Re-Finding Motivation To Maintain My Weight Loss

by Sarah
(Bloomington, MN, USA)

At the beginning of this year, I was unhappy with my weight and frustrated with how I looked.

I was 10-15 pounds overweight, and I knew that I needed to do something to get in shape, or else I would risk continuing to gain weight and getting more and more unhealthy.

My motivation for weight loss was simple - I needed to do something to get myself healthy before I let myself get any more overweight.

With the new year, I also had a new schedule at work, so I decided that this was a good time to start a new workout regimen as well.

I decided to get up before work every Monday-Thursday and do a workout video at home before going to work. I found a number of great workout videos - they were challenging, but still fun, and they were a great motivator for me.

I was enjoying working out, and in a few short months, I could see a definite change in my body. I was losing weight, and even better, I was toning the muscle underneath.

My arms were more toned than I could ever remember them being before! Suddenly, I was finding that I had a lot more confidence, and was feeling as good about myself as I could remember feeling for a number of years. I was confidently wearing clothes I had avoided wearing the summer before, and was enjoying being able to wear tank tops and shorts to show off my new body.

After awhile, though, I started to lose motivation. I got sick of doing the same workout DVDs all the time, and I got good at talking myself into not getting up early to workout. I rationalized that I was too tired to workout, and it would be better for me to get the extra sleep. I thought that since I was now just needing to maintain my weight, I didn't need to work out nearly as often. That proved to be very untrue, as I was also not eating as well as I had before.

With time, I started gaining back some of the weight, and saw some of my muscle tone go away. I was feeling frustrated and bad about myself, but couldn't find the motivation to make myself exercise regularly.

Then, finally, I learned about some new workout DVDs. I added them to my Blockbuster online account, and the first one showed up this week. I have re-found my motivation to workout, and am back on track.

While I haven't had time yet to lose the weight I gained back, I'm confident I will be able to. I'm energized again, and have a more positive outlook on things. I hope to find a way to keep this motivation, and create a workout schedule for myself to keep me locked in to working out and being fit. I enjoy the feeling of being in shape, and don't want to lose the hard work I've put it!