My Top 10 List for Getting (and staying) Motivated

This is a tricky one because everyone is different and motivated by different things. I'll preface this by saying that I'm not an expert at this, but these are things that worked for me.


Now before you even begin your weight loss journey, you need to think long and hard about WHY you want to lose the weight. This can be a number of reasons: to feel healthy, to look better, to fit into a wedding dress, to be better at sports, etc. My main reason was to be a good example for my children and to be the woman that my husband married 10 years ago. I had changed not just physically, but emotionally. I was more withdrawn because of my weight and I was not comfortable in my own skin. It was affecting my marriage and affecting my life. THOSE were my reasons.

The next step is to set a goal. My goal at first was to lose 30 lbs. At the time I thought that's all I really could lose. I didn't set my sights high enough, but that's okay because as time went on I realized what I was capable of. It's okay to start with a smaller goal: let's say 20 pounds. Once you have your goal in place and you know your reasons for wanting to meet that goal, keep it in your mind and remind yourself of them EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Here's my Top 10 List for Staying Motivated (in no particular order):

1. When my alarm goes off on my cell phone in the morning, it says "REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS". It helps me get in the right frame of mind before my feet even hit the floor.

2. I have pictures on my refrigerator of myself (skinny and happy) in college and I printed out some of my favorite quotes like "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" and "When you feel like quitting, remember why you started." Having reminders in your kitchen will keep you focused.

3. Keep at it. If you take a few days off, it is so hard to get your motivation back. You have to keep at it every day. Don't lose focus and just tell yourself that a cheat day here and there is okay, but do not get derailed for more than 1 day at a time. The longer you veer off course, the longer it takes to get back on track. For example,  we went to stay in St. Louis on our 10th anniversary last month and you can bet that I cheated like Tiger Woods (only with food and booze, not hookers). But I got right back at it the next day and no real damage was done. Same thing with holidays. It's okay to indulge a little but don't let it turn into an entire week of binge eating and couch surfing. It's not worth it to lose so much of your hard earned progress.

4. Find a partner in crime. Having someone to be accountable to is huge. You can encourage each other and give each other crap when you are slacking. It helps.

5.  Think healthy, not skinny. To really lose weight and have it stay off you have to not think of it as a diet. Honestly if you want to get thin and healthy, there is no finish line. It never ends. You have to keep doing this forever if you don't want to gain it all back. Focus on changing your eating habits to be healthy and the skinny will follow. Crash dieting and not eating enough calories will have adverse affects. It takes longer to lose weight with a lifestyle change vs. a crash diet, but it's worth it because you have changed your ways and you will be able to stick with it long term.

6. Don't eliminate foods, limit them instead. If you tell yourself you can never eat ice cream again and pizza is forbidden, who in their right mind would commit to this lifestyle change? Everything in moderation. There are lots of low calorie ice cream options at the store or allow yourself a mini blizzard every once in a while. They're like 300 calories, so just work them into your daily allowance. And make homemade pizza and you can control the amount of calories that go into it.

7. Celebrate the small victories. I know I said this the other day, but I'll say it again. 1 pound lost is a big deal and so is 1 inch off your waist. Look at this graphic below and keep it in mind when you want to whine and say, "Only 1 pound this week!"

8. Get rid of your "fat clothes". As soon as I outgrew them, I sold them or gave them away. It was a way of telling myself that I was never going back there. Don't give yourself the option to grow back into them.

9. Pace yourself. Know that this new lifestyle is the healthy way and doing it this way means it will take longer. Be realistic and come to terms with the fact that it could take you 6 months to a year to reach your goals. Another one of my favorite quotes is, "One year from now, you will wish you had started today." A year goes by SO fast. Have something to show for it at the end.

10. Buy some cute workout clothes. Having something nice to wear will encourage you to get out there more. If you're wearing your husband's old t-shirt, it's just not as enticing to go to the gym or go out for a walk/run. I love Wal-Mart's Danskin brand and Target's C9 brand.



I hope some of this helped you in some way. I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, and there are probably some things you could teach me. Whatever it takes to motivate you, is what you need to do. Getting motivated in the beginning is the easy part. It's staying motivated that takes dedication and drive. You can do it!