Getting - and Staying - Motivated

Motivation, or the lack of motivation, seems to be an ongoing challenge for many people.  They do well for a little while, but then their motivation wanes and they find themselves off plan and struggling to get back on track.

Dr. Andersen, in his fabulous book Dr. A's Habits of Health, writes about motivation in Chapter 3.  He says that most of us try to make changes because we're wanting to solve a problem or trying to get rid of an unwanted situation (being overweight, having health issues related to obesity, etc.).  Dr. Andersen calls this "conflict-driven motivation" and states that is one of the major reasons people yo-yo.

The problem is that once we start to feel better, even if the situation hasn't changed much, we feel less pressured to change.  Once the pressure lessens, the original behavior inevitable returns.  For example, my all-time high weight was 268, and it was at this weight that I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  I suddenly had motivation to change, because I wanted to get rid of an unwanted situation - diabetes.  I went on a weight loss plan (not Take Shape for Life/Medifast) and over the next several months I managed to lose 36 pounds.  I was now 232 pounds - still morbidly obese for my 5'5" small frame, but I felt better and I had dropped a couple of sizes.  Because I lost some weight, my blood sugar stayed within acceptable limits without the need for medication.  Guess what happened next?  I lost focus and gained all of the weight back!

Because my focus was on moving away from my top weight and getting rid of my diabetes, once I had done both, I felt less pressure and ultimately became vulnerable to all of the temptations that surrounded me.  I started congratulating myself (WAY prematurely, by the way) on all of my success, then felt I "deserved" a treat here and there.  Before long, the treats were more "here" than "there" and the pounds piled back on; my blood sugar also started rising again.

Dr. Andersen's suggestion is that we motivate ourselves by focusing on what we want, not on what we don't want.  That may sound simple, and it is, but is fundamentally different than being motivated by what we don't want.  Instead of thinking about wanting to fix our bad health (a problem orientation), he encourages us to focus on creating health (an outcome orientation).

Shortly after starting on Take Shape for Life's 5&1 program, I began to focus on earnest on what I wanted - being thin and healthy - instead of what I was trying to move away from.  I did not post before pictures of me on the refrigerator as a way to motivate me to stay on plan, because I wasn't focusing on where I'd been - only on where I was going.  Since creating health is an on-going journey, reaching my goal was an important point on the journey, but not the end.  That has helped me to stay at a healthy weight for the past three years.

I really encourage each of you to think about what you want - think about and envision where you want to go.  Get a mental picture of what you will look like and what your life will look like when you reach goal, then head in that direction!  Don't spend a lot of time looking back, because it's counter-productive and won't take you in the direction you want to go.  When you drive, you don't focus on the rearview mirror, so don't do that on this journey, either!

Focus on your goal - what it is you want to create in your life - then make the choices necessary to reach your goal.  You'll get there one day, one meal, and one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)