Sage

I found it!! Graduation is coming up in 8 weeks- I wanna lose 15 pounds (or so) by then, and then in summer it's our wedding party, and i have a cute summer dress that i wanna wear. My ultimate goal is at least forty pounds by my next birthday (april 25, 2006). I feel wonderful about having a goal, and Martel is being awesome in supporting me. thanks for all your help guys!!

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Minorci

^^^ Good luck!!

the_tyipist

I started going to the gym because I wanted to lose weight, and my husband kept me going for a little while. Once I started seeing results, more in my endurance than in weight loss, I felt a sense of accomplishment that made me want to push myself and see what I can do. Growing up I had very athletic cousins and I always felt like the fat one, and I honestly didn't think I could do anything athletic, so when I worked up to being able to run (well, jog) for 10 minutes straight that was a major accomplishment for me, and I want to keep going. It really changed the way I see myself.

lordkos

My motivation was trying to not get so fat lol
Really i just started doing a bunch of things before i go to sleep and when i wake up and so far its working out pretty well
Ive been wanting to do it for awhile and i needed the motivation and just one day i did it and kept doing it haha

RallyEX

My biggest motivation was a good friend (and former marine) who looks better at 40 than I have looked in my entire life. He was the one who really got me interested in cycling, and has been my biggest motivator for a while now.

While I've was dormant a bit over the winter, I've already started cycling again and really want to push myself harder and further than last year. Some days I am my own motivation, because I want to be more than I am now and I know that I am capable of it.

questone

My father was never very active and his health started to deteriorate from about age 40. I promised myself that I would never let my health deteriorate due to something I didn't do.

Enka

Because my ex is a B!TCH, and we both kinda gained some weight while being together. Everytime I looked at myself, I always thought 'I am this way because of her', so I started eating healthier and doing some light exercising. I went from being 5'11/185lbs to 150lbs in 6 months. I've still got fat that I need to lose as well as muscle to gain. It's amazing how the food I used to eat all the time almost makes me sick when I eat it now...i.e. huge plate of cheesy potato wedges!

Biscuit Buns

My motivation is the brand new pair of jeans I bought in what I thought was my size (damn old jeans stretching!) but am unable to pull up past my thighs (well...I *could* do it...but I'd be tottling around like walking on stilts). I like tight jeans, but I have also become partial to breathing in the past few years... I don't want any overhang and I don't want to be wearing long sleeves and long pants all summer long. Not to mention the mental clarity I get from a good elliptical session - love that.

So why haven't I gone to the gym?! *rolls eyes*

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A hard man is good to find. ~Mae West

raeanna74

I've not struggled with my weight a lot but after pregnancy I managed to loose about 60lbs in a year. Now and then I'll gain sometimes 15-20 more than my feel-good weight. The way I loose is by making small changes a little at a time. I usually start by not buying the chips, soda, candy or desserts. Often it's the desserts that are my biggest loss. The smaller changes don't make me feel like I'm denying all that much because it's more gradual. Also when it comes to excercising - So often I have trouble getting myself to do that - I'm always thinking "I gotta do this first and then..." until the "and then" ends up being bedtime. The way I counteract that is by going to walmart, gas station, park, or somewhere I enjoy or to get something small (like a pack of gum at the gas station) and on the way there I ride my bike. Last summer I found that without trying I seemed to gain a lot more tone in my abs and thighs because I biked EVERYWHERE. Instead of driving I rode my bike.

What keeps me striving for the feel-good weight is that I just don't feel good at all. I always have low blood pressure and when I gain weight I get an achy, tired, sick feeling that absolutely NOTHING fixes.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

skier

I really like these motivations- they speak to me.
I don't really have a driving force behind my fitness though. It's just part of my life, like brushing my teeth in the morning or getting dressed.

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"Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

Carno

The Marine Corps

Siege

sounds about right....
a guys gotta do SOMETHING when he has 6 hours b/w his classes... @_@

but then again, in the beginning, i was getting LAUGHED at by chicks.. =(

but now it's nice to not be the weakest guy in the gym everytime... but i still always am the smallest...

FngKestrel

I saw a picture someone took of me 5 years ago, before I started working. I was in really good shape. I'm determined to get back to that shape.

ronan

women, and trying to get into the fire brigade.

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i am enlightened

anti fishstick

my motivation is really to just keep a healthier lifestyle above all else. I'm through with the daily junk food and nightly ice cream. those aren't good for me and your body doesn't feel good afterwards. if you concentrate more on the *process* (staying healthy) than the *results* (being thin), it will make a lot of difference. sometimes, i look at myself in the mirror and still think "I still have a long way to go before I look like I want to." or "i'm not seeing any results fast enough". Being impatient can really hurt and when I think about that, I just shrug it off and try to remind myself that i'm doing this as a lifestyle change. Looking my best will come in time and what you're doing NOW is still helping and still giving you results even though you may not be able to see them right away.

I also motivate myself to excercise knowing it's one of the best natural anti-depressants. I'm a really sensitive and emotional person and I've found my moods and energy have improved drastically since keeping up with work outs. If I miss one too many days, I'm back to a moody puddle. :P

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~Anais Nin

fluster

I find that playing music that lifts my spirits helps. The number one trick for me though is to NOT stop when I get home. I train after work so I come in the door, get changed and go. No sitting down, snacking, opening the mail etc. Just get changed and go.

Most people are right once they get to the gym :-)

SiN

my primary motivation is that it feels good and makes me happy.

other than that, I don't have any tricks or anything ...

it's just a matter of deciding to do it, and then actually doing it.
then, keep doing it. stay on track.

oh, and make yourself comfortable while doing it.
for me, that's as simple as some music, some decent clothing (I'm on a serious budget, but I still managed to recently get a pair of pants, 2x coolmax shirts, and 2x running socks).

and, especially when starting out, just focus on doing it.

my current fitness method is jogging, and I know I'm sloooow. (especially if i'm tired from not sleeping enough). for now, I don't worry about being slow. I'm not pushing myself on how fast I'm going (not too much anyway), I'm just making sure/getting into the habit/developing the discipline to do it as often as I reasonably can.

I wish you great luck Sage, it sounds like you've got it going in the right direction


Edit - I agree with anti-fish - patience is absolutely necessary. results can come relatively soon, but may not be what you really want (example, I've not lost more than a kilo, but I feel like I'm becoming notiseably stronger, and I feel more confident).

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ranger

don't want to look like a wimp at boot camp. granted i can probaly outrun all of them, but still.

and i feel more confident.

and it makes me feel better. happy. yeah.

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there are three ways to do things: the right way, the wrong way, and my way, which is the wrong way faster.

BigBen

I have to lead by example. Therefore, if I am working with people like Ranger here and he is kicking my ass at PT, then I have failed as a leader.

You fail as a leader, there is nothing left.

Therefore, I say FEAR OF LETTING THE GROUP DOWN is my motivation.

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3.141592654
Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

ibis

When I'm in shape I just feel "ON". you know? That feeling of being an alpha male...

for the girls too of course.

ktspktsp

One thing that motivates me is seeing gradual, measurable improvement.

I started running last year when my roommate dragged me to the gym with him - and I would always be running against my previous times, in my head, and be thrilled about gaining some time here, etc..
I find that weightlifting can get a bit boring, but I have another goal there: pull-ups. I started at 0 and ended up doing 10 or so in a row. Stuff like that made me feel better about my health, my strength, and my attractiveness.

I stopped going to the gym after a while because of some knee problems, and because my life was undergoing and bigger transition. I've been seeing a doctor again for my knee - though I'm not terribly satisfied with him and I might look for another one. And I started going to the gym again, and now I went back from 0 to 3 pull-ups, and soon enough I'll get back to 10, I know it

macmanmike6100

what's recently motivated me to start exercising again is the realization that I've lost a lot of muscle. i can't stand looking in the mirror and not seeing a well-toned body look back at me, so I'm at it again, and this time for good (as it's never been this bad).

Chuckles

To be the most competitive athlete I can be in my sport.

xtreemmar1ne

You've got that right. I just got promoted to Corporal and although I'm putting out a first class PFT the only event I've maxed out is the crunches. My motivation is to be able to live up to that expectation as an NCO.

That.......and I just like how I feel so much better when I'm excercising. Went through a period just out of highschool where i let myself go, gained about 20 lbs. It's a huge boost of self-confidence when you can look in the mirror and don't see love handles and actually can see some definition in your abs instead of just the pony keg that used to be there.

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A true gentleman believes that others are more important than he, that kindness is not a sign of weakness, and that respect is a necessity.

Blackthorn

I watched my father suffer from various circulatory and cardiovascular related breakdowns as he approached the ripe young age of 65. He spent the next five and half years of his life in and out of hospitals and had one bad procedure after the next, and one series of throwing clots after the next, and one more bag of heparin after the next, and then more blood draws for more tests, and then it was on to congestive heart failure, and then hemo dialysis, and then infection after infection followed by I.V. antibiotics that made his teeth rot out, and then non-contrast CAT scans but ooops and sorry we used dye this time so he has to come back tomorrow (YOU MORONS IT WAS ORDERED NON-CONTRAST BECAUSE HE'S A DIALYSIS PATIENT!!) and then a semi permanent central line in his chest wall to be replaced by a tesio cathedar on the other side and then more surgery to replace the infected tesio because the fistula or shunt in his arm won't seal properly and he bleeds out and off of the dialysis machine (okay three times to replace the tesio but that's not unusual is it??) and then finally ... after all that and a lot more ... finally he gave up when they told him they were going to have to amputate his left foot because there was no circulation there and no chance of it returning. He told them politely but firmly no. They said but....and he cut them off and told them NO! They said we'll come back and talk to you about it again tomorrow but we really can't wait too long to do this because... and he cut them off again and said, "You will wait as long as you have to because I told you bastards NO!"

His suffering ended that very next morning. I can only hope that he was comfortable and pain free at the end but aware of what was happening. I hope he was able to be at peace as he took his last breath because after all of the suffering he endured as his body broke down he certainly earned the dignity of being able to die in peace. Although we said good bye to him the night before we did not think it would be the end. None of us were with him when he died and that makes me sad.

His suffering was primarily lifestyle induced. He smoked. A lot. He drank. A lot. He had a high fat, high salt diet. He was by any classical measure morbidly obese. He loved to sit on the couch and watch TV. All of those are past tense as he died this past December at the age of 70. I miss him dearly. I wish he would have quit smoking years ago when he had his first heart attack and the cardiologist told him that he would "keep having these fender benders until one day without notice he'd be declared totaled". But he didn't stop smoking. And he didn't change any other aspect of his life style even after each of his children told him that it was selfish of him to cheat us out of those later years of his life that we would love to share with him. I miss him. I miss him dearly but that's not going to bring him back. I wish he would have changed but he lived his life doing what made him happy.

I will not meet that end. I will not suffer the long slow demise that took my father. I will by the grace of God be able to enjoy the later years of my life by being an active person of age. I will be the one when I'm 79 saying that I don't want to play golf with the 55 year olds because they are old. I will be the one at the age of 84 playing the round of 18 in the morning then complaining on the tfp later in the day because my buddies didn't want to play another in the afternoon. I will be the one at the age of 90 working in my gardens around my house after I have painted the deck. I will enjoy my later years because of the good clean living and healthy choices I make today.

My motivation is simple: I love life too much to not want to enjoy it as long as I possibly can.

Simple daily changes you can make by becoming physically active can add emormous amounts of energy and an inproved outlook to your life. One simple rule about your nutrition which is the fuel that runs your body's engine: Nothing tastes as good as being in shape feels and nothing feels as good as knowing that the good choices I've made today will last a lifetime.

P.S. Not to mention that the ladies like a fit and trim guy and with my hairline I need all the help I can get

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What are you willing to give up in order to get what you want?

Ustwo

My motivation used to be sex. It was a wonderful motivator, the problem is I no longer feel the need of being in shape to have sex.

On the other hand I almost drown in a rip tide about a year ago. My endurance kicked out, and I could only float. I knew HOW to swim a rip tide, but I lacked the energy to do so. Had I paniced I would have drown but I have enough training from SCUBA and common sense to just ride it out and I was able steer myself enough to intercept a rock outcropping. I cut my foot but I lived. Had I been forced to float it out god knows where I would have ended up as I was going out to sea at the time.

If near death isn't a good movtivator I don't know what else is. (besides sex)

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Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host

Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

Rubyee

My motivation is pretty simple- get rid of my gut. I want to go to a pool, wear a skimpy bathing suit and feel confident with my body instead of ashamed and embarassed. I might get married soon, and I want to be proud to have everyone look at me. I want to take a trip to an exotic locale and run down the beach and feel great, not self-concious. Also, I like it when people look at me lustfully, which they used to do. Maybe it is selfish, or conceited, but so be it.

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You don't know from fun.

The Magic

My motivation...

This may sound odd, but my motivation largely stems from a sort of philosophy. To me, running isn't just going out there and lifting your feet for miles, but rather a challenge of both the mind and body.

Obviously, it is a challenge for the body because of all the work involved and fatigue. But even more so, I believe it to be a challenge of the mind; a challenge to conquer the body and keep it running even when I feel that I have to give up.

I have found out that's why I like to run now, to conquer my own body with my mind to accomplish goals that amaze me.

Stompy

Hm, sex and health.

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I love lamp.

kangaeru

My motivation is to have the power to visualize a self image of what I want to be and then make it reality. I won't give up that power.

bing bing

I’m motivated by several factors but most primarily the reading the scales give me each day. Specifically, if it says anything below 80kg, I get disappointed and eat more and work harder. I’m naturally a skinny dude but with a lot of hard work and food digestion, I can maintain a somewhat normal weight.

Also, training is an awesome stress release. If I can’t make it to the gym at least twice a week, I feel like I’m letting myself down.

gilbert-

I see how fit my father is at his old age, and it motivates me because if i continued the lifestyle i was engaged in prior to the last few years there's no chance i would've been fit and happy at that age.

This coupled with the usual motivations of stress relief, feel good factor, and seeing gains/lifting more/running faster times all push me to work myself harder each day.. theres no way i will go back to being lazy. I also sleep better at night because i am physically drained, its fantastic waking up after a full nights sleep with parts of your body still stiff from the previous day letting you know that you had a good workout.