I have such a shitttty attitude.

StarryNight39

I have a lot of weight to lose. I have a gym membership and go for a week or so at a time but then I stop. I have no motivation and can talk myself out of anything. I want to get skinny, I really do, but I don't put the effort in. Same thing goes with food.  Any tips? 

CubbyMama

I think surrounding yourself with health and fitness stuff--pics, websites, magazines, whatever--helps keep you in the mindset. I've been going on SparkPeople a lot and someone on there has this quote in their sig:

"It's hard being overweight. It's hard to lose weight. It's hard to maintain a healthy weight. Choose your hard."

I really like that quote because when something is hard for me, I often assume it's just me--everyone else has no problem turning down junk food or going running before dawn. I need to remind myself that people do these things not because they necessarily LIKE them...they find it hard, just as I do, but they do it anyway. And so can I. And so can you!

LaraGaudess

Find an activity you love to do that gets you moving, you don't have to go to the gym to be fit. Stop buying pre-packaged foods and learn to cook healthy versions of your favorites. Eat from a smaller plate.

I am a bit hesitant to say this because I don't want to be 'that' person, but I will anyway - Lose the attitude. If that doesn't change, then you will never achieve what you want to achieve. Quick fixes never work, and it takes way longer than a week to see results. The only way to be successful at this is by giving it a chance instead of giving up at the first sign of difficulty, stress or boredom. Also, I think that you should be looking at this as 'I want to be healthy' or 'I want to be a good role model' instead of 'I want to be skinny'. Skinny does not equal healthy, and if you go about it the wrong way, it doesn't equal happy either. 

I really hope that you are able to begin your journey and stay on the path to health, because it IS rewarding and possible if you give it a chance. Don't give up on yourself!

 Good luck! 

NicoleMilan

I had this problem a few years ago after suffering a back injury. I gained 40 pounds within the year and comforted myself with food, and not the healthy kind... the ice cream, french fries, pizza, and baked goods. It was a disgusting cycle of self loathing and emotional eating.

 What I did to jump start my "diet" was write down a list of ten goals but didn't specify a completion date. These included "lose ten pounds", "wear a bikini", "feel confident and sexy", etc. They were general also, so I could fill in and cross off whatever I did to make myself think that I completed the goal.

 I then promised myself that I would take baby steps. Each activity or nutritious meal was one step closer to reaching the goal than I was the day before, and that it was completely acceptable to take a month or three to lose some pounds. I promised myself that these would be lifestyle changes, not just crash dieting and I had to work really hard to accept that. It sounds stupid, but I kept an online diary/blog where I would write daily about how I felt and what I could do or could have done to change that outlook. It REALLY helps, especially on those days that you don't feel like getting out of bed and putting on the sneakers and heading to the gym. Trust me, there are MANY of those days. But I kept repeating to myself "you'll feel better after you do this". And it REALLY DID WORK!!!

 I joined www.livestrong.com and kept track of calories through the myplate function. It really puts into perspective what exactly you're eating and how many calories you're consuming. It's free too, and you don't have to assign point values to it like you do with weight watchers. (I tried that too and failed!)

I got a gym membership, which it sounds like you already have (YEY!!!) and started going to 1-2 classes per week that I enjoyed and then started going every day, even if it were for only 20-30 minutes on the treadmill, I made it a daily habit. On nice days, I'd take the dogs for an extra long walk.

I know that this is a very difficult struggle and I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Just keep some goals in mind and keep working on them. A slip here and there isn't a fail, so don't punish yourself and give up. You can do it, you just have to keep in mind what you're trying to do.

 Oh, and a little bit of fun info: I crossed off "feel sexy and confident" by signing up for a pole strengthening class. It was like pole dancing, but without the skeezy sexy part. It was truly a difficult workout and I benefited twice from taking a 6 week long course. I got into better shape AND felt sexier.

 YOU CAN DO IT!