Feeling like you just can’t get on that treadmill one more time?  Feeling like you want to give in and have fried chicken?  You need to stay motivated.

You’ve started exercising, and you’ve changed what you eat, but do you have what it takes to make the long haul?  Believe me, I know it isn’t.  You are surrounded everywhere you go with food that is bad for you, advertising telling you how delicious things are, all of them trying to lure you in to buying & eating them.  It is so easy to give in and “cheat”, but you simply can’t.

So here are some simple points to staying motivated as you try to lose weight that have worked for me.  As always, this is what has worked for me, and everyone is different, so you need to experiment to find what works best for you.

First Step, “The Cheat Day”

Okay, I have mixed feelings on this.

A lot of diets suggest you give yourself a cheat day on your diet one day a week, but I found that to be like inviting trouble into your life.  It becomes easy to say, “Oh well, I’ll make this my cheat day …” and then you do it again … and again … and again.  I finally did away with a set cheat day and just try to gauge it, but I have made it more like once every couple weeks.  Basically, if I have to think about when I last cheated, more than likely I’m okay.

I also think “cheat DAY” is a bad term because it implies you can cheat on your diet all day long.  I have preferred to just call it “treat”, and I allow myself something like a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen (they’re available only once a year, I figure one a year definitely qualifies for a “treat”), but that is the only cheat I allow myself on “cheat day”, the rest of the day is just like any other day of my diet.

If you don’t allow yourself some sort of occasional reward, you do run the risk of just going nuts one day and eating everything in your sight.  So, moral of the cheat day story, use your own discretion to figure out what works best for you, but you do need to factor this into your plans.

Second Step, “Entertain Yourself”

I know this may sound a tad odd, but it’s vital.

There is nothing more mind numbing than walking on a tread mill or doing free weights.  Boredom will kill your motivation faster than just about anything else out there.  However, if you use the time constructively, you won’t even notice you’re really exercising.

So, how do you entertain yourself?  Well, when I do free weights at home I’ve set up a TV and DVD player in the room I do them in and have taken to catching up on all sorts of DVD sets that I’ve been meaning to watch forever.  So far I’ve worked my way through all of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, The Batman and am now working through The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.  Yes, I am only watching cartoons for now, there is no denying I am a cartoon fan, but it is also for safety reasons.

Although, let me stress that whatever you do to entertain yourself, you must put safety first.  If you are putting in DVDs of something that requires you to read subtitles, pay attention to big plot points and so on, you are running the risk of losing track of your repartitions, how much energy you put into the way you swing a weight, possibly over extending your muscles and so on.  So it’s fine to watch TV while you work out, but make sure to keep it light and not overly involved.

As for in the gym, I have discovered the wonders of podcasts on my iPod.  Again, I try to keep them somewhat light so I can concentrate on my working out, and you also run the risk of laughing out loud depending on the podcast you’re listening to.  (hint: The Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier podcast, Smodcast, has made me trip on the treadmill more than once thanks to laughing)  The way I look at it, as I am a podcaster myself, this is almost like doing work while I work out as it allows me to keep up with what other podcasts are up to.

The ultimate goal though is to give yourself at least a bit of a distraction while you work out so it doesn’t become repetitive and monotonous.  Those two things can become two of the biggest dangers to throwing you out of the mood to exercise.  I have actually gotten to where I look forward to “my podcast time” as I don’t have any other time during the week to listen to them.  I can’t wait to get to the gym each week when the new episode of The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe comes out, the working out is just a fun by product of me listening to podcasts.

(by the way, safety tip on iPods, make sure to put your earbud cord inside your shirt unless you like them being torn out of your ears by certain machines … not that I have ever done that …)

Third Step, “Make Sure You Have A Support Group”

Many times I thought, “Okay, I’ve gone far enough, why not just stop?” I will admit that I am a lazy person at heart. I would much rather sit and watch TV, read a book, play a video game … basically anything other than exert myself.  That, however, is also how I got into this situation, and I know it.

This doesn’t mean I don’t still occasionally think about calling it a day and stopping.  Don’t kid yourself, this is hard work!  I am exercising for over an hour a day, six days a week, it’s a lot of work!

Whenever I get discouraged though, there are my parents constantly telling me how much better I look every time I turn around.  Then I have my long time friend, F, who has taught me a lot about picking the proper foods when I eat out, and telling me that he can see the difference.  By far, the biggest booster, and a one woman cheerleader squad for this journey of mine has been the Diabolical Miss M.  I thanked her profusely in my post about having lost 100 lbs, so I won’t embarrass her again, but I credit her bottomless encouragement with a lot of what has kept me going.

Never underestimate the value of the people around you to keep you motivated.  I’m not saying to make an annoyance out of yourself by asking them, the people who really care about you will let you know how you’re doing.  And remember, I said this is a selfish act due to how much time you have to spend focusing on yourself, but at the end of the day you are also doing it for them so that you can remain in their lives longer.

Fourth Step, “Don’t Get Discouraged

I can’t believe how many times I came close to throwing in the towel because I would hit a plateau.  It happens.  There is nothing you can do to prevent it, and you just have to struggle through them.

When I returned from my Boston vacation I had a really weird weight drop of 10 lbs over a two week period, and then I sat at 285 for just over 2 months.  I was infuriated, I was discouraged and I wondered why I was killing myself in the gym and with the free weights if I wasn’t going to make any progress.  I really wanted to throw in the towel this time, but I noticed parts of my body tightening up, but no weight coming off.  I worked harder and harder and finally the plateau broke and I’ve lost six more pounds now.

You can also keep reminding yourself of the benefits of your weight loss:

• More energy – I can’t believe how much more energy I seem to have, and I love every minute of it.
• You’ll feel better about yourself – I finally admit it, this has definitely boosted my self confidence.  It isn’t that hasn’t given me an ego, but it has certainly made me feel better about myself in general.
• Clothes fit you better – I have also been able to get back in my favorite jacket from high school (an army fatigue jacket), that really makes the whole thing worth it!

Honestly, the benefits are far too many to list.  On the other hand I can not think of one drawback to weight loss, and how could there really be downsides to that?  Always remember what you are doing you are doing for you and your health.  Is it selfish?  Yes, but this is a good selfish because it can also benefit your family as you will be around longer.

Conclusion

This entire series has been a lot longer in the word count department than I anticipated, but I hope everyone learned something from it.  These three posts have been far more revealing about myself than I originally planned, but it was worth it all if it encourages even one of you to start trying to lose weight.  If I can lose 121 lbs, you can lose 10, 20, 30 or whatever that number is you are looking to drop.

As you can see from these posts, I radically changed my life, all for the better, and most of you don’t need to make such a radical shift, but it can be done if needed.

In short, if you need to lose weight, I am living proof that it can be done, you just have to get angry with yourself first … that was oddly the easiest step for me …

One last disclaimer: I am not a physician, a nutritionist or a fitness professional.  Before starting any diet or exercise program make sure to consult your doctor.