Find that Motivating Factor
It is absolutely crucial that you find the right motivating factor as you embark on your weight loss journey. Without the right motivation you will get sidetracked and quit. It’s that simple. You may be able to survive on you initial burst of enthusiasm for a few weeks, but if you are like most yo-yo dieters you will be falling off the wagon eventually.
That’s where having that motivating factor comes into play. That factor is so powerful that it forces you to power through your weakest of moments. Like when you are thinking of eating just one cookie.. which almost always turns into 3, then 5, then the whole pack. Or when you say to yourself I’ll take today off and start again on Monday… but Monday becomes Tuesday and Tuesday becomes next week and next week becomes next month. Oh, and the drive-thru for dinner temptations. Don’t even get me started on that. Those are the moments when you need to dig deep. When you look at the situation and say to yourself, “No! That’s it. I will get through this!”
I can’t even keep track of how many times I’ve given in to the temptations and have been weak. It sucks! Why? Because I’ve lost control. Losing control is not a good feeling, especially when you are on such a tough journey. Losing weight is very challenging. Weight loss is simple. Yet really difficult. To lose weight you need to eat less calories and exercise. Pretty simple concept. Sticking to it is the hard part. That’s why you need the motivation to get you through it.
So what’s your motivation? Mine? Well.. I have several. I am battling the potential of self inducing diabetes. I want to win this battle. I want to be around for my daughter and be a positive role model. I want to be able to say that I finally gained control of myself. I want to prove to myself that I am strong enough to accomplish this ( I know I am but the proof is in the weight loss). I want to prove the haters wrong. And then I have tons of tiny little motivating factors that are keeping me going. Some are more special than others, but all of them help.
So, I repeat, what’s your motivating factor?
Great post! I agree…figuring out what is motivating you can be key!
I also think that it is important to have two types of motivation – “away from” and “towards”. As an example, I guess your “away from” motivation might be “avoiding diabetes”. But that motivation might not be enough to get you to where you want to be (i.e. it might not take as significant a lifestyle change you’re implementing in order to avoid diabetes)…and so, without “towards” motivation, you could lose momentum when you reach that first goal.
That’s where your “towards” motivation steps in. Things like being a positive role model are “towards” motivations, I think.
I’m agreeing with you…just putting things into categories. What do you think?
Great post Is! Finding your motivating factor(s) is so important to losing weight and keeping it off. Whenever, I forget why I am losing weight, I start gaining. This happens much more than I’d like it to.
My motivating factors:
1. My health.
2. Be a role model to my patients and family.
3. To wear size 30 waist pants.
4. To compete in MMA. (j/k)
Hey great post Israel.
Your absolutely right! Weight & fat loss is simple really, when you know how, but not always easy. The motivation is essential to follow through long term.
You have to have a big enough reason, a big enough reason why! Reasons come first, answers come second. When you have a big enough reason why you can do ANYTHING!
When a person has and knows their reason why they will always find a way, regardless of the odds they face and if the way isn’t clear then they make a way. A person with a big enough reason why, or motive, never gives up and doesn’t accept the excuses that most do, or give into the temptations that most surcumb to!
I love how you want to set a good example for your daughter. Keep up the good work my man!
My motivating factor is just more energy.
My motivating factor is looking good again. The side benefit is more energy. I am not concerned with my health as much as I am just looking forward to being the guy that I have always been.
My #1 motivating factor is my “Seinfeld calendar”. For those who don’t use these, it’s a rather ingenious system where you do XYZ activity each day, and then write it down.
It’s borderline obsessive to say the least, but main purpose is to increase your productivity by holding you personally accountable for your actions, or even better, your inaction!
And that’s what makes it such a powerful tool! When you see 21 consecutive days of working towards your goal, you might feel a little guilty for slacking off on day 22.
I feel you on that man!! It’s so easy to fall off track if you’re not thinking of what motivates you and keep going. This is an uphill battle; it’s so much easier to just roll back down the hill. But when you keep your eyes set on the top of that hill, and you think about what will be there waiting for you once you get there, you will keep on fighting!! We need to remind ourselves everyday why we’re doing this, and what we’re fighting for!! Write in your journals, post it on your screen savers, send yourself emails, write um on sticky notes and put um on your frigerators, in your cars, at your desks, in your draws, at your lockers, in your lunch rooms, everywhere you go!!! Who cares what people think or say!! Who cares about there jokes!!! Don’t even say a word in response to those naysayers!!! Let them laugh all they want!! Because guess what!! In the end, you’re gonna be the one’s laughing!!! And there gonna be asking how in the world you did it….LOL!!!
I manage to keep my motivation when I begin to see a difference. When I start to see me losing weight or when the occasional person comments on me losing weight, it keep me driven towards my goal.
Wow good and real. I see you there Itti. Im right woth you.
What motivates me is thinking about the beach! Gotta get in shape for the summer 😉
Hey Israel,
My motivating factors when I was losing the bulk of my weight were my children and the fact that I never felt good enough to look for a date.
Now my motivation to continue staying lean and building muscle is the way it makes me feel when I am feeling more slender and fit.
Thanks for the post. great stuff.
My biggest motivation factor is my children. I want to out live my children and be around to raise them to be the best Christians they can be.
Yeah, a motivational factor is must. You should have an ambition to work on.
I’ve recently been trying to get back on the wagon myself. I had stopped exercising like I should all winter long. Then I recently bought a weight set and bench and put them in a room we specially made to be a work-out room. But it’s hard. There are so many things to do instead of exercising for healdh and weight loss – playing with the kids, blogging, etc. You have to just “break away” and go do it. I need to do that right now!
My motivation is to be able to keep up with my 3 year old son. As well as fitting in that black bikini when summer vacation comes around.
Cool post. Finding that motivating factor is definitely a key. Taking advantage of that moment, that catalyst and not letting it pass is also important. It’s often really hard to stay constantly motivated. I find it like a mini roller coaster. If I go down too far I get so disgusted I get motivated all over again. Thanks for the ideas and motivation. It helps.
My Clients always ask for ‘motivation’ – I’m a personal trainer, I’ve thought about this a lot and written a book on the topic.
The ultimate conclusion I’ve come to is… a little bit less good today – for a lot more good in the future.
Seems like a fair trade, if you can think about what regular exercise and good eating will do for your life in the future… it’s a lot easier to let go of being lazy just today.
That and just plain old personal training here in rainy Glasgow, Scotland (it’s cold.. and it rains a lot!)
Finding that motivation is one of the hardest things to do for most people. This will make or break you from reaching your goals. You must find your personal motivation and always refer back to it when times get tough. When I was overweight my personal motivation was to just to fit back into my old jeans.
Everyone has their own personal motivation you just have to find yours. When you do this you have a better change to reach your goals.
I would say I live a healthy lifestyle to be healthy, however my motivator is looking good, beign competitive in the gym and staying away form the old ‘fat’ me. Also some external motivation such as movies and music – get me pumped!!
The thing I do with my clients is really drill down, dig the hooks in deep emotionally.
If someone isn’t invested emotionally in their weight loss goals, they’ll most likely never commit and see them through to the end.
The bottom line is, how much do you want it?
Make someone answer that, and with passion, and you have a far better chance of getting results.
energy & confidence
To me there is only one factor: DISCIPLINE!
If you slack somewhat, that’s fine but how often that happens is totally up to you and this will determine what gains you make. Sure you have to be determined to reach your goals but how will you use that determination if you don’t have the discipline to stick to what you know will bring you results.
My motivation is the strong intention to have a healthy body
Well what are my motivating factors?
1. Vanity, lets be honest we all like to look good!
2. Role model to clients and my children
3. Better quality of life
4. I can run around all day with my kids
Good post
Thanks
Paul