Needing some motivation please!

Almost 5 years ago I weighed 110-115 lbs. I got pregnant when I was 17 had my amazing son when I was 18 and right after that I got back down to 120 which was a size 5 for me. I got in my comfort zone after me and my boyfriend worked things out and gained probably 15 pounds putting me at a size 8 and weighing 130-145. I then got pregnant with my 2nd boy. After I had him I got back down to 130. Which is ok for me. But after I stopped breast feeding I gained a ton of weight! 30lbs! I weigh 160... last year I went on this huge diet and exercise binge and lost 22 pounds... and then I got a new job, new stress, and winter began! Gained all the weight back and I didnt even see it coming until I saw pictures of a recent event and freaked out. I have no motivation other than everyone looks better than me. If im not happy with myself how can I be for my boys. I need to feel confident. I need help with motivation... some words from the wise please!!

You have done it before and you can do it again!  Get a plan in place for healthy eating and exercise and just stick to it every day.  Pick smaller goals with rewards along the way if that will keep you motivated :)

Hi Hillary,

I'm having a similar problem, and the motivation should be to know how amazing it feels to be thin..

I just gained weight very very recently after being incredibly thin for a very long time, and it's taken a big toll on my self-esteem. It used to be a pleasure to get up in the morning and put on a pair of skinny jeans and feel them somewhat loose and just look amazing. People look at you different. All my friends would ask me "how did you get so thin?? what's the recipe??" It was a big boost to my confidence. Now I wake up and dread getting dressed.

So just go little by little and know each week will be better, because each week you will be thinner than the previous one, and that's a gain and you will feel more motivated to continue. And if you cheat for whatever reason, the best thing to do is not beat yourself up for it. It's normal and it happens to everyone, so get up and keep going.

I am struggling with that right now, and especially with guilt every time I don't follow my healthy eating. I remember I lost the weight by eating very very healthy and by slowly cutting my portion sizes. I'd have a berry-protein shake in the morning with some nuts, a big spinach salad with some beans for lunch, and I'd have low-carb toast with peanut butter & honey (1 tbsp only) as a dessert/treat because that helped me stay filled up for the next meal.

When I least expected it, I was skinnier than I thought I could be and virtually everyone around me wanted to know how I did it. I just kept calories and carbs at a low point, my carbs stayed under 100g. But it was a process. I started with 1800 and then kept cutting as my body adjusted.

What type of diet are you doing? How many calories?

Best luck and keep us posted!

Well last year when I was dieting and working out daily my schedule would only consist of this...

5 a.m. 30 minute cardio, 8 a.m. 2 cups of coffee, 12 p.m. a lean cuisine, 3 p.m. light snack maybe carrots or cucumbers, 5 p.m. and hour of cardio, 7 p.m. light dinner. I would do this everyday of course I added in some strength training to tone up and I got down to 138. I was really happy with that. And now I cant even seem to do any of it. Its really discouraging. I hope I can get out of this rut and get on track.

I think this time Im just goin to limit myself to a certain amount of calories a day and work out as I can and as much as i can to feel good. I really want to get in shape. I feel so gross right now. None of my clothes fit me. Its really depressing.

It sounds like you jump into things with both feet - which can be good, but I think you have to approach your weight loss more as a change in life and not weight loss.  What you need to do is just get moving a little everyday - like playing with your boys, like really playing hard for an hour a day.  Eat what you normally would only cook it healthier, cutting down on fat and sugars, and eat smaller portions.  When you you do what you described above, you cannot keep doing that routine and eating that way for life - so your new approach has to be a life change commitment. 

I have followed my own advice above and have lost 11lbs so far.  I have a long way to go and it has taken me 2.5 months to lose the 11 lbs, but like last night I went out with friends, had a drink and ate a little less, but normal food, all without thinking about it and I did not gain anything!!  I was so happy this morning when I stepped on the scale

Good luck to you and enjoy your boys and your life.

Totally agree with you! I definately need to make it a life style thing so that if and when I do miss a day at the gym I wont freak out about it. I just want it to all flow naturally and healthy. So I think this is going to be a definate learning process. Im so thankful for the feedback. It really does help and makes me want to keep it up! :)