Two questions I’m asked constantly is “How have you managed to keep the weight off?” and “How do you stay motivated?” Both questions have related answers. Whenever I share my response, people are surprised.

I’ll answer the second question first. How do I stay motivated? That answer is simple. I don’t. I haven’t been motivated in a long time. Motivation (for me) was temporary. Honestly, I lost motivation after the first few weeks into my weight loss. What happened though was an exchange. Initially, I had lots of motivation and not so much discipline. As the weeks passed, I exchanged motivation for discipline. Pretty soon I created habits that were in place regardless of motivation. (or lack thereof) There are/were plenty of days where I don’t have the motivation. Or more commonly stated – I don’t feel like working out, eating right, etc…

In my mind, motivation is predicated on feelings. And a lot of times, feelings were overrated. At least mine were. When I didn’t feel like doing the right thing, I did it anyway. The habits I created while motivation was high have carried me when my motivation didn’t exist.

You don’t need motivation as much as you need discipline to lose weight.

The first question – “How have I kept the weight off?” I just embraced the fact that this was my new lifestyle. Living healthy, eating right, exercising was now an integral part of my life. (Goes back to those habits) I decided the word diet would no longer be in my vocabulary. I replaced diet with healthy lifestyle. That has made all the difference in keeping the weight off.

Hope that helps.