how can I get motivation to lose weight?

I have been a smoker for four years. I started at three-plus packs a day (stressful job) I broke up with my girlfriend and came out of the closet, releasing my stress and reducing my intake to one. For two years the most faithful relationship I had was to a man named Joe Camel. Every once in awhile I’d date a human that didn’t approve of smoking which motivated me to “quit” for the duration of our relationship. The moment we broke up I’d be back to my first love.

I even listened to my friends and loved ones warning me of the dangers of cigarettes. I looked at the photographs and autopsies of those that have succumbed to lung cancer, and for a brief time this would give me the motivation and determination to overcome my addiction – of course I would always return to smoking in the end.

It took another two years for me to realize that I would never have victory over this if my motivation was in others.

I had to do this for me and that journey of self-discovery brought to light certain questions that were very difficult to confront. Now every time I light up a cigarette I have to remind myself that I am making a self-destructive statement: “I am not worth living.” Therefore bringing my insecurities to light. Once you start to make your vice/addiction/issue personal and stop relying on external motivation, you will find that it becomes a self-analysis with painful, but ultimately, victorious experiences.

I want a cigarette right now but there are a lot of realties I have to face before I can light up or a lot of truths I have to deny, about myself, before I can enjoy it.

Maybe getting motivated to exercise would work better. Go shoot some hoops by yourself, chasing the ball can be a lot of exercise. Go swim laps or take a walk.

My mom tries to lose weight by limiting her caloric intake. This makes her really tired and she ends up sitting around. She never loses weight. Give your body enough fuel and exercise and you should be OK. And If you need to lose a lot of weight you should check in with your doctor for advice.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to “get” motivation to do anything. I think it might be better to decide why you want to lose weight, what are the benefits of losing weight, and what it’s going to take to get you there. There are permanent changes you’ll need to make, as well as temporary.

The most important aspect is figuring out why you’re overweight to begin with. Be brutally honest about your answer(s), the most important of which is, is it keeping you from fully living your life.

My (cognitive behavioral) therapist has talked to me about telling clients (who feel they should exercise but aren’t) to just drive by the gym every day. Just park in the parking lot for 5 minutes. Etc. He also talks about how success breeds success. His point being that it doesn’t matter where you start so long as you start with something, however small, and add incrementally.

I’ve also heard a writer talk about getting started by writing for one minute, then two and so on.

As you probably know, losing weight is a combination of diet, exercise, and to an extent, proper sleep. What’s one small thing you can do today to bring you closer to losing weight? Eat a carrot. Walk for two minutes. Go to bed five minutes early. Keep doing the small thing until you feel that you can take on more.

My therapist just talked me out of my obsession with the idea of it a day or two ago. Talk about coincidences!

Picture yourself with a nice body….imagine how great it would be to walk around at the beach feeling proud of your body. Don’t berate yourself for how you look now, stick to positive thoughts. Then start by doing one thing a day to help acheive that goal (eating a salad for lunch, taking a walk after dinner,etc.) Add more things as you feel comfortable. Sooner than you know, you’ll be dropping lbs. Don’t obsess over it, just make healthy changes to your lifestyle gradually.

Buy a Wii and get Wii fit

I also bought a Nano and the Nike kit and ran consistently.

Sometimes cool technology can e a motivator as well.

Just look at this.