“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
― Jim Rohn

I liked today's quote because it reminds me that after the "honeymoon" phase of getting started on this WOE, then the drudgery starts! Habit must kick in to keep going, day after day, no matter how long it takes. And one has to search for more inspiration be it pounds on the scale, looser clothing, decreasing measurements, or even just a day without being hungry.

With 112 pounds to go, the point isn't about getting to goal weight, it is about making LC my habit, what I will do the rest of my life.

The hardest thing for me is not baking. I love to bake bread, pies, cakes, cookies, biscuits. Now I have to find ways to do that so it will not destroy my WOE. Have looked at a couple of LC baking cookbooks that look promising. Baking LC is an expensive proposition. The ingredients are pricey, but it would be lovely to have home-baked bread that I can enjoy without feeling guilty!

What are some other habits needing change?

Exactly! I've been saying something similar to Jim Rohn for quite some time. If you stick with it long enough and properly program yourself for success (with knowledge) then habits take hold and eating right because normal.

You won't ever hear me moaning about "why can't I eat like normal people", because I am eating like normal.

I don't do all that much LC baking any longer. Like other things, that habit fell away and I don't miss the baked things or goodies very often. They are rare treats nowadays.

Building new habits is hard. It takes way more than the fabled 21 days.

And motivation is critical too, and also needs constant reinforcement

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar

I find that checking in on here daily helps me a lot. And keeping track of how long I've been at this (137 days)).

I hear what you're saying, Nancy, about eating "normal". For me lc is normal, too. Although I would like to try lc baking, for me it is a worry because if it is good, then I may binge on it!

Paris, yes habits are hard to establish and whoever said it only takes 21 days was a fool. As for motivation, I think he was referring to starting on making a change. But I do agree that we have to keep looking for ways to justify that motivation as you said with reinforcement. Hence the numbers on the scale, the tape measure, clothing size, etc.

I find that what helps me is when, as in this thread, others validate my thoughts, challenge them, or add to them. I need input!!! Motivational quotes help me to focus on different aspects of this journey, so I have incorporated them into my journal. The last time I did LC I was all about the technical details, making charts, lists, menus...but I forgot to THINK about how I felt, why I allowed myself to get this fat, what did I need to change BESIDES food. And I had the diet mindset. Lose the weight and go back to normal food. WRONG! So this time I am making my focus to changing my habits so that this time I will become successful and remain successful.

Here's to our success ladies!

My perspective is a little different - I don't think he refers only to making a change, I think lots of things we do in life for ourselves require us to put what we want for long-term goals ahead of short-term choices, and that's the motivation that needs constant tending. New change or not.

For me, that concept of needing to keep motivation going is a key idea. It's not something I can mark as "done", it's not something that will take care of itself. It needs constant tending, and attention. If anything, I'd say the motivation piece requires as much effort right now after 4 1/2 months as it did at the beginning.

And the numbers don't help me much to stay motivated most of the time, personally. I've lost about 35 pounds, many inches, several sizes. But I still see fat when I look in the mirror, and I know I still have a long, long way to go and despite all my attempts to see half-full, I mainly see the long road ahead, so the numbers aren't a strong motivation.

What is? Being crystal-clear in why I'm doing this - for my family, to be a fit, active mom (I have 2 young kids), to stay healthy, to feel better, to avoid diabetes that I think was just around the corner for me, to look better, to shop in normal-sized stores (in Paris, which means US size 12 max, maybe size 10). Believing that the low carb way of eating is really healthy for me personally. Knowing I've made it 138 days so far, and I'm pretty sure I can make it that much longer (hopefully much more, but at least that feels do-able).

Very interesting discussion - motivation and habit are among my favorite topics!

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

Sorta like this, Paris? Yes, I do see where you are coming from, and your perspective is definitely from a longer range (4.5 months) than mine (1 week!). I am still in the honeymoon phase .

On reflection I do agree that motivation, for the long haul, is definitely a deciding factor. Good habits are wonderful to have, but without motivation and vision they become drudgery. I suppose when I speak of creating new habits, that of changing my WOE and changing my mental/emotional attitude towards it, I am thinking more along the lines of not havingto think about it, just doing it because of habit. I remember the last time I did LC I got so caught up in it that it consumed most of my day. What could I eat and how much could I lose and what was my size and charting every little detail and reading every lc board, book, cookbook. Granted, I lost 84 lbs, but I had no room in my life for anything but the WOE! That is why I want this to become a habit, so I don't have to THINK about it constantly, I just do it.

“Nothing is stronger than habit.”
― Ovid

I hope that is true. There is so much truth in the saying that it is hard to break old habits.

Commitment to your goal almost becomes your motivation. Of course, in our case the goal is a lifetime commitment! The final goal is only seen when we have lived successfully committed.

“Determination is learning to form a habit, and never breaking it in future.”
- Michael Bassey Johnson

Motivation and habit are both so important. I think each person has a need for both, but perhaps in different proportions. For you, the motivation may be your driving force. For me, the development of habit is key. I still need motivation, you still need habit, but we must focus on whatever will make us succeed in our journey.

Paris, I am so happy I have a fellow "philosopher" to commune with!

Happy day to you!

I think having a routine has played a part in my journey so far.

Hey there Maori! Welcome to the thread! It must be working, you're doing great. You've been doing this for awhile, congrats on your loss. Have you found that it has affected the way you think about choices in things besides food? I have noticed that I am subconsciously started to do things differently. For instance, instead of riding the 4-wheeler with my dogs, now I walk the field with them. Not because I think of it as exercise, though it is, more just because I want to get healthy and it is a choice to do something that takes more effort, not the easy way.

I would agree with Moari, I do routine on what i eat.

Also initially journalling. I probably journaled the first 4-5 months until I got my routine down and figure out what foods affected me when. And I realized portion sizes so I could estimate properly when I eat out.

I still weigh *everything* though. I don't ever stop weighing/measuring my food. From salad dressing , to salad, to meat, ect... Almost Everything (except when I go out) gets measured out so there is no guess work or leaving anything to chance....

For me, the promise I made to myself was reinforced daily by my commitment to food journaling. I did it for 800 days in a row and it gave me a very solid foundation on how to eat this way for life. It is in my 1st journal here and the link to it is on the first page of my current journal.

The daily weighing I forced myself to do was self reinforcing as I saw regular losses and when I hit stalls, I was able to see what I needed to do to break it.
I learned a lot from daily weighing and now know how many days it'll take my body to burn off a poor food choice(2-4 days). I also know when I got a big hit of sodium and my weight will go up 1-2 lbs. for a couple of days. I think that the biggest thing the daily weighing did for me was to keep me in the game as it was like dangling a carrot in my face. I loved seeing the frigging scale go down!

Hi Nita and Judy! Welcome to the thread. Just a thought on routine


“Routine is liberating, it makes you feel in control.”
― Carol Shields, The Republic of Love

That feeling of control is what I am after. Yet at the same time I don't want dullness.

“I want to caution you against the idea that balance has to be a routine that looks the same week in and week out.”
― Kevin Thoman

In other words, I want the routine of making lc choices, but I want the flexibility to try new foods, new techniques, to not be dogmatic that my way is the only way. And I want that to carry over into everything. For instance, telling myself I am a good person instead of calling myself a fat pig when I mess up, or taking care of my appearance instead of telling myself there's no use. Call it habit, call it routine, it all needs to change for me so that I can develop some self-respect.

So often I can only see the negative things about myself, yet people like me, count on me, ask my opinions. They wouldn't do that if I was as bad as I tell myself I am. Is this making any sense? I'm just so tired of feeling like my own worst enemy.

I really appreciate y'all taking the time to visit and comment. It gets pretty rough talking to myself all the time!

I also love to bake, but am going to not do that very much, and give away what I do bake. I am afraid LC baking would cause me to overeat if I liked it. I have an addiction to many foods and have to be very careful.