLY what I have been thinking about, and I know what she meant, and I know how easy it can be to let the weight come back. And that is why I am still counting my calories, and working out just as much as I did before. Because it CAN happen so easily... I get it.

I do not want anyone to think that I am perfect, because I am not. I keep the thought of re gaining weight in my mind on a daily basis, I just can not let it happen. Because it is so easy....

I hope she finds her way back to South Beach and gets going in the right direction again. ( She had lost weight with the South Beach diet plan) Its hard to get yourself started up again, But once you get going, its easier than you think.

I think when we lose the weight, we all have the empty fat cells , just waiting and waiting for us to eat something bad so they can grab it and have a party with it. and the more we eat, bad, or even just in excess of good calories, (cause calories are calories when it comes down to it) our old lonely fat cells are just sitting there, waiting for some party favors.

That is one party I plan to be a party poo per on for years to come.....



Have a happy and Healthy week !

4 comments:

  1. When I started my weight loss journey I decided that this journey would be for a lifetime not just for the initial weight loss. I am learning to eat better and think before I put anything in my mouth. Even my Mom told me she notices that before anything passes my lips I contemplate the decision, and I check myfitnesspal to make sure I have enough calories, and I make sure I will have enough calories to get through the day before I eat it.
    For the first time in my life every bit of food gets a second or third thought. It’s not easy, but I have made it 7 weeks which is trivial for some and forever for others! It’s a miracle for me because I have never made it past Wednesday when I started on Monday. Boy is that so honest lol!
    I feel like a million bucks because in 7 weeks I have lost 22 pounds, 5 inches from my waist and 5.5 from my hips. I work out 5-7 days weeks, and I am starting to love it! The fat little girl who hated gym classes is started to love exercise. I feel like a new and renewed person because I did 2 hours of an intense workout for the first time in my life today. It’s hard but it’s so worth it! In my world I have come too far to turn back. Let’s just say I have made it through too many Wednesday’s to turn back to food now!

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  2. Tami,

    A great post. It's so important that people like you who are successfully maintaining their weight loss are upfront and honest about how hard it is to do and how easy it is to gain the weight back. I've never been able to maintain so I rely on your example that it can be done. After 19 months, I'm *this* close to goal and yet, I feel as if I'm just moving up to the start line for the real marathon.

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  3. I am 8 weeks into transforming my life and I have a long way to go. I often think about my motivating factors and I wonder if I will lose steam as my journey goes on. I know what I want to gain out of all of this, but I also know that I have been on this journey before and didnt stay committed to it. Reading your post has gave me a new way of looking at things. Motivation is not just one thing all the time....its several things over the course of time. I appreciate you and this post!

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  4. @ Jeanie You can so do it, you are so close, but then yes, then the REAL work begins, :)

    @ D it My W , do you know you have done the impossible already? 8 weeks strong, that is AWESOME!!! Way to go :)

    @ colie, way to go on the weight loss , that is an amazing amount in such a short time. it really keeps you going when you see numbers like that! :)

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