General Question

shipwrecks's avatar

Can you help motivate me?

Asked by shipwrecks (346points) July 29th, 2009

I need to lose weight. I’ve done it before – and I’d like to drop the weight I gained recently due to finals/breaking up with my fiance/general stress.

I need some motivation. Anyone have any tips on how to put down the cookie and go for a run? How do you keep yourself motivated?

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22 Answers

Chongalicious's avatar

Work out with a friend or, two, or if you have the available funds, take a class!! It’s always easier if you don’t go it alone. You and a group of good friends could start an exercise/diet plan together, and offer eachother support and motivation.

marinelife's avatar

First, other people cannot really motivate you.

A new method that has been getting some good success is online sites where you wager your own money that you can lose weight. People do not want to lose money. Here’s an article on it.

Good luck.

jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities's avatar

When you feel like eating refer to this.

Damnit, couldn’t find Arrested Development clip of Gob motivating Buster by punching him and then saying “Now when you do that without getting punched you’ll have more fun”.

Ivan's avatar

Maybe tomorrow.

jonsblond's avatar

The first thing you do in the morning is put on your workout clothes and do it! If you get it over with you have no time to tell yourself “I will tomorrow”.

NaturalMineralWater's avatar

Make yourself accountable to somebody as @Chongalicious said. Get a friend who isn’t going to flake out on you to make sure you go workout.

marinelife's avatar

There is also the tried and true johnpowell method, but it helps to have one.

jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities's avatar

@Marina Ahh, the good ol’ dick punch. Tried and true.

dpworkin's avatar

Just don’t diet. Dieting is guaranteed to make you heavy. I lost two hundred pounds over a three year period, and have weighed 175 instead of 375 since 2002.

I try to swim every day (there’s a pool at the high school, a pool at the University and my ex-wife has a pool) I walk everywhere, I park as far as I can from store entrances, I take the stairs instead of the elevator, and I try to eat fresh, local food in season, but I don’t obsess about an occasional slip – just don’t allow one to cause you to give up.

I keep a lot of fruit and local tomatoes around this time of year, and in the winter I make soups and stews with winter veggies.

Like the man says, eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.

AstroChuck's avatar

My friend has been using these subliminal self-help tapes to help her lose some weight. She told me, “I’ve never felt better in my life. These are the greatest tapes in the world! You must buy the whole set. You must buy the whole set!” So I decided to send away for them. I’ve been listening to them when I go to sleep at night and I’ve got to tell you I’ve never felt better in my life. These are the greatest tapes in the world! You must buy the whole set. You must buy the whole set.

kheredia's avatar

If you are serious about losing weight and need motivation I would suggest weight watchers. They have those weekly meetings where they talk about different ways of defeating hunger and making better choices and getting out to do stuff. Plus, since you know you have to weigh in at the meeting, you’ll always try your best to loose and not gain. I’m telling you this because I lost 25lbs with them a few years ago so I know it works.

Evilbento's avatar

Be a junky, your fat will dispate along with your soul.

Especially you just went through some tough time, you can use some down time to build some character.

When you have hit the ideal weight, go to rehab, build some more character, and get clean.

Walala! A new life with endless possiblitis!

Blondesjon's avatar

PUT DOWN THE FUCKING DONUT AND GET UP AND RUN, YOU DISGUSTING FATBODY. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? DO YOU WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE REGRETTING HOW DISGUSTING YOU ARE. WIPE THE COLONEL’S GREASE OFF OF YOUR CHIN AND DO SOME GODDAMNED PUSH UPS!

did that help at all?

shipwrecks's avatar

@jonsblond Thanks, that’s actually a great idea. I used to work out after school, but since I’ve got school from about 8–8 lately, it makes more sense to do it in the morning than at the end of my long day. :)

@Blondesjon So now I’ve turned into a fat man!? I used to be a cute 21 year old female, I swear!

Thanks everyone !

torch81's avatar

Start by setting some reasonable goals and list VERY SPECIFIC things that you will do to get to those goals. For example:

Goal: Lose 5lb/month

Specifics:
Go for a 1 mile walk 3 times a week.
Eliminate carbonated beverages from the diet

Now, here’s the important part. Find someone, anyone to check in with once a week. It should be the kind of person that will call you if you don’t call them. They ask you simple, direct yes/no questions based on your specifics. You can only answer yes or no. There are no explanations, no excuses. You either did it, or you didn’t.

If you really want to up the ante, give this person some meaningful amount of money. Tell them that if you answer “no” more than once a month, to send the money to the DNC, RNC, or other group that you would hate to be funding.

Blondesjon's avatar

@shipwrecks . . .I never reffered to you as a male.

@gailcalled . . .The nauraa oli todellinen ja nautti.

YARNLADY's avatar

My dietitian was the best motivator. She taught me that I can eat anything I want to eat, in small amounts. There is no such thing as “diet”, because your diet is everything you eat. If you simply educate yourself about what and what not to eat you do not need motivation to make it work. All you need is professional advice about the correct choices.

shipwrecks's avatar

@torch81 that’s a great idea. I’ll probably have that person I check in with be my mother, since she’s always on my case anyway. “You’re up to 120? Wow, you haven’t been that chubby since high school.” Thanks, mom. Haha.

@Blondesjon when you said “fatbody” I read it fast and read “fatboy” lol

nebule's avatar

I’m not sure you can force yourself in motivation… I think you just know when you are ready to do something about it… this is what has just happened to me anyway after 5 years of being overweight I just knew that enough was enough… I want to live.

itsnotmyfault1's avatar

My trick (although a vacation/injury/unexpected event/etc may cause you to stop for an extra week… or three, than it should) is a routine.
My body used to KNOW that at this time, every day (or after this class, or whatever) we were going for a run, and after the run, we were going to do situps.
And if it’s raining, that’s too damn bad, and we’re running anyway. If it’s 100 degrees out and humid… we’re going running anyway, and hoping to god someone has sprinklers on.
(By we, I mean my reluctant mind, and the body that will carry out this order regardless of what I want)
Unfortunately, i guess this doesn’t address the issue of starting up again.
For that, I usually SIGHHHH, then wait for a day that has REALLY good weather… so good that I’ll miss running, and start up again.

DrC's avatar

Just Do It.

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