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7/7/12 12:20 P

Great article Jill. I haven't been motivated lately but have been plugging along anyway. When I weighed in this morning I lost 2 pounds so faking it until you make it really does work.

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7/6/12 2:00 A

Great article, Jill...and so true.....staying motivated is such an up and down thing for me but as long as I just keep plugging along.....doing what needs to be done, sooner or later that motivation will return in full force. At times, it's more like 'fake it till you make it" kind of thing, but hey, whatever works...right?? I do know that by coming on SP and reading the great stories and blogs of other members really help me get and stay inspired.

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7/5/12 11:01 P

Jill, Wow! I'm still pretty motivated. But then I'm only in my second month with SP. But I'm saving this to read when I need it most. Just do it! is such a good motto. No one will do it for us. If I want to stop being handicapped (not in the usual sense, but by being overweight) I'll have to get up and move, and eat right. God bless you for coming up with all these great questions and helps.
Janet

current weight: 218.0

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7/5/12 1:30 P

Thanks for this thought provoking post - yes I can see where the "Fake it till you Make it" is necessary for this long term journey of ours. Planning is key also - and I haven't been planning since the big change of being retired. Just recoverying for now - but gotta get off my "duff"! You are an inspiriation Jill

current weight: 274.0

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7/5/12 9:59 A

Jill! The article is outstanding. I consider myself 'kicked' where I need it.

Like everyone else. I have my ups and my downs, my super motivated days/times and my 'why do I bother' times. BUT at this point in my life I need to take on that Just Do It attitude.

I have been very motivated lately. Partly because my daughter is exercising now and eating healthy. Having someone else doing what I'm trying to do is motivating and makes it easier for me. I will also readily admit that if she weren't doing any of those things I would use it as another 'excuse.' "Gosh, it's so hard to . . . If only someone else . . ." Get the picture? Well, the next picture you're going to get is me looking radiantly healthy!

Thanks so much, Jill. Perfect!

Barb

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7/4/12 7:38 P

I think if anyone answers that, "yes, Jill, I am still motivated and it;s not hard at all", is telling a big, fat story!! I really do think we are all 'motivated' to lose weight, we just don't use our motivation all the time. The other morning, as I'm laying on my bed doing my first exercise of the day, I started thinking, "Why in the world am I doing this. I'm 66 years old and I'm trying to make myself into some kind of pretzel?" I didn't sleep well that night, I was tired and cranky and wished I had someone to bring me breakfast in bed. However, the answer came quick and easily. "I'm trying to beat the odds here--I want to be the one that lives the longest in my family-so far 71 is it" So, even though I had a lot of excuses, I Just Did It !!
And my sweet Jill, who in the world wound you up this morning? You were socking it to us like Richard Simmons would have done! lol Noel

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7/4/12 7:15 P

Great topic! Reminds me of the saying "Fake it 'till you make it". I am tired of "working" on losing weight. I'm tired today and I don't feel like "working" (probably due to the excessive heat). But you have reminded me that I can take an easy attitude about my meals when I'm unmotivated, and still not over eat. It's not "all or nothing".

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7/4/12 12:47 P

OMG: JILL AND JEANIE, I SOooooooo much agree with you, and the article and the question are GREATTTTTTTTT. Thanks for the accountibility, OUCH there is that word again that we ALL need but don't like. When I wait on motivation it never seems to come and all to often I get in the some old rut, lose gain lose gain. So thanks for the question and article. I've learned that I don't need a crutch and I'm with you LET'S JUST DO IT.

CJ from OK: HAVE A HAPPY SUMMER CHALLENGE AND A BLESSED 4TH OF JULY.

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7/4/12 10:24 A

Jill, this is a wonderful article and has so many truths in it. I agree with you about the lack of motivation being just one more excuse (a crutch, as you said). When our children were small, we didn't give lack of motivation a thought when it came to caring for them every single day regardless of whether or not we had the energy--we just DID it! So, I guess we should be thinking about our journeys as not so much a pleasure trip but as a trip for work. We can work at our progress or we can be lazy and let life pass us by. Easier said than done, but so important to get stuck in my mind. I CAN do it and I WILL do it, but I have to WORK at it! It won't just appear on my doorstep one day and say, "Well, wasn't that trip fun!!" LOL!!

The other thing I have to work on constanty is staying motivated to shop for the things that are best for me/us...that means no chips even if they are low fat and baked (which I bought yesterday) and making exercise a priority.

Absolutely great question, Jill. Let's just do it!!! Jeannie

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7/4/12 9:03 A

post Jill and something I need at this moment. My energy levels are so low right now, that I feel lost again. I am glad to have the day off to concentrate on catching up and trying to work out a new schedule with my new job. I am so exhausted when I get home from the heat and just not being active. You have inspired me to get on the ball and GET IT DONE!

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7/4/12 12:30 A

let's just say I am trying but seem to be spinning my wheels right now and all the stress in my life not helping one bit.

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7/4/12 12:26 A

Are you still Motivated to live a Healthy Lifestyle and lose weight? What helps you stay motivated?

My Motivation hits "Valley's and Peaks" and unfortunately I'm not always motivated to do what it takes to lose weight consistently. I do get more motivated when I start something new. . .Keeping a Journal does help me being more accountable to myself. I'm always more motivated when I see my scale go down. I do get more motivated after reading success story blogs and articles.

But then I recently read this article in Kim Benson's Newsletter and it helped me realize you don't always have to be super motivated but just Do It, like this article says. That put a new light on my motivation and I realize I've used lack of motivation as a crutch.

Read this article, when you have the time, and share with us what you think or got out of reading it!

"Feeling motivated makes it easier, but its not a requirement for DOING what we need to do."

Don't Run On Motivation.
June 26, 2012 2:04 PM
By Kim Benson


Motivation is a good thing. It gets us going. It keeps us focused and OP (on program). But what happens when the motivation runs out?
That force, stimulus, drive or incentive called motivation which fuels our behavior will fail us at some point — even for the most determined, successful dieter.
And so we struggle. We start and fail. We flounder wondering how? why? We were so strong and now ... Where did it go? How do we get "it" back?!
Unless you learn the answer, you will forever be yo-yo dieting, starting and stopping, with your goals forever out of reach.
But here's the missing element, and you MUST get this: YOU DON'T NEED MOTIVATION TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. You just need to DO it.
See ... we wait until we feel the motivation so we can behave the way we need to behave – plan out our days, prepare what's on the plan, eat what we have prepared — GET THE WEIGHT OFF FOR GOOD! And it's so much EASIER when we feel like it.
Picture a farmer on an early summer morning strolling to the barn. Bucket swinging at his side. Rooster crowing. Sun peeking up on the horizon. Cows and horses waiting for their morning meal. It's a beautiful picture we create. It's easy for that farmer to be a farmer in moments like these. But that same farmer still has to go to the barn when the rains come in deluge. When his destination is barely visible and the yard between home and barn is a foot thick with mud. When each step he takes sucks around his boots and the sheets of rain cut through his coat. That same farmer still has to put one foot in front of the other when the temperatures dip to below zero. The snow has to be cleared and the wind numbs his fingers and toes. He still has to go forward, one foot in front of the other, every day, to feed the livestock waiting for him. He has to break the ice in the troughs and measure the feed, even when it's not easy to be a farmer.
Motivation is a feeling, not a necessity for behavior. Easier, yes. But necessary, no.
And here's the real kicker ... when we ACT according to what we need to do (plan, prepare, follow through) the motivation returns. We get excited about what we've accomplished. That feeling of "YES! I CAN do this!" That motivation ... it comes back once again. This is how we learn to self-motivate.
See?
We wait until we FEEL like staying OP to stay OP. But staying OP is what actually recreates the motivation. The reality is the opposite of what we thought.
And until we learn that. Experience it. Believe in it and trust in it, we will forever be waiting for the elusive feelings to get us to goal.
Don't wait for motivation to do what you have to do. Run, instead on the commitment you have made to become a better, healthier you.

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