Something I hear a lot is, "I just need some more motivation and then I'll start ________(losing weight, exercising, etc)." The problem is motivation doesn't equal consistency. What we need to do is make a plan and set ourselves up in advance to be able to achieve that plan. Things like keeping our trigger foods out of the house, scheduling workouts in our calendar or committing to a set time with a friend, and preparing our meals in advance. A study performed in 2002 tested this idea with exercise. Three groups of people were reviewed: control, motivation, and planning. The motivation group was found to have increased intentions to exercise! But when it came down to it, they didn't exercise any more than the control group (who received no motivation). The planning group, however, exercised nearly 3x more than both the other groups! Simply being asked to make a plan and stating what they were going to do, when, and where was enough to make this huge difference. Being motivated is fun, but is not required and won't (by itself) get you the results you want. If you're ready to make a change, then make a plan! Need some help? I think I know someone.
;-)