Staying Motivated Through Ups, Downs, and In Betweens of Your Journey

How do you keep motivated after losing more than half your body weight? Heck, how do you stay motivated even to start your journey! The famous question! I was personally motivated because I wanted to change. I saw the track that my life was on and I wanted a drastic difference for my future. 

Was it going to be hard? YES. Could I have complications? YES. Would I want to give up? Maybe. Was it an option? Heck no. 

The thought of not having the surgery or cancelling surgery because of fear was way more terrifying than following through with the surgery. The thought of living the rest of my life at 338 pounds gave me so much anxiety. I had the thought of cancelling my surgery 6 days before my surgery and had a full blown panic attack. I knew at that moment that I needed to have the surgery for my future self. There was no giving up. Fear was not getting in the way.

So, how do I stay motivated now. 

When I want to keep eating even when I am satisfied or getting full, I remember that even though that food tastes good I can go to the store and get that same food tomorrow or next week. That certain food is not going anywhere. It is not going to grow legs and walk out of that store. It is always available to me. The restaurant that made that delicious dish will still be serving it next week or next month and I can order it again. I do not need to stuff myself with it today. Once I realized this and started practicing it, it was a beautiful thing. 

When I am having a rough day and craving foods, I really try and STOP for at least a few minutes and reflect. “Is this real/physical hunger or is this emotional/head hunger?”

If I am truly hungry, I will be open to eating a variety of foods. Including the food that I have prepped in the refrigerator. Usually true hunger comes on gradually, not all of a sudden. Am I getting physical signs of hunger; is my stomach growling?

If I am having signs of emotional or head hunger, usually I am only wanting trigger foods or specific comfort foods. It usually comes on urgently or suddenly. Most of the time, my stomach is not growling, it is just a thought that I can not get out of my mind until I eat those comfort/trigger foods. 

Another way I stay motivated is to look back on past photos. I will look back at my “before” photos. Not to shame my past self. But to remember how I felt in those photos. I did not feel physically well. My feet hurt, my knees ached, it was hard for me to perform my job duties as a nurse. I just did not feel good physically. It also was not fun for me to go to stores and shop. I never had this surgery to look a certain way in clothes, but lets face it- it is definitely a bonus! There were some mornings I would dread getting out of bed because I was so tired from carrying around an extra 170-180 pounds. That in and of itself is motivation for me to keep the weight off and stay on track when I am feeling unmotivated. I missed out on a lot of things because of my weight and the emotional toll that it took on me mentally. I missed my 10 year high school reunion because I did not want to face people that I went to high school with. I did not go out with friends because I did not want to be the “big girl” of the group. There were so many times that I just did not go places because I did not want to be stared at. 

There is no magic way to stay motivated. And there are days when I am not motivated. There are ebbs and flows, just like with anything. The biggest key is to keep getting back up when you get down. Recently I am a nurse working through a pandemic. I just have to keep getting back up! A non-negotiable is that each and every shift, I will have my meals prepped and ready for work. I will not let this pandemic get in the way of my meal prep. I know that if I get off track with my eating, it will spiral from there. It can get in the way of my workouts, my friendships, my time with the neighbor kids. But it will not get in the way of what I eat. What I put in my body is key to my success. I have learned that being three and a half years post op from bariatric surgery. 

I promise you that this tool works, if you put in the work. But it is not going to work if you do not do the work. You have to find what works for you. Find a routine that works for you. It has truly taken me over three years to find my groove! You will find yours, just never give up. 

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Love & hugs,

Maddie