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Any tips for boosting motivation?

S

Schmoukes

Well-Known Member
Messages
70
Hi - I am 4 months in to my diagnosis as T2 and have got my blood sugar well under control with diet and more recently exercise. All is going well & I know I should be motivated by the success but I’m actually finding it hard now to keep to the LCHF diet and just stay on track. Any tips on how you deal with a motivation low? Thank you!!
 
Depends on your personality type and I think if you suffered any of the diabetes complications.

I truly believed the grim reaper was within months of shaking my hand, I also struggled to see my daughter who was meters away, and the symptoms of diabetes were physically painful.

As you can imagine motivation was high once I realised I had a chance to live.

Additionally I have family friends who have needed heart transplants and an extended family member who had a partial leg amputation. So considering diabetes can be controlled by let's face it removing foods that are mostly junk, I feel it's a fair trade.

The words "normal eating" are often said, which for me is code for tastes nice and is usually sweet. This is the alternative "we" all can choose with either having to cover with more insulin or other meds. So in summary I think looking at those who are worse off, who can't influence their lot and avoiding complications is an aid to motivation.
 
Heya, I'm in my first month of T1 diagnosis.
I'd say find something you really care about. For me, that's martial arts and if I don't keep my sugar under control, my feet and eyes can be affected and even before it gets that bad, I know I can't train well if I'm not looking after myself.

Maybe there is something or someone for you to care about that keeps you going?
Also, the book Bright Spots and Landmines is really good for ideas and day to day motivation.

The other part that keeps me going a bit is research and finding communities and I sometimes write things in a little blog too while collecting articles and books I find.

Hope these ideas help a bit
 

I didn’t know about the book. Thank you. I’ll find a copy.
 

The fear propelled me into taking quick and great changes right away and I do appreciate that I am lucky to have a condition that I really can control. Thank you.
 

Not sure if your situation but I think of my family and the fact they need a mother.
 
My motivation? I value my eyes and hands far more that the ability to stuff my face with high carb food, so it's been something of a no-brainer, especially since I'd had a serious and long term eye issue that could have resulted in loss of sight, starting just before I retired. However I'm fortunate in that for most of my life my diet was full fat, moderate carbs, so I was actually quite relieved when I could justify cutting back from a carb heavy diet to closer to my original preferences again.
 
My main motivation is me. Plus wanting to be around for family. Plus wanting to be diabetes free. Plus wanting to be slim(ish). Plus wanting to be fit. To help me with this, I have a few things that maintain my enthusiasm, I bought a Fitbit, which measures all sorts of things from steps and heart rate and food consumed and calories burnt, to mention just a few. Combined with a smart scale, which measures my weight, bmi, fat content, bmr, metabolic age, etc., the figures I get every day, showing (generally, but not always) progress are a godsend, as they keep me motivated to improve. I use a blood meter to measure sugar content, so this also keeps me on a straight and narrow path with diet. It also helps having a wonderful wife who cooks great meals and watches every calorie and carb like a hawk. We are all human and as such need something to motivate and encourage us, it is so difficult to gain any impetus simply by self motivation unless you are very special. Just find something, anything, to give you that help.
 
I always found that eyes and toes were quite motivating..
 
Some people don’t want to know worst case scenarios and I understand but I wanted to know and knowing what could happen motivate me to do my best, to know how tough and difficult your life can become. So I researched a lot. There are many diabetics who are blind or on dialysis I think that is reality.
 
For the second time in 4 months I had a 'come to the hospital now' call about my mum. She's been t2 for at least 30 years and not controlled it at all. I am determined I am not going to end up like that. Heart failure, stroke, swollen legs, possible vascular dementia. It's tricky as I still want to eat things I shouldn't and I still do eat them but I am a million times better than I was. I quite like being able to see and having feet.
That's long term motivation for me, every day motivation is just feeling better all the time compared with this time last year.
 
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