Getting Motivated for ... being healthier

[Sunmaid]

I was going to say "weight loss" but I'm trying not to make it the focus of my "plan".

I've packed on about 20lbs over the winter so now that puts me at ... let's do the math... uh ok let's leave it at WAY MORE THAN I WANT TO BE!

And the reason I've put on weight is because over the past few months I've sort of just eaten whatever I've wanted to and laid on the sofa too many hours.

So now I am left with the dilemma of nothing fitting, a refusal to buy new clothes to fit my fatter butt, and really not much motivation to get it sorted out.

So I know what I need to do, and I'm giving it serious thoughts, but my question is generally how do you motivate yourself to do the things that need to be done? I'm not just talking about diet or exercise, but generally in life what is is that motivates you to do what needs to be done? Normally I'm ok with doing what I need to do, but this I'm having a hard time with.

And so I hear the questions, what is the reward for remaining overweight vs. getting to a healthy weight? No idea because I FEEL like I really do want it, yet I'm not doing it. I pick cheetos over apples any day.

Any suggestions?

I'm struggling with this, because firstly I know what will work for me, I know how to lose weight, I know how to exercise and what all that involves for me. I have to get my head straight about it first or I might as well not even start. I've tried the Law of Attraction thinking, focusing on positive, thinking of what I want instead of what is, visualizing, etc. I'm not sure how to ask the question I really mean. Maybe I'll come back to this later.

[Bleicke]

F*** the law of attraction. It's summer time! Get out and move!

Things that motivate me to do healthy things (=move around a lot):

1)Watch movies where guys are absolutely RIPPED. Like Fight Club, RocknRolla (where even the junkies have a six pack). Also you could consider hanging a poster of a guy with a six pack. I find that kind of gay, also I hate posters, so I just watch the movies.

2)Move your bed so that the sun wakes you up in the morning. THIS ROCKS! When I wake up in full sunlight I immediately want to run outside. I just take walks and run, then lie down to relax and listen to music in the sun. The sun is awesome!

3)Pick up a high-fat, high-protein, slow-carb diet (=not no carbs, but only veggies instead of sugar, bread, pasta, rice, etc). Try paleo. Or Tim Ferriss' Slow Carb Diet. When I eat this way, it feels like I'm already losing fat. With every bite I go "YES! One step closer to a six pack! F*** yea!".

[edit]

When I say run, I don't mean that "creeping at 70% max heart rate for two hours" ****. I mean RUN!

[William Womack]

I was in the same boat. Literally everyone I knew was getting in shape and eating healthier, but I just didn't see the point. I liked the food that I was eating. It taste good. It made me feel satisfied.

I ate anything and everything. Fortunately my metabolism could handle the food, but I'm sure that it was tearing my body apart.

The first major step that I took to towards living a healthier lifestyle was running. I hated it. For the first month or so, it was terrible. My friends made me see it through, and now I love to run! I never though that I would be able to run 10+ miles at one time. The best part is I really enjoyed it!

The benefits were numerous. I literally felt better. I was more clear-headed. I had more energy. I looked better. And it turned out to be fun!

The second step I took was to become vegetarian.

You have to be careful with this though, you can be an unhealthy vegetarian. The easiest thing to do is to limit yourself to a particular food group at each meal.

Fruit for breakfast, veggie burger or pasta for lunch, and pizza or pasta for dinner. You will be surprised how easy it is to make the switch. At first you will want to eat meat. But if you eat it after a month of being vegetarian, you will feel sick to your stomach.

The benefits are the same. You just have them multiplied because of the running.

The cool part is you will stop eating foods that taste good and start eating foods that make you feel good. I know that I could eat cheese pizza, but I also know that it will make me lethargic, mentally cloudy, and unmotivated. What if I ate a veggie burger and a salad instead? I feel much better than if I ate cheese pizza.

You will enjoy the new mental and energy levels so much that it will be hard to stop refining your diet. And your body will thank you for it. The foods that are healthier will start to taste good, and the other foods will lose their appeal.

So, if you want to change your body I would do two things. Run and become vegetarian.

Do research for both so you now what to expect and how hard to push yourself. If you need any help feel free to e-mail me at wawomack7@gmail.com

I also have a couple articles that might help you overcome your demotivation.

Try reading Making Conscious Choices, 5 Ways to Make More Conscious Decisions, and A Proper View of Time Management.

Again, feel free to e-mail me for any help.