So, Like, What's My Motivation?

Folks who are looking to lose weight talk a lot about "motivation." They discuss having the "will power" to lose weight. They seek motivation from success stories, from Weight Watcher meetings, from "skinny" pics taped to the fridge. Sometimes they lose their motivation, and have a hard time getting it back. (Sometimes they never do.)

But really, what is motivation, anyway?

I don't know. I only know what it is for me. Well, more or less.

I was very much motivated to lose weight, waaay back in 2002, and today I still am "motivated" to stick to my current size. But if you ask me what my motivation actually is, I'm not necessarily going to be able to tell you, at least not with pinpoint accuracy. Why? Because I don't think that what propels me is "motivation" in the traditional sense. It's not anything external; it's not anything I need to have a periodic "dose" of. It's definitely not the dietary equivalent of a "tent revival."

And it's not will power, that's for sure. Will power is vastly over-rated. I seriously doubt that life-long weight loss can be sustained by will power alone, because having "will power" implies having to struggle. No one has the strength to struggle every single day for the rest of their lives. It's just too exhausting.

For me, I think it's because I'm just not the person I used to be.

What I did, apparently, was create a new "me." A "me" that is healthy and fit. A "me" that is trim and loves to wear fun clothes. The former is much more important than the latter, but they both contribute to my desire to stay where I am, and not backslide. I don’t think I set out to become another person, but that's essentially what happened. I do what I do every day because it's just what I do.

Is what I do -- weigh and measure portions, monitor my weight, journal my food -- the "easy" thing to do? Probably not. It's much easier to just grab just any ol' thing and munch away. It's much easier to pay no attention to nutrition, but just eat whatever I want, when I want. And that's pretty much what I used to do. You know, back when I was fat.

Is what I do every day a "struggle?" No, it's not. Like I said, it's just what I do. It's become second nature to me.

Now, it's not as if I don't think about what keeping my weight off means to me. I do. I work to stay focused. I go to WW meetings. I stay in touch with like-minded friends. I know that to revert to my old habits would mean the return of ill health, something that I am intensely determined to avoid.

I also know that I have to keep my weight off if I want to continue to feel energetic, young and powerful.

I'm not sure, really, whether it's the carrot or the stick that keeps me going. Is it primarily my fitness and the fact that I feel about 25 years old most days (carrot) that keeps me in line? Or is it the fear of developing clogged arteries and heart disease (stick)?

Hmmm. Well, to be honest, it's probably a combination of both. And I'm sure there are other reasons, as well . . . ones that I'm not even able to articulate.

I think that for me, it's not about "finding motivation" any more. It's about WHO I AM. It is no longer like me to eat in an unhealthy way, to eat too much. I'm no longer that fat person. I'm now a skinny person without a fat suit. To regain my weight would be unthinkable.

It really doesn’t matter, you know, which one it is. Because whatever it is, it's working for me. And if it works for me, I know that it, or something like it, can work for you, too.

So -- what's YOUR motivation?

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Comments

[Ann Marie1]

Excellent thoughts. I always hear people say, "You have such great will power and are so motivated." I don't get that feeling. I think journaling, exercising, etc. is just a way of life now for me. I don't know any differently any longer.

You are such a good writer.

[Debbie]

Thank you, my friend. You have been at this longer than I; you're a tremendous inspiration yourself!

[Pamela A Kieffer]

Thank you. This article put me back on track.